The British force was now at liberty to advance upon Ummerapoora, the modern capital of the Burmese empire, situated on the shores of a romantic lake at a short distance from the left bank of the Irawaddy. Part of the Burmese army had been rallied and had taken post on some strong positions near Meeaday. Against these positions the British troops advanced in two divisions; the Royals were embarked and sailed up the river in the flotilla, to support one of the land divisions under Brigadier-General Cotton. During the first stages of the march the troops proceeded along a difficult road through thick jungle, and the men were frequently deluged with rain, which proved injurious to their health, and many of them suffered from attacks of the cholera. When the troops drew near to Meeaday the Burmese evacuated their position and took post at Melloone, on the right bank of the Irawaddy, on a series of fortified heights, and a formidable stockade, which was considered the chef-d'œuvre of the Burmese engineers. The British troops took post at Patanagoh, on the left bank of the river, opposite the enemy's works. The Burmese sent a flag of truce, and expressed a desire to put an end to the war; they also not only permitted the flotilla, on which the Royals had embarked, to pass close under their works without interruption, but likewise sent out two gaudy war-boats to act as pilots, and the British naval force anchored above the town, by which the enemy's retreat by the river was cut off. The conditions of the treaty were afterwards discussed. The Burmese negotiators objected to the payment of money, and stated they were unable to raise such a sum. They stated they might, by using great economy, pay a million baskets of rice within a year, but they did not grow rupees; and, if the British had any objection to the rice, there were abundance of fine trees in the forests which they might cut down and take away instead of the money. Finding these and other arguments unavailing, the treaty was concluded, and a limited time given for its being ratified. In the meantime a cessation of hostilities had been agreed upon until the 18th of January, 1826, and the troops remained stationary.
1st Batt.
1826
While the 2nd battalion was thus employed in the interior of the Burmese empire, where British troops had never appeared before, the 1st battalion remained in Ireland, whither it had proceeded in the early part of the year 1816, as before stated. On the 25th December, 1825, it was separated into six service and four reserve companies; and in January, 1826, the service companies embarked at Cork for the West Indies, and the reserve companies embarked, at the same time and place, for the Isle of Wight: the former landed at Barbadoes in the spring, and the latter, after remaining a short time in the south of England, embarked at Gravesend for Scotland, and landed at Leith in July.
2nd Batt.
Leaving the 1st battalion at Barbadoes and in Scotland, the record resumes a statement of the military operations in which the 2nd battalion was engaged against the barbarian forces of Ava. The armistice being in force, a free intercourse prevailed between the two armies; and on the 6th of January, 1826, a boat arrived at Patanagoh from Ava with letters from Surgeon Sandford and Lieutenant Bennett, of the Royal Regiment: these officers had left Prome while the battalion was stationed at that place in order to proceed to Rangoon, in consequence of ill health, and fell into the enemy's hands a little below Padoun.[142]
The treaty of peace not having been ratified within the stipulated time, and the Burmese authorities appearing to follow a system of perfidy and evasion, hostilities recommenced on the morning of the 19th of January; and, after the British batteries had made an impression on the enemy's works at Melloone, the position was attacked by storm and carried in gallant style. The Burmese fled in confusion and dismay, leaving their ordnance and military stores behind; and the terror of the British arms filled the court of Ava with consternation: but, still indulging a vain and delusory hope of eventual success, new levies were made, and a new general and a new army took the field.
On the 25th of January the army resumed its march towards the enemy's capital, and on the 31st it was met by Dr. Price, an American missionary, and Dr. Sandford, whom the sovereign of Ava had despatched as messengers of peace. Terms, similar to what had already been agreed upon, were offered, but the British commander refused to halt until they were accepted; he, however, promised not to pass Pagahm-Mew, which was between him and the capital, in less than twelve days.