there was no such road; and as the island consisted of an impassable jungle, it was determined that the army should proceed, by a well known and ascertain ed road, to Sarrawah, which is on the Irrawaddy, about sixty miles above Donoobew.

On 1st of March, the column arrived at Theeboon, having passed, besides other villages, the village of Lain, a warboat station of the Burmans. At Theeboon, it forded the Lain river, and took up a position a mile in advance. Here it was joined by provision boats, which had been dispatched up the river, for the supply of the commissariat carts; and here also, intelligence was received of the capture of Panlang by the marine column, and its advance into the Irrawaddy.

Next day, the column arrived at Sarrawab, where it first came in sight of the majestic Irrawaddy. The place, which is the head-quarters of the Burman king's war-boats in Pegu, was, on the approach of the British, completely deserted by its inhabitants, who were seen, in one large mass, on the opposite side of the river, moving slowly into the depths of a huge forest.

At Sarrawab, the column halted six entire days, in hopes of obtaining intelligence of the operations of the marine column, which, it was considered certain, must have reached Donoobew. Rumours were abroad that Bandoolah had retreated from that strong place; but they were too vague to be relied upon; and, besides, they might have been circulated by the enemy, with a view to ensnare the British. On the 7th, however, a heavy cannonade was heard at Donoobew, which, commencing in the morning, entirely ceased in the afternoon. There was now a moral conviction that Donoobew had been attacked and carried, which was strengthened by accounts of Bandoolah's retreat, which poured in from all quarters. It was now deemed necessary that the VOL. XVIII. PART I.

column should advance with the utmost haste, in order to prevent the defeated enemy from reaching Prome, the capital of Pegu, and the laying waste of the country between Sarrawah and that city. Accordingly, on the 9th, the column marched from Sarrawah, leaving a strong detachment there, to intercept the enemy's retreat by water, and maintain a communication between the advancing and the marine columns. On the 10th, the troops reached Uaudeet, distant twenty-six miles from Sarrawah, having passed through a number of deserted villages. Uaudeet they found to be a town of considerable extent; but its inhabitants had fled from it, carrying away with them everything in the morning that was portable.

Here, on the morning of the 11th, intelligence was received that the marine column had failed in its attack upon the outworks of Donoobew, and that, unless the assailants were reinforced, the place was too strong to be carried. It now became a question of grave consideration, whether the land column, after reinforcing the marine one from the rear at Rangoon, should advance directly upon Prome, or fall back upon Donoobew, and there effect a junction with the other column. Against the first of these alternatives there were these formidable objections, that the Burmans had the command of the great river, by which all supplies for the troops were effectually stopped; there were only ten days' rations in store; and there was little chance of deriving the smallest supply from the country. It was, therefore, resolved that the column should fall back, and effect the junction in question. On the 12th it left Uaudeet, and next day regained Sarrawah.

The same day, the Madras infantry crossed the river, and took possession of Hewzedah, on the opposite side. Rafts were constructed at the cost of immense labour, by which, in the course of five days, the entire column, with its

L

commissariat, artillery, and ammunition, was enabled to cross to Hewzedah, where, upon the 18th, head-quarters were established.

Hewzedah and Keoum-zeik which adjoins it, form a large town; but, like all the other towns which they had approached, our troops found it to be wholly deserted. It had, previously to its desertion, been a place of considerable commerce, and numbered among its inhabitants several Armenian and other merchants, who dealt in indigo, which thrives remarkably well in its neighbourhood. The surrounding plains were covered with cattle, so very wild that there was the utmost difficulty in catching any of them.

Information having been received at Hewzedah, that the Kee Wongee (principal minister of the Latoo, or Council of State) was posted, with a consider able force, on the road to Lamina, about fifteen miles distant, LieutenantColonel Godwin, with a strong detachment, marched out, under cloud of night, to surprise him. But the cautious minister was not to be so surprised. Numerous beacons gave him warning of the approach of the British; and he ingloriously fled, after throwing away his robes of state, and disguising himself as a peasant. His followers instantly dispersed and sought refuge in the jungles. Two secretaries of the Latoo were all that were left dead on the field.

On the 21st, after two days' rest, the column left Hewzedah; and, having encountered in their march enormous difficulties, presented by grass and reed jungles, halted on the 24th at a village within four miles of Donoobew. Here the column first obtained a view of the enemy's works, and also of the British flotilla at anchor beneath the stockades. Above was stationed a fleet of Burman war-boats, which, upon a party of the British attempting a reconnoissance, came out in regular order, and commenced cannonading.

Donoobew was surrounded by old brick ramparts of considerable elevation, in front of which was a stockade of solid teak beams from fifteen to seventeen feet high, and which was strengthened by cross beams, connecting it with the ramparts. This stockade extended nearly a mile along the Irrawaddy, and varied in breadth from 500 to 800 yards. A ditch of great width and depth surrounded the inner defences; in advance of the ditch were se veral rows of strong railing; and, in front of all, was a most formidable abatis, excepting on the face of the river, which there presented an insuperable barrier. The fortification, in short, I would have done credit to the most experienced engineer. In front of the face lowest down the river, were two strong outworks, one of which had been carried by the marine column, but the other had resisted its attacks. On the works 150 guns and swivels were mounted; and the garrison, amounting to 15,000 men, mos.ly veterans brought by Bandoolah from Arracan, were protected from shells by numerous wellexecuted traverses and excavations. The whole appearance of the place, with its numerous golden chattahs glittering in the sun, was most imposing; and indicated the utmost confidence and resolution on the part of the garrison. Bandoolah had declared his determination there to conquer or (die; and the character of that chief for skill, courage, and obstinacy, prepared the besiegers for a most vigorous and protracted resistance.

On the 25th the army proceeded to invest the fort; but it was found too extensive to be surrounded even by a chain of posts. A position, therefore, was taken up, the left being made to rest upon the river, and the right to extend circularly towards the centre of the rear face of the fort, where there was a fine open plain, on which a division encamped at long shot distance. While this was being done, a great ma

ny guns were fired upon the troops from the fort; and the enemy's cavalry skirmished on their flanks. So soon, however, as they had occupied their ground, the enemy's fire ceased; but the succeeding calm was of short duration. At ten in the evening, the camp was roused and put in motion by the firing of musketry and the war-cry of the Burmans: columns of them were seen moving towards the British right, in order to turn it; while a distant fire was kept up on the centre and left, in order to distract attention. When the attacking columns had reached the extreme right of the British, they were suddenly checked by the running fire of two regiments which were posted there; and were compelled to retire, carrying with them their dead and wounded.

Next day, it was resolved to open a communication at once between the two columns; with which view a small party was dispatched through a jungle to the fleet, which it reached in safety. A little above Donoobew, there is an island in the river; and in the farther channel were stationed the enemy's warboats, which, sailing round the corner of the island, occasionally fired into the British camp. To drive them away, a small party, with rockets, crossed over to the island, and completely accomplished their object. The same day, an old pagoda, about 300 yards from the enemy's works, which was selected as the most eligible point for first breaking ground, was occupied by the 47th regiment, which immediately commenced intrenching itself. The neighbouring ground was found to have been mined and loaded, but no explosion took place. On the 27th, the British flotilla forced its passage up the river. So soon as it was descried from the fort, the Burmans made a sortie in considerable force, with infantry, cavalry, and elephants: it was directed against the British right. While the feet advanced under the fire of the fort, the British

cavalry, covered by the horse-artillery, made a charge upon the elephants, who withstood it with unwonted steadiness. Most of their riders were shot, on which they slowly retreated within the fortifications. During the cannonade which took place between the fort and flotilla, a Burman officer was shot, while pointing his gun; on which his comrades abandoned the fatal post, and could not be prevailed on by the intreaties or threats of their superiors to return to it. Bandoolah, learning the circumstance, came to the spot where the delinquents were, and gave an example of the promptitude and severity of his discipline, by instantly decapitating them with his own hand. At length, the British fleet passed the fort, and anchored on the left of the British column.

Next day, part of the British flotilla succeeded in capturing nine of the enemy's war-boats; and that, and the three following days, the troops were employed in constructing batteries, and landing heavy ordnance, while the Burmans devoted themselves to strengthening their works. On the last of these days, the following extraordinary epistle from Bandoolah, written on dirty canvass, was brought to the British camp: "In war we find each other's force; the two countries are at war for nothing, and we know not each other's minds." The conduct observed by the British general towards the bearer of this message, we cannot approve of. It appears to us a direct violation of the law of nations-of those provisions of it, especially, which are indispensable to the restoring of concord between belligerent parties. It has been affected to consider the message as insulting ;for our part, we can view it in no such light, and regard it only as an attempt, an insidious one probably, on the part of Bandoolah, to open a negotiation for peace with the British general. The messenger, according to our view, ought unquestionably to have been treated as the bearer of a flag of truce; instead of

which, however, he was threatened with the punishment of a spy, under the influence of which threat he divul ged the fact of its being Bandoolah's intention to make a sally, at the head of his whole forces, on the first favour able opportunity, and conquer or perish in the attempt. Upon every fair principle, it seems to us as unfair to extort from a person, in the capacity of this Burman messenger, his employer's secrets, by threatening to put him to death as a spy, as it would be to put such a threat in execution against him;-the only difference between the two cases being, that there would be a higher degree of cruelty in the one than the other.

On the 1st of April, the mortar batteries and rockets commenced firing on the fort, and continued to do so, at intervals, during the day and succeeding night. Their fire was very slackly returned by the garrison.

Next day, at daylight, two Lascars, who had been prisoners of war in the fort, came running out, bringing with them the most unlooked for and welcome intelligence, that Bandoolah had been killed the previous day by a rocket, and that the place had been evacuated by the garrison in the course of the evening. The British immediately entered and took possession of the place, where (such had been the hurry of the enemy's flight) they found not a gun had been removed, and the large stores of grain, collected by the Burmans, wholly uninjured. A poor fellow, with both his feet shot off, was found, who gave the following account of the catastrophe by which the brave Bandoolah perished: "I belonged to the household of Menghi Maha Bandoolah, and my business was to beat the great drums which are hanging in the veranda of the Wongee's house. Yesterday morning, between the hours of nine and ten, while the chief's dinner was preparing, he went out to take his usual morning walk round the works, and arrived at his observatory, (that tower with a red ball

upon it,) where, as there was no firing, he sat down upon a couch that was kept there for his use. While he was giving orders to some of his chiefs, the British began to throw bombs, and one of them, falling close to the Wongee, burst, and killed him on the spot. His body was immediately carried away and burned to ashes. His death was soon known to every one in the stockade, and the soldiers refused to stay and fight under any other commander. The chiefs lost all influence and command over their men, every one thinking of providing for his own personal safety."

Thus, by a random shot at the very commencement of the siege, were the British put in possession, almost without bloodshed, of a stronghold, before which the best part of their strength might have been wasted; and by that same shot did the enemy sustain an immeasurable and irreparable loss in the person of Bandoolah, the only general possessed of the confidence of the troops and the nation, and the only one who, by his superior skill, courage, and enthusiastic devotedness, seemed entitled to that confidence. His death was of more advantage to the invaders, (even putting the capture of Donoobew out of view,) than would have been the gaining of a series of pitched battles.

It is no small proof of the zeal and enthusiasm which animated the British general, that, instead of reposing in the lap of victory for a time, and joyfully meditating upon the new laurels added to his brow, he completed, in the course of the day which succeeded his capture of Donoobew, his arrangements for advancing upon Prome; and that, on the day following, namely, the 4th, the land column was in full march for that capital.

On the 12th, the column was again at Sarrawah; and on the 14th reached Uaudeet; on their march to which it heard of bands of fugitives from Donoobew, who had turned marauders, and preyed upon the defenceless peasantry. The next day the column reached Sa

baye-meum, where intelligence was received, that all the country as far up as Prome had been depopulated, so soon as the news of the fate of Donoobew had been received. The day following, it reached Monghee, where ground had been marked out by Prince Sarrawuddy for a very extensive stockade, part of which had been constructed.

On the 19th, after three days' march, the column reached Huddadoon, situ ated in a beautiful plain, studded with (a sad appearance) villages smoking in their ashes. From this position, a view was obtained, for the first time, of the lofty chain of mountains, called Anaupectomiew, which divides Arracan from Ava. Here, an elderly man came into the British camp, as the bearer of a proposal from two Attawoons or councillors of his Burman Majesty, for terminating the war by treaty. This envoy, having most undiplomatically got tipsy, whispered into the general's ear, They are frightened out of their wits, and you may do what you please with them." The answer returned to the proposal signified the readiness of the Anglo-Indian government to conclude a peace; and that, on the arrival of the army at Prome, every facility would be afforded of opening negotiations. It became evident, in the sequel, that the sole drift of the proposal was to stay the advance of the British upon Prome. On the 20th the column marched from Huddadoon; and, at the end of five days' march, on the 24th, arrived at Daringabayah, where it obtained a view of the heights of Prome, and of the British flotilla anchored beneath it. Here another communication was received from the Burman authorities; the import of which was, that the city should not be occupied by the British -that there was an army on each side and that between the two there was sufficient ground for holding a conference upon. As the object of this communication obviously was to gain time, the answer returned was, that the

British would certainly take military possession of Prome, but that their general would willingly meet the Burman deputies next day, when and where they chose to appoint, to arrange as to the protection of the inhabitants and their property.

Before daylight next day, the column was in order of battle, and in motion ; and soon found itself under a ridge of hills which cover Prome to the southward, and stretch away to the southeast and east. The river forms a most powerful barrier to the town, on the west side, and is commanded for the length of a mile, by the heights, which were fortified to their summits. But the stockades were unoccupied ; and the enemy having fled from every position, the column, without resistance, entered the capital of Pegu, which the retiring enemy had set in a blaze; but by the exertions of the troops, a considerable part of the buildings was saved from the ravages of the fiery element.

It was found that the Prince of Sarrawuddy had been at Prome, where he had determined to make an obstinate stand; for which he was rapidly collecting the whole disposable force of the kingdom. The expected reinforcements were within a few days' march of the place, when the subtle design of the enemy was suddenly frustrated by the unexpected advance of the British troops. The prince and his followers precipitately fled; and, in their route, laid waste the villages, and drove the helpless inhabitants into the woods. It was learnt, that Sarrawuddy had rallied his forces at Melloon; and that orders had been issued for raising an additional body of 30,000 men; but so stunning was the effect of the past events of the war, that few of the natives could be urged, even by the dread of their sovereign's vengeance, to rally round the national standard; and it was found necessary (a fact unprecedented in Burman history) to offer a bounty, equal to about £20 sterling, to each recruit