BURMAH. 



121 



mese have since then sent an embassy to Pekin 

 every ten years with tribute to the Emperor. 

 Because the ambassadors usually returned with 

 more valuable presents than they took to Pe- 

 kin, some were inclined to deny that there was 

 an acknowledgment of suzerainty implied in 

 the decennial mission. The English Govern- 

 ment, however, could not dispute the historical 

 fact, and, according to its promise, agreed to 

 recognize the nominal suzerainty of China over 

 Burmah by continuing the periodical presents. 

 The Chinese expected, besides, to be compen- 

 sated for quietly allowing Great Britain to ex- 

 tend her dominions in the Indo-Chinese Penin- 

 sula up to the confines of China. The task of 

 keeping in order the wild tribes on the north- 

 ern border of Burmah, who have alternately 

 acknowledged the sovereignty of the King of 

 Ava and the Emperor of China by the payment 

 of a nominal tribute, the Government of India 

 was entirely willing to transfer to the Chinese 

 authorities. But the Chinese did not regard 

 the abandonment of the sovereignty over this 

 district as a concession, but considered that the 

 'assumption of the duty of keeping the trade 

 route gave them additional claims for compen- 

 sation. They accordingly asked for the cession 

 of the port of Bhamo, which is half peopled 

 by Chinese, with its district, including the ter- 

 ritory extending from Bhamo fifty miles down 

 the Irrawaddy to the river Shwely, which 

 would give them a natural and strategic front- 

 ier. The negotiations were prolonged till the 

 24th of June, when a convention was signed 

 at London. 



The British Annexation. The British soon 

 found that, although the conquest of Burmah 

 and the overthrow of the Government had 

 been accomplished by a military promenade, 

 in which only seven of the rank and file of the 

 invading army had fallen, the annexation would 

 probably be the work of years, and would re- 

 quire the sacrifice of thousands of Indian sol- 

 diers, and swallow millions of treasure, instead 

 of the 380,000 estimated as the cost of the 

 expedition. In the interval between the capt- 

 ure of Mandalay and the proclamation of an- 

 nexation a rebellion of formidable dimensions 

 was begun. The ministers of the Hlootdaw, 

 on whom the British relied to govern the 

 country, secretly aided and encouraged the 

 movement. The district officials left their 

 posts and took part in the rebellion, which be- 

 came general as soon as the Burmese awoke to 

 the fact that their system of monarchy was 

 doomed to extinction. Some of the more en- 

 ergetic of the seventy Alaungpra princes still 

 living organized small armies. The British 

 were shut up in the fortified posts along the 

 river, but were not even able to keep the tele- 

 graph line open between the river towns. The 

 revolt spread into British Burmah, and English 



officials were killed and the Government re- 

 sisted. The Shans, who were supposed to have 

 no sympathy with the Burmese idea of mon- 

 archy, joined the rebel princes, and gave them 

 refuge when pursued by the British flying col- 

 umns. In order not to belie the representa- 

 tions made in England that the people of Upper 

 Burmah were desirous of being taken under 

 British rule, the operations undertaken to hold 

 in check the rebel chieftains were described 

 in the reports as being conducted against da- 

 koits for the protection of peaceable villagers, 

 although dakoity, or gang-robbery, such as 

 once existed in Bengal, and is still practiced in 

 Central India, is not known in Burmah. 



When Sir Charles Bernard, the Chief Com- 

 missioner of British Burmah, arrived at Man- 

 dalay, in the latter part of December, he had 

 Tinedah Mingyee arrested and sent to Ran- 

 goon. This act confirmed the Burmese in the 

 belief that the conquerors intended to subju- 

 gate them and overturn all their institutions, 

 and consequently it increased among them the 

 spirit of resistance. 



When, after nine months of occupation, the 

 English found themselves in possession of but 

 a small portion of the country, and were only 

 able to hold their ground with a large army, in 

 which cholera and fever caused heavy losses, 

 they determined to put forth strength enough 

 to thoroughly reduce the country to their rule 

 during the coming healthy season. Sir Herbert 

 MacPherson, the commander of the military 

 forces of the Madras Presidency, was placed in 

 command of the army of occupation. As soon 

 as the plains became dry enough for military 

 operations, he took the field with the finest 

 regiments of his army, but died soon after his 

 arrival. As no other general of first-rate abil- 

 ity was available, Sir Frederick Roberts, the 

 commander-in-chief of the Indian arrny, as- 

 sumed the immediate command of the army in 

 the field, and proceeded to Burmah in the be- 

 ginning of November. He had at his disposal 

 a force of over 40,000 fighting men, comprising 

 ten battalions of European infantry, four regi- 

 ments of native cavalry, a body of more than 

 800 mounted infantry, and r.ine batteries of ar- 

 tillery, including mountain and elephant guns. 

 The native troops included Sikhs, Goorkhas, 

 and Punjabee and Beloochee troops, and were 

 composed of the best fighting material in the 

 Indian army. Under the general-in-chief were 

 three major-generals and six brigadier-generals. 

 There were enough transport mules brought 

 from India, and ponies and elephants obtained 

 from the country, to enable the troops to keep 

 the field for long periods. The river communi- 

 cations were kept open by a flotilla, consisting 

 of three armed steamers, three armed tenders, 

 launches with machine-guns, and a number 

 of light- draught steamboats. 



