Officially it was to gather industrial knowledge, but it soon made its way to Paris where it began negotiations with the French Foreign Minister Jules Ferry.

Ferry eventually admitted to the British ambassador that the Burmese were attempting to negotiate a political alliance along with a purchase of military equipment.

In the course of its work, the commission began demanding the Burmese authorities in villages determined by the British to be on their side of the line should withdraw.

The British reacted with diplomatic force and convinced the French government to recall Haas who was removed allegedly "for reasons of health".

A fine was imposed on the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation for under-reporting its extractions of teak from Toungoo and not paying its employees.

The acceptance of the ultimatum would have ended any real Burmese independence and reduced the country to something similar to the semi-independent princely states of British India.

By 9 November, a practical refusal of the terms having been received at Rangoon, the occupation of Mandalay and the dethronement of the Burmese king Thibaw Min were decided upon.

As was only to be expected in an enterprise of this description, the navy as well as the army was called in requisition; and as usual the services rendered by the seamen and guns were most important.

[1] Thayetmyo was the British post on the river nearest to the frontier, and here, by 14 November, five days after Thibaw's answer had been received, practically the whole expedition was assembled.

[4] At that time, most of the Burmese did not like Thibaw both because of the poor management of his government and because he and/or his king-makers had executed nearly a hundred royal princes and princesses when he ascended the throne in 1878.

[1] The proceeds were sold off at a profit of 9 lakhs of rupees (roughly 60,000 pound sterling).From Mandalay, General Prendergast reached Bhamo on 28 December.

Though the king was dethroned and exiled with the royal family to India, and the capital and the whole of the river in the hands of the British, bands of insurgents took advantage of the situation to continue an anti-social resistance which proved very difficult to defeat.

PROCLAMATION.By command of the Queen-Empress, it is hereby notified that the territories formerly governed by King Theebaw, will no longer be under his rule, but have become part of Her Majesty's dominions, and will during Her Majesty's pleasure, be administered by such Officers as the Viceroy and Governor-General may from time to time appoint.The 1st January 1886.DUFFERIN,Viceroy and Governor-General.The annexation sparked an anti-colonial resistance which would last until 1896.

[4] The final, and now completely successful, conquest of the country, under the direction of Sir Frederick (later Earl) Roberts, was only brought about by an extensive system of small military police protective posts scattered all over the country, and small lightly equipped columns moving out in response whenever a gathering of freedom fighters occurred.

A small column of all arms carried it out under Colonel W. P. Dicken, 3rd Madras Light Infantry, the first objective being Ningyan (Pyinmana).

The suppression of freedom fighters was completely successful, in spite of a good deal of scattered resistance, and the force afterwards moved forward to Yamethin and Hlaingdet.

[6] The majority of auctioned items were sold to Army and Navy officers and civil servants as well as the occasional European traveller.

[7] Some items of high religious importance, including 11 gold idols of Lord Buddha, were retained by the Calcutta museum to be restored and if later requested returned to descendants of Burmese royalty.