113 



ihe ravah of Kedah's being delivered up to him. 

 It is to Mr. Crawfurd*s liouor that, nolwithstand' 

 mg bis opinion that Kedah was tributary toSiam, 

 he utterly rf^jected this proposition, as iuconsis* 

 tent with British liouor aad engagements. 



In 18'24, however, commenced the war be* 

 tween the EnErii:^h and Burmese, an arduous 

 struggle, which has been detailed by many able 

 pen^. It falls only within my province to advert 

 to it ^50 far as it influenced the future destinies of 

 Kedah. The difficuhies and resistance which 

 the Biitisli troops met with, in addition to the 

 great mortality and sickness induced by the cir- 

 cumstance of operations being carried on during 

 the rainy season, reridered the issue of this pro* 

 tracted contest, to Bay the least of it, doubtful. 



Lord Amherst, then Governor General of In- 

 dia, being aware of the implacable enmity sub- 

 sisting between Burmah and Siam, arising from 

 the circnnislancc of their being powerful and con- 

 tiguous nations, conceived the design of procur- 

 ing an alliance between the British and Siamese, 

 and thus securing the active co-operation of the 

 latter against the Burmese. Plausible as the 

 idea appears at first sight, it is to be regretted 

 thai Hi^ Lordship was not better acquainted with 

 the line of pobcy invanably adopted by Siam. 

 A more intimate knowledge of that state would 

 have convinced him that the projected embassy 

 would be ftnitless, as 5?he never wastes her own 

 strength by engaging personally in a struggle, un- 

 less absolutely compelled; her system ever being 

 to employ either one, or more, of her more power- 

 ful tributaries to subdue a minor nation, by which 



p 



