iron hoops. Of course these guns would not fire more than
two or three shots each, as the touch-holes became inflamed, and were
soon so large as to render the guns unserviceable; but I mention these
points, to prove the perseverance of these people, and the efforts they
made in their own defence. After the first campaign it is true that
they deserted, and the levies were made by force; but the reason of
this, for I inquired into it, was not that they had any objection to
fight, but that, fighting without pay, they wanted to go home and put
the seed into the ground, as otherwise their wives and families would
starve.

The Burmah war-boats are very splendid craft, pulling from eighty to one
hundred oars; the Burmahs manage them very dexterously, and will pull
them from seven to eight miles an hour. They have a war-boat dedicated
to the Deity, which brought intelligence that saved the nation at the
time of the war with the empire of Pegu, in a space of time so short, as
almost to appear incredible.

As I before observed, the gun mounted on the boat's bow is of little
effect, but their spears are really formidable. At a night attack upon
some of our vessels, anchored off a stockade which they wanted to
regain, I had an evidence of the force with which they are thrown. The
sides of the vessels were covered with them, sticking out like
porcupine's quills, and they had entered the plank with such force, that
it required a very strong arm to pull them out again. We lost some men
by them; the effect of a hundred spears hurtling through the air at the
same time was singularly appalling to our men, who were not accustomed
the sound, especially during the night. I heard several of the sailors
observe afterwards that they "did not like that at all," and I am sure
they would have infinitely preferred to have been met with fire-arms.
Some of these spears were sixteen feet long, with an iron head, sharp at
both sides, weighing from twelve to fourteen pounds. I have seen bows
and arrows in the possession of the Burmahs, but never have observed
that they used them in their conflicts with us. They appeared to
despise them. The system of warfare and defence pursued by these
people, is undoubtedly excellent for the peculiarities of the country.
Their stockades are usually built of any thick teak timber, or rather
squared trees, which are much too strong to be penetrated by any other
than battering cannon, and, in consequence, we