incognita; he found scarcely a man in authority who was not oppressive, corrupt, crafty, and cruel; he saw prospects of immense fortune, but depending upon enormous difficulties to be overcome; he was staggered at the barbarity of the king and his court, and over and over again he met with extraordinary perils, and no less extraordinary escapes. Soon after the bombardment of Rangoon he was falsely accused of being a British spy, and was cast into prison, where, under horrible circumstances, and amid appalling scenes of torture, he was detained for two years, eventually escaping with only his life. To the day of his death he bore traces of the frightful sufferings he had undergone in Burmah, and in his later years he could do little more than stroll about in the beautiful grounds of his home at Frogmore House, Blackwater, Hants, where he led the quiet life of a country gentleman, beloved by all who knew him.
He was a man of very considerable literary ability, and in his last years he wrote a book, published by Mr. John Murray in 1860—the year before the author's death—entitled "The Prisoner of Burmah; A Personal Narrative of Two Years' Imprisonment in Burmah."
Henry Gouger died while a second edition of his work was in preparation, and the preface was therefore written by his brother Alfred, who passed the edition for the press. In his preface Alfred speaks of the "perfect truthfulness and simplicity" of his brother's character, of his "good taste," of "the spirit of manly independence
