Lord Lawrence has addressed a long and valuable letter to
the Times, protesting against the recent change of policy upon the Indian North-west Frontier. He disapproves the occupation of Quettah, twenty-five miles beyond the Bolan Pass, on the ground that the place is useless, unless we intend a forward movement to Candahar and Herat, which he strongly deprecates. It would bitterly irritate all Afghans, be excessively expensive, and alienate the minds of all the native troops employed. No revenue is to be obtained from Afghanistan, the occupation of the country would require 30,000 troops, and after all, it is more than doubtful, in the opinion of the best military experts, whether such an outpost would be more defensible in the case of an attack from Russia than our present frontier. There would always be a risk that the wild tribes of the hills would fall on our communications. It is not probable that Lord Lawrence has taken the trouble to write a letter of three columns without being pretty well aware that there was a necessity for it, • but he does not express any apprehension of immediate action. He only fails to see, if action is not imminent, what is the good of Quettah.
Previous page
