The Times of Friday intimated, as if from information, that
the Chinese Government would, on the whole, prefer that Great Britain annexed Barmah. That is possible, because the Chinese would gain by the enlarged frontier duties, and because they desire a counterpoise to France in Indo-China ; bat we trust their idea will be thoroughly understood before action is finally taken. If English soldiers are, as is understood, to arrive at Mandalay before December, Lord Dufferin must shortly come to a final decision; and, we repeat, the essential condition of that decision is Chinese feeling. We do not want another Afghanistan on our hands, and cannot forget that the true ° scientific frontier" east of Bnrmah is not in Burmese, but Chinese hands. It is that line of hills which stretches all through Ynnnan parallel to the Burmese border. We do not like to reflect on what our Engineer officers will by-and-bye think, and perhaps say, about that line of hills, and the neces- sity of running a line of railway to their foot.
