The Bossier banner., 1885-06-11
HERAT.
Opinions of an Acknowledged English Au-
thority on Russia.

Opinions of an Acknowledged English An.
thority on Russia.
Mr.. Charles Marvin, the acknowl
edged English authority on Russia, has
recently published a work upon the
position of the two in reference to Gen.
trail Asia and especially Herat. 1t will
be of special interest just now.
His youth was passed in Russia. and
he is thoroughly familiar with its people,
language and literature. He has for
years made study of the. Central
Asia question. His Russian intimacies
have enabled him to see and under
stand their view of it, His acquain-
tance with Russian officers, engineers
and diplomats has made him familiar
with the movements and the country on
the Russian side of Afghanistan.
His acquaintance with Anglo-Indian
officers has done the same for him on
the Indian side of the disputed territory.
Having access to both Russian and En-
glish official records. he is believed to
know more of both sides of the question
than any other writer of the day.
The object of the Russian advance
upon India is not the conquest of India,
but the crippling of England. Russia is
poor, and under constant commercial
pressure 1t believes that it's only relief
lies in the occupation of Armenia and
Constantinople, thus largely increasing
its internal resources and widening
its possibilities for foreign comm cree.
By taking a position on the In dian
frontier that will be constant menace
to England, it believes that England
will be at last forced to acquiesce in the
Russian occupation of Constantinople,
which in reality means the conquest of
Asia Minor.
With this object in view Russia has
been steadily moving forward to Herat.
All that it has thus far accomplished
has been done by fraud and the viola
ton of express engagements. The pre-
texts that the tribes of Central Asia are
unruly and must be subdued have no
foundation. As rule they are feeble,
poverty-stricken and peaceful. At all
events Russia has pushed on until her
armies stand in striking distance of
Herat.
He holds with many Anglo Indian
officers that the surrender of Penjdeh,
which is clearly in Afghan territory, is
to surrender Herat; and to give up
Herat is to open the way to the invasion
of India. Between Penjdeh and Herat
the mountains are by no means impas-
sable, nor on the other side is there any
barrier between Herat and Quetta, now
the outpost of British military opera
tions.
Herat is therefore highly valued by
both governments. not solely on account
of the city itself, but because of the
resources of the district around it. Its
corn and beef would feed an army of
100000 men, and sustain them during
an advance on India. There is no such
other camping ground between the
Caspian Sea and India.
The supposed impenetrable ranges
lying between Afghanistan and India
are discovered to be not such obstacles
to an advance as they have been sup
posed. In the Suleiman range 289
passes for camels have been found and
sixty more in the Behuehistan Noun
tains.
Herat in Russian hands would not
only intimidate the Afghans, but, in the
opinion of many English experts, make
the English hold upon India very
insecure. General Skofeloffin 1882 pre-
dicted that were an enemy to occupy
Herat, ''the English army without hav-
ing fired shot would find itself beaten. "
Mr.. Marvin thinks the Russian
means for an advance to Herat or India
much greater than the English means of
defense. In addition to the railways
the Volga and its tributaries are covered
with steamers and huge barges for the
conveyance of troops; while fifty large
steamers are available on the Caspian
Sea. He estimates that in ninety days
the Russians could mass 100, 900 troops
in front of Herat Russia, he says,
''eould surpass any efforts of ours on the
| Quetta side of India" He declares
| that bad roads, fierce tribes, fearful
| mountains and horrible deserts exist in
Afghanistan, but they are all Oft the
direct route which the Russians are
| taking to the Indian frontier.
These positive and startling state
ments from an authority which is re-
| garded as second to none, will throw
interesting light upon the attitudes of the
| two governments. - PhilGdetDbia Press.