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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND the last century a scheme was in high rather point to its being a well-watered and favour for making a line of railway from fertile region, subject to no great extremes the Mediterranean to the valley of the of temperature, and fairly woodel; the Euphrates, and thence to India. Politically absence of rivers heing explained by the he time was not ripe, and afterwards the
porous nature of the tertiary limestones of construction of the Suez Canal seemed to
which the central ranges are composed, and meet all possible requirements. Now the the comparative mildness of the climate by success of the Canal only serves to emphasise the elevation of these ranges which leaves the need of something more rapid. The them exposed to the periodical winds com- commercial instinct too which leads on the mon to the latitude whether blowing north European peoples to continually improve or south. Grent Britain has already heir methods of communication finds at through the coast at Koweit, which it has somewhat similar instinct amongst the successfully prevented from falling under the Mohammedan peoples which finds its benumbing influence of Turkish misrule, a expression in the annual pilgrimage to the considerable amount of trade with these up- holy spots in Arabia. Turkey as the lead-lands, which alone would justify its taking ing state of orthodox Mohammedanism is some further interest in them. This, how just now striving to meet this wandering ever, is not the main object of seeking instinct of its own people by the construction further enlightenment, but rather their of a line of railway to the Hedjaz from Syria, importance as an intermediate link. To a and as this must needs pass by Ma'an this statesmau like Sir EDWARD GREY, whose petty town has recently assumed in the eyes experience in world-wide politics has been of the SULTAN an importance it never before gained in the practica! school of leading possessed. There is little doubt that this the affairs of one of Britain's most important was one, if not the principle reason that led railways, these considerations would doubt to the SULTAN taking a new interest in the less carry great weight, if once the matter Sinaitic peninsula, Now it might very well were brought before his notice; but curious be that this same insignificant town of Ma'anly the geographical authorities, while eagerly might also have some interest in our own eyes as a necessary link in any scheme of direct intercoured between Egypt and India. Historically Ma'an is one of the most ancient spots on the face of the earth. According to many
authorities its civilisation was antecedent to that of Egypt herself, but its importance then as now was altogether dependent on its position which made it the necessary meeting place for all traffic, not only from Mesopotamia to the eastern littoral of the Red Sea and the fertile lauds of Yemen, but for all communication between Egypt and ancient Elam. It com. manded, in fact, the two great trade routes of the ancient world, and the effects of the ancient Minaean civilisation, which there is good reason to believe wore mainly centred in this district, have not yet died out even in Europe itself. Now the oldest trade route of which we have any eridence actually passed from Ma'an through the Wadi Sirhan and Shomer to the coast of the Persian Gulf, which it crossed to Elam, the ancient Susiana. There is very little doubt that it was along this road that bronze, and with it its first civilisation, was introduced to Egypt.
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advancing exploration in nearly every other direction, seein to have passed over this.
THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY,
(Daily Press, 15th Juus.)
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[June 16, 1906, whose appointments were decided long before, and by no means sprung on
The Consulting the local Government. Engineer referred to by Mr. WINSTÓN CHURCHILL is Sir Jonx Wolfe-Barry, whose connection with other Chinese mil- way schemes, to say nothing of his eminence in the profession, had as much to dỡ withi his appointment as had his connection with the Crown Agents.
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So far as the Kowloon-Canton Railway is concerned all that is publicly known of the matter can be recited in very few words. It is known that towards the end of last Spring two expert railway engineers arrived in the Colony to survey the route and presumably to furnish an estimate of the cost of constructing the line. It is known that the survey was completed some time before Christmas and that the engineers left for Home. Very shortly afterwards the Colony was surprised by an announce- ment that a loan of two million pounds sterling was to be raised by the Government for the construction of the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway "and other purposes". The secret covered by the words in quotation marks leaked out at Peking, but no information has yet been male public as to the probable cost of the railway through the Kowloon peninsula, If we remember rightly, it was even before' the loan was raised that the work of con- structing the line was commenced withoutTM ceremony of any kind under the supervision of the Public Works Department. Hundreds of coolies were employed making embankments and it was indeed not Lefore considerable progress had been made with the work that it became publicly known that a beginning“ had actually been made. The Government's reticence naturally allowed many people to assume that the work was to be carried out throughout by the P. W. D. engineer who had been detached for the work; but as we have already indicated, such was never the intention. The wording of the notifications of the appointment of Mr. G. W. EVES as chief resident engineer, and of other gentlemen, which included the phrase "under instructions from the SECRETARY:Of STATE for the COLONIES", when taken in conjunction with the assumption referred to, naturally led to the cry that the undertaking had been taken out of the hands of the Hongkong Government. We now have the explicit official intimation that there has been no change of policy; that it is as much in the hands of the Hongkong Government as it ever was. · The concluding assurance that all that has bien done has had the full concurrence of His Excellency the GOVERNOR should locally inspire confidence that the interests of the Colony are in no danger of suffering very badly in the manner implied by the questions asked in the House of Commons. |
The special telegram we are able to publish this morning giving the substance of questious asked in the House of Commons with regard to the construction of the Kowloon-Canton Railway cannot fail to excite a good deal of local interest, An uneasy feeling has evidently been engendered in certain quarters partly perhaps because of the reticence which has been maintained by the Government regarding the details of the undertaking, and more obviously by a deep-rooted distrust of the usually extravagant methods of the Crown Agents who are assumed to have direct control of the work. The questions raised by these anxieties, the product of many-tongued rumour, as they appear in the telegram, clearly ind cate the shape taken in the public miud by the peril presumed to exist. The reply as it glauds, were we unable to supplement it by our Ma'an is in fact the key to Central Arabia, own information, would not appear alto and Central Arabia is the key to overland gether satisfactory, especially to Those traffic between Egypt and India. There imbued with the popular prejudice against, would therefore have been wisdom displayed and distrust of, the Crown Agents. Ia in such a compromise as would have in keeping with the quantity of information return for minor concessions in the region permitted to be known to the public, it of Akuba, enabled Great Britain to make is meagre. It is, however, a categorical common cause with the SULTAN in gaining repudiation of the implication contained in unimpeded access to Ma'aa on the borders the questions; and when interpreted with of Arabia proper. Unfort nately while knowledge, it is quite sufficient to allay the British explorers of late years have traversed doubts of which those questions were the every other portion of the habitable globe, expression. The curious thing is that while Central Arabia, which owing to its inter their implication is altogether wrong, so ne mediate position between Egypt and India, of the statements in the questions re and which moreover affords the most more than balf right. The staff of the practicable line for a railway which would Public Works Department did make! bind together such distant parts of the rapid and substantial progress with the appointed to inquire into local administration- Empire as India and Cape Colony, has been work entrusted to them. They, the Public has pow set led down to business under its sem entirely neglected. Explorations have Works Staff, but not the Government of Chairman, the Hon. Mr. E, A. Hewett, There are indications that the inquiry, which is likely indeed been made in Yemen and Hadramaut, Hongkong, were relieved of further re
to be fairly exhinative, will be protracted over but Central Arabia, one of the most interest-sponsibility, when the regularly appointed a considerab'e period, and though the Com ing countries, archaeologically, historically, engineers were ready to assume charge of mission is sitting twice a week there is little geologically, as well as socially and politic- the work all along destined for them. It hope of the inquiry concluding under six ally, has been left entirely in the cold since was simply to save time, practically a sop | months. Then the report and recommendations: it was traversed by PALGRAVE nearly half to the public impatience, that the P. W. D. will take some time to prepare, so that, on the most favourable estimate," the public, cannot a century ago. Yet it is by no means the were set to work directly the survey was barren and forbidding country that it is completed; and they are to be compliment hope to be in possession of the results thin popularly assumed, to be. Looked at on ed, we suppose, on the excellence of the the map the absence of rivers leads to the preliminary work done pending the arrival
There was a paragaph in the Press the other. natural conclusion that it is parched and of their permanent successors. These par- day to the effect that certain blemishes on the desert land; the observations of Palgrave | manent successors нге
a special staff, | Clock Tower had been repaired, and I
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HONGKONG “JOTTINGS.
11th June.
I bear that the Government Commission:
year.