Enotanp has been very forbearing with King Theebaw. Since his accession to the throne in 1878 he has given many causes of offence, and so bad had hia conduct become by 1882 that the British Government then withdrew its representative. As the Times recently said, "be has slaughtered, sometimes ingly, sometimes in batel i besides immense numbers of his people. He entered into engagements with the Indian Government, which he broke and apparently never intended to keep. In consequence of his bad faith Lord Ripon was more than once moved by the merchants of Calcutta and Rangoon, where trade with the countries beyond Upper Burma, besides with that kingdom, was all but destroyed by the monopolies which Theebaw established, contrary to treaty, nnd by his illegal exactions. Lord' Rips however, contented himself with monstrances, which were quite unheeded. It hus hitherto been the policy of tke English Government to maintain Upper Burma us a neutral Statobetween their own possessions and Chinn, and this, no doubt, bad great influence over the mind of the late Viceroy, For a or more it has been rumoured that baw had entered into political engagements with M. Hans, French Consul at Mandalay. These rumours were often denied in Indin, but wore always renewed. Quite lately a copy of a treaty between Theebaw and the Republic was obtained by Mr, Bernard, Chief Commissioner at Rangoon, who telegraphed ita contents to the Foreign Office, and, as our readers are aware, the rent was the repudiation of the treaty by M. Freycinct, ion of an ultima. tam to King Theebaw. Besides the political part of the complaint by the English Government against the Burmese King, there was " commercial one of great importance which had recently sprung from his conduct. The Bombay-Parma Trading Company were lessees of some teak forests in Upper Parma, those forest French Company offered to work, provided the Bombay Company wasejected. A claim of 25 lacs was made against the Bombay Company which a Burma Court decided in favour of the Kin ud this is said to have been a part of the i treaty which was arranged in Man delay by M. Hans and repudiated Paris by M. Freycinet. M. Hans lias since been recalled by his Government, which is said to have disapproved of the policy he pursued at Mandalay; and the document obtained by him, which a Burmese Envoy tock to Paris for signature, is wow styled Projet de Traité, M. Forty probably knew something of what M. Huse was doing at Mandl, Lord Sulisbury in his despatch to M. Freycinet one If an attempt were made to give effect ala contained in the Projet de which the Burmese Ambasrador ly took to Europe, the B vernment would be compelled to for the safeguarding of British interests.
It is not likely that the war will be along one. Lhe anarchy which has prevailed for many yenra, even bee fore the acccasion of Theebaw, has greatly depopulated the kingdom, The appearance of the British force will probably cause Theebaw's courtiers to fall away fom him; the army is in auch @ miserable condition, tint, as the Times says, it Intely took the whole force to expel some marauders who lind taken possession of Blawo, Lhe country, according to the latest news, was in'nn exceptionally miserhblo condition, A severe and widespread famine had occurred, all the crops having failed, When Kuglish authority kus been cstublished in the country, in one form or another, the old trade between Beitish-Barain and Theebww's dowie ione, and the countries besand, will revive. The people will be greatly benefited; and us trafic extends to countries near ab hand its quickening influence will spread to Si all the Shan States, nud southewest China. The country of Upper Burma hay an aren of 190,500 square miles, and the popu lution is estimated by sume at three millions, while other reduce the num. ber to 1,675,000, including 600,000 Shans. Barta Proper devs vot exceed 50,000 equate miles, and its population jis estimated at from a million to million and a half. io country not ay fertile as British Burma, bat produces n variety of valuable timber tree, und a grent variety of fruit trees, and the graing usual in'kuch countries, might be expected, nothing bus beet done to develop the resources of the laud; but, aa the people are industrious, 8 fow yours of bottled government will work & grent change, The mniegovern. ment of Theebaw and his rabid hatred of Englund have prevented the intro duction of ruilwaye between India and China. pis will be seen from the following extract from the Address lately delivered by Mr. A. R. Culguboun to the London Chamber of Commerce, on the British commercial policy in the East From the intimate relations privileged to hold with the Chinese authoies, 1 bell ly that they intend troduce the railway ed the question of railway communication with the authorities in India, China, avd Siam, T find there is one difficulty in the way of carrying out a scheme of land-intercommonication between India and China, and that is the independent State of Upper Burma and the Burmese Shan States, lying like wedge between the two greatest and most populous empires of Asia. This ig not the place to enter into any lengthy discussion
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.