Observations of the late Mission to Ava. 17 



trality. Our visitors saluted us in the manner of English se- 

 poys, standing up. This they said was the positive order of 

 his Talain majesty, who declared he would permit no one 

 henceforth to crouch in his presence, or that of any other chief. 

 They also boasted that they treated their prisoners after the 

 English fashion, that is to say, disarmed them and set them at 

 liberty without offering them any personal violence. They 

 claimed the greater merit for this, on account of the conduct 

 observed by the Burmans towards them, who, they alleged, 

 put all their prisoners to death, or, as they expressed it, *' di- 

 vided them into three parts.*" 



On the morning of the 1 7th the mission reached Rangoon. 

 The Burman flag was seen flying on one side of the river, and 

 the Talain on the other, not 600 yards asunder. The town of 

 Rangoon was invested on all sides by the Talains, and the 

 suburbs had been burnt to the ground. We had hardly been 

 at anchor half an hour, and were engaged in reading our let- 

 ters and newspapers, when the garrison made a sortie, and an 

 action took place, reckoned the most considerable since the 

 commencement of the insurrection. On both sides it was pal- 

 try and contemptible to the last degree. The Talains in one 

 place caught sleeping or cooking fled to their boats, and were 

 soon seen crossing the river in great numbers. At another 

 post between the town and the great Pagoda they were more 

 vigilant, and easily repulsed a feeble and cowardly attack made 

 by the Burmans. On the S3d the mission left Rangoon, and 

 in less than four-and-twenty hours reached the new settlement 

 of Amherst, in the harbour of which we found lying the com- 

 pany's ships Investigator and Ternate, and a large fleet of 

 gun-boats. To these in a few days were added the large mer- 

 chant ships Almorah, Felicitas^ and Bombay Merchant, with 

 two trading brigs and some schooners. This was a curious 

 spectacle in a harbour which was not known to exist ten months 

 ago. The settlement contains from sixteen to seventeen- hun- 

 dred inhabitants. Maulamhyeng, tKe military cantonment, 

 twenty-seven miles further up the river, contains twice this 

 number, chiefly camp followers. Neither of them had a single 

 inhabitant a few months back, but on the contrary were co- 

 vered with a thick forest. This fine country already produces 



VOL. vin. NO. i. JAN. 1828. b 



