Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-04-13

NJ one aL tLie tletd-ft can tfttlLCt
with aus degres. of certainty what Is To
BE- the 0ntooms of che quarrel between
England ald Russia The diplomatic
correspondence ~ FAR as made known.
the mIhtarf preparations. the conflict ot
arms which has already taken place and
tine opinions of the press all tead To tx
the oelief that var is inevitable, and yet
that veteran diplomat Prince Bismarck.
n bis position tetween the two countries,
asseFts thet he Is convinced there viii be
no war. and L IS sand that Vienna gov
ernmeut circles entertain very peaceful
opinions about the Anglo-Russian dis
pnte.' There IS no doubt RUSSIA wants
a. gst a hold on India The Russian al
vance commenced ia ls65 with the cap
ture 81 lashkend. m 1870 khoiend was
occupied and "a virtual protectorate es-
tablsbsd over the whOls khanate 81
Khokand. IN lSss Samarcan was taken
and the territory u the Amser Of Box
hara was reduoe,l to a relation OF vassal-
age. Khiva hecaoe a vassal state IN 1876
and ia 1879 khokands r1ler was feposed
and his dominions were regularly incor-
poratsd into the Russian Empire.
Meanwhile. the Russians. who. like All
other invaders % India. have made Herat
their objective point. had begun a rail
road in i.s direction from the Southeast
ern angle OF the Caspian sea- The Tekke
Turcomns. who las across the route as
barrier. we're wiped out bv S.xobeleff at
Geek Tepe M iSS0. and their brethern OF
Nerv submitted voluntarily. Persia
soon after coding the territory Of Sar-
akhs. SAB that Russia could advance on
Hsrat by the valley og the Murgab River.
which flows through the Merv oasis. or by
that of the Herr Rud, on winch Savakhs
is situated Penldeh, an Afghan fortress
xarrisoued by the Amser's troops. has
been elailned by t.e Russians as an IN
tegial part of tbe Turcoman district of
Merv. au assumption not admitted by the
English. who bold tbat while the raids ~
the tribe have occasionally extended to
Penideh. no permanent occupation has
sver been uiade.
Frm Merv to Hsrst Is 30 niles. the
,cad being easy and through a fertile
sluntry. FROM Candahar. the practical
English bls,,. io Hsrst - 85o miles II
ess favorable route. The English vii
oucenrate st Custta. somewhat - the
outh and east and have the advantage
= a railroad thence 20 India. though a
honsand miie hne of single truck - not
itozether adequate to the needs Of a
are army Rnssia depends on her rail-
1ad 81 ihe Caspian. bus there are ds-
os'ts af storss established ht several
ainis.
It wiz he seen that in the event ~ a
e.lararen ~ war Russia viii have the
lvanta4n ~ Eng'snd in fhe ability o.
st her tr,ops first to the front The
ussian eabnafioo r that aNooo men
m be spBre.i ftr operations against fndia
asa aa arn WITH a war footing - q
nftn men not ncigIinr f.nun0
nital rith 85-.oo horses and sSoo
ms. eleven weeks w0uid put Ialo
"a into Hersf Tith ike reserves avail
d there fra <x weeks more. while for
tant operations i2ouo men could be
r~ed forward n three weeks General
marif. therefore. stands the better
nces ~ reschinE IRE goal first
he English ssry.s vithin striking Dis
IS set az 26ooo nlen .e7u English
ty-feaF s-ins. There ara M men
EN- tse reVulsr army AZ home.
~aner strength ~ the European
eaNtfie over 6oWo men.
xreilent feld fsr recruit
tribes a. ~ikbs. Fsthsns
sut n a var is once begun
the other European
enasin neutral Too
80 involved II
e. he a ion0 and