, 1876-07-19

poverty stricken lines of railroad through
Central Asia, would be able to concentrate
against India such a force as would cause us
to tremble for our Empire in the East.
Meanwhile, the execution Of the projected
work remains to be achieved. The Russian
Colonel dismisses with a smile the gigantic
projects of NM. LEssEPs and BARRAUD, since
The scheme of the former includes the %tunnell-
ing of eight Himalayan ridges, while the latter
asks for a loan of 100000, 600 roubles to begin
with. Indeed, Colonel VENYUKoFF, who, as
official geOgrapher, must have exceptional
stores of information, gives up the Idea OF any
thing like a great international line, built with
English money, and kept in work by English
with India. Nothing but an easy
and cheap route could draw our goods out Of
the line of the Suez Canal, and no through line
can be constructed without Involving either the
passage OF swamps, torrents, and sandy wastes,
to say nothing of the opposition of hostile
Turcomans or the transhipment of goods In
crossing the Caspian Sea. There are no
densely populated regions to render financial
success possible, and the difficulties in the way
Of any Of the lines are 80 enormous that the
Russian geographer holds their construction to
be impossible, at least in our time. After dis
oussing less ambitious projects, which con-
tent themselves with joining the Russian from
tier with Tashkend, he dismisses all but two
the one from Ekaterinburg, the other from
Orenburg. The former may possibly prove
lucrative, and should therefore be left to "pri-
vate enterprise" The latter cannot pay divi-
dewds, but will be strategioal-that is, service
able for the transport of troops and stores to
secure past C0nquests or undertake new ones.
This, then, is the line which, according to
Colonel VENYUKoFF, the Russian Government
"has to construct under pain ofrisking its
present possessions or holding them only at a
ruinous cost. The work must be cheapened
as far as possible by adopting a narrow guoge
and light rolling stock. keeping the number of
stations at q minimum aud putting up khirglz
tents instead of guard-houses. Thus we come
to the result that the only railway likely to be
constructed by the Government will certainly
not pay, will be Ofno use to trade, and will be
little better than a tramway.
But is this, after all, the great danger with
which this country was threatened This the
result of all the great schemes for connecting
Europe and lndiaf Doubtless the power Of
Russia in her newly acquired territories will DO
somewhat strengthened with the practical re-
suit that she may afford to keep bat few troops
in Turkestan, but be must be strangely timid
who can see in such a measure danger to the
integrity Of British power in India, which has
in high condition four times as many troops as
Russia has in Central Asia, where roads, rail-
ways, and telegraphs are already in perfect
working order, and where the frontiers are
guarded by fierce and free mountaineers, jeal.
GUS Of any Infringement Of their liberty. There
are certain possibilities which might oblige the
British Government to express its determine
ton not to allow further advances in particular
directions, but we are convinced that the Eas-
farm nupStiOn will NOT. in this generation ak
least, be fought out on the soil of India. If
ever such a misfortune to civilization as q war
between England and Russia should occur,
We could desire nothing better than that Rus
STA should exhaust herself by sending troops
on futile expeditions against. the Eastern pos,
sessions of Great Britain.