The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-10

be necessary in order to allow the cabinets OF
the two countries to come to "a decision
mitted to the arbitration. Some people
profess to think that this process, of arriving
at preliminary understanding will be so fruit
ful a source of delay that the chances OF the ar
bitratlon taking place at all are decidedly slight.
The Cabinet, it is thought, may find them
selves as much at sea in deciding
what shall be-. submitted to the arbitrator as
they were in trying to come to an understanding
in regard to the original difficulty 1t is humor-
ously suggested that they may be obliged to re-
determine what shall be submitted to
the arbitrator. The possibilities of this
sort OF diplomacy open up y irch
field to the imaginative statesman. This view
of the situation gains additional likelihood when
one considers the last exchange of views
Granville Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, and Baron do Staal the Russian
Minister. Between these diplomates differences
of opinion about such primary questions as the
of delinitation still remain unsettled.
When these divergent views can De
reconciled and a common standard
reached from which to consider the
main question, is by no means certain. Baron
de Staal has proposed that the whole scheme of
arbitration shall be abandoned in case COM
parison of the evidence regarding the PenJdeh
incident shall be found to sustain Russias inter
probation of the agreement OF March
IL Earl Granville is inclined to accede to this
proposition, but only on condition that Russia
will grant definite treaty in which they shall
pledge herself not to make any further advance
into Afghanistan. There is little likelihood that
Russia would make such treaty as Earl Gran.
vile suggests. There is increasing reason to be-.
lieve that the possession of Penjdeh has whetted
the appetite of the voracious Russian bear, and
nothing but Herat will long appease its crav-
ings. The Russians here in London, who are on
terms of intimacy with the officials OF
the Russian embassy, do not hesitate to
declare openly that Russia intends to
take Herat. They assert that it will be an easy
the Ameer to Russian occupation, and
they declare that no treaty which
should propose Russia's release of this object
would be binding. When the opportunity comes.
be seized, no matter what any treaty
may be. They say further that Russia does not
contemplate intervening in the affairs OF
Herat, proprio motu, of her own accord.
But when the local tribes together with
the Heratites shall ask for the protection OF the
Gear, Russia is bound to incorporate them
in her dominion. Englishmen familiar with
the story of the annexation of Merv think
they understood what Russians mean when they
speak of the loyal tribes asking
shrewd suspicion that the importunate asking
for protection by the Mervie, which the
Car had not the heart to withstand, was en-
tirely free from compulsion. Those ex-
pressions Of opinion and belief on the part of
Russians who have access to the
Russian embassy are o fair reflection
of the tone of Baron De Staal's recent communi-
cation to Earl Granville.
Tie diplomatic position of Earl Granville has
been weakened by the recent advices received
from Lord Dufferin on the present state of
affairs in Afghanistan. The advces make it
clear that the Afghans are not quite as enthus-
iastic in their devotion to tho British cause as
the declaration of Abdurrahman at Rawul-
Pindee,