The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-19 00:00:00

seen coming from the Fort, add I sett out Captain Bay Won, ALB.
SIMI Lieutenant Neufville, Deputy Assistant Qua/mutineer-Gene-
rith to receive it.
. Those Officers having met the herald and Coodgeted bins to the
6101 T piquet, reported to tae that he represented himself to to a
native of Ceylon, by, name Durtriadur Ilhormacharee, many years
resister: in Bengal and the Eastern Islands, in the employment of
notions well-known Public servants. and conversant with our man-
tic's and sisionets, at present Raj tloort.o, or Chief Priest r, the
hewn) sad Burmese Authorities is Aasato, and an accreoitel wet-
settler i min Sawn and Ilaglee Phokurs to me.
I .acccniingly directed hint' to be admitted under the mual forms
of precaution.
Arm his introduction, le asid thin he wiz deputed by the Pho-
•- kat., W-IClplifC what wire the ni jece of our present advance upon
Ititugeove, to which I repthd that my instruction' were to clear the
sundry, of Assam of all'upposing forces, and to occupy it on the
pan of the British Government, for the protection of the inhabit.
• sots tthat I was surpraed at the question, since I conceived the
?hotline pause have beets ahead? apprised of our iatuitions by '.Jr.
7. SCOW.* 1.11.0.0. commuricatien in reply to theirs.
The (loiieoo expressing his total ignorance of the receipt by the
..••
. Photon* td Mr. Scott's retter, I explained the general tenor of the
, cOotents, which he promised faithully to deliver to the Photons,
aad to return in the course of the day with their reply. I also took
• . rippOtturtity of briogirg forward a messenger of the Phokuns
nintrnintjAith desp!tches from Mr. Scoti, who had arrived in
• cusp the same morning, and of delivering the letters to the Gocroo
tar transmission to the ?Nikons.
Thes9roved tote the delayed communication above adverted to.
W. idol' the period stipulated in the arraistic„;, the Goma, re-
c.... Led, stating that lie had not met with any opportunity of deliver-
via the letter privately, stitch it was necessary to do, to avoid the
iroloos stupicions of the numerous conflicting factions into which
the enemy were divided; that he hail evry reason to believe the
two great Chiefs, Satin) and Caglee Photuns, to be unanimous and
disposed to enter into treaty with us that he trusted much to his
unu sacred influence over them and all the others, to bring matters
to an amicable adjustment ; and requested a continuance of the
truce till the menow. Ile also asked for some definite explanation
of our wishes.
To this I acceded, adding, that lie was authorised to say to the
Phokuns, that if they decided on making terms of alliance with us,
I was ready to meet them; if on fighting, I was equally ready
and It' they wished to retire out of Assam into their own country, I
was willing to permit them to do so,, provided that they took
the directnt route, committed no ravages on the road, and carried
away none of the iohabitants now in their possesslens, by coin-
puision. To this latter alternative I was affluent, by finding
noel the (Moro, the Impracticability of a plan proposed by me
to separate the two factions by etimitting the friendly disposed
portion to the benefit of terms, provided, they would come over
and abandon the others to their fate in a continuance of hostilities
with us. This he declare-1 impossible, slice the latter consider.
ably preponderate in strength over the formai. though hearted by
the cloefs, and that thlghtest suspicion of such an inclination
would email bloodaht4ya4llld destruction, not only on their families
Lire but in their own country. I was also compelled reluctantly to
reflect on, the total want of means in my power to prevent their
pesos, or to pursue them, in which ease MI hope of rescuing the
captive Anomie inhabitants must have been übandoned• It was
at the nano time clearly pointed our to the Phokuns, and under-
stood by them, that any .act of plunder or aggression committed
by the retiring party in progress through Assam, or in the ter.
I/ 313Siell Of out allies would be tantamount to an infringement of
engagement, and again draw down on them our arms.
The following morning the Gooroo returned, accompanied by
two inferior Photons. (the Brother of Saum Phokun and liathee
Plsokuu) with a friendly offering, and a letter frem the Chiefs, of
which No. 3 is a translation.
After much desultory conversation the oooroo returned with my
reply, and an exchange of presents.
On the following rnarni.og a message was brought from the
Gooroo by his brother, !Limn Pal, stating that, in eotnpliance
vial my tem*, one portion was preparing to evacuate the fort for
their own, country, and that the remainder were ready to surrender ;
alto that the Chiefs were anxious to wait on me to adjust the sari.
ous points of capitulation.
, I accordingly invited them to a conference and directed the
officers of my staff to proceed to meet theist and conduct then
to me.
The twin* Chiefs Seam Phokun, Shriek Photon, and Ns-
barna Phokun, (Banglee Phokun having joined the oilier party
and quitted the Fort) having been introduced, we proceeded
to arrange the terms of treaty, of which the principal are as fel-
lows:—
lin the part of Saum Phokun, &e. that all his followers should
delavesup their seals and warlike stern of all descriptions; and that
possession of the Fort be given to us, the moment the evacuating
party should hare quitted it.
On our part, that their wives and personal property should be
guaranteed ; their wives and children and all who may be voluntarily
attached to theau.secured to them, in conformity with instructions
from Mr. Scott, that they should remain in every respect
:*.n their present situation anal the arrival of Mr. Scott, or instruc-
tions front him respecting their ultimate destination; and that
Having once entered into the bonds of friendly alliance with us they
nhall not eventually be delivered over to the King of Ara in
use of a peace, should he make such a stipulation, of which they
entertained great dread, end were matt anxious to receive posi-
tive assurances.
These points being settled, the Chiefs expressed their willingness
to surrender without delay, and I accordingly directed Major
Waters to take a party and receive charge, when I had soon
the satisfaction of seeing his Majesty's colours flying on the top of
the Palace in the inner Fort, under a salute from the battery in
The.tamp examination of th4Port fully justified the opinion I had
formed of the importance of the aemusition by the mode adopted,
and of the utter inadequacy of my means of preventing the escape
of the greater part of the garrison, should we have proceeded to
the assault. The place is of very great extent, and surrounded by
deep swamps and jungle, with a ditch; the sorties to three gates
were strongly defended ; and on them and the walls were mote than
100 pieces of ordnance, ready for service.
The garrison was reported to consist of ten thousand of all classes,
of whom perhaps oue.third were fizhting men, of these sevcu hun-
dred have surrendered with the Phokuns.
I hare the honour to submit a return of the ordnance, arms, end
military stores captured.
By the acquisition of IRnngpre, I may now consider myself in
entire possession of Assam, and it is a source of great self-gra-
tulation to me, that that important point has been accomplished
with so little loss on our side, considering the means of annoyance
possessed by die enemy, in defending a country peculiarly unfit-
vovinble to regular militant/ operations.
My total dependence for supplies in the fleet, which is 21 miles
distent (at the mouth of Diklio River, now not navigable) would
tine rendered it impossible for me to proceed further, under any
cxuenstances, until the arrival of hand carriage front the prosiness,
and I therefore eotudder the prospect of peaceable evacuation of the
• remaining portion of the country, an an object pined of the most
vied importance, while the possession of the capital recutes the
tee to all paints from libelee any future irruptions may he at-
tempted from the eastwatd.
I have, tte.
(Signed) A. RICHARDS, Lieuh-Col.
Commanding in Assam.
Camp near Rungpore, 3.1 Feb. 1825.
The general murk of killed, wounded, and missing, in the action
rear Rungpore, on the 29th of January, is 2 rank and file killed,
1 lieut.-colonel, I lieutenant, 1 anbadar, I jemidar, 4 haeildan,
43 rank and tile wounded.
The names of the officers wounded are—Lieut.-Colonel A.
Richards (slightly) commanding the force, Lieutenant J. Brooke'
inertly, not dangerously), sub-assistant commissary-general.