OUR INDIAN POSITION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 262, 10 May 1878, Page 7

OUR INDIAN POSITION.

The number of British troops in India may be estimated as follows : British soldiers, 60,000 ; other British born subjects, 70,000 ; in all 130,000 men in 240,000,000 inhabitants of India. A very high military authority, commenting on this, writes as follows : — " I look upon our position in India as most critical, and if Russia ever made a serious advance we should in all probability be turned out before she arrived at the Gates of the Empire. We are doing nothing to improve our communications with our Eastern possessions ; but Eussia is pushing forward, a rail between Tiflis and Teheran, which will be carried on to Herat which latter valley will then form a new base of attack. To meet this we ought to push on to the head of the Persian Gulf by the Valley of the Euphrates ; but the power of doing this will have passed away, when Armenia, forms part of the Eussian Empire, which it is about to do with the sanction of England so far as I can see." Another authority adds :: — • To me Armenia appears at least half of the Eastern Question, on account of our through express route to India being to Constantmoplo by existing railways across Europe. Constantinople through Anatolia to Diarbekir and Mosul, and skirting the hills — say 100 to 150 feet above the plain — on left hunk of the Tlgv is, to Bussorah ; thence by steamer in, meantime in 84 to 87 hours to Kuracliee — later by railway throughout. A branch railway from Alexandretta (Scanderoon) by Aleppo to join main line between Mosul and Diarbekir. Mosul appears to be only 350 to 400 feet above the sea, about 500 miles distant as the crow flies, showing how very level that country is." For the moment the most prompt and practicable method of effectively securing a speedy route to India is the obtaining a territorial inteiest in the Suez Canal, either alone or jointly with France. A pamphlet is about to be published on this subject, which from the proof we have seen is well worthy of the serious consideration of both English and French Governments. — Home Paper.