esmen consider the
well-being of the people of India to depend upon that stability, they
are always glad to see their fallacies exposed and their iniquities
indignantly denounced by the moat able and steady of our public
journalists. I hope you will be able to find the able article in the
"Daily News" to which I refer, and consent to give it a prominent
place in the "Englishman." It was sent to me by a friend in London,
but I have, unfortunately, mislaid it. This note will, of course, be
considered as confidential.

Yours sincerely,
W. H. SLEEMAN.

To W. C. Harry, Esq.

__________________________

Lucknow, 5th June, 1853.

My Lord,

I have read with great interest in the English journals your
Lordship's able Minute on the Burmese war, and am glad that it has
been published, as it cannot fail to disabuse the public mind at
home, and bring about a reaction in the feeling of the people excited
by some very unfair articles in the London "Times." I attributed
these articles to the Napiers, who, however talented, are almost
always wrong-headed.

I am persuaded that the new Sovereign will acquiesce in your
possession of Pegu, and that he would not have ceded it by treaty
under any circumstances. The old Sovereign might have done it, though
at great risk, but the new Sovereign could not dare to do it.

Our own history affords us instances enough of powerful ministers
anxious, for the public good, to get rid of conquered, but expensive
and useless possessions, but deterred from proposing the measure by
the dread of popular odium, which ambitious and factious rivals are
always ready to excite.

There is one argument against the advance which I do not think that
your Lordship has urged with the force of the rest. While the new
Sovereign remains undisturbed in the rest of his dominions he will
maintain his authority over them, and do his best to prevent our new
frontier from being disturbed, knowing that we can advance to his
capital and punish him if he does not. But, were he to be driven from
his capital, all the rest of his dominions would soon fall into a
state of anarchy, and our frontiers would soon be disturbed by
leaders of disorderly bands, anxious to carve out principalities for
themselves, and having no other means than plunder to maintain their
followers. For the acts of such men we could