Correspondence respecting direct commerce with the West of China from Rangoon. China. No. 2. (1865).
London. Harrison and Sons. 1865. Stock ID #174108 Lengthy and detailed correspondence relating to the proposals of trade with Burma and the development of a railway to enable access to the lucrative Chinese market. When referring to this item please quote stockid 174108.
Parliamentary Paper, title wrappers, contents + 101pp, 32.2 x 20cm, later stiff card wrappers with paper title label, a single library stamp to the title page, additional pencilled pagination to the upper corner of each leaf, in very good condition.
Of key interest are two remarkable accounts of surveying expeditions by British officers: the journal of Lieutenant G. Colquhoun Sconce on the Salween Surveying Expedition (19pp); and that of Captain C. E. Watson of "An expedition from Shoay Gyeen to Mandalay, via Karrennee and the Shan States". The 14pp by the youthful Dr Clement Williams (1833-1879) then styled Agent to the Chief Commissioner of British Burmah at Mandalay (see biographical note below) outlines the challenges and difficulties implicit in the geographical reports of the officers. He highlights the commercial attraction of trade with China "there are 40,000,000 people waiting to be clothed with British piece goods...” , and the new rapport with Burma but concludes "The barriers imposed by man are removed: there remain but those of nature. To the conquest of these, our science and our capital, energy and perseverance will march again." The considerable challenges of the mountainous terrain are recorded by both the surveying expeditions, but details often missed or misunderstood by the interested commercial and Colonial Office representatives. A scarce assemblage.
Clement Williams was a remarkable figure, coming from humble beginnings he was the go to man at the centre of the British negotiations with the Burmese. "He joined the 68th Light Infantry as an assistant surgeon and was sent to Burma in 1858. After mastering the Burmese language, he was posted to Mandalay, Upper Burma, by 1861, where he gained the friendship and trust of King Mindon by treating various members of the royal court for cataracts and other medical issues. Because of his extraordinary access to the King, Dr. Williams was appointed “correspondent” to the Chief Commissioner of Lower Burma, Arthur Phayre, and in 1863 he was elevated to the position of Political Agent. As such, he was involved in the negotiation of the commercial treaty in 1863 and played an active role in the economic and political development of Upper Burma. Early in 1863, Dr. Williams secured permission from the King to be allowed to journey up the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Bhamo in search of a trade route from India to China. Though he was unable to reach the Chinese border owing to tribal unrest, his published account of his travels, “Through Burma to Western China”, 1868, fuelled London’s interest in the idea and led to a series of later expeditions. In February 1865, owing to military regulations restricting the employment of medical officers, Dr. Williams was forced to give up the post of Political Agent. He quit the army and worked for a short time as the local agent for the newly established Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. He then entered into business with his brother Howard in Rangoon as middlemen between British industry and the court at Mandalay. When King Mindon died in September 1878, Dr, Williams attended the funeral, and he quickly proved useful as a go-between between the British government and the young new king, Thibaw." (Deepali Dewan, "Glimpses of Upper Burma: Clement Williams 1833-1879").
Price: $425.00 AU