WILLIAMS, Clement.

£2,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Through Burmah to Western China First edition of this account of efforts to link Britain's Indian possessions with China. Williams proposed a trade and telegraph route stretching from Rangoon through Sichuan to Nanjing and Shanghai, as well as a telegraph connection from Mandalay to Calcutta. This copy was owned by Hermann Heinrich Krüger, an officiating consul at Rangoon for the North German Confederation, and has his signature on the half-title.Clement Williams (1833-1879) "joined the 68th Light Infantry as an assistant surgeon and was sent to Burma in 1858. After mastering the Burmese language, he was posted to Mandalay, Upper Burma, by 1861, where he gained the friendship and trust of King Mindon by treating various members of the royal court for cataracts and other medical issues. Because of his extraordinary access to the King, Dr. Williams was appointed 'correspondent' to the Chief Commissioner of Lower Burma, Arthur Phayre, and in 1863 he was elevated to the position of Political Agent. As such, he was involved in the negotiation of the commercial treaty in 1863 and played an active role in the economic and political development of Upper Burma" (Royal Ontario Museum).In 1863, Williams received permission from Mindon to seek a trade route from India to China via the Irrawaddy, relying on Burmese guides to obtain navigational information and sketch maps from local communities. While unrest on the Chinese border prevented him from reaching his destination, his published

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