The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-09-19
Russia Pushing Toward India.

he news Wlllcn mas Just ltutuGN us
from Russia and Central Asia may. per
haps, help to some extent i'll putting
the right construction on those import
ant facts. 1t is said and, indeed. there
is no reason to douht-that the answer
of the Russian government to the oc-
cupation of Cyprus has been an imme-
diale order to Gen. Kaufman, in Cen
trail Asia. to proceed forward in eXecu-
ton of the plan of campaign prepared
for him in April last. The said plan is
described as follows: /. The main body
concentrated at Samarkand to march on
DION, Il Russian fortified post on the
frontier of Bokhara, and then advance
according to further instructions. ,.
The left wing. starting from Marguel-
Ian, III the recent annexed district of
Terhana, to cross the Alsj-Dagu chain,
traverse the Kill Sou valley to the
Amu-Darya basin, and 10 follow that
stream. 3. The right wing. starting
from Observation-Disclosures. to ascend til,
river to Tohardjcnl, whence a direct
road leads to Bakhara. The movement.
it Is impossible not to perceive, aims
clearly at Bokhara. which will be per-
haps at the moment wren this letter
reaches You in the hands of the Russian
army. and, Bokhara once taken. it
would bc exceedingly surprising that
Gen. kaufman should not push his adj
vance mp to Nerve and Balkh Both
towns, it should be noticed, are in Al
CHAN territory at the foot of the Hin
doo-koosh, and. indeed. commanding
the passes which lead direct to Cabul
within ten to fifteen marches. Those
passes are practicable by artillery in
the winter and autumn months, and
consequently Russian army in posses
sion OF these cities might he said liter
ally to be mt he gate of British India.
Nobody will suppose that the Russian
government entertains at the present
moment any idea of attacking the Brit
lsh empire in Asia. Still, in C injection
with the great central Asiatic railway
scheme Is ,lkh is so important, or rather
so vital position that its occupation,
to the mind of more than one compe-
tent critic, ought absolutely to be con
sldered by England IA cdSas 6eU. Nerve,
on the other hand, is situated in dis
trict conspicuous for its fertility, and
which has been rightly called the gar
den of Afghanistan. Its value, for the
maintenance of corps of soldiers at
little cost, and for the resources it
might supply to II whole army is almost
inestimable in that part Of the globe.
Finally, on the day when it falls into
Russian hands. whatever prestige may
still be retained by England in Afghan
istan would become n thing of the past
and Russian influence be substituted
for it. Another power namely Persia
would have at least as much interest
as England in not allowing Nerve to
fall to the lot OF Russia; but there is
always the bride of Herat. which the
Car may offer to the Shah, and the
latter recent Journey to st. Peters
burg, the fact that he has visited Paris
without crossing the channel, and COM
ing over to London. the circumstance
of the territory of kojour having been
reserved for him in the partition of
Turkey, and the representative of Per-
STA having been admitted on that occa-
sion to the Berlin Congress on the
request of Prince Gortschukotl, all
those circumstances, and several
others put together, point to the con-
clusion of a perfect understanding be-
sequently every reason to believe that
the Shah would not oppose the occupa-
ton of Nerve by General Kaufman, and
the consequences of his stealing such IA
march on the British power in Asia
would be incalculable This is precise
ly why many people are inclined to think
that he will do so.
1t is pretty clear that if such was the
case, and if Russia succeeded fully in
her present undertaking, her situation
in respect of British India would be
widely different within few years of
what it is just now. At present the
sending up of Il small oXpediionary
force to the Amu-Darya, such as that
under command of Gen. Kaufman, and
which numbers ut the utmost score of
battali0ns with few Cossacks and bat
teries of guns, is alone possible. Any
immediate raid against British India is
consequently out of the question, and
both powers are still divided by inn
mense distances, 10y the scarcity of food,
by the hostility and perfdy of savage
tribes, not to speak of the most'mag-
nificent natural barrier in the world.
But given Il sufficient grasp taken by
Russia on the boarders of Afghanistan;
given the possession by her of such
splendid etapeS as Bokhara Nerve and
Balkh, in front of kokan, Samarkand,
khiva, and Tashkent; given a railway
line toward these advanced posts, if not
actually completed in its most difficult
parts, at least carried on in some meas
IRE toward the south, and thus lessen.
ing the distance it must be admitted
that the nightmare of Great Britain
might we'll become, one day or another,
IL L