government that the cause of
complaint should be investigated by an impartial arbitrator. An ultimatum
was therefore despatched on the 22nd of October 1885. On the 9th of
November a reply was received in Rangoon amounting to an unconditional
refusal. The king on the 7th of November issued a proclamation calling upon
his subjects to drive the British into the sea. On the 14th of November
1885 the British field force crossed the frontier, and advanced to Mandalay
without incurring any serious resistance (see BURMESE WARS). It reached Ava
on the 26th of November, and an envoy from the king signified his
submission. On the 28th of November the British occupied Mandalay, and next
day King Thibaw was sent down the river to Rangoon, whence he was
afterwards transferred to Ratnagiri on the Bombay coast. Upper Burma was
formally annexed on the 1st of January 1886, and the work of restoring the
country to order and introducing settled government commenced. This was a
more serious task than the overthrow of the Burmese government, and
occupied four years. This was in part due to the character of the country,
which was characterized as one vast military obstacle, and in part to the
disorganization which had been steadily growing during the six years of
King Thibaw's reign. By the close of 1889 all the larger bands of marauders
were broken up, and since 1890 the country has enjoyed greater freedom from
violent crime than the province formerly known as British Burma. By the
Upper Burma Village Regulations and the Lower Burma Village Act, the
villagers themselves were made responsible for maintaining order in every
village, and the system has worked with the greatest success. During the
decade 1891-1901 the population increased by 19.8% and cultivation by 53%.
With good harvests and good markets the standard of living in Burma has
much improved. Large areas of cultivable waste have been brought under
cultivation, and the general result has been a contented people. The
boundary with Siam was demarcated in 1893, and that with China was
completed in 1900.

AUTHORITIES.--_Official_: Col. Horace Spearman, _British Burma Gazetteer_
(2 vols., Rangoon, 1879); Sir J. George Scott, _Upper Burma Gazetteer_ (5
vols., Rangoon, 1900-1901). _Non-official_: Right Rev. Bishop Bigandet,
_Life or Legend of Gautama_ (3rd ed., London, 1881); G.W. Bird, _Wanderings
in Burma_ (London, 1897); E.D. Cuming, _In the Shadow of the Pagoda_
(London, 1893), _With t