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

ogrourtii EVWon

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

THE BURMESE WAR.
(From the London Gazette of tbi. Evening.)
INDIA BOARD, SEPT, 18.
The following dispatches have been this day received
at the Eadt India House:—
THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA. IN COUNCIL TO
THE SECRET COMMITTEE OF THE EAST INDIA COM-
PANY.

(Extract).
Fort William, 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 Barmah continues good.
Supplies are superabundant. An immense population
has collected round Rangoon and Kemmenchne. They
are quiet and man,gesble, and they exhibit the most
pkrteot confidence in the troops of every description—a
testimony to the forbearance and good conduct of the
force which will be appreciated by you.
The advance of the steam flotilla on Prome, during
which 56 pieces of artillery were captured from the
enemy, is reported to you.

CoMbIODORE G. R. LAMBERT, R.N., TO THE GOVERNOR-
GENERAL or INDIA.
Her Majesty's ship Fox, at Rangoon,
July 14,1852.
(Extract.)
I have the honour to forward to you a copy of a letter
I have received from Commander Tarleton, of her Ma-
jesty's ship Fox, detailing tiie services he has performed
while in charge of the flotilla in the Irrawaddy.
It gives me great pleasure to state, that gallant and
valuanle 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 tar as Profile, wcich had hitherto been so imperfectly
described, and to disl&ge 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 Tarietou's letter.
You will perceive, without particularizing any indi-
vidual under his command, how fully he appreciates the
aid he received from all who partook in this gallant en-
terprise.

COMMANDER J. W. TARLETON, R.N., TO COMbIODORE

LAMBERT.

bloniew, July 11, 1852.
(Extract.)
I have the honour to inform you that in pursuance o-
the instructions contained in your letter, addressed to me
on 30th ult., I proceeded up the Irrawaddy, as far as Yea-
gaini, where I anchored on tbe 7th inst., having beenj owed
on the way by the East India Company's steamers
Proserpino and Mahanuddy. The place is now
ueserted 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.M. when opposite to Konnongheo,
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 trenched near the water's edge, whence they
opened a most vigorous fire from five or six guns, and
a vast number of muskets. 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, iu making this a reconnoitring
force, by pushing forwards, without further attempts to
dislodge the enemy. reported by the neighbouring in-
habitants to be 1,500 strong. I have tne honour to
enclose a list of casualties on this occasion; they are
cooflued to the Medusa, at which, as the leading 'vessel;
the enemy's fire seems to have been principally directed.
At sunset the flotilla anchored off Meaoung; at day-
light on the Bth it again weighed, and proceeded till
within sight of an extensive fortification crowning the
end of a ridge ot hills about 300 feet high, terminating
abruptly at the town of Aktmk•toting (marked in the
chart Peeinghee). 13andoola was reported to be here
with 7,000 men, and a number of guns, differently stated
from fifteen to forty. Having ascertained from the
pilot that a passage might probably be found at this
season through a creek to the eastward of the island,
opposite Akouk-toung, and thus completely out
of range of the enemy's guns, I determined to
attempt it, and happily eucceeded in getting through,
with not less than two fathoms water. Here we
learnt that a small steamer belonging to the King of
Ave had only left the day previous, and that the
whole army ot the country was centred at Akciuk-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.
this impracticable, and was Brooking, however, found
compelled to anchor.
Tne Mahauuddy'a fuel being now exhausted, I left
the Phlegethon with her, to supply her wants, and, by
dint of groat attention on the part of Lieutenant Fraser,
Indian Navy, and the officers of the Medusa, I succeeded
in steaming through the night, and reached Promo 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 the
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 board. At seven, the Proaerpine 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 Juse, 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 large force in the neigh-
by the Burmese, when,
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 bad been in our possession for twenty-four
hours, the Governor, Moutigwine, having fled at our
approach. At 10 A.M. we arrived at the entrance of
Akouk-toung Creek ; when about half way 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 tire 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
escepe from one of the boats, were made prisoners, and
will be sent to Rangoon for interrogation. Tile steamers
now turned round, and ascended the creek again, dis-
persing the enemy wherever he was to be seen, brought
away five brass guns on field-piece carriages that were
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.M. 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
intorn- ant told us) on their way to Prome, 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 net 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 steamor
Pluto, at 3 P,M. The enemy had evacuated his trenches
at Koun-oung, and gone upward. At sunset, 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 of
the enemy, and I do not apprehend that they will
again venture so far from Prome. This will be
an incalculable blessing to the inhabitants, who evince
to us everywhere the most friendly disposition, and only
require security to become contented and happy.
.1 should be doing great injustice to every officer and
man in'this little force (consisting of the Medusa, Phlege.
thou, Proserpine, Mahanuddy, with three boats of the
Fox, and twenty marines, the officer commanding whom
I regret to say is severely wounded) if I failed to repre-