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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 465

between the British representatives and the Kee Wongee, or
prime minister, and, ultimately, a conference was arranged
between the Kee Wongee, accompanied by another chief, and
Sir Archibald Campbell, when an armistice till the 17th of
October was agreed to. But the only object of the Burmese
statesmen and generals was to gain time to collect an army,
and, after further meetings, and a prolongation of the armistice
till the 2nd of November, the du])licity of the Buriuese ollicials
became apparent, when prejKirations were made for a hostile
advance upon the cajoital. On the 22nd of vSeptember, Counno-
dore Sir James Brisbane, a highly distinguished officer, who
had acted as Lord Exmouth's flag-captain at Algiers, and had
been appointed Naval Commander-in-chief in India, in succes-
sion to Commodore Orant, arrived at Prome, accompanied by
Captain Chads from Rangoon, and bringing with him the boats
and seamen of the ' Boadicea ' frigate. On the 7th of Novem-
ber, Captain Alexander, late senior officer, died at Rangoon, and
was succeeded in the command of his ship, the ' Alligator,' by
Captain Chads, who was directed to remain with the flotilla in
the Irrawaddy.
Early in November, the Burmese forces advanced upon
Prorae in three divisions: the right, under Sudda Woon, con-
sisting of fifteen thousand men, having crossed the Irrawaddy
and moved forward on its west bank ; the centre, thirty
thousand strong, commanded by the Kee Wongee, moving along
the left bank, accompanied by a large fleet of war-boats ; and
the left division, of fifteen thousand men, led by Maha Nemiow,
a veteran general lately sent from Ava to direct the operations
of the entire arm}^ In addition to these three corps, a reserve
of t(m thousand men, connnanded by Prince ^lemiaboo, the
king's half-brother, occupied a strongly fortified pi)sition at
Mellown, while another division was ready to oppose an
advance from Arracan. To meet these vast hosts, the British
general could only muster, including the garrison of Pronic, a
force of six thousand one hundred and forty-eight elVectives, a
small cohnnn being required to hold in check a force which
threatened Rangoon, the garrison of whii-h consisted of one
British and several Native regiments.
The campaign, upon which the destinies of an ancient
empire depended, opened unfavourably for the invading army.
Two brigades sent to dislodge Maha Nemiow's army at Watty-
goon, sulfered a disastrous rej)ulse on the 15th of November,
which so encouraged that gi'ueral, that he changed his cautious
tactics, and, aelvancing l)oldly u])on Prome witli the other
corps, surrounded the town. The fn-sl brush with the enemy
took place on the 2r)th of November, at Padoung-mew, on the
west bard<, where they made an attack on some works. Lieu-
tenant Kellett was in the act lA pushing ofl" wiili the row-boats,
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