The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-05-15
THE LION AND THE BEAR.
WHAT THEY ARE GROWING ABOUT.
The Bone OF Contention the Key TO
the Gales OF India-Piain Facts
Worth Knowing.


War between England and Russia is inn
mineut it may, indeed, be said to have
commenced. The object of this article is
to place before our readers a distinct ac
count of the causes of the war; the lay Of
the land where the fighting is to be done;
and of the leading figures on both sides by
whom the struggle VIII be conducted. To
aid us in this purpose and add interest to
the matter, map prepared with great
care. is Incorporated.
First, as TO the cause England and
Russia are the two European rivals for
Asiatic power They are both in Asia by
the right of conquest. Their claims on
the territory occupied are equal; they base
them on the broad ground OF civilization.
Both powers have been advancing since
about the middle OF the eighteenth cen
tury-Russia from the shores OF the Cas-
plan Sea, and England from the East In
dia Company's settlement at Fort VII
liam, near Celcutta-until " Uithin the last
decade it has been evident that the time
was soon TO come when their frontiers
would meet The total revenue of India
Last year was $500, ,OiO, 600; and the not only
pays her own way, but affords a rich field
for British capital commerce, and manu-
features Russias Central Asian posses
slons, on the contrary, yield an annual
revenue OF only -, goo OOO. and the annual
deficit caused by them to the imperial
treasury has averaged s., $4,000 for the
last fourteen years. The Russian al
vance south upon Asia began from Cren-
burg, on the Russian side Of the Caspian
sea- and has been pushed 1900 miles. The
English encroachment north began from
Fort William, and has been pushed 1909
miles. Together the two powers have COW
cred 1900 miles since they started from
their bases, and now they are practically
face to face. Between them lies Afghan
istau. Russia and England long age
agreed that this state should remain as :.
buffer between them. But they have
never come to definite agreement as to
what the precise limits OF Afgh .,uistan
were. The nearest approach to such an
agreement was arrived at ia 1873, VIXEN
the British India Office accepted the late
Prince GCrtschakof? ; summary of the
understanding which resulted from long
negotiations between the two govern
ments. But this summary was un-atis-
factory, the controlling item stating" that
the territory in the actual possession at
the present moment of Shere All Khan
should be considered to constitute the
limits of ofAfghanistan. This as Il matter
of course, left It to be settled what terri
tory was in Shere Ali's actual possession
in 1922 That question has been debated
between the two governments ever since,
and is the ostensible ground of the pres
eEt quarrel. Diplomatists on both sides
appear to have agreed, three years ago,
and maps OF both countries so exhibit ed it,
that the northwest boundary line of At
ghanistan was from khojah Saleh to the
Persian frontier in the neighborhood of
Sarakhs. i
Russia, however, has rudely disturbed
this under standing of things by her later
action. Merv, which she assured the
English government in lSS2 she had no in
tention OF taking. she seized upon early
in 1884 The agreement to regard line
drawn from Khojah Saleh to somewhere
about Sarakhs as the limits OF her advance
she has now altogether brushed aside
This line would certainly exclude her
from Penjdeh, which is over 40 miles
south OF it, and Sari-yazi, which is over
20. miles south of it, and all the other ad-
vanced points which she now claims, and
most of which she occupies with her Cos
sacks