By an arrival from Calcut...
The Times, 1824-07-17T00:00:00

By an arrival from Calcutta, of the flidtdle of -March last, it appears that we are again at war in India. A new enemy has sprung up, and in a quarter with which hitherto we havc almost invariably succeeded in maintaining a comnmercial and friendly intercourse. The King of AVA, reigning over the extensive territory and numerous nation of Birmans, has comptlled the GovsRaoB-GEEaa&L to declare war against himr; and the provocations to it are recited in a public rmanifesto at fall length. The Bir- -man "empire," as it is cal!ed by geographers, extends along the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, of wvhich the western side forms part of the Byitish dominious, and is not less than 1,000 or 1,100 miles long, by upwards of 600 broad. This great country fills up, in one direction, the interval between the Chinese empire and lBengal, beiing on the south-west frontier of the former, and on tne east and north-east of the latter. Its population has been stated by Colonel SYMES at 17,000,000; by a later authority, at half that amount. A mean between them will be aboout 12 or 13 millions of inhabitants, of whomn all the males are, by the laws of the country, obliged to bear arms when called upon. The English had a dispute with the Court of Ava in 1793, respecilng some Birmese robbers, who had taken refuge at Chittagong; but though General EtsKu4E zwas sent with a military force from Calcutta to repel the invasion of the Birxnese, the quarrel was settled, and the delinquents given up, without any actual hostility. If the manifesto of the 1ndian Governmenit may be be- lieved, some design of aggression upon the Cornpany's em- pire has keen maturing by the King of AvA for a consider- able time, and has been persevered in with mach determi- nation, in spite of our remonstrances. The hostile acts have, it seems, been multiplied along the whole line of our easterr. frontier, from the island of Shapuree, where a post of British Sepoys was attacked and destroyed, to the sm3ll state of Caehar, under the protection of England, and to the British towni of Syllhet, witlin 260 miles of Calcutta, wshere a body of Birinan troops have been collected. The PBengal Governmenit complained, but fruitle6sly. The officers and crew of a Company's ship were enticed on shore by the Birmese authorities of Arracan, and carAied of prisoniers to the interior, The conquest of Jynteca, a chieftainship dependent on Great Britain, was planned by the Court of Ava, and frustrated only by the advance of the British forces. Under all these demonstrations of enmity, for which no excuse, explanation, or apnology had been vouchsafed, the GOvsaNoa-GENssAL does unques- tionably seem. to have been left with io alternative but a direct appeal to arms. U'hat can have been the exciting cause to this desperate violence on the part of a native power, familiar, sure!y, with the spirit and resources of this cou try, is a point of somne importance. IVe find, that in the wars of the last century, betweeni the native Courts then dividinlg what new constitutes the Birman empire amongst them, France was found uniformly interineddling and co- operating with the Pegnesc-that is to say, with the party against which the particular power in alliance with England was engaged. Can European intrigues have any influence uwon t.he present policy of Ava ? It is to be regretted that such a contest should hiave arisen with a state so contigu- ous to Bengal, and iturther, witl ane fromu which we Iave for many years derived a large supply of teak-wood for ship.building. A postscript to the Calcutta article men- tionis, that a smart action took place with the Birmese on the Sylhet frontier, when 400 or .OO of them were killed and wounded, and cte remainder retreated1 in the direction of Niar.niporc.