The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-30
The Famine and PesfiIence in Persia-An
Opening for Russin.

Opening for Russia.
The desolation of Persia by famine and pes
thence leaves that country completely at the
mercy of its overshadowing and pow erful
northern neighbor, Russia. In 1918, from q
disastrous war with the Gear, the Shah was
shorn of extensive territories on the Caspian
Sea, and again in 1928 he was despoiled of
another large slice of his northern domains
Still Persia is an extensive kingdom, having
an area of over five hundred thousand square
miles, over which are distributed its ten or
twelve millions of people. Much of the coun-
try is what is called in Holy Writ ''howling
wilderness" or DESERT but much in and near
the bordering mountains west and north is
very fertile, as also are the numerous GASES in
the desert portion itself.
All those regions of Western Asia, however,
from Persia to the Mediterranean, embracing
the cradle and the nurseries of the human
race and the most powerful empires and the
highest developments of civilization, including
the Jews, the Assyrians, the Modes and Per-
SLAMS of biblical history, being countries
| fanked and traversed by burning deserts and
subject TO severe periodical droughts, abound
| in records of famines and plaques. Their pop
ulation, especially the peoples of Persia and
| the Euphrates basin, for the means of sub
| sistence from their earliest traditions have
been largely dependent upon irrigation and
| wars and bad governments, resulting in
the ruin or neglect of the irrigating canals,
| have been fruitful in these penalties of plaques
| and famines Bad government lies at the
bottom of this present double calamity of
famine and pestilence now desolating Persia,
as our special London correspondent has
| graphically explained it.
| Here, then, is an inviting opening for Russia
| TO extend her dominion to the western border
| of British India-6rst, in the way of charity,
and next in the way of annexation. From the
| Volga and the Caspian Sea Russia, if 30 dis.
posed, can speedily ship down to short dis
lance from the Persian frontier any amount
of supplies, and the horses and their
forage necessary to carry these supplies
into the interior. 1t is probable, too, that the
Gear will order all this to be done, not forget
ting military escort equal to ell emergencies.
With all that he can do, however, to arrest the
havoc Of the famine and the pestlence in Persia,
il is hardly possible that he can save 1.-THE Of
its suffering people for Persia-without navi.
gable rivers, without railways, without COM
mon roads passable for wagons over her
mountains and desertsis almost as difficult
! to reach in it's interior places as the isolated
table lands of Abyssinia. We may truly say,
therefore, that Persia lies completely at the
mercy of Russia; and we may venture
the opinion that Russia will i'm
prove the opportunity to the ultimatum Of
annexation. And why not? What Power is
there that will dare to interferel The Asiatic
possessions of the Sultan border upon Persis
on the west but what can the Sultan do ia
save Persia if the Gar is resolved to go in
and possess the land2 The Sultan can only
submit But Persia in the east borders upon
British India, and may not England have
something to say against this Russian annex
alton Of Persia England may protest bu
that ID all that she ID likely TO do in this mat