PROCEEDINGS. 495 
weeks at best, with the usual pack animals; no coolies worth 
having are available on this route, Each stage or day’s journey 
on all the routes to Yunnan is supposed to be about twenty-five 
miles in actual length of route travelled, but in reality the stages 
vary from twenty or thirty miles, according to the difficulties of 
the road, and the accommodation available, so that the average is 
probably something less than twenty-five miles on a long journey. 
The cost for transport or conveyance of goods and travellers is 
about the same on all the routes; that is, pack animals are usually 
paid three mace of silver for each stage, and coolies two mace for 
the same stages, Each animal can carry about 160 lbs. English, 
_ divided into two parcels of equal weight. The coolies, carry half — 
that weight, also made up into two parcels. Heavier parcels may 
however be carried by two or more coolies in litters like sedan- 
chairs, but the weight carried by each coolie, in such cases is about 
twenty per cent. less than in the former case. The cost of carriage 
is thus very high indeed, so that it behoves all governments avd 
people interested in the expansion of trade with Yunnan to do all 
they possibly can to lay their merchandise as near as possible to — 
the various centres of consumption at the lowest possible prices 
consistent with profitable undertakings. The Chinese Government 
will not do anything for the improvement of the wretched condition 
of the people of Yunnan. Here then is an opportunity for simple 
Christianity and intelligent, humane missionaries. That distant 
province has in fact been a constant drain on the resources of the 
‘Empire for ages past, and is likely to continue so in future. Tn 
1865 when nearly the whole of Yunnan was in the hands of the 
Mussulman rebels, China was on the point of relinquishing her hold 
of the province, and it would have been much better for her if she 
had done so. The only hope of relief from her present wretched 
Condition that Yunnan may expect, is the probability that a pase sd 
talent in the art of governing will, some day, appear in that region, 
to carve himself a new and promising kingdom from that long 
-ill-ruled fragment of this ancient and vast Empire.* : Sie. 
P= * General } ‘i is indebtedness to Mr. G, M. H. Playfair’s 
“excollnt work gn the Cie and ‘Tawns Okina, fom whi the nite 
_ and longitudes given in the paper are taken as the most 
_ €Xtant on the subject, 
