passage for persons, troops, or mails passing between England and India. The Tigris route might attract the larger amount of traffic, and would connect itself better with the projected Turkish system.

Among the witnesses whose evidence tends most strongly to support the policy of incurring the cost or risk of a national guarantee, your Committee may mention Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, Lord Strathnairn, Sir H. Bartle Frere, Sir Donald Macleod. Mr. Laing, Colonel Sir H. Green, Colonel Malcolm Green, Captain Tyler, R.E., Mr. W. Gifford Palgrave, &c.

Among those who suggest considerations tending to throw doubt on the propriety of such an expenditure, your Committee would call attention. to the evidence of Lord Sandhurst, Sir H. Rawlinson, Major Champain, &c.

Your Committee have not obtained full information as to the cost of any of the lines which have been proposed; but they think it probable that the sum of £10,000,000 would be amply sufficient to cover the expense of the shortest route, at all events.

What then are the advantages which the country might expect to gain from this possible expenditure? They are principally those to be derived from the more rapid transmission of mails, and from the possession of an alternative and more rapid route for the conveyance of troops; and from the great commercial advantages, both to India and England, which the opening up of the route would confer.

The amount of time that might be saved in the transmission of mails from England to Bombay is variously estimated by different witnesses, some placing it at four days, others as high as seven or eight days; but it must of course materially depend upon, first, the length of the railway, and secondly, the rate of speed at which the trains can travel, which again depends partly upon the gauge to be adopted, and thus the question is resolved into one of cost. Captain Tyler, R.E., who has gone carefully into the question, states the saving of distance by the Euphrates route from London via Brindisi and Scanderoon to Bombay, as compared with that via Brindisi, Alexandria and Suez, at 723 miles, and estimates the saving of time at 92 hours. The adoption of Kurrachee as the point of debarkation instead of Bombay, would of course materially enhance the saving, and during the season of the monsoon the gain would be increased by avoiding the Indian Ocean.

But nearly all the witnesses concur as to the importance of having a second or alternative route available in case of the first being impeded,* or

It has already been mentioned that in Sir Garnet Wolseley's opinion "the largest ironclads could not pass by the canal, and it was evident that it would be the easiest matter in the world to stop the traffic on that canal. It might be done by a few barges, by one good large torpedo, by a vessel laden with dynamite or powder and taken to certain positions in the canal, where they would do enough damage to stop the canal for a year.”—W.P.A.

in case of an emergency arising, which might call for the rapid dispatch of troops, especially if they were wanted in the north-west of India.

The importance of the proposed route by way of the Persian Gulf would of course be materially enhanced, especially as regards the conveyance of troops, by the completion of the works now in progress at the harbour of Kurrachee, and of the Indus Valley, and the Lahore and Peshawur Railways. Your Committee have therefore taken the evidence of Mr. Thornton, the Secretary to the Public Works Department at the India Office, and of Mr. Parkes, the consulting engineer to the Secretary of State for India for the harbour at Kurrachee, who have spoken most favourably of the works now in progress there. Your Committee gather from the evidence of these gentlemen that the harbour, which is already available for the landing of troops and mails, will in the course of two more years be capable of receiving the large Indian troop-ships. THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THE PERIOD WITHIN WHICH THE SYSTEM OF RAILWAYS CONNECTING KURRACHEE WITH PESHAWUR MAY BE EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED; BUT WHENEVER THIS SHALL HAVE BEEN DONE, THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT A ROUTE BY WAY OF THE PERSIAN GULF AND KURRACHEE WILL AFFORD MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLAND AND THE PUNJAUB, AND NORTH-WEST FRONTIER OF BRITISH INDIA, SUPERIOR TO THOSE AFFORDED BY THE WAY OF SUEZ AND BOMBAY.*

Speaking generally, your Committee are of opinion that the two routes by the Red Sea and by the Persian Gulf, might be maintained and used simultaneously; that at certain seasons and for certain purposes the advantage would lie with the one, and at other seasons and for other purposes it would lie with the other; that it may fairly be expected that in process of time traffic enough for the support of both would develope itself, but that this result must not be expected too soon; THAT THE POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES OF ESTABLISHING A SECOND ROUTE WOULD AT ANY TIME BE CONSIDERABLE, AND MIGHT, UNDER POSSIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES, BE EXCEEDINGLY GREAT; AND THAT IT WOULD BE WORTH THE WHILE OF THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT TO MAKE AN EFFORT TO SECURE THEM, CONSIDERING THE MODERATE PECUNIARY RISK WHICH THEY WOULD INCUR. THEY BELIEVE THAT THIS MAY BEST BE DONE BY OPENING COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF TURKEY IN THE SENSE INDICATED BY THE SEMI-OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE TO WHICH THEY HAVE ALREADY DRAWN ATTENTION. July 22nd, 1872.

* Vide pp. 369 and 379 of this Appendix.

From the Under Secretary of State for India to W. P. Andrew, Esq., Chairman of the Scinde, Punjaub, and Delhi Railway Company, regarding the approaching completion of the Indus Valley State Railway.

Andrew to Under Secre

INDIA OFFICE, 15th March, 1877.

SIR,-With reference to the correspondence noted in the margin,* I • Letters from Mr. am directed by the Marquis of Salisbury to acquaint tary of State for India, you for the information of the Scinde, Punjaub, and dated 14th December, Dehli Railway Board, that his Lordship has received a letter from the Government of India relative to the progress of the Indus Valley State Railway, from which the following is an extract:

1876, (No. 896); and 10th January, 1877, (No, 905).

Letters from Under Secre

tary of State for India, to

Mr. Andrew, dated 2nd and 31st January, 1877.

"The section of the line from Moaltan to Chunni Ghate, and thence by a temporary surface line to a point on the Sutlej below its junction with the Chenab has now been opened for goods traffic, and thus is saved the difficult navigation in the Chenab, thereby adding some 20 to 30 per cent. to the carrying power of the Flotilla in correspondence with the Scinde, Punjaub, and Dehli Railway. The passage over the Sutlej at Bahawulpore is effected by a temporary bridge in the dry season, and by ferry in the rains."

It is estimated that, with the exception of the bridges over the Sutlej and the Indus, the line throughout will be finished by the end of the present year, viz., the Section from Kotri to Sukkur by June, and that from Chunni Ghote to Kotri by December.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

Signed

LOUIS MALLET.

て

INDEX.