§ MR. RICHARD (Merthyr Tydvil)asked the Under Secretary of State for India, If he can state how many men have been engaged in the invasion and conquest of Upper Burmah, how many of them have been killed or have died of disease, how many Burmese have been slaughtered, and what amount of money has been hitherto spent on that enterprize?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir JOHN GORST) (Chatham)The number of men engaged in the invasion and conquest of Upper Burmah 1749 up to December 31, 1885, was 9,546. Of these, nine were killed in action, one died of wounds received, 78 of disease. Twenty lakhs of rupees were spent on the enterprize. In the operations for the suppression of brigandage and establishment of order that have taken place subsequent to the invasion and conquest, up to December 31, 1886, there have been engaged 31,571 men. Of these, 100 have been killed in action, 31 have died of wounds received, and 967 have died of disease. The mortality has been much aggravated by occasional outbreaks of cholera. The cost of these subsequent operations has been 121½ lakhs. It is impossible to ascertain the number of Burmese villagers who have been slaughtered by dacoits, or the number of the latter who have been killed in resisting the British Forces.