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The Ruby Mines of Burma. 175
frequent
reference was made to our operations. After Mr. Durand, the Foreign
Secretary of the India Government, had informed Captain Patton, on
April 15, 1887, that the Governor in Council had conditionally accepted
our tender, we were led to conclude, not unnaturally, that the
negotiations were practically settled in our favour ; and most people
regarded us as undoubtedly the accepted concessionaires. But it was
not long before the jealousy of disappointed competitors began to find
public expression. Certain members of the House of Commons were
prompted by them to ask questions framed in such a way as to prejudice
our interests. Nor were political influences wanting in the opposition
to our concession. Great injustice was also done to me, and still more
to the Indian officials, by the unfounded criticisms and unfair
suggestions of a portion of the London press. From time to time
telegrams from Rangoon, extremely prejudicial to our interests, sent over by the Times correspondent, appeared in that paper ; but it was not without significance that the Rangoon correspondent of The Times was
the legal adviser of Messrs. Gillanders, Arbuthnot and Company, one of
our rivals for the concession. If any undue influence was at work
during the negotiations, as insinuated by the Press, it was most assuredly not on our side, and the idea, as suggested in certain papers, of our bribing some of the Indian officials was absolutely unfounded. I
can say that in not one instance did I give or offer a bribe during the
whole time, extending nearly over three years, while the Government of
India and Parliament at home, were slowly coming to a decision.
Considerable
trouble was occasioned during the negotiations by the action of a
certain Mr. Moritz Unger, who ultimately represented himself as acting
for Messrs. Rothschild, and whose supposed grievances as an applicant
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