The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-11-19

England Declares War Against Burrnah
and its Bloody, nronstrous Monarch
q Thee bnw, sSi N IS;

4 :
England Declares War Against Burmah
s and its Bloody, Monstrous Monarch
Thsebnw. 4 Il a.l
"A; British cabinet council was held at the
official residence 81 the frat lord Of the
treasury on the 10th inst. The reply Of
King Theebaw to England's ultimatum
having been read, the cabinet declared war
OF wal, Ss with the queens sanction,
has been issued. rs The French gov
eminent and the Burmese minister
resident OF Paris have been notified.
All foreign subjects remaining in Burmah
are required to come into the British lines.
The British army OF invasion is advancing,
40, 600 strong the greater portion being in
steamers: The first military operations
will be the ombardment BY the ironclad
4actilla OF the military iortH. .ssfl
The Immediate procuring cause Of the
declaration OF war was the refusal Of
King Theebaw to withdraw his decree
leyying o tax Of 81, $50, 900 on n the
Bombay d Burmah Trading company for
alleged failure to observe their contract in
connection with the lease OF q large area OF
teak forests in Burmah, and his refusal to
receive o British resident with a guard and
commissioner to investigate the differences
with the Bombay company. "A war will
necessarily result in the annexation OF Ups
per Burmah, for aprotectorate there would
be out Of the question. The British govern
ment might plrce on the golden throne''
the Mingohn prince, who has q better title
to it than Theebaw; but British inter
ests could not bo so well consulted
by such an ARRANGEMENT az by direct anexa-
ton. There is another Burmese prince liy-:
ing on q pension OF 600 rupees n month,
from the British government, at Calcutta,
but he is described as theworst type OF Bur-
man, and is hated at Mandalay As Lord
Dufferin has been told by Lord Randolph
dia, that he had hotter settle the Durmah
Guinness in his own way, with Churchill q aI,-i,
proval Dnfferin has ordered an advance, and
as Burmah will be subjugated, the British
government will will not take any more risks
and will probably attach Theebaw's ter
ritory, us far as the region OF the Shan
tribeR at least, to British India. The Shan
tribes arc, indeed, reported to be DESTROYS
OF British rule. and il the whole region is
taken in, the Chinese frontier will touch
that of British India, and the proposed
railroad to Chinese territory will probably
be built. But upper Burmah will not be
taken without struggle. Sixty miles
from the British frontier station OF Thayel.
myo, on the Irrawaddy river, il Minh-la,
where Theebaw has o 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 eeveral
forts commanding the river, but they are
not considered by British officers OF great
Importance, and can be shelled from
point two miles off with destructive effect.
Theebaw's guards, ten or fifteen thousand
II, %s,f TO-,
and il Mandalay falls Burmnh is an
easy prey to. Gen. Prendergast, who
has 10000 men, several gunboats
md sufficient artillery for the job
in hand. With Theebaw's subjects longing
to ght rid of him, and the independent Shan
tribes ready to welcome the English, there
does not seem to be any prospect OF long
continued resistance by Theebnw, whose
crimes have stamped him as a monster OF
iniquity. The portion OF Burmah occupied
and annexed by the British since 1926 has
been exceptionally good property. It is
ducts. Native Burmah is in area about
l02, 900 square miles, and has q popula-
ton Of nearly 1000, 900. Theebaw's
revenue is about S. ,OOO. 900, and he rarely
goes out OF Mandalay, his cap
ital. Theebaw 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 Tor its teak forests and as teak is
used exclusively for shipbuilding in that
quarter, the forests are especially valuable.
Theebnw claims that the bombay company
owes its laborera on the leased teak lands
the sum Of 81 ,000, 900 Tor wages; but this
!s o megatherian pretense, us the loborers4
themselves make no such claim. It has
been suspected that tho French emissarics
put Theebaw up to mako this bogus claim
to iniure British interests; but since the
late French elections the French govern.
nent has disclaimed any attention Of sup.
planting English enterprise in Burmah. y