ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN INTERESTS IN AFGHANISTAN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 363, 14 January 1880, Page 2

ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN INTERESTS IN AFGHANISTAN.

The Gobs, of St Petersburg, in a leading article, speaking of the plan proposing to split up Afghanistan into several independent territorial according to which Herat would remain under its present ruler, Ayonb Khan, and Candahar and Candahar and Cabul remain for an indefinite period in the hands of the English, describes the scheme as ingenious, as the British hope by these : means to extend, their influence over the remaining Afghau territory right up to the frontiers of Bokhara, or, in other words, to the line of the famous agreement of 1869. The Golos adds:-" If an attempt should be made to carry out this new political combination, Russia.could not remain a passive spectator. By the spirit of the agreement mentioned above, England "has no right to extend her influence over the' whole of Afghanistan, and destroy the neutral zone defined by that agreement. If Cabul and Candahar are occupied by English troops the Russian Government must take measures that the Northern Territory of Afghanistan extending to Bokhara should come within the sphere of her influence on the self-same,condi-tions that Herat comes within the.sphere of English influence. If the British Government think to deprive Russia of this right, it will be necsesary to raise the question whether the Russian Government can allow this plan for the division of Afghanistan. Within the confines of Russian Central Asian Territory lives a member of the Afghau dynasty who is directly, interested in such a, division not taking place. If the English consider that they have no successor to the Ameer who has thus abdicated, Abdurahman may with perfect justice put forth his claim to the Afghan Throne, to which he has an undoubted dynastic right, To place any obstacle in the way of his doing this would be uncalled for, and in all probability would not be done. It is well understood in London and Siraly that without the consent of Russia, the Afghan Question cannot be settled in the sense so frankly indicated in the telegram above referred to. One of two things—either Afghanistan must remain, as formerly, a neutral zone between Russian Turkestan and the English possessions, or for every acquisition made by England on her side of the Hindu Koosh she must make concessions, if not directly in favor of Russian, in favor of those Asiatic rulers friendly to her, and who exist under her influence"