The Portland daily press., 1885-09-26
CONCERNING COLLECTOR HEDDEN
Washington Snecial to Herald
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


+ The Coming Struggle for India. BY Ar
menus Vanbery. (New York: Cassell &
Co: Portland: Loring, Short & Harmon. J
Professor Vanbery has travelled extensively
in the East, where he has been deeply inn
pressed by the continual advancement of
Russia and her encroachments ON the terri
tory which contains the approaches and key
to India. A careful study of the subject has
convinced him that the Russian advance has
no less or other object than the conquest of
India, which they mean to wrest from the
rule of England The volume is furnished
with an excellent map, on which are marked
the successive conquests of Russia for the
last two centuries. This map furnishes
ocular proof of the extension of Russian
territory till at last it borders on Afghanis-
tan. What will be the next move? Prof
Vambery believes that it will be the occupa-
tion of Herat from which the Russian out
posts are now distant a march of only eight
or ten days. Her trunk railroad is continu-
ally advancing toward the gates of india
and Persia is already in her grasp. She has
only to close her hand and her hold on Per-
STA will be secure.
Now, in view of these indisputable facts,
what is the true policy of England? This is
the question which Prof. Vanbery under
takes to answer. He argues in favor of in
slant and effective measures to checkmate
Russia by fortifying the approaches to Herat
as the gate of India. If once Russia gets
possession of this city, her prestige will be
greatly increased, and England's possession
of India will at once become insecure. The
English and the Indians will both become
uneasy and be kept constantly on the alert
in anticipation of the final stroke. As this
state of things will soon be found intoler-
able, the Professor argues that it will be far
wiser to seize the passes to Herat and hold
the city itself, as well as such other points as
are essential to the security of the British
power. Candahar in particular should be
re-occupied and the railroad to that point be
speedily rebuilt.
To all this the Tories of England respond
heartily, as it is but a restatement of their
policy which the Liberals discarded on COM
ing into power four years ago. This then is
the Tory side of the question. What have
the Liberals to say in defense of their policy
of mastery inactivity? They declare that it
is by no means certain that Russia cherishes
the purpose which is ascribed to her. And
if she does, they contend that the true line
of defense is the Indus in India and not the
defiles of Afghanistan, where the Afghans
could take them in the rear, while the Rus
SLAMS assault them in the front. The real
difficulty arises from the treacherous dispo-
sitions of the Afghans. If they could be
trusted, no doubt prudence would dictate an
advance into their country. But the Liberal
view is that whichever country, England or
Russia, firstinvades the Afghans will encoun-
ter their resolute and fierce hostility. From
the standpoint of the Liberals, then, the
question is reduced to this,-shall this At
CHAN hostility be aroused and encountered
by the Russians or the English? Their con-
clusion is, that it will be safer to take the
chances of an actual Russian invasion of In
dia which will be sure to provoke an amount
of Afghan opposition sufficient to weaken,
and perhaps exhaust, the Russians, while it
will afford the English ample time to give
them warm reception on the plains of In
dia.
Michigan. A history of an American Com
monwealth. By Thomas Mcintyre Cooley.
Boston: Houghton, Mlffiin & Co.; Portland /:
Loring, Short & Harmony This is the first
of a series of American histories, histories
of our States in their origin and growth to
the present time. Michigan is selected to
begin with as a fairly typical State, and the
choice was excellent. We have read the vol
ume at one sitting, and could not lay it down
till the reading was finished. How refresh
ing to turn from the strifes of the Old,
World, the continual contests for the pos
session of this or that bit of territory, to the
conquest and colonizing of the New. Mich
igan was originally part of the territory
claimed by France, and Detroit was her prin-
cipal outpost When Canada came into pos
session of the British, Detroit was at once
occupied as British fort After the Revo-
luton, it was surrendered to the United
States, but with much reluctance. In fact,
our claim of the whole Northwest was
chiefly based on the almost unaided explora-
ton and achievements of Kentucky pio-
neer by the name Of Clarke. When we con.
| slider that all this territory was claimed by
the French as late as 1850, only century be-
| fore our civil war, that it passed from them
| to the English, and from the English to the
| Americans, how wonderful appear the
changes of century! We envy not the
American who feels no interest in the sub
ject, or who reading this history, does not
kindle with grandest emotions as he follows
the story. From the humblest and feeblest
beginnings we trace the progress of this tru-
ly American State till we are permitted to
see the dense forest converted into the fruit
full fields, her grand water courses navigated
by noble steamships, her plains crossed by
railroads, her log cabins changed for costly
houses adorned by numerous works of art
her villages become cities, and her schools
numbered among the best in the world
while her moral growth equals her material,
and her political constitution is one of the
| freest and more successful in the history OF
| the world.
| What field our Territories and new States
offer to young men! The University Of
Michigan is now one of the first in the coun-
try. Yet this great institution, and the edu-
cational system of the State connected with
1t were planned by young Congregational
missionary, who with his young and cult
waited wife emigrated to Michigan when the
state was in its infancy. The schools were
few, far between and poorly equipped The
young minister saw the deficiency and felt
the Importance of a new departure He wise
| ly took counsel with several leading men.
and by their aid set in motion the measures
which secured the adoption of the present
system in all its outlines. So much can one
man do if he has noble aim in life, and
| chnnses one of these infant empires as the