356 Report on a Route across [No. 4, 



of (143+33+12+153) 341 hours. The direct line of China 

 steamers touching at Singapore would probably delay, ordinarily 

 6 hours at Penang and 12 at Singapore,— this added to the steam 

 distance gives 360 hours, making a difference in point of time in favour 

 of the Krau route, via. Akyab, of 19 hours, while the latter picks 

 up all the trade. The valuable goods (opium especially) and the 

 mail from England might be sent by a single steamer running twice 

 a month to and from Calcutta to Krau. The cost of this steamer 

 is shown in Table IV. and the capital for construction of rail- 

 road would be reduced to £700,000, much more than sufficient, 

 however. , This arrangement of running a steamer direct to Krau 

 from Calcutta would beat the direct line to China via Singapore, by 

 93 hours as follows : — 



From Calcutta to Krau, ... ... ... 102 hours. 



From Krau to Tayoung, ... ... ... 12 „ 



„ Tayoung to Hong-kong, ... ... 153 



From Calcutta to Singapore, 

 Stoppages, 

 Hong-kong, 



Difference, 93 hours, Total— 360 



Total- 



-267 





179 



... 



18 



... 



163 



and would give a regular weekly communication with Calcutta as 

 shown in last para, while the line running via, Akyab gives to the 

 eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal all the advantages of early 

 communication with home, which its western coast enj oys via 

 Madras. But the steamers via, Akyab, should not have to go up 

 the Rangoon and Maulmein rivers, by which .means other 12 

 hours would be saved, making a total saving, even after touching 

 at all the four posts (for Mergui would probably be moved to the 

 Pakchan) of (19 + 3 + 12) 34 hours over the Singapore line. Ele- 

 phant Point and Amherst Point should be the respective posts of 

 call, for Rangoon and Maulmein, with telegraphic communication 

 between those places and the capitals of Pegu, and the Martaban 

 and Tenasserim provinces. 



