year
engaged public attention during the now past, I may be pardoned for taking
this opportunity of putting forward
views upon it.
117
Railway be made from Hankow to the South
of
China, and it is evident that this line,
~
being the most natural and the most feasible
will be the
my
first
or one
of the first established.
19.
I think benefit instead of harm
20.
The
will result to the Colony by the introduction
of
Railway into China, and in this the most central spot of Chinese Commerce, i.e., of foreign commerce with China, is Hankow and the Valley of the Yangtze. Foreign vessels must come up from the South to reach these ports and thus have
a long coasting voyage say from Hong Kong
to Shanghai
800 miles and nearly 1000
miles from
that
port
to Hankow, all
the risk and expense and waste of
time.
The port in the South to which it
would probably from old association be directed
is Canton, and here the very
same reason
a Rail
from
Hankow
to Canton would point to its continuation to the magnificent harbor of Hong Kong, only
90 miles distant.
21.
Vessels
would attain the same
object in a smaller degree by getting
their
cargoes bought from Canton to Hong Kong
and thus
saving
an 80 miles voyage to
Whampoa, 12 miles from Canton (for they
involved in such
a
voyage
is saved if a
Canton (get no nearer)
as
they achieve by the