The following letter, dated Milan, November 2, appears in the London Morning Herald Sut, have just seen your article on the proposed land communication between India and China copied into Galignani. 1 think it right to raw your atten-on to what appears to Lo a misapprehension in your view of a route through Assam and the Brahmapootra Valley. You doubt its suitableness for the trade from the Hay of Bengal, and give the preference to that through Burmah. Permit me to point out that there is already regular steam communication from the Bay of Bengal to Dibroogurh, near the head of the Assam Valley and therefore to within 500 miles of Pingshaw, the point reached by Captain Blakiston on the Yang: tse-Kiang; and that if this 500 miles-(300 of which are known) should be found practicable for a road or railroad the terminus on the China side would be in the midst of the rich and populous province of Se-chuen, and on the great artery of Chinese commerce, the Yang-tse-Kiang. Ihave myself gone to Suddyab, 50 miles to on which we there loaded some 200 tons of limestone the cast of Dibroogurh. having m tow a large barge, for the use of the department of public works in Assam, and returned safely.
On the other hand, the route through Burmah can only, 1 suppose, be considered available for steamers as far as Ava, which by-the way appears to be nearly as far from Yunan as Suddyah in from Se-chuen. So far there may appear to be little to choose between the routes, Herein lies the difference: the Burmah route culminates in a mountainous and thinly-populated province, and far from any system of water communication.
Without reference whatever to the interests of the tea planters of Assam—who, by-the-bye, could no more afford to employ Chinese labourers than the West dian planters could afford to employ Europeans—it would be a great mistake if the Brahmapootra route to the Yang-tse-Kiang should not be examined before any more southern line of communication be adopted.—I am, Sir, faithfully yours, Davi Prices, Lieut. Colonel. Late Sup. Engineer of Asean.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.