Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-20
ENG I LATEST war;.
England Declares War Against Burmah
and it, Bloody, Monstrous Monarcll
D Theabaw. :sss 4 81 HUI NJ Ss5zss zS55$#s5 :Sz


England Declares War Against Burmah.
and its Bloody, Monstrous Monarch,
4 Theebaw. ..s vi i.s53s#s5 s.5 s5S
A British cabinet council was held at the
official residence OF the first lord OF the
treasury on the 10th inst. The reply OF
King Theebaw to England's ultimatum
having been read, the cabinet declared war
against Burmah, and a formal declaration
of war, with the queens sanction,
has been issued, The French gov.
eminent and the Burmese minister
resident Of Paris have been notified.
All foreign subjects remainingin Burnah
are required to come into the British lines.
The British army of invasion is advancing.
1000 strong. the greater portion being III
steamers. The first military operations
will be the bombardment by the ironclad
tlotilla Of the military forts.
The immediate procuring cause OF the
declaration of war was tho refusal Of
King Theebaw to withdraw his decree
levying q tax of $1,25O,00O on the
Bombay Il Burmah Trading company for
alleged failure to observe their contract III
connection with the lease of a large area of
teak forests in Burmah, and his refusal to
receive British resident with a guard and
commissioner to Investigate the differences
with the Bombay company. war will
necessarily result in the annexation OF Up
per Burmah, for protectorate there would
be out OF the question. The British govern
ment might pl.,ce on the golden throne"
the Mingohn prince, who has a better title
to it than Theebaw; but British inter-
csts could not DO so well consulted
by such an arrangement as by direct anexa-
ton. There is another Burmese prince liv-
ing on a pension of 600 rupees month
from the British government, at Calcutta,
but he is described as the worst type OF Bur-
man, andis hated at Mandalay. As Lord
Churchill, who is secretary OF state for In
dia, that he had better settle the BurmAh
business in his own away, with Churchill s APP
prevail Dufferin has ordered an advance, and
as Rurmah will be subjugated, the British
government will willnot take any more risks
and will probably attach Theebaws ter
ritory, as far as the region OF the Shan
tribes at least, to British India. The Shan
tribes are, indeed, reported to be DESTROYS
OF British rule, and if the whole region is
taken in, the Chinese frontier will touch
railroad to Chinese territory will probably
be built. But upper Burmah will not be
taken without a struggle. Sixty miles
from the British frontier station OF Thayel
myo, on the Irrawaddy river, is Minh-la,
where Theebaw has fort built by
an italian officer, which could,
with proper ordnance, do some damage;
but it has only a few guns mounted. Again,
fifteen miles below Mandalay are several
forts commanding the river, but they are
not considered by British officers of great
Importance, and can be shelled from q
point two miles off wlth destructive effect.
Theebaw' g guards ten or fifteen thousand
in number, would not stay for the Smelling,
and il Mandalay falls Burnah is an
easy prey to Gen. Prendergast, who
has 10000 men, several gunboats
and sufficient artillery for the job
in hand. With Theebaw's subjects longing
to get rid OF him, and theindependentS Shan
tribes ready to welcome the English, there
does not seem to be any prospect OF long
continued resistance by Theebaw, whose
lniquity. The portion ofBurmah occupied
and annexed by the British since 1925 has
been exceptionally good property. It is
rich and very productive in tropical pro-
ducts. Native Burmah~ is in area about
1872 900 square miles, and has a popula-
ton OF nearly 1000, 900. Theebaw's
revenue is about $5,OO0.O0o, and he rarely
goes out OF Mandalay, his cap
itai Iheebaw was nurtured in an at
mosphere OF lust and deviltry, and has
continued to minister to his passions as
the sole end OF existence. His country is
noted for its teak forests, and as teak is
used exclusively for shipbuilding in that
quarter, the forests are especially valuable
Theebaw claims that the Bombay company
owes it's laborers on the leased teak lands
the sum OF 81, 600, 900 for wages; but this
is a megatherian pretense, as the lcborers
themselves make no such claim. 1t has
been suspected that the French emigsaries
put Theebaw up to make this bogus claim
to inlure British interests; but since the
late French elections the French govern
ment has disclaimed any attention OF sup
planting English enterprise in Burmah.