1824	The Burmese War	432

The town of Yeh, situated to the eastward of Martaban, was next captured without resistance. " By the capture of these places," says Marshall, " the previous reduction of Mergui and Tavoy, and the voluntary submission of the whole coast of Tenasserim, the British obtained possession of very large stores of grain, ammunition, and ordnance, together with numerous boats for the conveyance of troops, and the command of all the Burman sea-coast from Rangoon to the eastward, a district ultimately ceded by treaty. "

The month of November was passed off without offensive operations of any moment. Mr. Greer, of the Bombay marine, in a gun-boat, beat off two war-boats in a gallant style, the enemy, being very far his superior in force ; and on the 29th Captain Chads, with Lieutenant-colonel John Mallet of his majesty's 89th regiment, made a reconnoissance as far as the ancient capital of Pegu ; it does not appear, however, that the English forces were engaged during this four-days expedition : the city was found a heap of ruins, with a few houses inhabited by some poor men and women.

The King of Ava, far from being overcome by the repeated reverses of his arms, now made a desperate effort to change the fortune of the war. To Maha Bandoola he intrusted the command of his army, and this general of high repute, who had been desired to sack Calcutta, and bring the governor-general in golden fetters to Ummerapoora, was recalled, with orders from his king to concentrate his force, amounting in all to about 50,000 men, at Donoobew.

It was on the 30th of November that Maha Bandoola made his approach towards Kemmendine, and, although Major Charles Yates was exposed to a serious attack by land and water, owing to Captain Goodridge of the Teignmouth having slipped his cable to avoid the enemy's war-boats and fire-rafts, which were floating down the river to the attack ; yet the gallant major with a handful of Europeans nobly defended his post and repulsed his assailants. This was merely a prelude to the grand attack which commenced on the 30th. The object of Bandoola was to surround the British army, and crush them by his numbers. On each flank of the British line, the enemy were discovered emerging from the thick jungle, and they took up their position uninterrupted by the British, who had now only the narrow channel of Rangoon open in their rear. To check a division of the enemy's force, which had crossed to the Dalla side, the Arachne, under Captain Ryves (Captain Chads not having returned from Pegu), was placed a mile in advance of the fleet, and the Teignmouth was ordered back to support Kemmendine. The enemy commenced throwing up works with their usual rapidity, but Major Sale, with a detachment of his majesty's 13th regiment, and the 18th Madras native infantry, soon forced them to abandon their position, and, ultimately

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