The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-21 00:00:00

Aurtb ambition

SUN OFFICE, Seven 0' Clock.

THE BURMESE WAR.
groin the London Gazette of this Evening.)
INDIA BOARD, SEPT. 18.
The following dispatches have been this day received
at the East India House:--
THE GOVERNOR•GENEAAL OF INDIA. IN COUNCIL TO
THE SECRET COMMITTEE OF THE EAST INDIA COM-
PANY.

(Extract).
Fort Wiiliam, August 7, 1852.
It is in the highest degree satisfactory to us to be
enabled to report that the health of the troops on ser-
vice in Barman continues good.
Supplies are superabundant. An immense population
has collected round Rangoon and liemm.ndiue. They
are quiet and manageable, and they exhibit the most
perfect confidence in the troops of every description—a
testimony to the forbearaucil and good conduct of the
force which will be appreciated by you.
The advance of the steam fijtilia on Prome, during
which 56 pieces of artillery were captured from the
enemy, is reported to }

COMMODORE G. R. LAMBERT, R.N., TO THE GOVERNOR-
GENERAL OF INDIA.
Her Majesty's ship Fox, at Rangoon,
July 14,1852.
(Extract.)
I have the honour to torward to you a copy of a letter
I have received from Commander Tarleton, of her Ma-
jesty's ship Fox, delailii,g the services he has performed
while in charge of the flotilla in the Irrawaddy.
It gives me great pleasure to state, that gallant and
valuable as these services have been, they are strictly in
accordance with what I considered were your Lordship's
wishes, namely, to gain a correct knowledge of the river
as far as Prome, wnich had hitherto been so imperfectly
described, and to dislodge and harass the enemy wher-
ever they appeared, if practicable. How this service
has been performed I leave to your judgment to decide,
after your perusal of Commander Tarleton's letter.
You will perceive, without particularizing any jai.
vidual uncler his command, how fully he appreciates the
aid he received from all who partook in this gallant en-
terprise.

COOMANDER J. W. TARLETON, R.N., TO COMMODORE

LAMBERT.

Moniew, July 11, 1852.
(Extract.)
I have the honour to inform you that in pursuance o
the instructions contained in your letter, addressed tome
on 30th ult., I proceeded up the Irrawaddy, as far as Yea-
gaim, where I anchored on the 7th inst., having been joined
on the way by the East India Company's steamers
Proserpina and Mahanuddy. The place is now
deserted both by the enemy and its inhabitants;
and we were thus compelled to procure our own fuel.
While thus employed, the East India Company's
steamer Phlegethon joined company; when, find-
ing that she had coal sufficient to supply the other
vessels, I immediately proceeded with the four
steamers. At two P.X. when opposite to lionnonghee,
a large number of armed men were observed collected on
the bank. On a shell being fired amongst them, they
immediately disappeared, either into the jungle, or some
holes or trenches near the water's edge, whence they
opened a most vigorous fire from five or six guns, and
a vast number of mu=skets. I remained with the
flotilla abreast their position for an hour, shelling the
enemy to the best of our ability; but, protected as they
were by the embankment, no decided impression could
be made on them. I have no doubt that we could have
carried the work, by running one of the small
steamers along side, and throwing the small
arm men on shore, but this service could
not have been performed without certain loss; and,
beyond spiking the guns, there was no object to
be gained, the jungle covering the bank offering a se-
cure retreat to the Burmese, from which they would
have returned as soon as we had re-embarked. I con-
sidered, therefore, that I should be more fully carrying
out your instructions, in making this a reconnoitring
force, by pushing forwards, without farther attempts to
dislodge the enemy. reported by the neighbouring in-
habitants to be 1,500 strong. I have the honour to
enclose a list of casualties on this occasion; they are
confined to the Maluea, at which, as the leading vessel,
the enemy's tire seems to have been principally directed.
At sunset the flotilla anchored off Mesoung; at day-
light on the Bth ii again weighed, and proceeded till
within sight of an extensive fortification crowning the
end of a ridge of hills about 300 feet high, terminating
abruptly at the town of Akouk-toang (marked in the
chart Peeiughee). Bandoola was reported to be here
with 7,000 men, and a number of guns, differently stated
from fifteen to forty. Having awertanled from the
pilot that a passage might probably be found at this
season through a creek to the eastward of the island,
opposite Akouk-touug, and thus completely out
of range of the enemy's guns, I determined to
attempt it, and happily
succeeded in getting through,
with not less than two fathoms water. Here we
learnt that a small steamer belonging to the King of
Ave bad only left the day previous, and that the
whole army ot the country was centred at A kouk-toung,
or its neighbourhood.
Foreseeing the panic which the presence of the
steamers would create above the defensive force, I urged
forwards with all speed, detaching the Prosperine, as
the fastest vessel, to endeavour, by proceeding through
the night, to overtake the Government vessel. Mr.
Brooking, however, found this impracticable, and was
compelled to anchor.
The Mahanuddy's fuel being now exhausted, I left
the Phlegethon with her, to supply her wants, and, by
dint of great attention on the part of Lieutenant Fraser,
Indian Navy, and the officers of the Medusa, I succeeded
in steaming through the night, and reached Prome at
daylight on the 9th. At the south end of the town,
near the water's edge, I observed four heavy guns, but
no armed men near them. I accordingly anchored tho
vessel abreast the spot, landed, and made fast a hawser
to them, and hove them off the iron guns were
disabled, and sunk in deep water; and the brass ones
taken on hoard. At seven, the Proserpine joined, and,
a few hours afterwards, the two other vessels, and, with
the boats' crews of the Fox heartily entering on the
work, every gun in Prome, twenty-three in number (see
Return), were thus brought off. In the afternoon, I as-
cended ten miles higher up the river, as far as Zeegain,
where I anchored for the night, leaving the other vessels
at Prome to transfer fuel.
I had now, Sir, fully
carried out the instructions con-
tained in your letter of the 30th June, There was no
prospect of overtaking the steamer, and I had seriously
to consider the safety of the vessels under my orders.
With an enterprising foe, I was aware that the creek
near Abouk-toung might be made impassable; and even
by the Burmese, when, by the large force in the neigh-
bourhood, such means were at their command. I,
therefore, decided on an immediate return, with the
view to prevent their having time to complete their pre-
parations. I rejoined the vessels off Prome, at daylight
on the 10th, and commenced the descent of the river.
The city had been in our possession for twenty-four
hours, the Governor, Motingwine, having fled at our
approach. At 10 A.M. we arrived at the entrance of
Akonk-toung Creek ; when about half may through,
we observed several large boats, crowded with armed
men ; at first it was difficult to make out their inten-
tions, whether these were to attack the vessels, sup-
ported by a fire from the shore, or were crossing. It
proved to be the latter; and they succeeded, before
our guns could be brought to bear upon them in
reaching the bank; from which a straggling fire of
musketry was opened, but soon silenced by the great
guns of the flotilla. Ten men, who had not time to
escape from one of the boats, were made prisoners,
and
will be sent to Rangoon for interrogation. The steamers
now turned round, and ascended the creek
again, dis-
persing the enemy wherever he -was to be seen, brought
sway five brass guns oa field-piece carriages that were
o
still in the boats and burnt the general's state barge
and a number of war boats, with a large quantity of
arms and ammunition.
I am not quite certain as to the movements of the
enemy; the reports of the natives not entirely agreeing.
They stated that the force began to cross at three p.m,
on the 9th, and continued to do so through the night, and
until we reached them at ten A.g• on the 10th, as above
related. One party insisted that the whole army had
crossed; but this was not true, as men could be seen still
on the fortifications opposite. The other stated that a
thousand men only had been sent over to defend the
creek. lam inclined to believe that the principal part
of the army, including the General, had crossed (as our
intone. alit told us) on their way to Promo, the road to
which leads from here, leaving a small force only at
Akouk-toung. The barge, with the two gilt umbrellas
and flag, would certainly not have been on this side
had Bandoola not crossed himself; and I do not
think it probable he would have come over with a
detachment. I now continued the descent of the
river, being joined by the East India Company's steamer
Pluto, at 3 p.m. The enemy had evacuated his trenches
at Soun-oung, and gone upward. At suuset, the flotilla
was anchored off this place, where it is employed pro
visioning, and getting into readiness for further service.
I trust that this expedition has, for the present,
entirely freed the lower country of the presence ot
the enemy, and I do not apprehend that they will
sgain venture so far from Promo. This will be
an incalculable blessing to the inhabitants, who evince
.to US everywhere the most friendly disposition, end only
require security to become contented and happy.
I should be doing great injustice to every officer and
Than in7this little force (consisting of the Medusa, Phlege-
; thou, Proserpine, Mahanuddy, with three boats of the
IFox, and twenty marines, the officer commanding whom
i I regret to say is severely wounded) if I failed to repre-