"The Fighting with Dacoits in Burma" — Four sketches for "The Graphic" (19 June 1886)

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The Fighting with Dacoits in Burma

19 June 1886

wood-engraving

32 cm high by 22.3 cm wide — 11 ⅞ inches by 8 ⅞ inches

Illustration for The Graphic, Vol. XXXIII, p. 665.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Scanned image, formatting, and text by Philip V. Allingham.

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The Fighting with Dacoits in Burma — Four sketches for the London Graphic, 19 June 1886: No. 84), Vol. XXXIII, p. 5. 17.4 cm high by 22.3 cm wide — 6 ⅝ inches high by 8 ⅞ inches wide. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

The above full-page illustration contains five distinct scenes: Some Captured Burmese Guns (top register); 1. Shelling Dacoits on the Top of the Cliff of the Popa Pass (above centre, left); 2. Repulse of Rebel Attack on the Sagin Outpost (right of centre); 3. A Corner of a Rebel Outpost (lower left); 4. Rangoon Mounted Company of Volunteers Who Took Part in the Expedition in Mandalay. The term "Dacoits" was used by British troops to describe both Burmese insurgents and bandits, in other words, the indigenous population opposing the British annexation of Upper Burma by waging guerrilla war.

A Further Note on These 1886 Illustrations: The Elephant Hunt and the Rebel Leader

The Graphic followed the events of the British annexation of Upper Burma by colonial troops from India in some detail, giving readers numerous scenes in the Burmese jungle — some with a travelogue rather than a military emphasis. The following half-page illustration contains a further five scenes: 1. Steam Launch Aground in Paddy Field: "Elephant Ahoy!" (top right); 2. As the Elephant won't heave to, we open Fire (top left); 3. Complete Success of the Manoeuvre (bottom register, right); 4. The Myan Choung Phongee, Leader of the Late Rebellion in Lower Burma (centre); 5. Rev. Mr. Bunker, who Captured the Rebel Chief (bottom register, left).

The Late Rebellion in Lower Burma — Sketches by a British Official in Burma. The London Graphic, 3 July 1886: No. 85, Vol. XXXIIV, p. 5. 17.4 cm high by 22.3 cm wide — 6 ⅝ inches high by 8 ⅞ inches wide. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Link to Related Material on the Third Burmese War (1885-1886)

With the Tongboo Field Force, Burma-Somerset Light Infantry Crossing the Twsa River, from a Sketch by a Military Officer for The Graphic (16 January 1886)

Bibliography

Aung-Thwin, Michael Arthur. "The British in Burma, 1885—1948." The Encyclopedia Britannica, britannica.com/topic/history-of-Myanmar/The-British-in-Burma-1885-1948 (Accessed 27 March 2025).

“The Fighting in Burma.” The Graphic: An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper, Vol. 34 (3 July 1886): 5.

The Fighting with Dacoits in Burma — Four sketches for the London Graphic, 19 June 1886 (No. 84), Vol. XXXIII, p. 665.

The Late Rebellion in Lower Burma — Sketches by a British Official in Burma. The London Graphic, 3 July 1886: No. 85, Vol. XXXIIV, p. 5.

“With the Tongboo Field Force, Burma-Somerset Light Infantry Crossing the Twsa River,” from a Sketch by a Military Officer. The Graphic: An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper, No. 842, Vol. 33 (16 January 1886): 53.

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