New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-03


guest; the Russian officers chatted with hin -
terms Of intimacy. and to watch him seafa5 "a
the Consul's private room as he Tartook az ts "a
and fruit. one would have supposed him n -
cherished friend The following morning ~.
served the same merchant making a hurried s~j.
through the consulate gates. his progress heinz
skilfully accelerated by the whips Of the Ca
sacks. From inquiries gathered that the me-
chant had done something Of which the Consul
General did not approve, OF had failed IN 10
something which Petrovsky wished him to Do
Now. the English could not do this sort ..
thing We know why. It is because they ara
English. But all through the Panirs the natvA
is inclined to think that the Inider procedure ~
the British is sign OF weakness. The rule OF
might is the only rule that ne knows anything
about The British are too civilized to cOunte-
nance such practices as Mr.. Cobbold describes
among the Russian officials. The same Consul
General who was the hero of the incident mar
rated above had become so used to obedience
even on the part Of the Taotai himself. that
when upon one occasion that worthy threatened
to rebel he proposed to nave him brought for a
vapor bath to the Consulate. and in the mids,
Of it, all unsuspecting whipped by four stalwart
Cossacks. MIR. CobbOld has the good sense to
perceive that, however effective this sort Of.
thing may be in advancing Russian influence il
can never be adopted by his countrymen. The
Englishman travelling in the PaTnirs whether
he be officer or sportsman, pays as he goes. The
natives respect his word They rejoice to See
him But the Russian comes with nothing mora
than an order from his Government command
ing everybody to help the bearer in whatever
way he may require. This is bad enough where
the officers are concerned. But any Russian
fortified with an order from headquarters can
go through the country living on what ne finds
by the way. 1t is a cruel despotisra- The Rus
make himself comfortable he takes what he
wants and knows that no questions VIII be
asked. He is aware that the only way in which
to commend himself for promotion is to add %
Russian influence if possible to increase Rus.
sian territory. So he is perpetuauy on the look
out for a quarrel across the frontier, and once
entered into il, no matter how weak The native
enemy" may be- he wages a ruthless cam
paien The report TO his Government must tel
of a victorious battle" or he viii De recalled
While he scores the brutality and Unscrupu-
lousness of the Russians in Asia, the author Of
this volume does not grudge his praise Of some
of the Russians he met. They may be- untrust-
worthy and tyrannical. but they clever. Mr.
Cobbold found. them wonderfully we'll Informed
on political questions, ready to talk about them
and full of shrewd ideas 1t seems 10 him that
the Russian Government is more enlightened
than the British in its treatment Of some sides
of the situation. encouraging travellers and cir
culatinS it's maps. where the British make travel
difficult. and jealousy conceal all reports and
maps beneath mountains OF red tape Many
things that his cOuntrymen suppose they have
kept locked safely in the secret archives at home
he found were matters Of familiar comment to
his Russian friends. 1t is true that Mr. Cobbcd
is a confiding person. His accounts OF converse
tons with the Russian Co1sul-CeELral at KasA-
gar. and others, suggest that he is r-ady TO
swallow whatever he is told Nevertheless
there is a good deal in his book that bears the
mark Of first hand investigation, and We are
grateful for his clear statement Of existing
conditions. We hear q great deal OF vague Tax
about the English and Russians in the East
Here is book which shows them exactly
they are, the British hardwOrking and humane
preferring the light; the Russians working also
with vengeance, but careless Of humanity and
preferrinS. the whole. the UNDERGROUND and
dubious methods which have for S. many cen
turtles been characteristic of the lIuscoyite