TO THE COURT OF AVA. 
3 
of His Majesty’s 87th regiment, and fifteen 
picked Sepoy grenadiers. The Europeans of 
the escort were accommodated on board the 
steam-vessel, and the Sepoys on board the na¬ 
tive boats. The object of the Mission is suffi¬ 
ciently described in my Instructions, which will 
be found in the Appendix. 
The heaviest baggage-boats having proceed¬ 
ed up the river some days, and three of what 
we supposed the lightest, a few hours before 
ourselves, we embarked on the Diana, on the 
afternoon of the 1st of September, and in the 
course of the evening weighed anchor and com¬ 
menced our journey. We rested for the night, 
at a place called, by the English, Pagoda Point. 
This is a low tongue of land which separates, 
just at their confluence, the two branches of 
the Irawadi, those of Lain and Panlang, which 
form the Rangoon river. It is nearly visible 
from the town of Rangoon. As a military 
position, Pagoda Point is remarkably strong, 
and an enemy of any military skill or spirit 
might have fortified and defended it in such 
a manner, as to have rendered this route the 
only good one to the upper provinces and 
capital by water, quite impassable for an in¬ 
vading force. The Burmans, shortly after the 
arrival of our army at Rangoon, had fortified 
b 2 
