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BIRMAH. 43
recovering its former vigour after enjoying a long
respite from hostilities ; but the Binnan emperor nowresolved
to push his conquests further southward along
the western coast of the peninsula. After an unsuc-
cessful effort made by an expedition from Rangoon to
gain possession of the island of Junkseylon, Minde-
rajee left his capital at the head of 30,000 men, and a
train of twenty field-pieces, and taking the route of
Tonghoo, reached Martaban in the spring of 1786.
Scarcely had he entered the Siamese territory, when
he was met by the king of Siam with a powerful army.
A furious engagement ensued, in which the Birmans
were completely routed, their useless cannon were
taken, and the emperor himself narrowly escaped being
made prisoner. Hostilities were carried on between,
the two nations without any decisive result for several
ensuing years, till at length, in the year 1793, overtures
for peace were made by the Siamese, and a
treaty was entered into, by which they consented to
cede to the Birmans the western maritime towns as
far south as Mergui, including the important province
of Tenasserim and the port of Tavoy ; acquisitions of
great importance, considered either in a political or
a commercial light. The province of Bamoo and the
fort of Quantong had also been wrested from the
Chinese, and the boundary extended to the thicklywooded
heights which separate the Chinese province
and the Birman emperor thus
of Yun-nan from Ava ;
found himself invested with the undisputed sovereignty
of a territory equal in geographical extent to the whole
of France.
Such was the state of things when, in 1794, an
event occurred, which had nearly embroiled the Birmans
in fresh hostilities with a more powerful foe than
they had yet encountered. The trade of Arracan had