The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1885.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 121, 28 March 1885, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1885.

- ' War with Russia

The prospect of a war between England and Russia appears to become . more gloomy every hour that passes. The preparations being made by England point to the fact that although Mr G-adstoke may " prate of peace," yet his Ministry are showing more activity in putting the army and navy j establishments on a warlike footing j than might have been expected from the bungling inertness they have displayed in the past. In India a reserve force of twenty thousand men is te be mobilised, and it is expected that Major-General the Duke of Connaught will take command. It goes without saying that the latter, who is utterly inexperienced as a soldier, and ignorant of generalship in action, will be only the commander in name, as a prudent " nurse " will be at his elbow to keep him out of harm's way or prevent bim making egregious blunders which might entail much unnecessary loss of valuable lives. Some real General — moet likely General Sir Donald M. Stewart— will be the fighting chief should war actually commence. To this end everything points. In the House of Commons the other day Mr Gladstone said that Earl Granville, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, had addressed an important communication to Russia, and that it waa expected the answer would determine whether negotiations between the Powers would take place in London, or whether the Afghan frontier delimitation would be settled by a local commission, as desired by the British Government. Pending this reply, both nations are gathering together their forces and showing by their every action a positive eagerness to bring the question to a bloody issue. It appears as if the two nations were but puppets, whose limbs are werked by diplomatic strings in the hands of men who, to gratify their own ambition in the case of England, and to destract the attention of the suffering masses, who are on the brink of Anarchism, in that of Russia, will direct their armies and navies to join in their mutual destruction, costing millions of lives and millions of treasure, all supplied by ' the lower classes, ' ' or in other words, the producers of the national wealth. It iB possible that the English Ministry may have secret information of the intentions of Russia which it would be impolitic to make pubUo hy informing the House of Commons, and if these intentions indicate further encroachment on the Indian frontier, then they are right in causing , as , much delay as possible before declaring war, in order that every precaution may be taken which is permitted by the inexorable ohstruetaveneu of red tape and official sluggishness; Russia has ' always looked! forward to the tjme when s^e would meet England on an Indian battle field. That that liihe has nearly : y ■■ ■ :■. ■ ) •.• < j •:•■;( :, • ', „ ' * arrived appears tooy certain and if by diplomatic arrangements it be poitpone^'iret it must always be looked forward to as inevitable. Qjir, greatest hope ie in the poverty of Russia at the present tittle, but on the other hand we have., pur fears thai the wealth to be gained by the conquest of the British in 1 India will prove an if resisttemptation to the most grasping nation in the -world. In conclusion. i * we may qiiiote a few figures significant aa to the material effect of the CrimfeaA War on the trade and commerce pf Russia. , In _he year 1853 the expoijts of Russia (in Europe) amounted in value to £22,000,000; . in 1864 they fell to £8,776,000; and in 1855 to £4,618,000. The imports in 1853 were in Value £14,295,000 ; in 1854 only £8*699,000. Tiie progress towards financial and commercial ruin wds rapid. Russia surely will not be in' a hurry to repeat such experiences, un*lees forced on by the pressure frofcn within her o^ifn borders by ttye Anarchists and Nihijist^ . whose , machinations may compel the Government to seek war to distract the masses from rebellion. .... 7 _ m^^^^^^^ m^^ d^ i ... „ .