A telegram was received in London on Tuesday stating that
the King of Burmah had resolved to invade Pegu. His troops were collecting upon the frontier, and he bad demanded compensation from the British for allowing a Burmese Pre- tender to operate from their soil. Subsequent accounts do not confirm this narrative, which in itself is a little ridiculous, and is due, according to an official telegram, to the imper- fect information of the Deputy Commissioner of Thyatmyo. Theeban has always a pretext for war, if he wants one, in our tenure of Pegn, which we hold legally by military occupation ; and though he may have complained of the escape of his rival from Calcutta, he is not likely to demand compensation for it. It is much more probable that, as reported, be dreads the descent of another Pretender, and has accumulated a few troops on the border to prevent it. His invasion of Pegn by land, with his half-armed soldiers, would not be a formidable affair, even if his courtiers permitted him to attempt it. He is absolute in
theory ; but the Burmese do not wish to be annexed, and Asiatic Sovereigns, when determined to throw away their States against all advice, are apt to fall ill.
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