has, in the person of our illustrious ruler, found its first and principal representative here on earth.The league of universal peace is solely due to His Majesty, and if we are called upon to present to our gracious Lord and Master our humble proposals for combating the danger which immediately menaces our country, all our deliberations should be inspired by that spirit which animates the Christian law of brotherly love."Grand Duke Michael raised his hand in interruption."Alexander Nicolaievitch," he said, turning to the Secretary, "do not omit to write down this last sentence WORD FOR WORD."The Secretary of State made a short pause, only to continue with a somewhat louder voice and in a more emphatic tone--"No especial assurance is required that, in view of this, our noble liege lord's exalted frame of mind, a breach of the world's peace could not possibly come from our side.But our national honour is a sacred possession, which we can never permit others to assail, and the attack which Japan has made upon us in the Far East forced us to defend it sword in hand.There is not a single right-minded man in the whole world who could level a reproach at us for this war, which has been forced upon us.But in our present danger a law of self-preservation impels us to inquire whether Japan is, after all, the only and the real enemy against whom we have to defend ourselves; and there are substantial reasons for believing that this question should be answered in the negative.His Majesty's Government is convinced that we are indebted for this attack on the part of Japan solely to the constant enmity of England, who never ceases her secret machinations against us.It has been England's eternal policy to damage us for her own aggrandisement.All our endeavours to promote the welfare of this Empire and make the peoples happy have ever met with resistance on the part of England.From the China Seas, throughout all Asia to the Baltic, England has ever thrown obstacles in our way, in order to deprive us of the fruits of our civilising policy.No one of us doubts for a moment that Japan is, in reality, doing England's work.Moreover, in every part of the globe where our interests are at stake, we encounter either the open or covert hostility of England.The complications in the Balkans and in Turkey, which England has incited and fostered by the most despicable methods, have simply the one object in view--to bring us into mortal conflict with Austria and Germany.Yet nowhere are Great Britain's real aims clearer seen than in Central Asia.With indescribable toil and with untold sacrifice of treasure and blood our rulers have entered the barren tracts of country lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian, once inhabited by semibarbarous tribes, and, further east again, the lands stretching away to the Chinese frontier and the Himalayas, and have rendered them accessible to Russian civilisation.But we have never taken a step, either east or south, without meeting with English opposition or English intrigues.To-day our frontiers march with the frontier of British East India, and impinge upon the frontier of Persia and Afghanistan.We have opened up friendly relations with both these states, entertain close commercial intercourse with their peoples, support their industrial undertakings, and shun no sacrifice to make them amenable to the blessings of civilisation.Yet, step by step, England endeavours to hamper our activity.British gold and British intrigues have succeeded in making Afghanistan adopt a hostile attitude towards us.We must at last ask ourselves this question: How long do we intend to look on quietly at these undertakings? Russia must push her way down to the sea.Millions of strong arms till the soil of our country.We have at our own command inexhaustible treasures of corn, wood, and all products of agriculture; yet we are unable to reach the markets of the world with even an insignificant fraction of these fruits of the earth that Providence has bestowed, because we are hemmed in, and hampered on every side, so long as our way to the sea is blocked.
Our mid-Asiatic possessions are suffocated from want of sea air.
England knows this but too well, and therefore she devotes all her energies towards cutting us off from the sea.With an insolence, for which there is no justification, she declares the Persian Gulf to be her own domain, and would like to claim the whole of the Indian Ocean, as she already claims India itself, as her own exclusive property.This aggression must at last be met with a firm 'Hands off,' unless our dear country is to run the risk of suffering incalculable damage.It is not we who seek war; war is being forced upon us.As to the means at our disposal for waging it, supposing England will not spontaneously agree to our just demands, His Excellency the Minister of War will be best able to give us particulars."He bowed once more to the Grand Dukes and resumed his seat.The tall, stately figure of the War Minister, Kuropatkin, next rose, at a sign from the President, and said--"For twenty years I served in Central Asia and I am able to judge, from my own experience, of our position on the south frontier.In case of a war with England, Afghanistan is the battle-ground of primary importance.Three strategic passes lead from Afghanistan into India: the Khyber Pass, the Bolan Pass, and the Kuram Valley.
When, in 1878, the English marched into Afghanistan they proceeded in three columns from Peshawar, Kohat, and Quetta to Cabul, Ghazni, and Kandahar respectively.These three roads have also been laid down as our lines of march.Public opinion considers them the only possible routes.It would carry me too far into detail were I to propound in this place my views as to the 'pros and cons' of this accepted view.In short, we SHALL find our way into India.
