RUSSIA'S CHANGE OF ROUTE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10060, 11 June 1898, Page 6

RUSSIA'S CHANGE OF ROUTE.

Fob generations the course of Eussia's conquest was towards India. Twenty years ago she was within striking distance, and Britain began a long series of preparations and defences. There were wars to compel the alliance of Afghanistan and to secure a " scientific frontier." Tho taming and pensioning of the tribes in the vicinity of the practicable passes, and the making of roads and railways have been the constant task and burden of AngloIndian policy. The coat of this policy has been about one hundred millions sterling to India. The effect of it was to dam up the Russian flood till it found vent in the Far East. That flood has already swept over Manchuria with its twenty millions of industrious people, and has entered the great Chinese depression,', where, unless again dammed up, it may find an outlet for generations. Eussia has simply taken the line of least resistance, and will spend her energies where the investment is likely to be the most profitable, She has no liking for war with a first class power, so long as her ends can be gained by other means. That is perfestly natural. The question for the British is, how the Russian change of route affects them. This brings into view several new considerations. First of all it is probable that the strain on India is relieved for the present. The hundred millions spent on the defence of the N.W. frontier, however, are not lost. Quite the contrary, they have practically secured their object. Ths Indian hedge was too high, so the

Russian huntsman rode east till'he found a gap in a neighbour's fence. This prospective relief to India is a British gain, because it will lessen discontent, and give loyalty & chanoe to grow; for the burden has been great, and has provoked many complaints. Intelligent Indians, and many others, have held that the vast frontier expenditure was an Im. perial rather than a purely Indian concern. Bβ that as it may, a respite will afford an opporounity for internal development, which will moan in. creased powor to bear some future strain.

Another aspeot of the case is that, until her latest move, Russia was practically an inland power, in. vulnerable to Britain. She had the advantage of the attack, and kept her rival on the defensive. But now she has come to the China Sea and become a naval power. Thig lays her open to a new kind of attack, and must put a serious additional strain on her resources foe the maintenance of a navy. There is also to be noted the fact that formerly Russia was face to face with India alone. Now she confronts not only the British Empire, but Japan, Germany, and in fact the civilised world. British interests, however, must rely on British protection. Those interests in the Far East are less than they are in India, but are still of first rate importance. No doubt it appears to rival nations that, in the partition of Asia, England has already secured an ample slice. If what remains were divided among the other applicants, the British would still have the lion's share. They cannot, however, take that view. The moment they submit to encroachment their empire will begin to wane. They desire no territory in China, but they already have the bulk of the trade of that crumbling country. This they must protect, not only for all it is worth, but for all they are worth. The charges of the new field of operations cannot be levied upon India. Here we have another new condition. Those charges must be paid by Britain herself or by the Empire as a whole. Potentialities of new departures on which it is needless to speculate lie hidden here. One thing is certain,' however, and that is that Australasia has a great interest in the question, and may, therefore, one day be expected to be more than a spectator. On the whole, it seems that Russia has rendered herself more vulnerable than she was a few months ago. She has changed one rival for several, and they can now threaten attack and compel her to spend her energies, as India has been compelled to do, in defensive measures. It thus appears that her much vaunted triumph may prove a serious blunder.