This show of moderation was merely a trick to force the surrender of the Bishop and his flock. The Burmese leader was unwilling to shed blood to no purpose. He assured him that if he would surrender, all his property would be respected and that only the weapons would be taken.
Negociations were started, and the Bishop went in person to the Burmese leader's hut. He was received with every mark of honour and the general was lavish in promises which however were not confirmed by any documents. He added that it was his intention that night to fire the Christian quarter as a warning to them to seek refuge elsewhere. He assigned a temple to the Bishop for a dwelling place and guards were given for his safe keeping. Nothing could be done but to submit to these conditions as it was impossible to obtain any better terms.
It was lucky that these conditions were accepted. The general carried out his threat and the whole of the Christian quarter was reduced to ashes together with the church.
The soldiers entered the seminary, and violating their oaths, plundered everything that they had promised to respect.
The missionaries and their converts were carried off to the hostile camp. A Prince of the old family of the King of Ava was the commander of the camp to which they were assigned, and he had the generosity to supply them with victuals. A large number of female Christians were stationed near them so as to escape the insults of the soldiery. Advantage was taken of the absence of their importunate guardians to marry the girls to the young Christians as it was necessary to save these virgins from the lust of the brutal soldiery who, as I have said previously, respected the marriage tie. The Bishop suspected of possessing great wealth, as he had distributed alms with no niggard hand, was sent to the lofty tower occupied by the general where under the pretext of rendering him honour they thought they would be able to discover the place where he had concealed his treasures. The other Christians were tortured and robbed of their money and the more money a man had, the more he was suspected of having concealed. The state of poverty to which they were thus reduced rendered their faith all the more lively, and, despoiled of their earthly possessions their only hope lay in a heavenly reward.