APPENDIX. 
29 
upon making the necessary levies in men or money, without 
incurring certain risk of bringing on insurrections and re¬ 
bellions, which would endanger its existence. 
It is certain, notwithstanding, that a disposition to renew 
the contest whenever an opportunity may occur, is seriously 
entertained on the part of the Burmese Court; and that 
they will systematically pursue such means as they ima¬ 
gine themselves to possess for making the necessary pre¬ 
parations for it. The vain pretensions and arrogant spirit 
which have so long characterised the Burman Court, are, 
as the Government will perceive from the records of the 
negotiation, little abated. It seems determined to main¬ 
tain its pretensions, and to long for an opportunity of 
extending again its pernicious dominion over the petty 
nations on its north-west frontier, as well as to recover 
the provinces wrested from it by the British power. 
It is natural to ascribe such a disposition to the Bur¬ 
mese Government in its present situation ; but, indepen¬ 
dent of this, several circumstances came to our knowledge 
during our residence at Ava, which strongly corroborated 
the views thus ascribed to it. In the deliberations which 
took place at Ava, and which led to the negotiations at 
Melloon and the peace at Yandabo, the only argument 
which the European and American prisoners, and other 
advocates for peace, ventured to address to the presump¬ 
tion and vanity of the Government, notwithstanding that 
a victorious enemy was within forty miles of its capital, 
was, that the Burmese should patch up a peace in the 
mean while, only for the purpose of making the necessary 
preparations for renewing the contest on the first favoura¬ 
ble opportunity. 
Respecting the results of the late war, the general im¬ 
pression abroad among the officers of the Burmese Govern¬ 
ment, whose sentiments we had an opportunity of ascer- 
