‘The strategic importance of the Euphrates valley railway’ [‎36] (47/204)

36
her weakness. While we may give her all possible credit for
speaking what she intended at the time, still it cannot be
denied that she has been forced to act in a very different
manner. I believe it is more or less the mission of Russia to
advance east and absorb the Tartar tribes of Asia; and so long
as she keeps within bounds, and her acts do not really inter
fere with our vital interests, I am not one of those who would
urge constant irritating prying and interference with what
they may consider necessary for their own authority, or the
preservation of the interests and lives of Russian subjects in
those wild regions. Besides this, as we cannot by interference
there prevent what they are doing, it is more dignified and
wiser for a great nation like England, however much she may
disapprove of what she sees going on, to preserve a solemn
silence; and I strongly object to any line of policy which
might seem to endorse or countenance any advance of Russia
or aggression of Russia among the fanatical Mahomedan
tribes of those regions.
Russian advance in Central Asia is nothing new, it has
been long going on ; but to use the argument so often heard
when questions of this sort arise to disturb the digestions of
people in Westminster, " Oh, it is so far off; it can't come in
our time: why should we bother ourselves about it?" .&c.
Central Asia was not only far off, but few people knew, or
cared to know, much about it; and when we see how a dis
cussion on our Indian Empire will clear the benches of the
House of Commons, I suppose we must not be surprised if
there is apathy shown about doings in a country which they
cannot see concerns us—at all events now, and the very
existence of which they were almost ignorant of. The
Russians knew this, and made little noise about their advance
in those countries, their constant assertion being that they
had already far too much territory—it was a source of weak
ness to them—and that their orders to their generals, &c., in
Central Asia were, on no account to increase their territory.
But one thing is certain: if a nation commits itself to an
advance in a country like Asia, be it Turkestan or India, you
can no more say, " So far will I go, and no further," than tiy.
You cannot stop until you have a really well-defined military