3G0 
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 Galle, might be well undertaken by the P. and O. 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 Ran¬ 
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. 
24. 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 
