The Conquest of Europe.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 104, 6 May 1904, Page 4

The Conquest of Europe.

Ef; In the archives of the Palace of K'-'Fetcrbofl, near St. Petersburg, there K'% lies one of the most remarkable docIck unients ever penned. This is nothsX Ing more nor less than a plan for §• the Russian conquest of Europe, ~ drawn up by the hand of Peter the Great, and bequeathed by him in The K« form of a testament to his succesW sors. It was reproduced thirty fSfj. years ago by a Guernsey paper, and, 'jfc'j jn ihe light of , present day events, &_- contains much interesting reading. In SS. the first clause Peter gives the lolyi- lowing counsel :—"Keep the Russian K". nation in a constant state of warfc"'* like readiness, and the soldier preS pared for battle and warlike aetivt Uv , choose the most opportune moW ments for aggression, and thus make s?* peace serve the ends of war. and war V s promote the objects of peace, in the i. interest of the aggrandisement and ft growing prosperity of ltussiu." Set* condly, he urges llussia to gather to- | gether, during peace, learned men % from the several most intelligent nags tlons of Europe, that the Russian fr" nation may prulit by the advance of V. other countries. In the third clause t he advises Ministers' to mix thelitis selves on all occasions in the negotiations and disagreements of the peo- £,' pic of Europe, and, above all, those f of Germany, which, from its geof' graphical nosition, interests her more I immediately. Then follow instructions for the subjugation of Poland, V which conclude with the craft sug- ,', gostion that, if the neighbouring j" Powers oppose difficulties they jj,> should be soothed for a time by apiHj portioning shares in such a manner K that the gift may be revoked. "Take fc the most you can from Sweden, and cause her to attack you, which will igt, give you the pretext for subjugating te 1 her Iti wil) Tserve this view tip ifeot-' late her from Denmark, and Denmark from Sweden, and to foster carefully f their rivalry." With regard to Engs land, Peter counsels his country to * cultivate alliance with us in commer§JL cial matters in preference to all oth- ?£ ers • The next advice tendered to [ Russia is significant :—"Encroach as ¥t' far as possible in the direction of r~ Constantinople and the Indies. lie J Who reins there will be the true ruler *. of tire world. To work this out raise jji wars continually—at one time af , gainst Turkey, at another against W Persia ; hasten the decay of Persia, w' and penetrate to the Persian Gull' ; gU establish, if possible, via Syria, the j& ancient commune of the East, and 5 push onwards to the Indies, which jj . are the entrepot of the world. Once §~ there, you need not fear the gold of jjK England. Sweden dismembered, Pcr!F' sia vanquished, Polaud subjugated, i '~, Turkey conquered, our armies conM centrated, the Black Sea and the Balvf° tic swept by our fleet, and secretly, k ' first to the Court of Versailles, and If then to that of Vienna, to share with fe them the empire of the world." Pet- |- er then explains that, if cither of |\, these Powers fall into the schenie.the | '- other can be conquered easily, and, fa- having done this, the new ally is to aC be promptly crushed, leaving Russia <■ in possession of all the East, and the f major part of Europe. Finally, PetP cr the Great's remarkable testament n concludes by advising Russia, in the 6 event of both Powers refusing the <.f]F' fer of Russia, to excite quarrels be- £>' iwecn them, and make one exhaust jf s the other :—"Then, seizing a decisive V-" i moment, Russia will pour down her & armi*. already concentrated, on Gery many, and, at the same moment, two '&' immense fleets of transports, the one J. sailing from the Sea of Azov, the fe' other from the port of Archangel, it " loaded with Asiatic hordes, under the £ convoy of the armed squadrons of at - the Black and Baltic Seas. AdvancK ing along the Mediterranean and by V the. Atlantic, they, will overwhelm i' France on the one hand, while Germany will be overrun on the other. & and, these two countries conquered, the rest of Europe will pass easily and unresistingly under the yoke. '. Thus may, and should, Europe be * conquered." Such is a general outs' line of the plan which Russia receivn ed from the greatest of her rulers ', for the subjugation of the Continent.