Morning journal and courier., 1886-01-08
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS. NEW PERILS IN bURMAH, General Prendergast's Force In Danger. SILVER COINAGE IN EUROPE. No Strike On The Manhat-
 tan Elevated. MORRISON IN HIGH FEATHER. Senator Sherman Carries
 The Caucus.
MORRISON IN HIGH FEATHER.
A NEW DANGER IN RURMAH.

Two Rival Asptranss for Theebaw,s Throne Turn UP-Thifty Thousand Rebels In the Field-Fears for Gen. eral Prendergast and His Army.
 LoNDoN Jan. 7.-The Boston Globes rep
 resentative has eabled tonight as follows
 The situation of the British troops in Bur
 nah is causing much apprehension. Several important communications have passed to- day between the foreign office and Earl Duff ferin, Viceroy of India, concerning the pos
 sibility of General Prendergast being in a
 dangerous position. This has led to a rumor
 that there may be necessity of sending an-
 other military expedition to Mandalay At
 last accounts General Prendergast with
 large proportion of his troops
 had reached Bhamo, about one hun
 dred and fifty miles north of
 Mandalay, and was organizing his forces
 for raid upon the banditti known as the
 Dacoits, who have been taking advantage of
 the demoralization of the government
 throughout the country to commit the most
 horrible outrages and depredations upon the
 persons and property of the peaceable
 natives. General Prendergast left compar-
 atively small fierce at Mandalay, not antici-
 pating danger in that vicinity. Since his
 departure two important uprisings of the
 Burmese have occurred, headed by Alompra
 and Heitsin, two rival aspirants to the throne
 from which King Theebaw was lately de-
 posed. It is estimated that the total number
 of rebels now in the field is thirty thousand
 which is greater force than King Theebaw
 was able to get together at any one
 time to oppose the British invasion. It is
 true the rebels divided into two distinct
 armies and are not working in harmony,
 but as against foreign invader of their
 country it is fair to consider them as ami
 mated by common purpose The most
 alarming element of the situation is the pos
 sibility that before General Prendergast can
 return from North Mandalay he may be cap
 tured by movement of one of the rebel
 armies in concert with 8 revolt within the
 city itself There Is also question whether
 the rebels may not succeed in obstructing
 the generals return march sufficiently to
 enable that portion of Alompras force's gath
 ering in Southern Burlnah to gain strength enough by volunteers among the populace to take Mandalay even
 without the assistance of the people within
 the walls. It is probable that General Prem dergast has underrated the amount of patri- otism that exists in the country districts of Burmah Though Theebaw was unpopular by reason of his atrocities, and large part of the people were quite willing to have him deposed, the fact remains that there is a very strong feeling against a purely British government for the coun- try. This accounts for the remarkably large forces which the claimants to the royal succession have been able to bring so quickly into operation. The gravity of the situation will be increased should the two pretenders come to some amicable agree ment as to the priority of succession and combine their forces. This would be quite in the line of what has more than once occurred in eastern nations, and as thers is nothing in the despatches to show that the two rival armies have in any way engaged in hostilities between them selves, there is nothing impossible in such 1 ~f IL -1.,. s.-f- nation at hand in regard to the exact situa- 1 tiou is too meagre to warrant final criticism l upon General Prendergast's action in weak | ening the military hold upon the country, but | in army circles in London his expedition to | Bhamo is regarded as at least hazardous l move. Should it result in such encourage l ment to rebellion as to make another Anglo | Indian expedition to Mandalay neces | sary it is difficult to see how | he could justify his course. Further | news of the situation is awaited with con- siderable anxiety. l
 It is stated in despatch from Rangoon l to night that large. part of Prince Heitsin's l forces consists of regular Burmese troops who 1 were on service in the interior during the l recent hostilities with the British and con were not included in the army | by King Theebaw. It will of ] course be more difficult to suppress such a i force than to vanquish an army of untrained l natives. The unfavorable news from Bur | nah, where everything was few days ago | to be proceeding in the l most satisfactory manner, has great 1 ly discomforted the Conservative minis | ters, who had counted upon the easy l and complete absorption of that rich country l as valuable achievement with which to go | before Parliament The vexation of the Brit | ish taxpayer at the prospect of another drain | on his purse for supplementary Burmese expedition will be an unpleasant thing for Lord Salisbury to encounter should the | gloomy forebodin aroused by to days dis l patches be justified by developments between now and the opening of Parliament cn Tues day.