n ever Pope ordained--there
brooded a schism like that of death, a silence like that of the grave;
making known for ever the deep damnation of the infamy, which on this
earth settles upon the troubled resting-place of him, who, through
cowardice, has shrunk away from his duty, and, on the day of trial, has
broken the bond which bound him to his country.

Surely there needed no arrear of sorrow to consummate this disaster. Yet
two aggravations there were, which afterwards transpired, irritating the
British soldiers to madness. One was soon reported, viz. that 120 sick or
wounded men, lying in an hospital, had been massacred without a motive, by
the children of hell with whom we were contending. The other was not
discovered until 1815. Then first it became known, that in the whole
stores of the Kandyan government, (_a fortiori_ then in the particular
section of the Kandyan forces which we faced,) there had not been more
gunpowder remaining at the hour of Major Davie's infamous capitulation
than 750 lbs. avoirdupois; other munitions of war having been in the same
state of bankruptcy. Five minutes more of resistance, one inspiration of
English pluck, would have placed the Kandyan army in our power--would have
saved the honour of the country--would have redeemed our noble
soldiers--and to Major Davie, would have made the total difference between
lying in a traitor's grave, and lying in Westminster Abbey.

Was there no vengeance, no retribution, for these things? Vengeance there
was, but by accident. Retribution there was, but partial and remote.
Infamous it was for the English government at Columbo, as Mr Bennett
insinuates, that having a large fund disposable annually for secret
service, between 1796 and 1803, such a rupture _could_ have happened and
have found us unprepared. Equally infamous it was, that summary
chastisement was not inflicted upon the perfidious court of Kandy. What
_real_ power it had, when unaided by villainy amongst ourselves, was shown
in 1804, in the course of which year, one brave officer, Lieutenant
Johnstone of the 19th, with no more than 150 men, including officers,
marched right through the country, in the teeth of all opposition from the
king, and resolutely took[19] Kandy in his route. However, for the present,
without a shadow of a reason, since all reasons ran in the other direction,
we ate our leek in silence; once again, but now for the last time, the
bloody little bantam crowed defiance fr