From the Qburcier d'Haiphong we learn that a portion of the Commission appointed to examine on the spot the project for a railway from Laokay to Yunnan arrived at jBniphong by the last mail. General Pennequin, the herd of the Commission, is expected by the Laos. It is stated that M. Doumer, the Governor-General of {ndo-China, is also. about to make a rapid visit to Yunnan. In connection with French activity in this sphere it may likewise be mentioned that attention has of late been drawn to the dependence of France on English cables for the means of telegraphic communication with Indo-China, and to the assumed danger to French interests which this implies. In view of the impossibility of laying a French cable, owing to the great cost and the few landing-places at which a cable could touch, it has been suggested that communication by land lines should be established, with the assistance of "our ally Russia.'" A scheme has therefore been advanced for the carrying of line from Indo-China through Tibet to connect with the Russian line in Siberia. The first portion of such a line would, of course, have to pass through Yunnan, Asan argument in favour of the scheme we wre reminded that China last year undertook to place the postal and telegraphic service of the Empire under the direction of French agents."—Hongkong Daily Press.
{We may add that the undertaking mentioned in the last sentence above is a dead letter, the Chinese arguing that, far, they have no postal and telegraphic department.—Ep.]
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.