Washington sentinel., 1899-12-09
ENGLAND.
THR ADVANCE OF RUSSIA.
Aychi6GI r C0L0HhOHH. in Hdr8sy's
hdgagfNe.

Until quite recently, Siberia. to the
idle consideration OF the imam in the
street " represented merely a vast
untrsversable waste vaguely attached
to the outskirts Of Russia; a gray viii
derness OF snow weighted FIR ire s, at
1.-THE back OF beyond" where the few
hou's OF struggling light in the twenty
four but served to deepen the numb
despair Of the succeeding darkness, and
a CLEAN of filtered warmth in August
represented all of summer the people
were ever to know; region where
there were "mines." and therefore must
be mineral wealth; ct, rnal snow and
ice, and therefore furs But chiefly,
perhaps. he would picture il as the
horrible oubliette where the few tree
spirits who dared to express the general
thought IN Moscow might be dropped
brought the merciful Uksz OF Release.
But a new era IS upon us, and even the
average member Of the general public,
amidst the eternal re echo Of other
questions OF the day." begins to realize
that Sib, ria is being transformed into
as essential a part OF Russia as ST.
Pet rsburg; a huge limb hitherto inert,
but 20 which even now muscle and nerve
are being supplied, and which, when the
last section OF the Great Siberian Rail-
way Is laid, will be ready TO strike out
with the lu,ty vigor OF youth.
It IS curious how invariably these
SlavOnic sch evem~nts have come as a
surprise to the world. For years. even
for centuries, Russia pursues her way by
parallel rout' to many goals. unheard
and out of sight. The word vaguely
suppOses that Russia is busy at some
thing" in Central ASA, or intriguing
again towards the East, until the day
when. after the accomplished fact, she
energies, smiling bsnevolentlY at the
worlds stupidity, on the 6on.iers Of
Aighanistan and the shores oil the
Pacific. with Teheran and Peking alike
in the hollow Of her hand. In the very
year, Tor instance. that the worlds
,.ssv tstrOu was IOCuSseu on - -VastOpOi,
ana th British people we're iondIy
imagining that Russian power lay
stunned at their feet, two of the most
pregnant achievements in Asian history
we're consummaled-the defiant seizure
by Russia Of the Amour River. and the
oco upatlon OF the Ia Iliisk Aliai slopes,
giving on the one hand, access to the
open sea, and on the other complete
command Of Central Asia. Bloodless
and unapplauded victories these, but
further reaching in their probable infiu.
ence on the world's history than ten
campaigns of Inkermans and Almas.
This faculty oil ours for chrome surprise
is in itself astonishing; for Russian aims
and methods are neither new, difficult
OF comprehension, nor liable to change,
And hey follow in iniallble sequencel
Even now, while the average man in
the States and in Europe, in his efforts
to be up to date, " is bit by bit dlgestlng
the situation--F ussia on the Pacific;
Russia practically mistress at Constan-
tiuoP!e, Teheran, and Peking; Russia
overhanging AlghanIstan, and With
KashgaTia at her mercS-that verv
situation is changing as he muses.,
Sib, ria, to take one instance-ahd
Russians make no secret OF it-has
already iulhhed her ration dskys in
opening the way to the ocean; aud from
the rich valleys Of Manchuria. It is no
longer towards the Amour that r russians
now look, but towards the Yang tse
| WalIau ThA -tk,rfns, L. 10,
hundred years and terminated at Port
Arthur; the tage now commencing will
! last how long, aud end wherep Never in
the history oi the world were such areas