THE

ASIATIC JOURNAL

FOR

AUGUST, 1825.

Original Communications,

&c. &c. &c.

TRANSACTIONS WITH THE BURMESE, ANTERIOR TO THE PRESENT WAR.

THE papers which have been laid before Parliament, in pursuance of an order of the House of Commons, dated 27th May, for “Copies or extracts of despatches from the Government of Bengal, relating to discussions which took place between that Government and the Burmese in 1823 and preceding years," throw some light upon the causes and origin of the existing war. As we presume that whatsoever relates to this subject, and illustrates the character of the Government of Ava, will be gratifying to most readers, especially those connected with India, we have digested into a perspicuous narrative the transactions recorded in this voluminous collection of official documents, which occupies 131 folio pages, extending from the year 1812 to 1824.

In the year 1811, a native of Arracan, named Kingberring, possessed of considerable hereditary property near the frontier of Chittagong, who had taken refuge from the resentment of the King of Ava in the Chittagong district, under the Bengal Government, formed the design of invading the province of Arracan. He assembled his followers, and induced a large body of Mugs, settled at Chittagong, and many Arracanese, to join them. He sent an armed force into the Chittagong district, to compel the remaining Mugs to join his standard; upon which the British magistrate of the district, who had been kept in ignorance of Kingberring's design, took precautions against it. That chief, however, soon subjected the whole province of Arracan, except the capital, to which he laid siege.

The Burmese Government naturally concluded that this invasion, headed by a person residing under British protection, could not have taken place without our concurrence; to obviate which impression, the magistrate of Chittagong had promptly despatched a letter to the Rajah of Arracan, detail⚫ing

• Natives of Arracan, who left the country when it was subjugated by the Burmans. VOL. XX. Asiatic Journ. No. 116. T

ing the real facts; but which the messenger, owing to the state of the country, was unable to deliver. The Bengal Government, with the same view, wrote to the viceroy of Pegu; but, fearing that the Burmese court might suspect that this invasion was an anticipation of efforts on its part to enforce its claims (avowed in 1809) to the province of Chittagong, deemed a mission to Ava the most effectual mode of undeceiving that court, and selected the late Major (then Captain) Canning as the envoy.

He sailed in September 1811, and soon after a Burmese vakeel arrived at Calcutta, for the express purpose of making a representation of the transactions in Arracan. Capt. Canning reached Rangoon on the 18th October, and was received with proper marks of attention.

Both the local authorities at Rangoon, and the court of Amerapoorah, fully believed the participation of the British Government in the enterprize of Kingberring. A force was, however, collected by the Government of Ava, sufficient to crush the rebel, who, deserted by most of his followers, became a fugitive.

It was now necessary to decide as to our course with respect to the refugees, of which there were three classes: 1st, the chiefs, who excited the disturbances; 2d, the Mugs, who accompanied Kingberring from Chittagong; 3d, natives of Arracan, who might retire from the oppression exercised by the Burmese forces. It was determined that the first should be kept in custody, to await the result of the communications with Ava; that the second should, in the sequel, be refused a residence under our protection; and that the third should be entitled, for the present, to an asylum in the British territories.

After the dispersion of Kingberring's force, the Burmese army, not exceeding 1,000 men, "approached the southern frontier of Chittagong; but their com→ mander disavowed any intention of entering our territories. He, however, demanded that the leaders of the insurgents should be given up. Subsequently, a message was brought from the Rajah of Arracan, intimating that if all the insurgent chiefs and fugitives, as well as Dr. M'Rae, a British subject, alleged to have assisted Kingberring, were not surrendered, 80,000 Burmese troops would overrun the country; at the same time hinting that he was expecting aid from France. Our force on the frontiers at this period was extremely small.

The first object of Government was, to strengthen the posts in the menaced quarter; and they directed the magistrate of Chittagong, who was the medium of communication with the Burmese chiefs, to inform the latter that the envoy at Rangoon was the proper channel of intercourse between the two govern

ments.

Capt. Canning, after much delay, procured an order from court, couched in gracious terms, directing the Viceroy of Pegu to forward the mission to Amerapoorah with all honour and distinction. The country was, at this period, in great disorder, and overrun with banditti.

The early part of the year 1812 was spent in negociations on the Chittagong frontier and at Tik Naaf. At the latter point, some small bodies of Burmese had crossed the river and entered the British territories, professedly in quest of fugitives. The Burmese chiefs, both personally and by vakeels, declared their ignorance of these. violations of our territory; but, on the 25th February, a body of 600 crossed the Naaf in sight of the Burmese camp, and when driven back, fired upon our sepoys. This outrage was also disavowed by the Burmese chiefs, who threatened to behead the officer in command of

the

the body. They, however, repeated their demand that the fugitive chiefs should be surrendered.

A statement of these transactions was transmitted by Capt. Canning from Rangoon to the court of Ava, with an intimation that some atonement or explanation was requisite; and with regard to the demand reiterated by the chiefs, Capt. Canning had been instructed from the first, not to consent to deliver up Kingberring, or any of his adherents, to the fatal vengeance of the sanguinary government of Ava.

The envoy and the magistrate of Chittagong were instructed to proceed with great caution, and to avoid, if possible, any rupture with the Burmese; taking every occasion to manifest a desire to maintain amicable relations with the court of Ava, without compromising our honour or independence. In reporting this system of procedure, the Governor-General in Council (Lord Minto) doubted whether the forbearing disposition of the Government might not appear to the Court of Directors " to operate to a greater extent than was compatible with the rights and dignity of the relative power of the Company:" but the situation of the envoy, at the mercy of a barbarous court, suggested a motive for cautious policy, which the sequel will discover to be well grounded.

In the correspondence between the functionaries on the frontiers and the chiefs of the Burmese army, the latter stated, that the only obstacle to their retreat was the refusal of the British Government to deliver up the insurgents. They affirmed that Kingberring, Larungbage (or Larungbhye), and Nakloo (or Muckloo) had killed 20,000 Arracanese; and they required also that the natives of Arracan, who had fled with those rebels into the Company's territories, should be " encouraged, permitted, and ordered to return."

A difference of opinion existed between the magistrate (Mr. Pechell) and the commander of the troops (Lieut. Col. Morgan) as to the real intentions of the Burmese: the former regarded them as hostile, and believed the vakeels to be spies; the latter was perfectly convinced they were pacific. A subsequent repetition of outrages on the part of the Burmese is strongly confirmatory of the magistrate's opinion, in which the Government concurred, and despatched a formal and impressive declaration to the chiefs upon the subject of their aggressions, and a demand that their forces should retreat.

During these transactions on the frontier, events of some importance occurred at Rangoon, where the envoy still continued. The impression that the person of Capt. Canning might be seized as a pledge for the delivery of the insurgent chiefs, appears to have induced the Government to send two additional vessels to Rangoon, the arrival of which excited great agitation there, and a belief that our object was to take possession of the town. The viceroy, who had been upon friendly terms with the envoy, was influenced by the other members of the local government to adopt this opinion; and pressed the envoy, with persevering solicitude, to send away the Malabar cruizer. Capt. Canning refused; and also declined, in the existing state of affairs, to proceed to the capital. He, however, prepared a letter to the Engy Praw, or heir apparent, containing the representations he had been instructed to make.

The alarm continued at Rangoon, attended by ridiculous reports. Orders were issued that every house should furnish a man armed with lance and sword, ready to appear at the door at three strokes of a gong. Repeated applications were made to the envoy to send away the vessel, and to omit despatching his letter; but Capt. Canning was firm. Amongst the instruments

of sedition was a renegade Englishman, named Rogers, who held the post of Shahbunder at Rangoon, and was most active in creating alarm, and proposing the most violent measures.

In the midst of the tumult, Capt. Canning received a pressing message to visit the viceroy without delay, in order to prevent an insurrection. The envoy proceeded with his escort of thirty sepoys; but in his way was met by a request from the viceroy that the sepoys might leave him, or at least accompany him unarmed; to which request he paid no regard. Various suspicious circumstances attended the interview; and subsequently the envoy learned that a plan had been formed to seize his person, as an hostage for the immediate departure of the Malabar, and as the means of obtaining any terms which the court of Ava might desire.

This information, and other reasons, induced Capt. Canning to resolve upon retiring on board the Malabar, which object he could only accomplish by secret arrangements, and by leaving behind a portion of his property. An audacious effort was made to obstruct his embarkation, and the launch containing the sepoys was attempted to be cut off.

The prompt and spirited steps taken by the envoy led to an intercourse with the viceroy, in which the latter made every amends in his power for the insults offered to the mission; and at length amity was restored, though the envoy continued on board the Malabar. His only motive for not returning to Bengal was, a desire to prevent a rupture between the two governments and a sacrifice of the British commercial establishments at Rangoon.

The Bengal Government, however, conceiving that the stay of the envoy was now inconvenient, despatched, in the month of May, orders of recal; directing certain representations to be made to the court of Ava on the subject, to obviate any supposition that a spirit of resentment dictated the measure; containing a declaration, that as the Burmese troops were about to retire, the object of the mission was accomplished; and that any claims on the British Government might be adjusted by means of a vakeel, who would be received with due attention at Calcutta.

Before these directions had been received by Capt. Canning, the local government of Rangoon (which he describes as violent, versatile, and extremely ignorant,) had relapsed into its deceitful, and even hostile system of policy; and Lord Minto, in his despatch dated 25th May, after reviewing the acts of insolence and barbarity on the part of the Burmese, both on the frontier and at Rangoon, concludes with the following prophetic paragraph :

"We cannot refuse to entertain the sentiment that it may become absolutely necessary, at some future time, if not at an early period, to check the arrogance and presumption of that weak and contemptible state."

The change of temper adverted to arose, first, from the envoy's requiring the restoration of his property left on shore, which was opposed, on the pretext that part consisted of presents to the king; secondly, the departure of the Pilot schooner, which was imagined to be despatched for an additional force from Bengal! In consequence of this belief, batteries were erected, and gates of masonry added to the works surrounding the town, to construct which, the tombs of every nation in the vicinity of the place were dismantled to supply materials. Another ground of dissatisfaction was the envoy's affording protection to the family of Mr. Carey, son of Professor Carey, who had resided four years as a missionary at Rangoon, where he had married the daughter of an Englishman by a native Portuguese woman; and there is a law in Ava which prohibits females and silver being taken out of the country.

In

In the sequel, a better understanding was restored between the envoy and the viceroy, who proved, on one occasion, the sincerity of his professions, by informing Capt. C., that it was the object of the inferior members of the government to seize his person, which he would not permit.

Whilst the envoy was engaged in these and similar transactions at Rangoon, experiencing daily proofs of the viceroy's duplicity, his sub-interpreter had proceeded with the letter to Amerapoorah, and had been present at a council where the conduct of the Burmese chiefs in Arracan was severely reprobated; and also at two audiences with the Engy Praw, who wished for an adjustment of differences, and gave him a letter to the envoy, inviting him to court. The Bengal Government were of opinion that his proceeding thither was inexpedient, though they revoked his letters of recal; being materially influenced in adopting both resolutions by the occurrences which had then happened on the frontier of Chittagong.

The insurgent chief, Kingberring, had emerged from his place of concealment, and, in the month of June 1812, re-invaded Arracan with a considerable body of Mugs; but falling in with a part of the Burmese army, he was totally defeated, and his adherents were driven into the province of Chittagong. A letter from the Rajah of Arracan, on the subject of this second incursion, charged the British with a breach of faith, and declared that this affair must produce a war.

The Bengal Government deemed this letter an insolent communication; and directed a very severe reply to be forwarded to the Rajah, with an intimation that no answer would be returned to such offensive epistles in future.

. When Capt. Canning's intention of quitting Rangoon was known, redoubled efforts were made to induce him to proceed to the capital. On the 31st July, two officers arrived from Amerapoorah, to ascertain the cause of Capt. Canning's delay. They expressed the heir apparent's high esteem for him; but the envoy discovered that, in the event of his refusal to comply, they brought secret orders to the viceroy to send him by force: that officer subsequently admitted that he was authorized to impose manacles on Capt. Canning and his chief interpreter, in case of resistance. By a due mixture of caution and firmness, the envoy defeated the barbarous designs of the government, and returned to Calcutta in September 1812.

At the close of that year, Kingberring, whose marauding bands kept the frontier in constant alarm, prepared to make another descent upon Arracan ; but meeting with a British detachment under Lieut. Young, he was attacked, and his followers were dispersed in the jungles south of Cox's Bazar. He thence attempted to penetrate into Arracan, but was defeated by the Burmese, and driven into the hills. The Burmese troops, upon this occasion, crossed the frontier in pursuit; and the Rajah of Arracan advanced towards the stockade of Mungdoo, close upon the frontier.

A sufficient force was at this period assembled at Chittagong to resist the advance of the Rajah, who was warned of the consequences of violating the British territory; he returned a civil reply, requesting our co-operation in plans for the seizure of the insurgent chiefs.

The renewal of the insurrection in this quarter seems to have determined the court of Ava on insisting upon the delivery of the chiefs, two of which had been seized by our sepoys. The demand of the Rajah of Arracan was therefore repeated, though in a conciliatory tone; and a mission was sent to Calcutta, from the Viceroy of Pegu, for the same object.

About this period (June 1813) a crude communication reached the Bengal Government,