Letter

Letter (A1711A) and envelope (A1711B), both of native paper. Burmese calligraphy in Shan language. Letter of friendship and piety from the Sawbwa of Hsenwi, a Shan state, to the head abbot of Hsipaw monastery. Comments: The manuscript is lined lightly in pencil and both right and left hand margins are scored off, also lightly in pencil. The next to the last line is scored both above and below the letters. The last line is not scored at all. The margin on the left side is ample, and contains in red the seal of the Swabwa of Hsenwi. There are also ornamental flourishes, in red, which extend to the far right of the page after the last line and after the line preceding this, and another ornamental flourish, also in red, after the direction of the envelope. Written on the envelope in Roman script, underlined, is "Aus" (=?) or "Ans." The letter is addressed to someone named Kirkpatrick, probably the collector, while he was residing in Hsipaw.