NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9787, 6 April 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

We da not know how far the reported agreement between England and Russia respecting their different spheres in Central Asia, which was recently announced on the authority of the London Standard, can be accepted as true. That some understanding has been arrived at is likely enough, and the probability is that when its terms come to be carefully examined by competent critics it will be found that Russia has contrived to improve her position in Central Asia. There if*, however, no chance now of her obtaining a footing in Chitral. Circumstances have forced England against her will to send a military expedition to that country, and we cannot conceive of any English statesman who would be guilty of the culpable folly of abandoning the advantages which the British forces must gain in tins end. " The valley of Obibral," says Mr. IS,, F. Knight in that most interesting book, " Where Three Empires Meet," "should bo completely under our control, for it commands some of the lowest and easiest passes across the Hindoo Koosh, and affords a ready road bo India from Bokhara via Badakshan. It is known that the Russian military authorities consider this a favourable route for the invasion of India. It avoids the great natural difficulties presented by the lofty and inhospitable Pamirs, and there is an easy caravan road running direct from Chitral

to Peshawur. The town of Chifcral itselfia" situated at the junction of several valleys leading to the very passes which an invader would h»v# to attempt, commanding them all." That- Mr. Knight's statement of Russian. opinion was correct i* confirmed" by a Russian paper, the Svet, which barely three years ago . pointed oat that if Russia held* the passes leading to Ohltral her troops would only have to march some 250. miles, along n good route, to enter Cashmere, and that their entry into which country would be the signal for a formidable insurrection against the British throughout India. It strongly urged the Russian Government to place Chritral under Its protection, and hoist the Russian flag on the passes before Great Britain hoisted the English colours. There was a time when that might have been done without provoking any serious opposition from the British authorities. That time, however, has fortunately passed. Mr. W, T. Stead, in addition to being ft "good man," is a staunch Radical, ao that when he declares that the prospects of the present ruling party at home are decidedly gloomy, we who stand afar off from the battlefield may accept his statement as that of an impartial judge, In reviewing the lessons of the recess he note., firstly, that Rord Rosebery'B crusade against the Second Chamber " has fallen absolutely flat j" and secondly, that the Ministry has lost ground. He says :—" The three successive elections, Forfarshire, Brigg, and Evesham; where Colonel Long increased very considerably the Conservative majority, have driven this conviction homeL even to the optimists amongst us. It is no doubt very pervert In ' typical constituencies in Scotland, in eastern and western England, all to show a tendency of cooling off in the enthusiasm of their Liberalism, but they have done it, and the three-fold portent is accepted as indicating unmistakably the political sentiments of the community. If the Liberals were able to hold their own a!) a general election, they would be no better off thau they are to-day. Ib is necessary, if they would carry out their programme of Home Rule, Disestablishment, etc., that they should come back to power with a swinging majority. Unfortunately, the swing of the pendulum has gone in the other direction." Mr. Stead is wise enough to recognise that John Bull has bad enough of heroic legislation, and that he is in no mood for any more just now. The old gentleman cannot stand as much of it as his young and vigorous offspring in New —although even here there are unmistakable symptoms of nausea. He is tired, and wants a, rest. That means he wants the Conservatives back again in power. -

The Australian tour of the English cricketers has now concluded, and England retains her position as mistress of the world of cricket. It is generally admitted that the trial of strength of the present season has proved perhaps the most interesting in the annals of the great national game, and it is understood that the matches as a whole have been a financial success. However, it is hardly wise to lay too much stress upon this aspect, as there can be little doubt that the tendency of late years to give undue prominence to the commercial view of our athletic sports has seriously injured their usefulness as factors in the moral and physical development of the race, The vast crowds that assembled to witness the great test matches must have been gratifying to the players and to those who were responsible for the finances of the tour but the growing custom of the few splendid professional, or semi-professional, experts playing for the amusement of the many spectators tends to discount the claims of cricket and football as national pastimes. Sports thatare truly national are surely those in which the people as a whole take part, nob merely as interested spectators, but chiefly as players, who, by improving their powers of quickness and endurance and their physical strength generally, contribute very considerably to the building up of a healthy and well-developed race.

From the point of view of the scientific cricketer the tour of 1894-6 has certainly not been barren, but has many specially interesting features. There has been some very heavy scoring, both as far as the teams and the individual players are concerned, and many of the contests have been peculiarly exciting. More than •ncti has the old saying that "a game is never lost till it is won" been strikingly confirmed. Never before lias any series of test matches been more in tensely interesting, or fought out with sneh evenness and determination, and though it must be admitted that the best men won, young Australia need be neither disheartened nor ashamed at being defeated by th» motherland of cricket, and the country which has ever stood unrivalled in the game. The English papers have called attention to the number of colonial "colts" who have been brought out during the present season, such as Hill and the younger Trott, and who will have to be reckoned with in years to come; bub it must be remembered that the Old Land, with its numerous leisured class, its splendid cricket nurseries in th e great universities and public schools, and its immense population to choose from, must continue to be able to bring out more new players than Australia. Though the game has taken a wonderful hold upon Australia, and though the cornstalks" have proved themselves exponents of the game of the very first class, it cannot be doubted that the mother country remains unsurpassed, and could even place at least another team in the field equal to that captained by Mr. Stoddart. All other things being equal, the home team have always a very considerable advantage in a cricket match, and therefore the returning English team are all the more deserving of a generous recognition of their success.

Later news from Chifral shows that the Gordon Highlanders ak>d the Scottish Borderers carried the M&lakund Pass at the point of the bayonet. The Maxim &uns were used against the enemy with terrible effect. UmraKhan has imprisoned two British officers, and is-entrenching his troops at Mandar, where some severe fighting is likely to take place. A number of Russian officials,connected with thecanstruc. tion of the Siberian railway, are accused of extensive peculations. The Czar has ordered an inquiry. Venezuela is reported to be seeking an American protectorate. Oscar Wilde's libel action against the Marquis of Queensberry is leading to some astonishing revelations concerning the plaintiff's intimate relations with ft number of young mengentlemen's servants some of them —whose company besought, accord ing to his own account, because be found them " amusing." The defendant's counsel described them as being the moat immoral characters in London. The British Government hare decided to refuse to join Italy in an advance into the Soudan.