security; every man pursued what he judge'd^the safest1 track; and so
universaLwas theipanic, that<toriethe m h to f February, the town and fort
»f Persaim. were! completely desertdd,4he fugitives lin in g first set fire to
several houses, and consumed,tbd'public sfore-rdotasrih1 which ^ a s deposited
a large Quantity of grain. :}
• On the: morning of the 2Mpan; advanced party of the Birman fleet'cffiifo
in sight; shortly after, a body of about-250 men landed, and-marched up
to a small factory* occupied by the English.! These people were wdll
armed,, taccordkigstathpfommtry mariner, and not4apjfea&hg to ‘entertain
hostile Mentions agamst'any ^scppt the Peguers, the'vEb^fT'SuperM
tend#®|, Captain Baker, received them with-confidence-,■ and, in the cha*
racter of a peaceable trader,-solicited protection-for the servants and
property of the India Company; his request was granted; neitherAle-
predation nor insult were offered todhe English. Aborit hoon the Birmans
departed, having first set fire to what remained o f the town, and
destroyed part of the stockade; they directed their route backrto' Keoum-
meoum, a town situated on thfe mouth of that branch ofothe great^iver
that leads to Bassien and Negrais.
From this time until the ISth of March, frequent 'skirmishes .took place
between small parties of the Birmans andPeguers, in which the latter w’ere
generally worsted; an ineffectual attempt was made to repossess and defend
Bassien, by tfae late Chekey, or Lieutenant, the man who had been second
in authority whilst the place was subject to the Pegue-government.
The seat of war was now likely to be confined toifhe mouths of navigable
rivers, and the numerous creeks and canals that intersect, the lower
• TTils. factory, under the control of the Resident at Negrais, consisted of a few storehouses,
erected near the river, for the purpose of facilitating the timber trade.
pioyiiiCjsP-oi Beane, ahdAcomifiqHit-îiLi/t ilûtWLcUÎMïëdlpgêPFstreâms m
\ fob* ‘anil wôfkeihhv’-a.few ImKjpdhnjsJi
becani(^aïf^iul.ïÇléllcVwiiS0külo<ptihwd]'tpplt'âîatltl'itJ nati\ esj‘ thouhfo wolf
manned, andi'iohdu^tedftw uiüïshril jroulj-wirraS^^^Alorhpla,I who '\\ !■> 'at3
thi^ttime ,aTjfJTOW/;a\;.wor(\ly\{i'h'.oun>lhimcd‘ ahrf^hSjcUnruuon of thei
-advantage fot-Ue efomcajlioni u iw lli£încè.with 1 versfed ’iff5
the arts of muiuffiY'w’ai : ’therefore,’ o f
thodbiglish’. on aftltast-.sCipukteMinJthenï neuualiH *he<fsont>'a®dopnt i-
Jtwr/rtd Mi Bionke,!Resident .at Jsè0raisjK.ft^l> J’ï&hAr'tmff&£fii$h5f &&tlio
English ifittsiiniestovA
(h i the 1 l*tliloiti\fail:h,*«»,IK.ewohBvfbrify**’j i A 1 tttVetc 11
sien? fou^fi^ffSi. boifdctwo*'Birin in; I'A an 'Aiiifeiiian
aætd'k Mussulman^ a's'.interpteters. 'l^h’esS®î'»ca“îfûrù^esi-L'itjliejIurci^KÏKlr'fiamï*
Afopipnfoàlfi et ted*, to ,Vfr ftiicfofêt ^ùdiei^'iilffei ms’oï^ïriemisl îq^! lliu^K)t'
’^Bcining ht prudent M v e iltu ie ^ h li^ ’o'ksmttll a>, lhi < b-ihtoiu’H 4]/^ Pè^ue'
t o ‘'Nogtpisfjilie LrigIisWÿH^hrin(endint.wn(uUq?)J?*urforward .V
enj^gof'sthe letter, whjl\OÏtn<?fïrfopMfic,fl,feli'iii,»i'dl to K ü S S s t ? iîjü? the
t^iy&liÿeâi nqigfi&l£ctetamdb foottf îfèsfïeifj; t-hï^re * t</w ai t \v hient
wasiBxj^6ttfM*fouf.'©fifiyè days."«' ’
At the icxpiiation» of thtfrc-Winputcd* tqfoe^fhe ^*l,iîiotffv;^fh.ïtrt,lia(f'BcWl
dispatched to -Negrais,‘-retum éd /h ra^ ià ,gA<anK6!ideKi'l?'om' Mr Biodhè*Yo
Captain Baker, to accompany fcKe^ïicpnfic V? to, Negi tfisf^arid tWiefrlyb
thither as specdil) as possible isthe deputation âco'oi'dîngl) le'ftÏBcissiC'n\n i
thè. 19th of. March,til 7 SSyvaind iïéachcMlSÎ^%is oh. j-ap ril^iM«^
The business of the deputies was nbt Gonrluclul until -uxt 2Gth:'’ vriîerf;
having received,an answer to Alompra’s, letter,, and tiffÆ.^ialjUi^n^siriri,
they departed, attended by Captain Jacket. ApproacBfogî,Baissions! they
D