The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-17
The Far Eastern oue.,ion.

its possession, saw for more than century
her East India merchants and adyenturers
return rich as nabObs to the mother country.
But even the East comes to share the progress
OF the age. The Chinese Embassy, under the
guidance of our countryman, has secured for
China all the rights of civilized nations, and
India will participate in the new impulse given
to trade. Her commerce will expand and her
resources be developed; but England may not
be the gamer by this. Russia Is fighting her
| way, step by step, towards the rich provinces
OF Central Asia The fate of an empire
depends, in great measure, on the frendli-
| ness of the tribes that people the wilds of
| Afghanistan, and the recent visit of Shere Ali
| to Lord Mayo, the British Viceroy in India,
| is therefore causing no little excitement In
that country, and even in England. The
government of Great Britain seeks to alay
| this excitement by representing the meet
ing alluded to, which took place at Um-
balla, as one Of little political importance.
But some how or other the British public is
not satisfied. A general feeling of uneasiness
as to the ultimate designs of Russia in Asia
has long since taken possession of British
capitalists and politicians of all shades David
Urquhart used to be the ablest exponent of the
views of that party that see in Russian diplo-
macy and arms the most formidable enemy to
European liberty His predictions and those
OF his party were discredited but they left
behind vague, perhaps not groundess, alarm
Even the first Napoleon seems to have shared
this feeling regarding the growing power of
Russia when he looked forward to the time
when Europe would either be republican or
under the power Of the Cossack However,
Russia must be looked upon not only as
European, but as an Asiatic Power Here it
is that England breads her, and this is little to
be wondered at. England has vast possessions
in India. Disraei once observed in the House
of Commons that the British empire was
Asiatic rather than European. This was one
Of those lucky hits of his that sometimes
make an impression on the public mind. Like
most of his paradoxes-for it Is in reality
such-it has enough of truth in it to give it
point. AS far as population goes she is an
Asiatic Power; but something more than
population, such as it is in India, makes up
her greatness. Still the loss of India would be
an incalculable evil to British wealth and COM
| merce, and whatever endangers the possession
of that rich country she will always look upon
with apprehension.
And here it is that the progress of Russia is
| watched with interest Russian arms have
lately been triumphant among the barbarous
tribes Of Turkestan. Slowly, but steadily,
Russia has kept advancing nearer to the
British frontier, and Afghanistan alone stands
as an interposing barrier Russia has diplo-
maticaly professed her willingness to regard
this district as neutral territory, and English
politicians are satisfied, or profess to be 80.
But the question is asked, and not without
reason, how long will this compact be re-
spected? We should be inclined to answer,
as long as Russia finds it to her interest to
do 80, and no longer. The visit of Shere
Ali to Lord Mayo may tend to strengthen
British influence in that territory. As to the
nature of the compact If any, then made, we
are only left to conjecture. Attempts have
frequently been made in the British House of
Commons to draw on parliamentary discus
| sion of this question, but ministerial tactics
| have hitherto prevented this. As on the ques-
| ton of the Alabama claims, ministerial policy
| seems to be that the less said on the matter
| the better. We are not disposed to quarrel with
this policy, which, under the circumstances,
is probably most judicious; but we cannot help
| observing how little the British public knows
| from British sources Of the real progress of
| Russian arms in Asia. Almost all that is known
| is derived from the official journals of st.
| Petersburg and Moscow. From these we
learn that Russia is establishing order and
good government among the tribes recently
| annexed to her population. This is useful If
| not necessary previous to making any advance
| forward, and may be only preparation for
| the coming conflict Calcutta we consider "a
certain to become Russian as Consta ntnople.
| Time will tell.
The London Times, while commenting on
| the progress of Russian power in the East.
| speaks of the absorption of the petty Mussul-
man States by Russia as benefit to the world,
but adds ''that her presence in Asia must be
consistent with the maintenance of British au-
thority in India" If this is not threat we
are really puzzled to understand why Russian
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENT in Asia should be necessarily
consistent with the maintenance of British rule
in India. Russia seems to us to occupy
similar position to that of Napoleon |. when
from the summit of the Alps he pointed out to
his soldiers the fertile plains of Italy. Her
| soldiers look down upon a country as fertile as
that of Italy, and, like her, cursed with the
fatal gift of beauty" II the Russians are
content to forego the rich prize that seems
| within their grasp they are very unlike the
hordes that left their territories to deyastate
| the Roman empire, or the more modern Rus
SLAMS that brought about the tripartite par-