and to the most active and unremitting attention to all the duties of his arduous and important command, Brigadier-General Cotton has united in a remarkable degree the faculty of carrying other men's minds along with him, and has thus brought the division under his orders to act with one heart and hand. The Governor in Council is persuaded that the sentiments expressed in the foregoing letter will be peculiarly gratifying to every individual both of the staff and in the line who served in that division.

"The troops of this presidency, who were engaged in foreign service against the dominions of the king of Ava, have already been honoured by the approbation of the Governor-General in Council; and, though this government is sensible that its praise cannot add any weight to that distinction, yet it is a grateful duty which it gladly discharges to follow the example of the supreme Government in acknowledging the admirable military spirit displayed throughout the service in Ava and Arracan, by every officer, non-commissioned officer, and private, of his Majesty's and the honourable Company's troops, European and Native.

"The expedition to Ava has been distinguished from every former expedition sent from India, by its duration, by its great privations, by difficulties of every kind, arising from the climate and the nature of the country, by its constant harassing duties, and by its frequent conflicts with the enemy. The

European troops, in meeting and overcoming all these obstacles, have nobly sustained the character of the British army. The native troops have proved themselves worthy of fighting in the same ranks with European soldiers."

On the 8th of June the regiment left Pegue for Rangoon, where on arrival it embarked on board the ship "Argyle," and sailed on the 13th for Masulipatam. After they had been some days at sea, the ship was discovered to be on fire in the hold; the flames however were prevented from spreading by the activity of the crew, assisted by the men of the regiment, in throwing overboard the tents of the corps, which having, it is supposed, been stowed away in the hold whilst damp had ignited and nearly caused the destruction of the ship and all on board.

The "Argyle" reached Masulipatam roads without any further accident on the 23rd July, and the following day the regiment landed out of 863 gallant men who had embarked at the same place in April 1824, about 100 only returned, and these broken down by privations and hard service; nearly all the rest died in Burmah, more from disease and starvation than the sword of the enemy.

During all its service in Burmah, the regiment was most fortunate in the very talented, attentive, and liberal medical officers who had at different times charge of it.

J. Deare, Esq., since retired from the service, formerly distinguished for his gallant conduct during

the mutiny at Vellore in 1806, went over with the regiment as its surgeon; he was succeeded in Rangoon by Dr. Campbell, whose extreme liberality and kindness to the sick during the great sickness and scarcity, were most conspicuous, and will be remembered by the survivors as long as they live. On Dr. Campbell's promotion, he was succeeded by Dr. Bond, who returned with the regiment to Masulipatam.

In July 1824, after the departure of the corps for service, the second European regiment was formed by Major Gibson at Masulipatam, from the men of the Madras European Regiment, left behind on the regiment proceeding to Ava, and about 250 recruits at that time landed from England. In the beginning of December this corps marched from Masulipatam and relieved the Bengal European Regiment at Kamptee on the 5th January, 1825, and being there joined by a large detachment of recruits and volunteers from Madras, it soon became, from the zeal and energy of Major Gibson and his officers, a highly efficient and well disciplined regi

ment.

During the year, two very excellent officers of the corps died from the effects of the service in Ava Captain Charles Forbes at Masulipatam on the 26th March, 1825, had repeatedly been noticed in the late war for his gallantry and activity: he had also seen service at the Eastern Islands, and during the Mahratta wars: Captain James Roy