‘Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, thus says the popular adage. The mighty British empire in its heyday exercised special vigilance in safeguarding the security and safety of India, the most precious jewel of its crown. The British rulers, like Indra, the jealous sovereign of gods in Hindu mythology, were exceptionally wary lest some more shrewd and enterprising rival should dislodge them from their most precious possession. During the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries the British colonial power of India was busy expanding its dominions and consolidating its territorial gains by imparting to them a semblance of stable administration. In its North, North-West and North-East the petty mountain kingdoms and turbulent frontier tribes, from time to time, made outrageous raids into the British territories either for territorial expansion or for sheer plunder. In view of this the British military authorities organised and carried out successfully a number of expeditions against these intruders which humbled their pride and made them behave as civilised neighbours. During the same period, the colonial power of U.K. spread its tentacles to far-flung areas of the world. So when its authority was challenged in any of them, specially in Asia and Africa, it used to avail of the services of the British Indian Army to suppress any uprising. Under instructions from the colonial power in U.K., the overseas expeditions used to be despatched from India to nip the mischief-mongers in the bud. These frontier and overseas expeditions have a chequered history and realising their importance for posterity, their history was collated, compiled and published for the first time in 1908 by the Intelligence Branch of the Chief of Staff of the old British Army Head Quarters stationed at Simla. It is an exciting history which runs into seven volumes as per details appended below. Besides the frontier expeditions, the history as recorded in these volumes also covers the different overseas expeditions to such far off places as China in the East and to Malta and Cyprus in the West. The present volume exclusively deals with the military expeditions organised by land and sea into Burma, leading to the annexation of that country to the old British India. The book is divided into four Parts. Part I is devoted to the First Burmese War which resulted into total defeat of the Burmese. A treaty of peace was signed the main terms of which were cession of Arakan to the British, posting of a British resident in the Burmese Court at Ava and liberal commercial terms to the British. Part II deals with the Second Burmese War which is attributable partly to the insanity developed by Phegyi-daw, the Burmese King and partly to the arrest and ill-treatment of two Britishers, Shipperd and Lewis, masters of British ships. It resulted into the annexation of Pegu and drawing up of a Frontier line by Lord Dalhousie himself. Part III deals with the Third Burmese War which had its origin in the ‘Shoe’ question and to wholesale massacre of prisoners in Burmese Prisons. The British Minister at Mandalay resented the enforcement of a ceremonial which required him to take off his shoes before entering the royal presence and to sit on the floor before the King. The war lasted less than a year. Burma was annexed to Indian empire and King Thibaw was exiled to Ratnagiri fort on the Bombay coast in India. Part IV deals with military expeditions against the warlike tribes of China, Kachins and Shans. Their resistance was humbled and partial delimitation of Burma—China boundary was successfully completed. This volume, like other volumes in the series, is indispensable to all students of history. It contains information of strategic importance which makes it a valuable guide to military Scientists, and Defence personnel who might be required to deal with such turbulent neighbours or face such perilous situations. Further the valuable data and vital information contained therein has the potential of inspiring many a preserving and prolific writer to attempt some original works of more lasting interest on the same subject.