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 armed with muskets, spears, and swivels. On the 29th, when closing the town, the transport grounded too far off to make use of her carronades with a good effect. The Burmese then opened their fire from a stockade, which was returned by all the row-boats, forming a line close along-shore, until after sunset; the mortar-vessel likewise took her position, under Captain Kennan, of the Madras artillery, and kept up a well-directed fire the whole night, killing, from report, great numbers of the enemy. The defences of Martaban are thus described by Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin:–

“At 5 o’clock in the morning of the 30th,” says the lieutenant-colonel, “the men composing the first division were in their boats – ninety-eight of H.M. 41st regiment, seventy-five of the 3d native light infantry, eight of the Bengal artillery, and thirty-eight seamen of the royal navy; and I was fully aware that these men would have the business to themselves, as I had no where to wait for the remainder of the force, and every boat was already occupied.”

“The advance sounded a little after five, and the boats rowed off, and soon came under a very heavy fire of all arms. On approaching the shore, I perceived there had been a misunderstanding with respect to the spot at which I wished to land, and that we had got on the wrong side of the nullah. As we could not carry the ladders through the mud, I ordered the boats to push off and put in at the place I appointed; at