'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎244] (263/622)

244
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
Rangoon was captured during the afternoon, when ninety-
eight guns and seventy jingalls were taken. The enemy stood
by their guns with resolution, and, on landing, whole guns'
crews were found lying dead by their pieces, blown to atoms
by the shells from the steam-frigates. In what gallant style
the troops captured the White House Stockade, and the Great
Dagon Pagoda, with a loss of seventeen killed and one hun
dred and thirty-two wounded, all readers of military history
well know.
Commodore Lynch says in a postscript to his letter of pro
ceedings, addressed to Sir Henry Leeke " While closing my
letter, I was called by signal on board the Admiral, who
informed me he should proceed himself to Calcutta, instead of
the 4 Sesostris,' as had been arranged; and I cannot let my
letter go to you without telling you of the very kind manner in
which the Admiral expressed himself with reference to our part
in the late operations. He said he felt fully the value of the
services of the vessels of the Indian Navy, both in the attack and
the shelling of the place, and that the General had expressed
himself fully satisfied with our practice, and that we had been
of the most essential service, and he would have much pleasure
in making it fully known in despatches."
There is a point regarding the operations attending the cap
ture of Rangoon not referred to by any of the military or
naval chiefs in their despatches; and as it is of great credit to
the Indian Navy, and particularly to Commander Campbell, we
have much pleasure in placing it upon record. While engaged
with the enemy's batteries, the Captain of the 4 Sesostris' caused
the 68-pound shot he was firing out of his 8-inch guns, to be
heated in the furnaces, and, for the first time in the history oi
war, fired red-hot shot of this calibre. The effect was con
siderable, in creating a panic among the enemy and setting fire
to their stockades and defences. Commander Campbell, re
membering what Captain William Jacob, of the Bombay Artil
lery, told him of the successful breaching of the Mocha forts in
1820, also fired spherical case, or shrapnel, loaded with six
pounds of powder only, the lead balls having been previously
shaken out, and these projectiles pitched into the stockades
and exploded among the timber, which they rent in pieces, i ^
orders issued to the squadron were that each ship was to lire,
during the night, shell once every ten minutes, but Comman er
Campbell, by firing a red-hot shot, and one of these sphenca
shells simultaneously, managed to do double damage e
enemy's defences. It was a shell from the after 8-inch gun o ie
' Sesostris' that blew up the magazine in one of the stocka es.
# "The following letter appeared in the "Times" of the 1st of June, 1852,
from the pen of an officer . i. m Daicutta
" I must write a few lines to you by the Admiral, who is just on t