Page:Decisive Battles Since Waterloo.djvu/45

 Rh of success that he carried with him a set of golden fetters in which the governor-general of India was to be carried captive to Burmah. As soon as this news was known to be authentic, Lord Amherst, the governor-general, proclaimed war and set his troops in motion.

Port Cornwallis in the Andaman Islands was named as a point of rendezvous; a division from Bengal was sent there in April, and followed a month later by a division from Madras. Sir Archibald Campbell was named the commander-in-chief; he had served with distinction in the Spanish campaigns, but knew little about Oriental modes of warfare. Commodore Grant commanded the naval part of the expedition, which consisted of the Liffey, Larne, Sophia, Slaney, and several smaller vessels. There was one small steamboat, the Snake, and it is worthy of remark that this boat, built at Bombay in 1820, had an honorable career of sixty years, and was broken up in 1880.

The land forces comprised about 11,500 men of all arms, the great majority being native troops of India. It was the plan of the commander to move upon Rangoon, near the mouth of the Irrawaddy, and by prompt action capture the city, and thus frighten the king into asking for peace.

Detachments were sent to occupy Cheduba and Negrais; the rest of the command arrived off Rangoon accompanied by the whole fleet. The city, which was built on the bank of the river, was found to be surrounded by a stockade about twelve feet in height. The stockade was built of teak timber in the form of a square, and defended by batteries on the water front. These batteries opened fire on the nearest ships, and the Liffey answered it immediately. The guns at the landing were speedily dismounted, and the soldiers occupied the town, no enemy being in sight. The governor of Pegu, the province in which Rangoon is situated, had been commanded to come to