Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-04-23

of the CzaF in Persia, and the Shah is
more friendly to him than to the Queen.
The wild and predatory tribes of TCrkes-
tan have been placated by Russian agents
and attached to the standard OF the great
Northern Bear. In Afghanistan Eng
lands influence is greater than that OF
her rival, for the Afghans see in
the advance and growth of the Russian
empire i'm the South annihilation for their
nation and its independence. England
would use them as Independent allies,
while Russia would use them as con-
ouered and dangerous subjects; and
hence, although they do not care specially
for England or her interest, they prefer
her to Russia, whose interests are their
dangers. England's danger is her Indian
empire and her prestige, and were she to
lose these all lovers of liberty throughout
overland would think thatfreedom was in
peril and SO it would be. Whatever Eng
lands faults, and they are many, yet we in
America are her descendants, and from her
and her heroes we learned to love liberty;
and when the mother country sought to
deprive her children, the colonists, of
that which was dearer to them than all
else, they forgot the ties of blood and
fought and died for freedom and now
when a death-hke conflict seems impend
ing between England and Russia, We
cannot but wish for England's victory.
To gain victory, she will have to fight as
she never fought before, and her main
battlefield will likely be in Afghanistan
and on the Indian frontier, while on the
sea she will be kept busy protecting her
vast and almost universal commerce, for
Russia is not without sufficient navy to
cruise the seas and wait and watch for
English prizes, though of course while
waiting and watching, English ships Of
war will be pursuing the Russian vessels.
The Peter the Great" is the largest of
the completed Russian irOnclads, and at
the water line has an armor OF II inches,
carrying eight guns, four of them being
of Pinch calibre, and four guns carrying
1876 pound shot. She has of completed
cruisers the Minin,' 7-inch armOr, 16
guns, with S-inch calibre and II with
6-inch calibre; the "Duke of Edinburgh "
inch armor, 10 guns, 6-inch calibre );
the "General-Admiral," 6-inch armor,
guns, with S-inch calibre with g.
inch caiibre; the Dmitri Donskoi, 4"
finch armor, l6 guns, 2 with S-inch
calibre, IA with 6-inch calibre; the
"Vladimir Monamakh," finch armor, Is
guns, 4 with S-inch calibre, II with G-inch
calibre.
The 12-inch gun weighs 40 tons 11-inch,
% tons; 9-inch, II to 15 tons; S-inch, 8
tons; G-inch, AZ tons.
Russia has other ironclad vessels, but
not of such strength and power as these
above mentioned, and is able to do Eng
land much damage where England is
strongest. Her army, of course, is much
larger than England's, and is nearer what
will be, in the event of war, the field of
battle; and when on war footing, con-
sists of Al ,551 officers and ,876, 1853 men;
while England's forces at home and in
the colonies, including regular forces
in the Indian establishments, is only 644,-
753. So it will be seen that Russia
can put into the field some ,231 900 more
men than England, although England
can, and probably does, rely on her In
dian subjects, who are near the scene of
prospective operations, for soldiers in the
east.
At present it looks as though war must
come, and if it does, it will most likely
be one that will change in great meas
ure the destiny of nations 1t is to be
hoped it may not come.