The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-19
THE AFGHAN SITUATION.
Talk with One Who Knows the Inside of
Russian Intrigues Toward India.
ar. Charles Marvin's Russia at the Gates Of
Herat'-The Chances of Peace or War
Intelligently Discussed.
Correspondence of the IndianaDolI. Journ.l.

Correspondence of the Indianapolis journal.
LONDON, April 8--Charles. Marvin is a young
man who, like many young men in these BUSY
days, has done fair lifetimes work at thirty.
He is at the present moment a leading authority
ON the political as we'll as the geographical ques-
lions that are agitating Russia and Anglo-India.
The author of some half dozen bulky volumes on
Russia and central Asia, he has written score
of pamphlets, and hundreds of articles upon the
Russians in central Asia and at home. on pio-
neering ia central Asia, and he has translated
important Russian works bearing upon
the Muscovite advance upon India To-day ne
and the Russian agent Lessar are playing
game of journalistic chess in London, Lessar
disseminating the kind of news that he thinks
useful to Russia; Marvin, on the other hand,
checking it in the interest of England. The
combat is diplomatic, and it is valuable in the
formation Of public opinion. Marvins latest
work, ''The Russians at the Gates of Herat,' is,
aowever, the strongest move he has made
against Lessar and the Muscovite diplomatists.
at takes the story of the Russian advance very
cheap and illustrates it with an excellent little
map Of the Russo-Afghan region. Marvin's early
aife was spentfn Russia, and he has in his later
years made the subject of her works, her politics,
her pion eering and her ambition his careful and
sCoustant study. The English commission car
wied his books and maps to Afghanistan; the
Russian government pays them an equal atten-
sion.
1t was Marvin, who, during the Russo Turkish
war, gave to the world the text Of the secret
Areaty with Russia, tremendous blow at Lord
Salisbury and for time very serious business
dor Charles Marvin. Since then Mr. Marvin has
worked hard and successfully to relieve himself
hDf the cloud which the government prosecution
furopped upon his reputation and his fortunes:
%'Mr Marvin is well known at st. Petersburg,
hand has been well received and kindly treated
by Russian officials in central Asia" This did
Hnot, however, prevent him from demonstrating
kin bulky volume, two years ago, the Importance
sof their central Asian advances to India. 'sWhen
pone Of the principal feudatory princes of India
me said at that time 'instructs London publish
ding house to purchase for him all the books that
have been issued by English and European
authors on the central Asian question, and to
pnake special point of acquiring such works as
,embody the Russian view of the problem, an ex-
bcuse certainly seems to exist for an Englishman
Ito call the attention of bis countrymen to the
wemarkable changes that have taken place in that
question since the annexation of Askabad and
the evacuation of Candahar. Among these
changes may be mentioned the introduction of the
lCaucasian factoring. The central Asian ques-
ton, the formation Of new base of operations
beyond the Caspian infinitely stronger than the
Turkestan are, the completion of railway COM
munication between that base and Russia proper,
the extraordinary development Of the Caspian
marine, the opening up of commercial relations
with Merv, the discovery by Lessar of an easy
kroad to Herat, and the surveys of Russia for a
hrailway needing only few millions to connect
Eher with India"
Marvin wrote thus in 1882, in the Russians a,
IMerv and Herat," and to-day, in regard to the
position and character of Afghanistan, he very
shrewdly says: IF Englishmen are blind to the
fact, Russia is not, that the tribal differences
existing in Afghanistan render the country
peculiarly we'll adapted for gradual disintegra
ton. The notion of united Afghanistan is only
efit for the nursery. The Afghans are conquer0rs
R0f foreigners in the whole country north of the
EHindoo Koosh, from Balkh to Herat Their
control of Herat, as Russia is constantly remind
ing as, is quite of recent origin, and even yet
they have not succeeded in imposing their rule
fCabul If Russia retains her present position,
Lshe will be admirably placed for intriguing with
non Afghan peoples, and detaching them one by
one from the Ameer's rule Unless we screen
table to eat her way into the heart of Afghanis-
Stan."
have had at various times interesting and in
s@tructing conversations with Mr.. Marvin at my
own house: but a man Ia best seen at home The
young Anglo-Russian Che claims to be friend
of both Russia and England-but ABOVE all an
Englishman) lives at Plumstead, within the re-
gion of the testing ground of the great guns that
are manufactured at Woolwich arsenal. Gros-
venor House is his home. 1t is situated on the
edge of Plumstead common, where houses begin
to be pushed out in the direction of Woolwich.
The windows of Mr. Marvin's room command a
view on one hand Of the river Thames, and on
tho other of the common and away to Shooters
Hill.
'sThe locality is out of the way he observes,
shut the house is my own, and don't like to
egive it up; and, as / am more often at home than
In London, it is pleasant to be able, whenever
choose, to get into the country Across Plum
stead common are some of the prettiest landscape
scenes in Kent 1t is in this room have fought
she central Asian campaign for years, and /
should like to finish the conflict before l leave
1t"
The room is in indescribable confusion
Tables, floors and chairs piled and Uttered with
books, opened and closed, on central ASIA Blue
Books, piles of Russian, English and Indian
newspapers, rolls of Russian maps, rows of
Russian books and pamphlets, patches of manu-
script and packets Of proofs. A huge book-ca
full of volumes on central ASIA Russia and
india confronts the author and at his rear are
Tecesses filed from top to bottom with shelves
containing pamphlets and piles of periodicals.
81 am rather in a muddle," he says, as he
sweeps some books off q chair and offers me
seat, sbut have only just knocked off my new
book, and before clearing up must prepare the
lecture am, to deliver before the Ballooning
Society"
The new book is '"The Russians at the Gates
of Herat,' which the author has written and
Warn & Co have printed in eight days. 1t is
of nearly 200 pages, and the confusion in Mar
wins room is explained by the fact that from
the moment he started the volume he kept at II
night and day, until it was done. simply sleep
ing at intervals when he felt tagged Although