1837.] Some account of the Wars between Burmah and China. 143 



which were blockading 1 Kaung-to&n. This attack succeeded ; but the 

 Burmese having' returned to the Wun-gyih with the boats and guns 

 they had captured, the Chinese fleet rallied and resumed the block- 

 ade- The eight divisions of the Burmese fleet, as soon as they had 

 refitted and repaired, again attacked the Chinese fleet, and after a 

 severe engagement, forced the crews to jump on shore, and leave all 

 their boats, guns, &c. of which the Burmese took possession. The 

 Wun-gyih's army then opened a communication with the garrison 

 of Kaung-toUn, and the Wun-gyih sent 10 regiments under Men:ye'- 

 zeya-gyo to cross the Erdwadi below Kaung-to&n to the eastward, 

 and post themselves along the Tsin-khan river to the south east of 

 that town, so as to communicate with Naung-byit, where the Let- 

 we-weng-mhu was stockaded. The Wun-gyih also sent ten regi- 

 ments under Men:ye'-yan-naung to cross the Erdwadi above Kaung- 

 toan, and to place themselves along the Len-ban-gya river to the 

 north of that town, so as to communicate with Moyu, where the 

 Shye-weng-mhu was posted. The Wiin-gyih also, in order to 

 induce the Chinese to believe that strong reinforcements were daily 

 joining him, made large parties of men, elephants and horses cross 

 over every day from the west to the east bank of the Erdwadi, and 

 at night brought them all secretly back again to the west. 



The Chinese generals Thu'-koun-ye' and Akoun-ye', then sum- 

 moned all their officers, and after describing the defeats which both 

 their land and water forces had so repeatedly sustained, and the 

 severe sufferings which their army was experiencing from the want 

 of every kind of supplies, which the Burmese had intercepted, and 

 observing that even if they succeeded in an attempt to force the 

 Burmese armies around them, the Chinese troops would be unable 

 to go far, owing to the scarcity of provisions, the Chinese generals 

 proposed to depute a mission to the Burmese camp, in order to open 

 a negotiation for peace, and for a passage for their army to China. 

 This proposition being unanimously approved of, the Chinese generals 

 addressed the following letter to the Burmese commander-in-chief: — 

 " The generals Thu / -koun-ye , ) Akoun-ye', and Yuon-koun-ye / 

 to the (Burmese) general. When we three, who were appointed to 

 march to Ava by three different routes, were about to commence 

 our march in the year 1129, (1767-8.) the (Burmese) general sent 

 eight Chinese with a letter, stating that all sentient beings desired 

 rest. We therefore delayed our march a year. Even now, we 

 should be happy only to see our dispute settled, which it will not 

 be for years, if we go on fighting. We are not come, because we 

 want the Burmese dominions. If the sun-descended king (of Ava) 



