'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎248] (267/622)

248
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
gallant style, driving the Burmese from their guns, with con
siderable loss to them in killed and wounded."*
The Commodore adds:—" Commander Campbell has called
my special attention to the zeal and activity displayed on this
occasion by Lieutenants Robinson and Lewis of the Indian
Navy I cannot conclude without expressing my best
thanks to Commanders Campbell and Hewett, of the Indian
Navy, for the skill and ability with which they brought their
ships up a river which has hitherto been but imperfectly sur
veyed, for a distance of more than sixty miles My
thanks are general to the officers and men who served under my
orders on this occasion, for the steady, gallant, and cheerful
conduct with which they performed their duty, neither can I
omit remarking that the most perfect unanimity prevailed be
tween the two Services."
An officer of the 4 Sesostris' wrote the following account of the
capture of Bassein, to a near relative :—
" On Monday, the 17th of May, the 4 Moozuffer,' 4 Sesostris,'
4 Tenasserirn,' and 'Pluto,' left for Bassein River, one hundred
and fifty miles to the westward of Rangoon. We took eight
hundred troops on board the squadron, and steamed down in
gallant style, put out to sea that evening, and next day, at
five p.m., entered this river in the midst of tremendous squalls
of rain and wind, the poor fellows being all crowded into every
corner we could stuff them. We anchored that night, and next
day all steamed up this noble river, following the little 'Pluto'
as our guide, having no pilots, and but a poor map, dated
1754 ! We had only one accident, however, all day, the 'Ten-
asserim' grounding, but we anchored and pulled her off very
soon, and aw^ay we went again, sweeping round corners and
running along bushes in pretty style, the water being generally
very deep. At one corner we came upon a large body of the
enemy constructing a mud battery for four guns, but they all
fled, and we pushed on without firing a gun. At four p.m. we
drew near Bassein, and as no description of the place could be
obtained, you may fancy the excitement of such a time. In
half-an-hour we came upon the first works, sixty miles up the
river, and as we slowly drew past them, we had time to see the
numbers that crowded the w^alls and the guns laid ready, but
not a musket fired, and some hopes were entertained that they
would not fight. We observed that a different system was
adopted here, and instead of timber stockades, regular sloping-
sided mud forts in European style were being thrown up on
# Greneral Godwin says in his despatch :—" The Commodore claimed the
services of Captain Campbell, of the 4 Sesostris,' and his men, in destroying a
large stockade on the opposite bank of the river, when they drove off the liur-
mese, fired the stockade, and took six guns." The correspondent of the Calcutta
"Englishman" says:—"The gunnery from the ships was terrific and most
effective."