The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-20 00:00:00

THE ROUTE TO INDIA.

The following letter relates to the most impor-
tant question of the day—the possibility of short-
ening the route to India by upwards of 1,000 miles,
and at the same time, of opening up a friendly
country, capable, according to universal tes imony,
of supplying by its productions some of the princi-
pal wants of Western Europe :
" Euphrates Valley Railway Company (limited),
Greshatn-house, July 15, 1857. •

" Sir,—ln requesting the insertion, at the present mo-
ment, of the accompanying letter, which I had recently
the honour of addressing to Lord Palmerston, on the
necessity of the financial support of her Majesty's Go-
vernment being extended to the Euphrates Valley Rail-
way, I w‘uld venture to express a hope that before this
eessinn of Parliament is allowed to c'ose such measures
may be taken as to secure the early commencement of
this great work, so essential not only to the prosperity
and protection of Turkey and Persia but to the peaceable
possession of India.

"Several inetnbers of the Cabinet have assured me of
their entire approval of the deign to connect the Medi-
terranean and the Persian Gulf, And their desire to see
it carried out, and the bugbear of Arabi is no longer
even alluded to.

" What, then, causes the delay ? I cannot believe
that pecuniary support will be delayed'from the mere
technical difficulty that the Government in times past
has not lent its credit to private enterprise, or that the
fear of establishing a possibly trouble:mese precedent will
be suffered to prevail irl such a peculiar case as this.
"I have before observed that the Euphrates Railway
is unique, and therefore never can with any show of
reason be taken as a.precedent. But, admitting that it
could, the departure of Government from traditional
usage would demonstrate one of two things—either that
it was
_right or wrong. If right, who would say it
wrong to fel'ow what practice had proved to be benefi-
cial ? If wrong, he would be a bold man to cite a mis-
take as a precedent.

"The Government give subsidies, which are certain
payments, to establish secondary lines of communication;
can they pause about giving an assurance of a contin-
gent payment to establish the most important line of
communication in the wcrld, and give unity, compactness,
and strength to the spread dominions of England ?
" Let it not continue to be said that it seems a na-
tional vice to prefer th 3 most lavish outlay in prospect
to present moderate disbur,sment.' .Whatever tends to
avert an attempt to wrest. India from our hands, an ,1 to
bring it more immediately into contact with the centreof
our power and prevent the enormous expenditure conse-
quent upon serious commotion in that country, is eco-
nomy.—l am, sir, your most obedient servant, .

" W. P. ANDREW."
" ' London, June 30.

"My Lord,—ln compliance .with the desire ex-
pressed by your lordship, when the deputation waited
upoh you on the 22d init favour of a guaranteed rate
of interest being granted by her Majesty's Government
on a portion of the capital of the Euphrates Valley Rail-
way Company, that the proposition should he submitted
in writing, I have now the honour to state for your
lordship's consideration that the pecuniary support of
Government is sought on the foil !e ing grounds:—
" 2. The establishment of a railway from the Medi-
terranean to Vie Persian Gulf woull have the effect of
reducing the di tance between this country and India by
uPwards of 1,000 miles and the time to about 14 days, or
about half the period n >w occupied.
" It would be the means of consolidating the power
of the Sultan in his Asiatic dominions.

" By means of this railway taken in conjunction with
the system of steam transit now being established along
the valley of the Indus from Lahore to the sea at Kur-
racteee,* the large f roe stationed in the Punjaub would
be rendered of incalculable itnpnrtance by steamers unit-
ing the hoe of the Indus with that of the Euphrates, for
in that case any hostile force advancing towards the In-
dus would not only be wet on the line of that river, but
be threatened along the seaboard of the Persian Gulf and
the line of the Euphrates in flank and rear.
" 5. The Indus and the Euphrates, thus united, the
dangerous isolation of Persia would be at an end, and a
Russian invasion of India would cease even to be specu-
lated upon.

" '6. The first section of the line from Seleucia to the
Euphrates has been surveyed by Major Gen. Chesney
and Sir J. Id 'Neill, with a❑ engineering staff, and has
been reported an ~f easy construction. Cvies of the re-
poi ti of the,e able and scientific gentlemen are annex.:d
for your lordship's information.
"`7. The Turkish- Government undertake to com-
mence simultaneously with the railway the construction
of a harbour at the mouth of tht Orontes at the proposed
termia,u4 of the railway.
".'B. The harbour Las been surveyed by Sir.). M 'Neill,
with the assistance of the officers of her Mfjdsty'e ship
Stromboli. Rails of the proposed works have been
already submitted to the First Lord of the Admiralty,
and they are now forwarded for your Lordship's inspec-
tion.

" '9. There being to harbour on the coast of Syria
better than the open roadsteads of B:yi out, Jaffa, Tri-
poli, and Acre, or the pewilintial harbour of Alexan-
dretta, the importance of bavilig a safe and commodious
harbour will be apparent for political as well as com-
mercial purposes.
" 'lO. This harbour, connected by means of the ra;l-
- with Bceeorah at the head of the Persian Gulf,
w ',lll give' , England the first strategical position in the

" 11. The resources of England being made promptly
ava labia on any emergency in the East. Chatham and
Southampton would become the basis of operations in-
stead of liurrachee or Bombay, and would enable this
country to anticipate or repel, whether in Europe or
Asia, any attack with the rapidity and advantages of an
irresi tibia force.

" 'l2. OUan emergency in India, troops (from Eng-
land) could be I...nded at Kurrachee in three weeks, and
in anotb'er week at Lahore, by steam transit.
"13. The Euphrates Valley Railway, in addition to
its p,ltical advantages, would powerfully promote the
commerce and civilization of the world at large, and
that the commercial and manufacturing communities
concur in these sentiments has been shown by the ad-
dresses lately submitted to your lordship. They are
quite alive to the importance of obtaining cotton, wool,
sugar, indigo,
and other products from India and Mese-
pltarnia, and the production, being effected by free
labour, would of necessity tend to the txtinction of
slavery,
.

" ' 14. Through the zealous eilirtions of Major-Gene-
ral Chesney, aided by the advice and powerful support
of Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, a concession was
granted by the Turkish Government in the early part
of this year, guaranteeing a minimum rate of interest of
6 per cent. oa the capital required for the first section
from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, besides
affording other privileges.
4" 15. But as these terms, from the state of the
money-market and other ceusee, have neither been, nor
are likely to be, sufficiently attractive to induce the
British capitalist to embark his money in a distant enter-
prise, the deputation of which I had the honour of being
a member, waited upon your lerdsbip with the view of
impressing upon your attention the absolute necessity of
the pecuniary support of her Majesty's Government being
extended to the undertaking, in the event of the Govern.
meat concurring in the opinion expressed by the deputa-
tion that the Euphrates Valley Railway was a work of
great national importance.
"' 16: It was most satisfactory to the deputation to
have from your lordship the assurance that her Majesty's
Government entirely concurred with the deputation as to
the great importance to this country.of connecting Eng-
land and India by the Euphrates Valley route, and that
it would e ,ntinue to receive the countenance and fur-
therance of Government.
"' 17. The financitd support required from her Ma-
jesty's Government is a counter guarantee of 5 per cent.
for 25 years, or 41 per cent. for 50 years, on the capital
of 1,400,0001. for the first section. The responsibility in-
curred by the Government in granting this assistance,
would, it is believed, he merely nominal, and could only
accrue in the event of two contingencies—the railway
not paying a moderate dividend, and the Turkish Go-
vernment to fulfil its part of the contract.
under the above circumstances could her
Majesty'siling Only Government be called upon to make any con-
tribution,fa and it will be seen by reference to Sir John
moNeill's report that the existing traffic upon that por-
tion of the route of the proposed railway is sufficient, in
his judgment, to yield a dividend of 8 per cant. on the
capital required.
is r 19. The East Indian Company might fairly be ex-
pected to share the responsibility of the counter guaran-
tee in the Came way as they have already contributed to
the subsidy to the European and .Indian Junction Tele-
graph Company, as the establishment of the proposed
route appears to be of vital importance for securing the
good government and peaceable possession of India.
20. The experienced and distinguished gentlemen
with whom I had the honour of being associated in wait-
ing upon your lordship on the 22d inst. are well aware
that the question of the Government guaranteeing inte-
rest on an industrial undertaking is not free from diffi-
culty, and this difficulty would be increased if, on the
present occasion, the granting of the guarantee might
hereafter be quoted as a precedent for similar demands.
" 21. The pecuniary support of Government is on
the present occasion sought not on industrial or commer-
cial considerations, but on account of the political im-
portance of the railway to the empiie at large ; and it is
to be remembered that whatever assistance the Govern-
ment may render to the Euphrates Valley Railway can