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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 443
miinicated with General Morrison, and ascertained that the gun-
boats coukl not approach the capital within range of their guns,
it was determined that the seamen and marines should land
under his personal command, and act with the army, taking
with them two 24-pounder carronades and the requisite
ammunition. Accordingly, Commodore Hayes landed two 24-
pounders, and put himself at the head of seventy flotilla
seamen, besides officers and warrant officers, together with the
crews of the gunboats present, amounting in all to two hundred
and fifty European seamen. " We succeeded," he says in his
despatch, " by great exertions in dragging the guns and carrying
the shot and ammunition on the men's shoulders to the camps,
where we arrived at seven p.m. on the 2*Jth ultimo, Captain
Crawford being previously detached with the 8th division of
gunboats to endeavour to approach Arracan by a channel
between Mahattie and the Cbamballa Reach ; perhaps it is here
necessary to observe that the gunboats brought up the mortars,
howitzers, and two 24-pounder field guns, with all their
requisites to Mahattie."
The 31st of March was the day fixed for the march on Arracan.
The troops quietly assembhjd some time before ilaybreuk, in the
order laid clown by the Ceneral ; Brigadier-General ^IcPjean
commanding the column.
Commodore Hayes furnished from the flotilla the following
details —For the advance attack, under Brigadier Kichards,
:
Lieutenant Armstrong, Mr. Howard, ]\lr. Montriou. ]\Ir. Keymer,
two warrant ofiicers, and thirty seamen; for the supporting
column, under Brigadier-General McBean, Captain Crawford,
Mr. Warden, Acting-Lieutenant Richardson, Mr. Pruen— the
late Captain Pruen, LN., who died in June, 1875—Mr. Jackson,
four warrant officers, and forty seamen ; while he himself accom-
panied the Commander-in-chief with the main body of the army.
The column moved on over rough-ploughed ground until they
reached a wide plain, when the curtain of fog and mist, which
had hitherto enveloped the hills, rolled away, displaying
the whole extent of the Burmese position, ibrmed im the
scarped, and stockaded summits. " A more picturesque coup
(Tixil" says Captain Bellew, "cannot be imagined. Above, the
Burmese posts, and the dusky array of their defenders, the
gleam of the gilded mnbrellas, and the white volumes of smoke
emitted from the stockade and embrasure ; behnv, our splendid
force, spreading across the plain, the bayonets of the
infantry glistening in the rays of the morning sun, the
pennons of the irregular horse gaily fluttering, and, to complete
the picture, a body of blue jackets from the flotilla determined
to share the fun, hauling along two ponderous carronades with
the Union Jack floating over them."
The moment the Burmese caught sight of the army,