The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c23.s4.16

v4.c23.s4.16

Thus, until the gunners lost their man-of-war smartness, the Burmese had some good artillery. Alaungpaya had indeed already a number of cannon, mostly taken from the Talaings, but some of them were two hundred years old and the best of them was the gun used at Prome in 1754. This was a three pounder and it was the pride of the day, because when fired it went off, and when it went off it was the enemy that it hit, and the enemy whom it hit died; because of these things, it was coated with gold leaf, and men made offerings of spirit to it, reverently perfuming it with scents and wrapping it in fine raiment.¹ Alaungpaya was head of the church, but when he came to possess French gunners, he was not responsible for their souls, as they were unbelievers and it was their own concern if they chose to drink damnation. Besides, theologically speaking he did not countenance their use of intoxicants; he merely permitted the offering of spirits to the Gun Spirit, and the slaves of the Gun Spirit happened to consume the offering.