which is put forward conspicuously in the Convention as having been obtained by England is the perpetual lease of piece of land adjoining the Bhamo District, of a triangular shape, the apex, namely the Loichow Peak, being placed to the south-west, and the base, the Nam-wan river, to the north-east, while the casterly and westerly sides are formed by some hills and a branch of the Nammak Hirer, and a range running to the Sheveli river, respectively. This piece of land is only about 16 miles long from apex to base, and about 11 miles wide at the latter. Tt is, territorially, so far as I can find out, of extreme unimportance, but there is little doubt that, of the two countries, Burma has the better right to it, and even under the generous terms of the Convention of 1894, the right to make roads and keep order in the tract was given to Burma. A perpetual lease, with the exclusive right of administering the country, is so very little different from complete ownership that it is perhaps not worth. while to object that favourable terms, places the proprietorship the acceptance of a lease itself, on however China.. The advantage of the definite and absolute possession of Kokang lies, as has already been said, in the fact that. any extension of the Mandal.y-Kunlon Railway beyond the Sslween will yun through this strip of territory up to the borders of China. Whether any such extension is at all probable for many years to come is another question, and what may seem highly improbable to-day, may, throazh. the force of cireumstances, become necessary to-morrow. dealing with China it is safest not to prophexy what she will do or will not. It is; therefore, satisfactory to know that the result of actual survey Ins shown that the route through Kokan, by un extension of the railway already sanctioned and course of construction, ix in all probability the best for getting' into Yunnan from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.