The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-09 00:00:00

quite silenced the firing from the palisades, and she
had already begun to drop down the river. Armed
boats in company with the Phlegetlion now firing
grape and canister up the creek, and destroying tho
boats, which the Burmese lost not an instant in leav-
ing after the Fox's first broadside. Before the tiring
they had shown the greatest eagerness to fight, hold-
ing their arms up in the bouts and shouting de-
fiance to the Fox, while they pointed to the guns of
the stockade, which they no doubt thought would
sink her. On ono occasion that morning thee. had
even dashed out to attack the English barque Ararat,
and which they were only prevented from doing by
her suddenly coming to an anchor under the guns of
the frigate. As the Fox floated slowly doun past tha
second stockades she kept up a continued fire into
tbeni, throwing shut and shell alternately with ad-
mirable precision, while the Hermes was employed
discharging rockets right up the creek that flanked
the first stockade. After the firing front the shore
had been effectually silenced, all the ships dropped
gradually down to the mouth of the river, where they
kept arriving and anchoring til! a lute hour of the
night.
" The forts or stockades were manned by be-
tween 3,000 and 1,0(W) men, whom the present
governor had brought down with him front l'rome„
In the action they had killed and wounded between
200 and 300 men, according to their aerteint. No
casualties occurred in any of the ships engaged.
" It was evident the Burmese had never antiei-
pitted anything like the warm reception they met
' with. A report had been spread abroad by some of
their people that had been on board that the guns
were all made of wood, in the ready belief of which
they were convinced by seeing two wooden muzzles
or quakers, as they are called, in the cabin, where
the Commodore received the various deputations. All
'they knew of ships was learned from the merchant
ships that came to their ports, and they beingfrequently
insufficiently found and manned, and only carrying
some muskets, were not very likely to fill them with
much apprehension about danger in attacki them.
The second day after the fight, the governors inter-
preter (Moatpago) came down the river, no doubt to
collect some information for his master about the
movements of the ships of war. lie implied that the
governor was quite ready to come to terms, amid there
is no doubt but that the late defeat must have sub-
dued much of his arrogance. It is thought that ho
will be afraid of the consequences to himself, if he
report the real state of things to the King of Avg,
and that, instead of doing so, he will boast of having
driven the 'great captain' and his ships out of the
river How he will account for the loss of his
royal master's ship, it is hard to say. Meanwhile,
Commander Lambert leaves this warning (13th)
in her Majesty's steamer Hermes fur Calcutta, to ec.
port in person the state of things to the Governor-
General, who was expected at Calcutta on the lath
inst. If the war is to ho prosecuted, very much may
be done this year; indeed, with the number of
steamers at command, if troops can be collected,
terms might even be dictated in Ava before the com-
mencement of the rainy season, which is about the
beginning of May. One thing is certain, no reliance
can be placed on professions of Burmese good faith
or sincerity, so without a force no concessions will
ever be made to us."
.Rangoon River, Jan. 13, 1852.