at the city of Nga tshaung gyan, apparently somewhere near the mouth of the Bhamo River, and after a protracted resistance on that river, they were obliged to retire.  They took up a new point of defence on the Hill of Male, which they had fortified.  Here a decisive battle was fought, and the Burmese were entirely routed.  The King, on hearing of their retreat from Bhamo, at first took measures for fortifying his capital Pagan, and destroyed 6000 temples of various sizes to furnish material.  But after all he lost heart, and embarking with his treasure and establishments on the Irawadi, fled down that river to Bassein in the Delta.  The Chinese continued the pursuit long past Pagan till they reached the place now called Tarokmau or “Chinese Point,” 30 miles below Prome.  Here they were forced by want of provisions to return.  The Burmese Annals place the abandonment of Pagan by the King in 1284, a most satisfactory synchronism with the Chinese record.  It is a notable point in Burmese history, for it marked the fall of an ancient Dynasty which was speedily followed by its extinction, and the abandonment of the capital.  The King is known in the Burmese Annals as Tarok-pye-Meng, “The King who fled from the Tarok."[1]

In Dr. Mason’s abstract of the Pegu Chronicle we find the notable statement with reference to this period that “the Emperor of China, having subjugated Pagan, his troops with the Burmese entered Pegu and invested several cities.”

We see that the Chinese Annals, as quoted, mention only the “capitale primitive” Taikung, which I have little doubt Pauthier is right in identifying with Tagaung, traditionally the most ancient royal city of Burma, and the remains of which stand side by side with those of Old Pagan, a later but still very ancient capital, on the east bank of the Irawadi, in about lat. 23 deg. 28’.  The Chinese extracts give no idea of the temporary completeness of the conquest, nor do they mention Great Pagan (lat. 21 deg. 13’), a city whose vast remains I have endeavoured partially to describe.[2] Sir Arthur Phayre, from a careful perusal of the Burmese Chronicle, assures me that there can be no doubt that this was at the time in question the Burmese Royal Residence, and the city alluded to in the Burmese narrative.  M. Pauthier is mistaken in supposing that Tarok-Mau, the turning-point of the Chinese Invasion, lay north of this city:  he has not unnaturally confounded it with Tarok-Myo or “China-Town,” a district not far below Ava.  Moreover Male, the position of the decisive victory of the Chinese, is itself much to the south of Tagaung (about 22 deg. 55’).