552 



SCIEJSrCE, 



[Vol. VI., No. 151. 



10,000 cubic yards, at a cost of $4,000, and would 

 hold 6,750,000 gallons of water. An evaporation 

 of five feet in depth per annum, removing 2,800,000 

 gallons, would leave 3,950,000 gallons for the use 

 of the sheep, — enough for one year, and perhaps 

 eighteen months. To carry the sheep through a 

 possible drought of three years, a tank of twice the 

 capacity would be required. 



In a recent number of the London Times ap- 

 pears more evidence of the interest of England in 

 the conquest of Burmah, that a good trade-route 

 with western China may be opened. After referring 

 to the misguided ways of King Thebaw, who is 

 held up as a weak individual, guided by a few ill- 

 advised ministers of state, the Times refers to the 

 future of the country in these words : " Whatever 

 may have been the influences round King Thebaw, 

 they cannot much affect the future of his king- 

 dom. Mr. Bernard, the chief commissioner, will, 

 it is stated, proceed at once to Mandalay, with a 

 party of officials acquainted with the Burmese 

 language. For the present. General Prendergast 

 will administer the country. But when Mr. Ber- 

 nard arrives, civil authorities will take charge of it, 

 and rule it in the name of the empress of India. 

 The question seems to have been carefully studied, 

 and there seems to be no difficulty in framing a 

 temporary organization for governing Upper Bur- 

 mah. Our efficient Indian civil service is not to 

 be embarrassed by the acquisition of a new prov- 

 ince." 



RAILWAYS IN BURMAH. 



Mr. Holt S. Hallett recently addressed the 

 members of the Scottish geographical society, his 

 subject being ' A survey for railway connections 

 between India, Siam, and China.' The conquest 

 by England of Upper Burmah places the Burmese 

 Shan states under her protection, and thus allows 

 their peaceful and trade-loving inhabitants to ex- 

 pect a better commercial connection with that 

 country. England is now placed in such a position 

 that no political hindrance remains to prevent her 

 driving the iron horse up to the gates of China, and 

 opening up to trade the western provinces of that 

 rich and prosperous empire. For the past four 

 years Mr. Colquhoun and Mr. Hallett have deeply 

 interested themselves in the subject of the expan- 

 sion of trade by linking China and the inter- 

 vening countries to India by means of railways. 

 The valley of the Irrawaddy is bounded on the 

 west by a range of hills which, as it proceeds 

 southwards, spreads out into an entangled mass, 



touching the sea along the Bay of Bengal with 

 many of its spurs. No railway can therefore be 

 constructed, except at a prohibitive cost, from 

 Calcutta along the seaboard towards Eangoon. 

 Through the pass used by the Burmese in their 

 invasion of Assam, there is a route which would 

 suit admirably for carrying a railway from the 

 Brahmapootra valley into the valley of the Irra- 

 waddy, and then the railway could be joined, with- 

 out meeting any great difficulties, to the Rangoon 

 and Tonghoo line, having its present terminus at 

 Rangoon. The height of the pass is not more 

 than 2,500 feet above the sea-level, or 3,000 feet 

 above the level of the Brahmapootra valley. 



Owing to the many ranges that would have to 

 be crossed, a railway constructed to connect any 

 part of the Irrawaddy valley in Upper Burmah, 

 or Lower Burmah to the north of Beeling, with 

 western China, would be of greater length and 

 considerably more costly than a line (proposed by 

 Mr. Hallett) which has its terminus at Maulmain. 



In considering the traffic which would be 

 likely to arise from the construction of railways 

 through the centre of Indo-China, Mr. Hallett 

 said : "It will be well to remember, 1°, that al- 

 though the population of our possessions in British 

 Burmah is only l-40th of that of our Indian do- 

 minions, yet British Burmah has 1-lOth of the 

 whole trade of India ; 2°, that Upper Burmah, 

 which since the rebellion of the Burmese Shan states 

 has scarcely a million of inhabitants, still carries 

 on a trade with us of about £3,000,000 sterling ; 

 3°, that a million sterling of treasure is imported 

 into Burmah each year more than is exported ; 4°, 

 that Chinese emigration has been shut out lately 

 from America, Australia, and other places, and 

 would certainly set into the fertile plains of Indo- 

 China if it were encouraged and facilitated by 

 the construction of railways ; 5°, that already half 

 the population in the delta of the Meh Nam is 

 composed of Chinese and their descendants ; 6°^ 

 that the great want of British Burmah is popula- 

 tion." 



The paying prospects of the proposed railways 

 can be compared with those of the railway be- 

 tween Rangoon and Prome, which was opened in 

 1878. This railway, which is 162 miles in length, 

 was made to connect the town of Prome with the 

 seaport of Rangoon. It passes for fully two-thirds 

 of its length through an unfertile country covered 

 with scrub jungle. On the whole length of the 

 railway there are not more than six villages, and 

 the line is in competition with the admirable flo- 

 tilla of steamers plying on the Irrawaddy River. 

 Yet this line paid to the English government a 

 net profit of 6 per cent last year upon the ex- 

 penses of its construction. 



