The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-01 00:00:00

EVENING, APRIL l, 1852.

72d year, and was very old of his ago. The Com-
mander-in-Chief o? Madras is expected to follow him
ofiortly. • - -47
i 3 no v at wer.k !hr.? Bombay
rai;w4y, akui aq,.,mY e FffiirTind
wonder at th 6 Ary (;harry,' r Fire Ohs,' )t,' /IS *.hcy
have christened rt
" Gr,•rieral c pamanding • the Sr tdr division
of the Ilanhay arm), died osi tt e 221 of Fah, nary.
" The Englo.h express of !he Bth (f J.nuary
reached Lahore, rid Bomb3y, mauy hours before it I
reached Calcutta.

" The Zenobia steam-frigate, with the Southampton
mails of the 20;li of January, is now nine days overdue.
Considerable apprehensions are entertained regarding
her absence."

(From the Overland Bombay Times.)
The crisis that has overtaken us within the last fort-
night illustrates the maxim that India in the midst of
peace is at war—that we know not at any time what a
week or a month may bring forth. The Irrawaddy,
which now flows undisturbed end unoccupied to the sea,
be'ore a month expires, bear a fleet of eight war
steamers, and an array of 8,000 men on its bosom ; and
the cities of Ringoon and Manahan, now peaceful, fair,
and flourishing, will be beeps of smoking ruins, their
inhabitants scattered, and the British flag floating
where they now stand. We mentioned in our last the
extreme anxiety of the Governor-General to avoid con-
flict, and to accept of any arrangement that could be
made not inconsistent. with our safety and dignity to
restore amicable relations with Burmah ; he was said
to have disapproved of the abduction of the Burmese
ship-of-war by Commodore Lambert, and to have eff-red
to restore her; but he insisted on justice being done to
our injured merchants. The proposition was treated
with insolence, and replied to through the hands of
a commou labourer, and it became quite clear that
all that was desired was to gain time—the Burmese
Sovereign had no intention to comply in any way
with our behests. Our frontiers nearest to Burmah
were ordered to be watched, and arrangements were ac-
cordingly made to meet any sudden aggression that
might arise. Her Majesty's 18th Royal Irish were dis-
patched by the Precursor steamer from Calcutta to Motel-
main, where they arrived in 73 hours; her Majesty's
80th, from Dinapore, taking their place in Fort William.
Two native corps, and three companies of artillery, were
to follow. A like force of artily ry and native infantry
as that ordered from Calcutta were to be provided from
Madras, being in all two European (11th and 51st) and
four native (38th and 67th Bengal and 9th and 35th Ma-
dras) corps, with four companies of artillery, mostly
Europeans, in addition to those on board the Bombay
steamers. The 49th and 26th Madras Infantry are
betwixt Moulmein and Mergui; they probably number
about 1.200 men; so that in all we shall have about
10,300 fighting men, independent of the ship's crews
at our disposal. The entire force is to be com-
manded by Major-General Godwin, C. 8., of her
Majesty's army, who was present throughout the last
Burmese war from 1825 to 1827; with Brigadiers War-
ren and Elliott to command the Bengal and Madras
brigades respectively. Colonel Foord, of the Madras
army, is to be in charge of the artillery, and Major
Frazer. of the Bengal army, of the engineers. Oo the
19th February, orders were received at Bombay from
the Governor-General for dispatch for the Bay of Bengal
as speedily as pos.ible, of all the steamers which could
be spared, and such is the high condition of the Indian
Nate), that on Ye 24th a squadron, under the command
of Captain Lynch, consisting of the Fert ze, trans-
formed from is packet to a frigate, and the Meozeffer,
both 1,500 tons and 500 horse-power, and the Sesostri-,
frigate, with the troop steamer Berenice, of about 800
tons each, sailed from our harbour within five days'
time of their being aware that there was any chance of
being required. The Zenobia was intended to follow,
had she arrived in time from Aden—the Queen now
takes her place; and this, with the Medusa iron
steamer, completes our armament. The steamers are,
as they were doting the China war, supplied with Euro-
pean artillerymen to work their guns. The Semiramis,
a frigate of 1,200 tons and 300-horse power, from
China, and the laugh Lindsay from Madras, can be dis-
patched if required. From Calcutta, the altarpiece, Fire
Queen, Tenesserim, and Phlegethon, with the iron
steamer Nemesis, are under orders. The vessels of the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company,
capable of transporting 1,000 men each, are available as
troop-ships. While these matters were being arranged,
disp itches were received from Burmah professing a de-
sire for peace; the first condition was, that Te should
change the channel of communication to Major Bogle,
the commissioner, instead of through Commodore Lam-
bert. The arrogance of dreaming of prescribing to us
how we should conduct our arrangements sufficiently in-
dicated the temper of the Monarch, so our preparations
were pushed on. The squadron sails direct for Rangoon
arid Martaban, cities by the river side, of 30 000 and
10,000 inhabitants respectively; they are doomed to be
destroyed, and as they are constructed chiefly of wood,
our first tire will set them in a blaze. We have not
leisure for a regular campaign, and should matters not
be completely settled by the middle of May, the force,
after doing as much mischief as possible, will return to
Bombay and Calcutta, to renew operations in October.
By some it is surmised that the river steamers will push
on as far as draught of water will allow, it requisite con-
tinuing the war without interruption—the fleet remain-
ing at hand throughout the rains.
CALCUTTA, FEIL 21.—The following, says the Ben-
gal .Hut kart& is the substance of the intelligence brought
by the Fire Queen, which arrived yesterday from Moul-
mein and Rangoon river.
The Fire Queen left the Sandheads on the 28th ult.,
and arrived eff Rangoon river on the 30th i,!eni at 10
Pat She went in the next day, and anchored eh. ad of
the Fox frigate at 2 p m., and towed her up off the
Hastieg'e Sand, which is about four or five miles below
Rangoon. On going up the river, on passing the first
stockade, tvhich is 10 or 15 wiles from the entrance, the
steamer and frigate were fired upon, by which a man of
the Fox was so severely wounded that be afterwards
died of the wound. The fire was returned by the frigate

with shot and shell. The Tenasserim, in passing up
the following day was also fired upon, but without effect,
and the Fire Queen in passing down. The Fire Queen
called off the entrance of Rangoon River, coming back
on the morning of the sth instant. The Fox frigate
was then coming out in tow of the Tenasserim. The
frigate was going on a cruise to Negrais for a week,
leaving the Prileeethon and her Majesty's ship Hermes
to blockade the Rangoon river.
The same journal, in its general summary, under date
of Feb. 21, says:—
" The Governor-General has ' plucked up a spirit '
and resolved that the Burmese shall no longer hold
alone the power of decidirg whether there is to be war
or no war. He has determined that there shall be war,
unless they render it absolutely impossible by a prompt
and unequivocal submission. Their intentions are not
yet perfectly known. They have again fired ms our men-
of war when passing the stockades, and killed one man
of the Fox frigate, but they still keep up a show of
negotiation, whether really to avert hostilities or
merely to gain time remains to be seen. The character
of the court of Ave, and the experience of the
former war, however, render the latter the more
probable hypothesis. The Burmese evidently do not
like Commodore Lambert. Apart from an offence in
having carried off their King's ship—a proceeding
pretty generally condemned—he is doubtless quite too
firm and straightforward to suit their peculiar ideas of
negotiation. They have opened a communication through
their Governor of Martabau and our Commissioner at
Moulmein, arid the Governor-General having promised
that on their acceding to their moderate demands, he
would send down a high functionary to settle the terms
of peace and friendship, they request that this official
may be sent immediately. The request cannot, of course,
be complied with, as any concession on our side would
be attributed to frar. An answer to the Governor-Ge-
neral's letter was sent on board the Fox, ,on t aila
instant, by the hands of a low native,
canoe— a studied insult, of course, and cerai.nuillennt.
indication of a desire for an amicable eoe
8;
lappears,
The missive was, nevertheless, received, ,!__ the F._e
in a yo
i„;aor. Another and we believe brought up to Calcutta RY ,
~r
Queen, which arrived here on the 9th
eral, received
teats. from the King to the Governor-Gend slivered with the
the Phlegethun
through Moulmein, where it `Na'el;
proper formaliriss, arrived here
..E ,
trreirea as to the contents
the 15th inst. Nothing has -have not silenced
of these royal epistles, bat
ht 9
bead been raised the
‘• note of preparation" whit,
from Calcutta and Madrasbefore
their arrival. Troe fleected and e •
as soon as they can be
ps are to g
°and her Majesty'squipped' Her
Majesty's 18th goes hence with them go
51st from
the southern Presidency. go several regi-
and a strong
ments of Native I° "re get M aja e t detachment of
European artiilery.
down to reltever a 80th, now at Di-
ißg the 18th, in garrison
napore,Ea
is 9° and that cot
at Fort Virilliapl, 11,
is t
Ps, as well as those for
service in fkir'nejewho s o travel hitherward by steam.
General ciodn:
chief.rved in the former Burmese war,
Ms'
is to do era, in
is to d• jor Hugh Frazer, of the Ben-
_a Bcgibtewaer.e direct the,engineer department; and
7,,,r. mop g 1 , garrison surgeon of Fort William, is
go operintend the medical stag. The arsenal here -is a
woe of busy activity. Ships have been
taken up for the
Ores
conveyance of troops and stores, and , and steamers of the
/alien navy are ordered round from Bombay to Madras,
to aid in carrying
the expedition across the bay. The
Burmese have, on th • ,
their sine, been actively engaged in
preparations fo
•
ng on the banks
for war. The old town of Rangoon,
lying
of the river. has been cleared away
by fire, and the new one, a little inland, has been
strongly stockaded."