Excerpt from Report on the Practicability of Re-Opening the Trade Route: Between Burma and Western ChinaOutlets for our increasing commerce should be the pri, ' mary consideration, and everything should be made subservient to it. Railways, Telegraphs, Roads, Bridges, Factories. And faci lities for pouring in Our goods, Should have a far greater weight, in the councils of wise men, than the prejudices and supersti tions Of semi savages, who own an equivocal allegiance to a des pot, whose only policy is the amassing of riches, the propagation of abominable Ido'latrous superstitions, and the gratification Of selfish and sensual indulgenc[4] The Chief Commissioner, in his up-hill work of starting the Bhamo Expedition, solicited and Obtained the apparently active co-operation Of the King Of Burma. Listening to the arguments and suggestions Of Colonel Fytche, he gave orders that one Of his Steamers Should convey the party to Bhamo, ordered the Ministers, Woons, and Officers to give us every facility in passing through the country, at the same time sea cretly doing every thing in his power to counteract what he had done, and so arranging it, that even assassination was to be resorted to, to prevent our return, sooner than the expedition should succeed. Of this we have ample proof, which will be shewn at the proper time and place.With the passive want of cordiality of our own Governa ment, the restrictions and cautions conveyed in the instruc tions to the Governor of his Province, and to Capt. Sladen, the Head of the Expedition, it is surprising that the whole affair did not collapse at the beginning.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.