New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-25
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TIE nARnL PAPERS.

The secret correspondence between General
Kaufmanns headquarters in Central Asia and
Shere Ali is regarded by the Conservative jour-
nails of London as a valid defence of Lord Lyt-
toms Afghan policy. The question naturally
arises, Why was it not brought to light during
the last y ear Of Lord Beaconsfeld's administra-
ton, when the campaign had become so unDOp-
ular in England7 The st. JdnleSs Gazette
offers an ingenious explanation. The Panslavist
party, which had dragged the Gar into the war
with Turkey, was already wild with mOrtifca-
ton" at the revision of the Treaty OF San
Stefano, and if these secret papers had been
published in 1879 ii would have been still
further exasperated by diplomatic defeat
. as humliating and as irrecOverable as that
(which their Government had consented to at
"Berlin." The inference is that Lord BeacOns-
field kept back these papers from patriotic
motives, being unwilling to revive the smOul-
dering resentments of the war parties in Eng
land and Russia, although he might have turned
the correspondence to good account for party
ends. The explar alton would be more plausible
if the Conservative Premier had ever lost an
opportunity for increasing national irritation on
either side. Certainly he did not avoid exas-
peration and restore good feeling by transport
ing the SepOys to the Mediterranean, calling out
the reserves, making flourish with the IRON
clads, and invading Afghanistan.
We suspect that the secret correspondence
was held in reserve mainly because it was mOIe
convenient to refer to it in general terms, as sew
eral Ministers did, as demonstrating the wisdom
and sagacIty of Lord LyttOn's policy, than it
was to make out specific case of justIfable in
1.,,es
letter in the collection had been published in
December 1873, with Shere Ais proclamation
to his supporters and its significance was only
slightly increased by its relations to the rest of
the correspondence. All the world knew what
was the object of the Russians in sending an
embassy to Cabul. 1t was an intrigue designed
as an offset to the shipment of Indian troops
to the Mediterranean. England had made
theatrical display of its SepOys in order that her
enemies on the Continent might know that
while there was q small standing army at home
there were imperial resources in every quarter
of the globe. Russia at once cOntrived a
counter-mOve whereby England was reminded
that while she could command the approaches
to India by water, that great Empire was not
secure against secret intrigue and open attack
from Central Asia. The correspondence serves
10 demonstrate what could be safely inferred
before.
The dates are cited by the Conservative jour
nails rs conclusive evidence of the dupllcity Of
Russian diplomacy. The first letter was written
after Count SchouvalOff and Lord Salisbury had
signed their secret memorandum, and the cor
respondence ran on for several months after
the Treaty of Berlin was signed 1t must he
BONE in mint, however, that General Sholietotf
lett Samarcand on his GRAND TO Cabul month
before the conferences in the Radziwill Palace
were concluded and the Indian troops sent back
TO Asia When the embassy returned and the
British troops were assembling at the gates of
the lasses, General Kaufman advised the
Amecr to make peace and not to rely upon re-
ceiying support from his Northern ally. The
intriguers had already succeeded simply because
the British had been so easily baited in the
Afghan trap which had been set for them.