, 1877-05-20

very quickly have to declare war against every
country In Europe. -,a4 o,>
But the case is somewhat different da1s 1ths9e On
the Astatic side OF the bospnoftuhs, a. "nniv nnIv
European Eur Powers which hare any s con- T.
siderable interests at stake. France, 10
true, would certainly not be disposed TO iet
S5ria pass into the keeping OF any european .h
out Of the question as the annexation g. o. Japan,
we may dismiss France from view. Tue NUS
slams suppose, we dare say, that they nave Iatleu
to gain 10 Asia Minor; aud We have somethlhs ~
to lose They would, perhaps, De siau e., 70 W ~
thr ti, BiacK Sea, and some inland towns. Wc
shall assume for moment the truth Of the
s,pposition tnat they would like to have the
means Of making, at some future time,
railway from the Black Seq to the ,,; Ie.S'11 ~
which they are accused; anu, as they
have already occupied Bayazid, small forti-
fed place short distance from. Ineir ,r
own frontier, It may be thought that the WORK
clearly Understand in the first instance what Kind
Of injury they would iuai~t OIL tho interests OF
this country It is wildly said that
they would bar the way to India. But,
happily, that assertion can bc answered
rhetoric, for, less than five years ago, this
very subject underwent searching 1nvestlsa-
ton BY Select Committee, OF which the pres
ent Chancellor Of the Exchequer was the Cha1r-
man. The question before It was, whether
railway through the Euphrates or the 1isris
Valley, with a view to providing shorter
aud alternative route to India. Much
weight Was naturally given to military con-
siderations, and among the witnesses were
Sir Henry Nawlinson and Lord sandhurst. The
former OF these two authorities will certainly
not be suspected Of any trust in the good inten-
tions of Russia, for his book on her conqnests
In Central Asia Is the arsenal OF those
aiarmists Tho predict sa,,nn MussGvte s'mte,f IN q
not responsible for the use to which they put
his argumentatiye weapons. Sir Henry was
asked by the Committee what Woulo oe the
etrategical value to England OF q EuPhrates
Railway, aud We invite the public to CONSIDER
as means Of guarding India from Russian in.
vasion, such railway would have no strategical
value whatever, since it did not come within ,Ao
miles OF the threatened line Of attack. 1bat
line, he added; stretched from tue so4Ihease @ .sa
corner OF the Caspian towards Herot anu kne
Indus.
It may be said that Russia could use railway
through the Euphrates ur the Tigris Valley for
the transport Of her troops to. the
Persian Gulf. But, meanwhile, nc. should
neck Of the gulf SO tightly as to make such an
enterprise nothing better than an attempt to
court destruction. AS Lord Sandhurst and Sir
Henry Rawlinson pointed out, the value OF the
route by the Suez Canal depends on our conl-
sage, aud the very power which enables us
to hold the Red Sea and the Mediterranean
tor our own purposes would equally enable us
to defeat any designs OF Russia by holding the
Persian Cult No dream could be wilder than
The idea that Russia could 6ud way to India
by the Euphratcs when our ships could securely
wait 1or her soldiers. Nor do the alarmists con-
slider the ease with which We could prevent the
Russians from making such line Of comulunfca- |
lion by occupying the port Which must he the
expense and time which would bere- |
luircd to carry line OF railway from the Black ]
Sea to the Persian Gull. The Select Committee |
that the work would cost el10O0;-.
100. Wc may safely assume that, even II |
Russia had not incurred the enormous pecunary |
expenses Of the present war, she would not !
1aye been able to make such railway for at |
east twenty years. She would certainly COM
oictc her system Of lines in Europe, and even |
attempt to execute the ong-planned railway |
through the desert steppes from Orenburg to |
rashkend, before she would even plan so g!gan-
ic an enterprise as line from the Black
Sea to the nearest outlet to the Indian
)cean. That she would ever attempt to exc
ute work which would be at the mercy OF the
:uglish navy which mfghs find no sufficiently |
'e absolutely MOL thless as military engine, Is
supposition which taxes the powers of hu- /
nan crcdulitY. Yet it is to gnard against so
listaut, SO shadowy, and almost uninte1-
igible possibility; that this country is invited
Q array its naval and military power. The
llarmists have an apparently boundless faith in |
he Ignorance and the credulitY OF their coun-
ryuien. They are preaching war on pretexts
which will not bcar the test Of a statement In |
olaln English. But the good sense and the
patriotism Of the public Will, wc are convinced,
lelcat tae traders in Ignorance and passion,
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