‘The strategic importance of the Euphrates valley railway’ [‎5] (16/204)

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of the Eussian troops, lie was more than ever forced to con
tinue the struggle. If for a moment Mr. Gladstone's proposal
for a special vote for the conveyance of the guards to Turkey
convinced him we had taken the matter au strieux, and caused
him to pause, his apprehensions were soon removed, for a
few lines further he saw that a sum was asked, not only for
the conveyance of the troops to the seat of war, but also for
their conveyance home again. Naturally, the Czar thought the
whole affair beneath contempt, and was more than ever con
vinced that we did not intend seriously to interfere with his
projects. And, indeed, how could the commander of the
largest army in Europe imagine that England seriously
thought that the military promenade of a handful of troops
in Turkey would stop him (the Czar) doing what he chose,
and for which he had been long preparing. Those men in
this country who allow the position of England to be lowered
in the eyes of Europe by their miserable time-serving, un-
statesmanlike conduct, prepare for us a fearful day of reckon
ing ; when we no longer hold that place among the Powers of
Europe to which we are entitled by our history, our position,
our wealth, and power, we shall have questions which greatly
affect our interests decided without our opinion being asked,
and it will eventually oblige us to re-assert ourselves as our
forefathers had to do before us, by force of arms. It was not
by such narrow-minded, selfish conduct (for statesmanship I
will not call it) that the England we are all so proud of
became what she is. Such men as these never conquered the
I ndian Empire, or took and defended Gibraltar against the
united arms of France and Spain for nigh a century. These
men never had the far-seeing energy to people the vast
continents of America and Australia with the Anglo-Saxon
Colonies. Such small minds never pushed our commerce
into the ports of China and Japan, or explored the vast
regions of Africa and Asia, unknown hitherto to civilization.
No, these men would retire from the great position our grand
old British pluck, whether in arms or commerce, has won for
us, they would give up India, they would leave our loyal
Canadian brothers to shift for themselves and force them to
become Yankees hon gri, mal grt. They would let Russia