The Stricken Peacock

Book excerpt: I t was the unanimous verdict of British and American historians that the Kings of Burma were arrogant barbarians, absolutely without any knowledge of diplomacy and diplomatie practice, whose foolish actions forced the British to annex the countr)'. Although the una nimity was broken in 1962 by Miss Dorothy Woodman in her brilliant work The Making 01 Burma, it still remains the majority verdict, and has even been re-affirmed. Mr. E. C. V. Foucar, who expressed his verdict in 1944 in They Reigned in Mandalay, confirmed it in 1963 in Mandalay the Golden. Professor John F. Cady, who fuHy agreed with the verdict in 1960 in A History 01 Modern Burma, has modified his opinion only with regard to the Second Anglo-Burmese War, in his recendy published work South-East Asia: fts Historical Development. The verdict is an ex parte one, because no consideration was given to the Burmese point ofview or to the Burmese sources ofhistory. More over, it was arrived at on false and fraudulent evidence. The British fought three wars against the Burmese during the period 1824-1886. For the First war, both the British and the Burmese must share the blame, and exeept for the great disparity in arms, it was a But after gaining two out of the three Burmese maritime fair fight.