General in Council directed a small steam-vessel, the first ever seen in India, to be purchased, and added to the expedition[1]. Sir Archibald Campbell left Calcutta on the 8th April, embarked with his staff on board the Larne, and proceeded in that ship to Port Cornwallis. The Bengal transports sailed thither without any escort, but those from Madras were convoyed to that place by the Sophie. The celerity with which the Governor-General in Council determined and acted upon his plan of operations precluded the possibility of Commodore Grant proceeding from Bombay to Calcutta, in time to superintend the naval preparations, even had he not been engaged in other important duties.
Owing to calms and very light winds, the Bengal division did not reach the place of rendezvous before the end of April, and the Madras division not until the 2d of May; at which period several ships from both presidencies were still absent. Sir Archibald Campbell had, however, determined to sail with the force then assembled at Port Cornwallis, and would have done so on that day, had he not been prevented by a general report of the scarcity of fresh water on board the Madras transports, some of them not having enough for more than four days’ consumption. “This difficulty,” says he, “was very speedily removed by Captain Marryat, whose indefatigable exertions in collecting and appropriating the scanty supply which the land springs afforded, and distributing a proportion from such vessels as were well supplied to those most in need, enabled him, on the following day, to report the fleet ready to put to sea. As we were accordingly getting under weigh, H.M.S. Liffey appeared in the offing, and likewise several of the absent transports. Judging that some of them might also be in want of water, and being desirous of making the necessary arrangements with Commodore
- ↑ No where can steam-vessels be employed more advantageously than on the Irrawaddy; but they should never draw more than five feet water, when deep, and their bottoms ought to be flat and very strong, as they must often be unavoidably run with force upon sands which shift every monsoon.
