"Rangoon, March 28th, 1869, "The more sce about Rangoon and Burmah gener: ally, the more I see that this will be the equal to Calcutta in the next eight or ten years, The immense advantage that this place possesses in a geographical point of view is as clear as the sun at noonday. Look at the immense distance from China to home. Should we penetrate Western China and re-open the old trade which has been abandoned since the rebellion of '54,, the distance would be reduced by one-third in the Lite Hangooa, the nearest port, Beside this, we would. passage of our ships, as the whole trade would pour nave the very high rate of premium we pay for ace on all property to and frou China sad the rst which now prevails to China would be diminished by' abandoning that route, and coming here todo hi Rangoon possesses greater advantages over all East Indian rts, "The distance from the rivera Irrawady and Yang-tsze-Kiang is only 500 miles, while it is 1,500 miles to reach any other port on the east. The distance between the principal capital, Yunan, and Bhamo is 250 miles.
One river, the Irrawady, is very easy of access—easy and quite safe to navigate. No less than 600 vessels, loaded with rice. cotton, cutch, timber, oil, hides, and horns, left it last year, an increase of 78 against 1867; total of{tons, 295,165. This river, which is like the Orinoco (Venezaela), from what I a in size and power, with the exosption of the rise ani fall, is25 miles from the sea, with a splendid fight house, so placed as to make the approaches Lo the river as easy at night as by day.
will now give you the rts, exports, popu: Intion, &c., of Rangoon principally, by which at one, glance you will see whether it is a place of great commercial importance or not, Then J will continue, a few brief notes jabour other matters. 1863: im:
£5,200,000; exports, £4,760,000; value of trade £9,950,987, which was S0 per cent increase'in 4 ten y a Cost of public, works during that year, £248,535; sum from local' funis, £5,420; Imperial
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.