The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1887. PLOTTING AGAIN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1447, 4 January 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1887. PLOTTING AGAIN.

While with one hand ready to snatch the cheitnnts out of the fire that is fast kindling m Central Europe, Russia keeps the other ready for any convenient piece of pilfering that may present itsolf farther East. Scraps of novrs which find tbslr way into print from time to time, if carefully pieced together suffice to show clearly that this arch-schemer among nation? is busy plotting again, and the object of her plotting is no: such as England can afford t? look upon with Indifference. For, that, if opportunity serve, she means to creep nearer and nearer to our Indian possessions, upon which she will inevitably sooner or later encroach, is evident to the most parless reader of the signa of the times. Her emissaries are unceasingly at work among the native peoples, and It was not for mere amazement that her sp'es, disguised as merchants, were caught the other day mapping out the mountain paanea wit hi a view to dlncover the most praotloable route for an Incursion intc British territory. That was another eigniSoant item wh'Oh reached us later, Intimating Russia's displeasure with the Ameer of Bokhara because of his refusal to accept of the rervices of Russian officers m the army if that piii'.c'p 'iy. and emphasis is given to the preiiio'ir.n that Rtmia meant mischief by the further intelligence that no has been ■ endeavoring to nesot'jte for the cession of Herat m exchange for other territory offered to Afghanistan, All these things together are indabitable evidence that ■he still looks with a covetous eye toirardn India, and are a plain intima tion that the day will ' come when Ruisla and England will be engaged In a fierce contest for preosdenoe m Asia, Qu ; te possibly tho straggle may come much earlier than Englishmen expect, and if war break out m Kuropo and England become involved, this may be the signal for Ransia's ondeavour to grasp the pr'a^ which she has so long coveted In any cose It will be well that the British lion should sleep with hia eyes open, if, m such times as these, he can afford to sleep at all, and now if at any juncture m our history it is abor* all things necbHflarr that too shou'd hold ounelvos m rettdiness to meet a* y emergency however great. We | iKta that msuy of the leading journal* et Home and abroad are prophoayiDg pence, but, m our opinion, tbe~e can be no assured peace while so mat.y millions of men are k«»pl by the Great Powers m constant readiness for * or. Liuccd, the whole civilised world — what a commentary en civilisation !— is at this moment liko.a vast powder mtg»z ? ne, needing only a sp»rk to produce a tremendous exp'ojioa. And w-.i may be well easured that the spark will fall ere long, and when it does tbere must be a Bin»sh»up p.orne where. RuEsia kmwa it, a- d ift planning for U, because she hopes to pick up oome of tha pieces. Let us hopa she will find them too hot to hold.