'Journal of a Journey from Persia to India through Herat and Candahar. Also Report of a Journey to the Wahebee Capital of Riyadh in Central Arabia' [‎64v] (128/268)

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rah Districts, it is practicable for an army to march from Teheran
and Ashrabad by direct routes, concentrating at Ghaynoror, Beer-
joon, and thence debouching on Furrah; this District should, on
political considerations alone, be at once restored to its original
Government, Herat; the rather so, because the recent careful sur
veys of Monsieur Khanikoff’s Mission over all the tracts lying
between the Seistan Lake and Kuiman on the south, and the line
of road running from Teheran to Herat on the north, show that
the attention of Russia is turned in that direction. While in the
event of an expedition being planned by that route, it could doubt
less be carried into effect; would isolate
rate Memorandum on M. Herat, would reach Caudaliai by the
Khanihotrs proceedings. s h or t e st lines, and would perhaps find
that in Candahar, it possessed the most central position for do
minating the numerous Passes which lead from Afghanistan down
into Sind and the Punjaub.
But if, as I incline to believe, the present available power of
Russia is not imminently dangerous to your Lordship's empire,
while the power of Persia for independent aggression is effete ;
and if, as I further incline to believe, that from the period of the
mutiny, the British Government in India has gradually ceased to
be in the nature of a trust, and has become a rule of self-sustain
ing force, ready indeed to accept good-will when it may be forth
coming, but prepared also to coerce when good-will may be
wanting, then, upon such premises it would, in my judgment, follow
that our policy above the Passes may be confined to less decisive
measures, and that our Frontier defence might be regulated by
maxims enumerable somewhat as follows :—
Is/.—To concentrate our means and energies upon the
establishment of the Frontier itself, as it lies below the
mountains along the right bank of the Indus, between
Peshawur and Kurrachee, neither encroaching nor yielding
one inch of ground.
2nd .—That the measures carried into effect for the establish
ment should be indeed defensive; but conceived and
executed in the spirit of self-conscious strength, providing