ons, they would fall before their superior
tactics and valour; and their cupidity was inflamed by the prospect of
marching to Calcutta and plundering the country. At length their chiefs
ventured on the open violation of the British territories. They attacked a
party of sepoys within the frontier, and seized and carried off British
subjects, while at all points their troops, moving in large bodies, assumed
the most menacing positions. In the south encroachments were made upon the
British frontier of Chittagong. The island of Shahpura, at the mouth of the
Naaf river, had been occupied by a small guard of British troops. These
were attacked on the 23rd of September 1823 by the Burmese, and driven from
their post with the loss of several lives; and to the repeated demands of
the British for redress no answer was returned. Other outrages ensued; and
at length, on March 5th, 1824, war was declared by the British government.
The military operations, which will be found described under BURMESE WARS,
ended in the treaty of Yandaboo on the 24th of February 1826, which
conceded the British terms and enabled their army to be withdrawn.

For some years the relations of peace continued undisturbed. Probably the
feeling of amity on the part of the Burmese government was not very strong;
but so long as the prince by whom the treaty was concluded continued in
power, no attempt was [v.04 p.0845] made to depart from its main
stipulations. That monarch, Ba-ggi-daw, however, was obliged in 1837 to
yield the throne to a usurper who appeared in the person of his brother,
Tharrawaddi (Tharawadi). The latter, at an early period, manifested not
only that hatred of British connexion which was almost universal at the
Burmese court, but also the extremest contempt. For several years it had
become apparent that the period was approaching when war between the
British and the Burmese governments would again become inevitable. The
British resident, Major Burney, who had been appointed in 1830, finding his
presence at Ava agreeable neither to the king nor to himself, removed in
1837 to Rangoon, and shortly afterwards retired from the country.
Ultimately it became necessary to forego even the pretence of maintaining
relations of friendship, and the British functionary at that time, Captain
Macleod, was withdrawn in 1840 altogether from a country where his
continuance would have been but a mockery. The state of sullen dislike
which followed was after a whil