The news from Burmah owes its seriousness to a single
fact. It appears to disturb the Chief Commissioner, Mr. Bernard, formerly Lord Lawrence's Private Secretary, and an unusually cool and able man. Setting aside rumours, the known facts appear to be these. The Bombay and Burmah Trading Corpora- tion hold certain leases of forest lands in Burmah, for which they pay a revenue to the King. As the leases are profitable, and Theebaw is always in want of cash, they make advances from time to time to supply the Royal needs. They recently, how- ever, declined an advance ; and the King's counsellors, mightily offended, discovered that the Corporation had removed a number of logs without paying duty, and inflicted a fine of 220,000 a month. Moreover, in order to raise money they sold certain concessions to a French bank, particularly in regard to railway. making, which the merchants of British Burmah consider injurious to their .ights. The French part of the busi- ness is not serious, M. de Freycinet repudiating Burmah altogether; but the requisition made on the Bombay Com- pany is. It is impossible to submit to such plunder, and most difficult to prevent it; and Mr. Bernard has, therefore, appealed to the Viceroy and the Home Secretary. There is material for a war in the quarrel ; and although Lord Dufferin will not want one, it may be necessary to seat one of Theebaw's rival princes upon the throne of Mandelay. The work would be easily accomplished, for the Irrawaddy is in our hands ; and if no annexation were intended, the Burmese would, on the first approach of British troops, desert the King. Lord Dufferin may be able to discover some alternative ; but, of course, exaggerated fines inflicted without reason are fatal to all trade.
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