THE AFFGHAN FRONTIER QUESTION

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1989, 7 April 1885, Page 3

THE AFFGHAN FRONTIER QUESTION

Tin: Cnil a # ul Military Gazette icmaiks — " Panjdeh, iiii unpoitant stiiite_jka position 1101 th of Hi-i.it, ",;it only s,i\(jil the othei day, from Russian occupatioi l>y timely leuifoi cements sent by tin AlFghan Genual at Bala Muiglmb Although the Juuinal do .St. Petusluii) m.i> (U-piocfite t!ie uiNconstiuctiou ot tlw English Pret,s with ltgaid to Russiai policy «n Centi.il Asia, we may safely assume th it Russia will annex, moieoi less founally and completely, evei^ inch of ground in Central Aku not defended and safcguaided bj England. Whether she will ne\l attack India must depend 01 the facilities which we leave opei for such an attack. These facilities) wil be greater or less in propoition to om foresight in laying down the line b^yonri which Russia tmy not ad\anee without our declining war, and to the strength ol our incisuies fot defending this, line Let us (list take things as they are, ami assume that the Delimitation Committee lavs flown a line of fientier following the eoui«e of the Ovus, from its 'high moun tarn ciadle in Panicre'to Kho-lja Selah, and from Kliodja Selah to Scrr.ikhs, 01 home point on the IVjend south of Scrrakhs. Lit us suppose, again, that the Butish Government claims that this is the line bejond which Russian influence must not ad\ance. What will happen when Russia conceives that the time has come for hi caking through this birrier, with a view of unbatrassing us w tide she i\ playiiu her game in Asia Minor o- Euiopiau Turitcy? We may hcpuie tint some time would be chosen when wo had tionbles in hand elsewhere ; say in the Soudan 01 in China What would Russia's power of offence be then ? To boyin w ith, unless Eiijlis-h officers were stationed jn North west Afghanistan, Russia could, under favourable eiicti instances, occupy Heiat befoie we Knew anything of the move, sive perhaps f>r uneeitain inmouis. Merv •md Striakhs wcie occupied with the same seuet celentj . But the :iewb that it had come to pass, leached us only nftci the fact had been accomplished ; and veiy much the Fame thing might happen in the case of Herat. Fiom Sviiakhs the Uussians could reach Herat, march ing in force, within little over a toit night. Simultaneous movements might be made on BalMi and Cliittrnl, both of which positions might, like Heiat, be seized before a British force could even be placed in Kandahar. These movo incuts aie peifectly feasible. With Herat, Ru-iS'a's couimnnicitions could be quickly perfected by pu.shing on the tiaiH-Caspian railway. Fiom Balkh a'i at my could advance on Cabul, reaching the Ameer's capi tal in less than six weeks. From Chittral, Russia would mtiiguc with Kashmir and the tribes diiectly on our north-west frontier. Holding then these positioi a, she would be able to insist on a rectification of the Affghnn frontier, and England would have to recognise Herat, and probably Affghan Turkestan as a Russian province. However much we might confide in the goodwill and fail promises of Holy Russia, it is obvious that if Herat is allowed to become a Russian ptov ince, our defences must be made btionger than they ate now. Would it be better to wait till our Russian friends got near us '! Competent authoi Itks ieekon that if Russia gets Heiat the European army in India must be in ciea>ed by one-fouith, and the native aimy stiengfhened piopoitionately It, would be louud neces s aiy to occupy Kandah.ii. E\en a Libeial Covernimnt, we rirmly believe, would bo driven t<> occupy Kaudahai wcie the Russians in Huat, if not Ohunzi and Cabul to boot. We should want 10,000 men at least to hold Kandahai ; and a Juige foice would liaxe to be kept in readiness to meet a possible advance fiom Heiat via Fnrrah. And while we are watching the Kandahar gate to India, we may be suuth.it Ru%ia would be threatening us, with moie or less leal purpose, fiom the diiection ot Cabul and Chi' tral. That an activ e policy is needed we fully believe. Eveiy elFoit should be undo to render it impossible for Russia to reach Herat, and put a stop, once for all, to her intrigues in Jl'ghnnistun. It should be tjeneially recognised that a Russian occupation of Heiat, and of Balkh and Chittral, would be a seuous blow to our piestige and influence in the East ; and it is high time to stite clcaily and emphatically England's determination that the Stites of Affghan, Turkestan, Usbeg though they may be, ought never to he allowed to fall under the dominion of Russia."

A u\ m,y correspondence is going on in one of the Liverpool papers on the undying subject of servants and mis-tn-s^i's. As a matter of course, each paity represents itself as immaculate, nnil the other as \ery much the reserse, and nil tho stereotyped chaises are bandied about ■with infinite zest. Tl.e one new feature is to find M.ny Ann makui" fiank confession of what in foimer tunes would have been considered serious oliences, butwhiihehe now icg.irded as well within her lights. A lady lia\ ing compliiin-d that one of her servants wab guilty of bonouing her bonnets without leave, a cook wiites to say that she heiself had often done the same. What else can be expected, she indignantly demands, when wages are so low that servant j cannot afford to wear nice bonnet* of their own ? Besides, the boi rowed ones ar* generally "only home made things," and not woith making ,\ fuss about. This spirited damsel fuither says that she has sttuck against caps and npions, that she goes out what she feels inclined, and that it is her intention to g<t ail she can and do as little as prssible in letiun. Another pioud maiden reminds the •• missuases " that housemaids are of quito a superior sort to genet al servants and must be treated accordingly. She herself has literal y accjinplishinents ami can pl,iy the piano. Hut, owing to the work required to her, she is debaired from improving her musical education except when the family are away. So far she had felt necessary to submit to mistress tyranny, but she protests vehemently that nothing would e\er induce her to alow herselt to be called by any other appellation than the " nice name " to which she has a legal right.