The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-19
which, like the results of the survey OF Pal
stine, was confirmatory of the sacred
RUSsIA's AMBITION.
Still Nursing the idea of Ultimately Possess
ing COnstantinOple.

still Nursing the idea ~ Ultimately Possess
ing ConstantinOple.
St Petersburg Letter.
1t would be very difficult, imagine, for
any diplomatist to accept the idea that Rus
STA has given up the hope of reaching Con-
stantinople, and developing her empire to-
ward the south instead Of toward the north.
Only one thing can ever calm Europe re-
specting Russia's intentions on the Bosphor-
US, and that is the planting of a new capital
on the shores of the Black sea. But here Is
the difiiculty-wiil Russia be content to have
great capital on an inland sea and permit,
when Turkey shall be no more, some of the
smaller Slavic princes to hold Constantinople
for the benefit of herself and the Slavic peo-
pies on the Balkans? 1t is hardly probable.
1--WE may consider the will of Peter the
Great apocryphal if we choose" said Euro
pean diplomatist to me at Moscow, but the
determination of Russia to keep CONSTANT
nople in mind is part of the inheritance of
every Russian car If YOU could look into
the study of the young Czarovitch at Peters
burg.my dear sir you would see the walls COW
cred with nothing but the large pictures of the
last war. That of the Russians in sight of
Constantinople, made by Villers, fins up al
most one side OF the room. = If Peter
the Great had been able to build new CAPT
tai on the Black sea instead of trying to
make window to look out upon Europe
at ST. Petersburg; if he had been as successful
against the Turks as he was against the
Northern powers, Russia would have taken a
southern development, the crescent would
have been swept away from the Dardanelles
and the mistake of founding St Petersburg
and artificially endeavoring to develop Rus
sian commerce in that direction would have
been avoided
Ard you think, then, that the Russian
capital of the future must be at CONSTANT
nope?'
Zone cannot but come to that conclusion.
One cannot look upon map of Russia the
Black sea and Russia in central Asia with
out coming to the conviction that Russia 5
great development in the future must be
from her south, and that the Black sea, into
which must pour the treasures, the
merchandise of central Asia, must
eventually become the center of her
commercial, and, as consequence,
her governmental. social and political life.
The great navigable water arteries of the EN-
pire all lead to the south. Those that lead to
the north are closed up by ice for more than
half of the year. Russia has conquered the
greater part of central Asia and now has to
develop her commerce in that direction. She
cannot do it from the north it is only posi-
bic by way Of the Caspian and the Black seas
and the exit of the Dardanelles. And, in
deed, it is apparent to everybody that after
another decade or so of Russian development
in Asia the question OF free exit from the
Black sea will be one of supreme interest for
Russia. Europe would like to see her make
new capital on the shores of the Black sea,
but the traditions Of Russia are in favor of
COusfautiuOnle