360 ' 'Report on a "Route across [No. 4, 



difficulties of the Straits navigation, and peculiarity of the China 

 Sea, the steamers would probably do all the work, and beat sailing 

 vessels off the field, which they cannot do now, because the present 

 charges upon steamers are so heavy ; this will be modified by adopt- 

 ing the Krau route. 



21. The extra service required to give a weekly mail to Calcutta, 

 by a single extra steamer running twice a month between Aden and 

 Point de Gralle, might be well undertaken by the P. and 0. Company, 

 as well as the whole service (by a lower class of steamers however on 

 the China side than is at present employed) between Ceylon and 

 Krau, and gulf of Siam and Hong-kong. The Companies running 

 the direct lines of steamer, between Calcutta and Hong-kong via 

 Singapore, and the line between Calcutta via Akyab, &c, and Maul- 

 mein, might advantageously to themselves and to the public amal- 

 gamate, and run one steamer twice a month direct to Krau, to 

 meet the China and Europe steamers returning direct to Calcutta • 

 two from Calcutta via, Akyab, Rangoon, and Maulmein to Krau, 

 returning via those posts. The railway should be a separate Com- 

 pany, and there should be a condition in their contract which would 

 scarcely require a guarantee to that effect. 



22. With these arrangements carried out, we may incidentally 

 mention, that the telegraph, instead of being submarine from Kan- 

 goon should be carried along the coast from Maulmein, with a junc- 

 tion with the railway telegraph at Krau, and also a junction with 

 the Rangoon and Tongoo telegraph at Sittang, thus giving another 

 line of telegraph communication with Calcutta, by which English 

 news, and China news, may be transmitted from Krau. 



23. The arrangement which might be made with the Govern- 

 ment of Siam, for the grant of land &c. has not formed a subject 

 for our discussion, as with the present liberal-minded, and far-seeing 

 monarch on the throne of Bankok, to whom the advantages which 

 must result to himself and his people, by carrying out this project, 

 will be at once obvious, we see no difficulty on this point. 



24s. We have thus laboured to prove, and we think have done 

 so satisfactorily that as a mere speculation, the construction of a 

 railway across the Isthmus of Krau, will be profitable ; that the 

 communication may be established for a third of the capital, the 

 interest of which is now being expended yearly on mere fuel and 



