The sun., 1888-07-05
Russ,A's MARCH TO INDIA.
The Completion Of the New Rue
sian Railway Excites England.

The Completion Of the New Rue
sian Railway ExcItes England.
N. Y. Herald, Cablegram from London.
nave the best authority for saying
that the Cabinet is perplexed, if not
exactly alarmed, over events on the
frontier o. India, the completion OF
the Russian railway to San,arcand.
with the possibility OF aspur to Herat
and the recent conflicts with the Thib.
etans. The fear is that the latter in.
cident may grow into tedious and
expensive affair. All was couleur du
rose when the English troops adven-
-turously marched through Sikkim,
but when the Jalep Pass was reached,
leading into the Chumbi district OF
Thibet, II severe fight occurred with
the Thlbetan troops. The English were
beaten back, and the fear is shat this
'repdlse may involve grave consequent
ces and even an invasion OF
Thibet. An influential party of
Anglo Indians at Calcutta are urging
that "the time has arrived for open
ing up Thit et." 1t is said, on the
other hand, that the power OF Thibet
extends over half OF Asia, and the
Chinese Government is not likely to
view with apathy anything that
seems likely to place this power under
the control OF another nation. An
invasion OF Thibet could only be un-
dertaken with u far larger British
force than that now in the fed. The
difficulty OF obtaining supplies and
transportation would be enormous.
Anglo. Indian officers tell the Cabinet
that unless the Lamas are brought
to their senses the Himalayan 'front.'
ier will never be safe. They predict
that the Tartar hordes will once
more descend on Bengal. and
might even be accompanied by Gen.
Preievalsky and all escort of Cossacks.
Several of the Cabinet officers think
that Russian diplomacy is behind the
Thibetans. Others have suddenly
awakened to the conviction that the
opening OF the railway to Samarcand
is a far more important event in the
history OF the East than the conquest
OF Siberia or all exodus OF the Tar
tars. Yet it is not long ago that
Lord Salisbury poured vitriolic sar-
casm on those who do not believe
that the advance of Russia towards
India was a geographical impossible.
ity. Said Tory member OF Parlia-
ment to me recently, The fact is,
Salsbury's Cabinet contains too
many mediocre men. The once fami.
liar fur overcoat OF Beaconsfield hangs
loosely on Salisbury. His press, and
his lieutenants even, begin to tell HIM
that the new railway is the first step
to the formation of vast depot on
the Indian frontier as base of Rus
sian operations. 1t is the first step
that brings the Russian Empire. not
merely the army, within striking dis
tance of India. Up till now the Rus
sian army in the Transcaspian region
was cut off. Now it has line OF COM
munication with Russia complete"
One Tory paper queries to-day. Chow
does the Government relish the pros
pect OF Persia becoming q Russian
province and the Persian Gulf a Rus
sian lake?" Another commercial Or
gan wsarilv says: Russia will, by
this railway, have all undisputed
monopoly of the markets of Eastern
Turkestan, Western China, Persia
Afghanistan, and some OF the markets
OF Northern India" The leading Tory
organ thus berates the Cabinet:
mo steps are being taken to
recognize the fact that in three
months time Russia may put the key
OF India in her pocket. The great event
OF the completion OF the railway max
es it plain that we must either fight
Russia or bribe her. Are our soldiers
preparing to dothe one? Are our dip
lomatists preparing to do the other?
The answer is that they are not; that
they are looking on at the panorama
OF the Russian march to India with
the stony eyes OF the gods, who recline,
slipping their nectar, careless OF man.
kind" Such plain talk makes it small
wonder that Churchill and Chamber
lain and several more OF the leaders
are waiting to jump off the sinking
ship and desert Il Government that
coquets with temperance fights publi-
cans while gambling with imperial in
terests. Indeed, the disgusted Nj. p.
to whom referred called Salisbury
the modern Belshazzar.