Page:Lord Amherst and the British Advance Eastwards to Burma.djvu/89

 lieu of which they are provided with food. Powder and ball each man manufactures from the raw materials supplied him by the Government. . . . At close charters the dah, a species of broadsword, is in the hands of the Burmese a formidable weapon. Strength and individual courage they possess in a high degree.'

It would thus appear that according to the best expert advice procurable it was advisable to take Rangoon—if it was to be taken at all—by a sudden coup de main, and that the ascent of the river to Amarápura would be easy. If the latter prognostic was not fulfilled, the explanation is the unlooked-for subtlety of the Burmese tactics. Yet Captain Canning estimated their defensive power more highly than Sir Thomas Munro, who was at the time of all Indian statesmen and soldiers the most competent to form a sound judgement.

A letter addressed by Lord Amherst on March 10 to the sagacious and experienced Governor of Madras is interesting in two ways. It shows that Lord Amherst was not carried away by the sanguine views of those around him ; and that he did not base his plans on the assumption that there would be a river promenade to the capital. It exhibits also in a most pleasing light the modesty and courtesy which Lord Amherst carried into all official relations.

'Captain Canning will be directed, on our occupying Rangoon, to tender from thence to the Burmese Government the terms on which we shall consent to make peace. Meanwhile, every possible inquiry will be instituted at Rangoon