The Russian advance towards India : conversations with Skobeleff, Ignatieff, and other distinguished Russian generals and statesmen, on the Central Asian question

Front matter

A. P. THORNTON.

THE BESSIAN ADVANCE TOWAEDS INDIA

LONDON :

Preface

these extracts have been taken, it should be remembered that I should probably have exposed myself to a counter-charge of egotism in doing so. As it is, as the only current English writer on the Turcomans, I have had to speak so often of my own books that I can hardly hope to escape having this charge pressed against me.

With regard to the opinions expressed, it should be clearly understood that they are solely and exclusively my own, and are not put forward either on behalf of Mr. Joseph Cowen, M.P., or the Newcastle Daily Chronicle, This should be clear enough from the context, but I give prominence to this caution that there may be no doubt whatever upon the subject. At the same time, I would have it with equal clearness understood, that the opinions expressed are not merely the heedless and ephemeral views of an irresponsible journalist, but the deep convictions of one who is conscious that they may some day be called up against him in other spheres than that of journalism or literature.

Plumstead, Kent, June, 1882.

Chapter I. How The Journey To Russia Came To Be Undertaken

PAGE

General SkobelefFs speeches at Paris — Omission of English correspondents to interview him on the Central Asian Question — Enterprise of the Newcastle Daily Chronicle — Mr. Covven's decision to send a correspondent to Russia to interview him there — The origin of the map of the Russo-Persian frontier — Russia not wrong in annexing Akhal — Superfluous criticism of Mr. O'Donovau — Russophobes and Russophils— -A broad view of Imperialism— Councillor DavidofT's opinion of Russophobia — The Newcastle Chronicle and Prince Krapotkin — In advance of the Embassy — Suspicions of Nihilist intrigue — One effect of " Merv and the man-stealing Turcomans " — Davidoff's views on the Central Asian Question — Journey from London to St. Petersburg — The Skobeleff fever — Excitement at Berlin — Possibilities of a German invasion of Russia — Superiority of the German railways over those of France or Russia — German migration to Poland — Affluence on one side of the Russo-German frontier, poverty on the other— Luxurious travelling — " An Englishman or a lunatic" — Anxiety at the frontier — Troops guarding the line from Gatchina to St. Petersburg 1

X

Contents.

Chapter II. The Russian Foreign Office And Baron Osten-saken

PA

Interview with Baron Osten-Saken — Shabbiness of the Russian Foreign Office as compared with our own — My map already received from London — Personal appearance of Baron Osten-Saken and his present position at the Foreign Office — The map a good letter of introduction — Optimist tone of the Baron — Agrees with Councillor Davidoff in disbelieving that a junction will soon take place of the English and Russian empires in Central Asia — Decadence of the Central Asian agitation — The change of base of operations in Central Asia — His opinion of Sir Henry Rawlinson — The best-informed man in Russia as to the Perso-Turcoman region — The new frontier beyond the Caspian — Deep interest of M. de Giers in Persia — The Chinese barrier between Russia and India — Chinese assimilation of the Jews — Jewish outrages exaggerated — Sir Charles Dilke's declaration as to the recall of General Skobeleff from Geok Tepe — Skobeleff's journey home — Was Russia guilty of duplicity in annexing Akhal ? — Points for and against her — Yerdict

CHAPTER in.

THE " RUSSIAN BURNABY " AT HOME.

General Grodekoff's history of Skobeleff's siege of Geok Tepe — The Russian Burnaby and the English Burnaby compared — Grodekoff of nomad proclivities— Facts about Skobeleff's great siege — Russia never meant to occupy Merv in 1881, as repeatedly announced by O'Donovan — The alleged recall of Skobeleff in disgrace — Grodekoff against the annexation of Akhal — Merv not the key of Herat

Contents.

xi

— Change in the Bussian base of operations — Merv overrated — Arrival of the first Bussian caravan at Merv — Grodekoff not an astute man — A manufacturer of false Bussian news at Berlin — The new school of writers on Bussia — List of military officers acquainted with Bussian — Opinion of the United Service Gazette on the study of the Central Asian Question — The sack of Geok Tepe — Captain Butler's Allegation that he helped to fortify Geok Tepe — Grodekoff' s view of the railroad to India — Loss of guns at Geok Tepe — Grodekoff's opinion of General Boberts — The Bussian Burnaby an Anglophil— Bussian maps of Central Asia — One million maps in store ready for hostilities — The history of the Bussian corps of military topographers — The old processes of map-making and the new — Achievements of Bussian map-makers — Colonel Baker and the secret English maps — Grodekoff's map of his ride to Herat sold for fourpence halfpenny . . 39

CHAPTEB IV.

A DISCUSSION AT THE GENERAL STAFF OFFICE ON THE POSSIBILITY OF INVADING INDIA.

General Soboleff and the Asiatic department of the Bussian General Staff — His career and acquaintance with the Ameer Abdurrahman Khan — A review of his " Anglo- Afghan Conflict " — A Bussian staff officer on the war in Afghanistan — Our want of skill — Feebleness of the Indian army — Balkh to be a future outpost of Bussia — Bussian humanity and English cruelty in Central Asia — Soboleff on English inability to take Herat — Belative positions of the English and Bussian outposts in regard to the " Key of India " — Description of the General Staff — A Bussian official account of the last Afghan war — Enormous amount of English information on xii

Contents.

the subject — Eussia able to invade India — The map discussed — Russian concessions — Arrival of Colonel Stewart's map from England — English policy towards our travellers in Central Asia — The Conservatives as bad as the Liberals in their concessions to Russia — General Soboleffs opinion of English travellers in the East— Captain Butler the cause of the annexation of Askabad — Kaufmann's intended march on India in 1878 — The Oxus or the Hindoo Koosh as a frontier? — Discussion about Persia and Bokhara — TchernayefFs policy . . 60

CHAPTER V.

SKOBELEFF ON THE CENTRAL ASIA.N QUESTION AND A RUSSIAN ATTACK UPON INDIA.

Grodekoff's note to Skobeleff's adjutant — Ensign Abadzaeff and his share in the fighting at Geok Tepe — Numerous callers at Skobeleff's house — His military career — Seventy battles and sieges in nineteen years — Probability of his being the equal of Wellington

— Description of Skobeletf — His fascinating manners — His opinion of the annexation of Akhal

— Why he was recalled from Askabad — His view of the efficacy of slaughter — The massacre of the 8000 at Geok Tepe — The mowing down of women — Persian traffic in Turcoman girls — Skobeleff's criticism of the executions at Cabul— His opinion as to the different standards needed for soldiers and civilians — What he thinks of General Valentine Baker — An invasion of India not feasible— The difficulties explained — His opinion of the Afghans — The Central Asian Question all humbug — He would fight us at Herat — Russia has no desire to occupy Afghanistan — Captain Butler and Geok Tepe — Opinion of Maiwand — His art of war — His account of the battle of Makram — Twentv thousand

Contents.

men drowned like flies — Skobeleff's assurances regarding Central Asia — Skobeleff not the Russian Government ........

CHAPTEE VI.

THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON THE NEW RUSSO-PERSIAN CONVENTION.

A visit to M. de Giers — His personal appearance — The charges of evasion brought against him by the English press — Ignorance of the English Embassy at St. Petersburg — The best way to negotiate foreign affairs is to know nothing about them — Career of M. de Giers — His services — Opinion of the new frontier beyond the Caspian— Mr. Ashmead- Bartlett's Question in the House of Commons — The new Russo-Persian frontier a permanent one — The Atabai Yomood difficulty — Merv not likely to be annexed — Liberation of Kidaeff, the Russian captive at Merv — Opinion of M. de Giers of the situation in Central Asia — Russian influence in Khorassan and English influence in Afghanistan — The future of Bokhara — An interview with the Tsar impossible

CHAPTER VII.

GENERAL TCHERNAYEFF ON THE FUTURE OF BOKHARA.

Tchernayeff's appointment as Governor- General of Turkestan — Description of him — Comparison between him and Skobeleff — His views on the elevation of Servia to a Kingdom — The difference between Turkestan and Turkmenia — The railway to Khiva — The fate of Bokhara — The Cossack on the Oxus — Are mountains or rivers the best frontiers ? — No fear of an annexation of Merv — The frontier policies of England and Russia in xiv

Contents.

Central Asia — Khorassan safe from seizure — Russian influence in Persia — The duty on Indian tea — The caravan trade between India and Turkestan— The Afghan barrier not worth breaking down — Uselessness of defining a Russo-Indian frontier in Asia — A Russian invasion of India practicable — Opinion on the annexation of Candahar — Russia likely to be drawn to Herat — His view of the Jewish atrocities — His opinion of Sir Henry Rawlinson — Assurances respecting Russia's friendliness towards England — "Tashkent — c'est mon ouvrage" . 122

CHAPTER VIII.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT OP THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL GEO- GRAPHICAL SOCIETY AND THE ADVANCE UPON KHORASSAN.

A morning with Gospodin Semenoff — An ideal naturalist — The Central Asian Question misunderstood — Difference between the enmity between Russian and German and between Russian and Englishman — Impossibility of a fusion of the Slav and Teuton races — The time too early yet for the establishment of an understanding in regard to the partition of Central Asia — The new Russo-Persian border a bit of the future permanent frontier — The Atabai Vomood difficulty surmountable — Frontier arrangements in Central Asia — Misrule in Persia no concern of Russia — Why Russia's interest is greater in Turkey than in Persia — Russia and the Slavs — She cannot abandon her historical mission — Nomads must be kept in order — Russia will some day occupy Merv — Russia the future mistress of the whole of the Turcoman tribes — England must establish greater control over the Herat tribes, or Russia will advance to the " Key of India " — English and Russian policy in Central Asia—

Contents. xv

I'AGB

Chinese rule only temporary in Kuldja — Lessar's exploration of Sarakhs — Ancient books found at Geok Tepe — Semenoff's view of Sir Henry Rawlinson — My own policy in regard to the Central Asian Question — The Duke of Argyll's patriotism — SenienofFs admiration of Skobeleff — The future of Hungary 137

CH PTER IX.

GENERAL GRODEKOFF AND CAPTAIN MASLOFF DISCUSS THE RUSSIAN VIEW OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN QUESTION.

A second conversation with the " Russian Burnaby " — Captain MaslofFs brilliant sketches in the Novoe Vremya — Grodekoff insists on the impossibility of a Russian invasion of India — His opinion of General Soboleff — Difficulties at Geok Tepe— 300,000 troops needed for the invasion of India — Khorassan never to be absorbed by Russia — Fanatic character of the people — The Atabai Yomood difficulty not a solitary one — Major Napier and Kari Kala — MaslofFs opinion of a march from Askabad to Sarakhs — Grodekoff and O' Donovan — Krapotkin's view of the Eussian advance — Parallel between Russia's operations in Central Asia and ours in South Africa — The importance of Merv overrated — Misconception regarding " keys " — Skobeleff's mission — England thinks more of the Central Asian Question than Russia — Useless for Russia to try and persuade England against Rawlinson — Grodekoff's decision to write a book on the Central Asian Question — Lord Lytton's "mad" scheme for invading Central Asia — Kaufmann's dubious march in the direction of India — Afghan hatred of Russia — Grodekoff and the Treaty of Berlin — A greater danger than the Russian invasion of India — English and Russian generals — Final assurances . 150 xvi

Contents.

CHAPTER X.

ENGLAND TO INDIA IN NINE DAYS.

PAGE

General AnnenkofFs scheme for constructing a railroad to India — His Transcaspian line — Lessar's journey to Sarakhs — Comfort in Russia — AnnenkofFs knowledge of the literature of the Central Asian Question — Skobeleff and the " Disastrous Russian campaign against the Turcomans " — Invitation to occupy the whole of Afghanistan — AnnenkofFs view of the Central Asian Question — The Russian Government and the passage of English troops through Russia on their way to India — An account of his scheme — Rival routes to India — The new Russian railways bringing the Cossack closer to the Sepoy — Russia's aim to tap the overland trade to India — Effect of AnnenkofFs scheme upon the Euphrates Valley railway — Evil of English suspicion of Native loyalty in India — Anecdote of Skobeleff — Annenkoff on Khorassan and Sarakhs — Ignorance of the English public regarding the Central Asian Question — His opinion of the evacuation of Candahar and of General Roberts — AnnenkofFs wound at Geok Tepe — The present garrison in Akhal — Kouropatkin's march from Samarcand to Geok Tepe — Cultivation of esparto grass in the Transcaspian region — Why Lessar chose to survey the route for the railroad to Sarakhs — Refusal of the English authorities to let him have recent maps of Afghanistan — English policy towards exploration in Central Asia . . .165

CHAPTER XL

REFUSAL OF PERMISSION TO PROCEED TO ASKABAD.

An offer from an important Russian personage to pay a visit to Askabad — A second call upon General

Contents.

xvii

Soboleff — Arrival of an officer from Geok Tepe — The recent expedition, under another general than Skobeleff, might have ended in disaster — Soboleff refuses to give me permission to proceed to Akhal — His opposition to English exploration of Central Asia — Lessar's journey towards Herat — Fewness of Eussian travellers visiting India — List of Eussian explorers in Central Asia since 1854 — Disfavour shown by the English Government to exploration of Afghanistan — Apathy and want of patriotism of the Eoyal Geographical Society — Effect of Burnaby's " Eide to Khiva " — Eussian indignation at the publication of Schuyler's " Turkistan " — The Krijanovsky frauds at Orenburg and their bearing upon Eussian corruption in Turkestan — The Yomood massacre, the Lomakin massacre, and the massacre at Geok Tepe — Opinion of Soboleff on the subject — Frightful scenes during the pursuit after the fall of Geok Tepe — Murder of sixty Eussians by the Tekkes — Mr. Gladstone left to deal with the three massacres . . . . . .188

CHAPTEE XII.

PROFESSOR MARTENS AND RUSSIAN INTERESTS IN HERAT AND AFGHANISTAN.

The position which the various Eussian authorities on Central Asia occupy to one another — Influence exercised by General Soboleff and Professor Martens — The bargaining feature of Eussian policy — "The catspaw of the wily Gortschakoff " — How Martens' brochure on Central Asia came to be written — His opinion that England ought not to have Herat, and that we ought to keep out of Afghanistan — Lord Hartington's declaration of English policy — Baron Jomini's threat — Proposition to turn Herat into an Asiatic Switzerland — a xviii

Contents.

Eussian claims to Afghanistan — A red rag to English Eussophobists — Necessity for deciding upon a clear and consistent policy for England to pursue in Central Asia — England much to blame for the Central Asian agitation — Professor Martens and Sir Charles Dilke's declaration anent the evacuation of the Akhal Tekke region — The secret Cabul correspondence — Kaufmann's policy in Central Asia — General Stolietoff in digrace . 201

CHAPTER XIII.

COUNT IGNATIEFP ON "MISREPRESENTED RUSSIA."

Count IgnatiefF at home — A Tuesday reception at his official residence — Curious commingling of cocked hats and sheepskins — Waiting to see the Minister — Ignatieff's mode of dealing with place-hunters — Worked to death — His attitude towards news paper correspondents — How he humbugs them — A second interview with his Excellency — His cabinet — The disclosure of the Anglo-Eussian Agreement — His opinion of Lord Salisbury and his inquiry as to the cause of his enmity — " We were such friends at Constantinople " — Ignatieff on the cause of the war with Turkey, and the Treaty of Berlin — Austria and the Southern Slavs — Eussia misrepresented by Europe — Ignatieff's indignation at the European press for trying to make him out to be a fool — Eussia did not provoke the occupation of Bosnia by Austria — Ignatieff's admiration of Mr. Gladstone — His view of a Eussian occupation of Constantinople — " Eussia the victim of English party misrepresentations " — The Jewish outrages — The Eussian Government unable to prevent the expulsion of Jews — Something worse than a Parliament — Ignatieff as a reformer — The manufacture of official Eussian news — Ignatieff and Lord Salisbury's portrait . . 213

Contents.

xix

CHAPTER XIV.

A SECOND INTERVIEW WITH SKOBELEFF, AND A SURVEY OF THE RUSSO-INDIAN QUESTION.

PAGE

General Skobeleff and his Paris speeches — His admiration of General Roberts and his march from Cabul to Candahar — His opinion of long and short service — A campaign conducted by young men — His view of the Channel Tunnel ; of the English army ; of our native forces in India; and of our frontier policy on the borders of Afghanistan — England's ability to engage in a European war — Her chances in 1878 — Russian opinion of Austria and the Austrian army — SkobelefF's mission — Russia compelled to advance in Central Asia — Her designs against India — The new frontier beyond the Caspian — Russia and the occupation of Merv — Prospective annexations — Double movement upon Merv — Russian claims upon Herat and Afghan Turkestan — How to deal with them — Divergences of opinion in Russia upon the Central Asian Question— One mode of dealing with Annenkoffs Indian railroad in the event of a war — Calming effect of Russian assurances — No Sir Henry Rawlinson in Russia — The rival merits of English and Russian policy in Central Asia — Our shiftless mode of dealing with frontier tribes — List of frontier wars — Duplicity of Sir Charles Dilke — Gladstone the deceiver, not Russia

APPENDICES.

Russia's New Province in Central Asia

Has England lost Herat?

The Russian Fleet in Central Asia

257 274 286

XX

Contents.

PAGE

Letterpress accompanying the Map op the Russo-

Skobeleff on Warfare in Central Asia . . 313

Captain Butler's Claim to the Fortifying of

Geok Tepe 319

Convention respecting the Russo-Persian Frontier 324

General Kaye on the New Russo-Persian Frontier 330

The Central Asian Party in England and

Russia 335

Persian Frontier Skobeleff's Paris Speeches

302 306

THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE TOWARDS INDIA.

CHAPTER I.

HOW THE JOURNEY TO EUSSIA CAME TO BE UNDERTAKEN.

General Skobeleff 's speeches at Paris — Omission of English correspondents to interview him on the Central Asian Question — Enterprise of the Newcastle Daily Chronicle — Mr. Cowen's decision to send a correspondent to Russia to interview him there — The origin of the map of the Russo-Persian frontier — Russia not wrong in annexing Akhal — Superfluous criticism of Mr. O'Donovan — Russophobes and Russophils — A broad view of Imperialism — Councillor Davidoff's opinion of Russophobia — The Newcastle Chronicle and Prince Krapotkin — In advance of the Embassy — Suspicions of Nihilist intrigue — One effect of " Merv and the Man-stealing Turcomans" — Davidoff's views on the Central Asian Question — Journey from London to St. Petersburg — The Skobeleff fever — Excitement at Berlin — Possibilities of a German invasion of Russia — Superiority of the German railways over those of Prance or Russia — German migration to Poland — Affluence on one side of the Russo- German frontier, poverty on the other — Luxurious travelling — " An Englishman or a lunatic " — Anxiety at the frontier — Troops guarding the line from Gatchina to St. Petersburg.

My journey to Russia originated in the following manner. On reading in the Daily News of Mon-

B day, February 20, an account of an interview the previous day between the Paris correspondent of that paper and General Skobeleff, the idea struck me that it would be an interesting matter to ascertain the views on Central Asia of a commander, who had only recently arrived home after a successful and brilliant campaign on the confines of Persia and Afghanistan, and who was rumoured to regard it as his mission to fight England for supremacy in India. Believing that a report of the interview would be readily accepted by the Newcastle Daily Chronicle, and fearing lest some other journalist might anticipate my project, I did not wait to communicate with the editor, but hastened immediately to Mr. Cowen, the proprietor, in London.

The idea was favourably received, and I should have set off at once, but for the report circulating in the papers that Skobeleff was hourly expected in London. On Wednesday night Mr. Cowen wrote to me that he considered it inadvisable to wait any longer, and I accordingly prepared to start for Paris the next morning. Before I could carry my intention into effect, Skobeleff had already left the French capital, in obedience to a summons from the Emperor to return home, and without any hesitation Mr. Cowen asked me to follow him to St. Petersburg, and discuss the

Enterprise of the " Newcastle Chronicle." 3

Central Asian Question there. My journey would have been considered a successful one if I had only furnished a report of the Skobeleff interview to the Neivcastle Chronicle ; but events conspired in my favour to render it possible for me to see at St. Petersburg nearly a dozen other personages interested in the problem of the East. The sole instructions I received on setting out were, to report, as impartially as possible, the actual state of feeling in Russia regarding Central Asia, and I did my utmost to accomplish this, although many of the Russian opinions noted are dead against those which I had previously expressed in my books.

A few brief words will explain the origin of the map. The morning after my interview with Mr. Cowen (Tuesday, February 21), I received the Official Journal (Praveetelstvenni Vestnih) from St. Petersburg with my other Russian newspapers, describing in a letter from Teheran the course of thenewRusso-Persian frontier. On tracing the line upon General Petr 00 se vetch's map of Akhal and Merv, which is appended to my " Merv," I was struck with the moderation displayed by Russia in relinquishing territorial claims, that had not only been put forward by her Central Asian writers, but even promulgated on government maps. My researches among the blue books and " Hansard's

B 2

4 The Rtissian Advance towards India.

Parliamentary Reports " for my history of Skoboleff 's siege of Geok Tepe, had already established the fact that Russia had been innocent of any duplicity in annexing Akhal ; and the rough map I had made of the new frontier proved the falsity of the charges of fresh aggressiveness against her, that were then being formulated by the English press. So far from having annexed territory south of the River Atrek, as announced in a telegram to a leading London daily paper, she had relinquished territory to the north of it ; while so far from having approached within fifteen miles of Sarakhs, she had stopped short 150 miles from that Persian fortress. As a deal of vague alarm prevailed regarding the new frontier, I thought I should be doing a service to both countries if I issued a map to Parliament and the Press, indicating approximately the course of the new frontier. To have drawn a new map of the region, containing the latest Russian and English researches (as Mr. O'Donovan hinted in the Daily News I ought to have done) would have been superfluous, and defeated the main object I had in view — namely, that of acquainting the public at once with the actual state of affairs in Transcaspia. Such a map would have taken weeks, perhaps months, to compile, and in the interval would have been superseded by the Russian official map of the new

An avowal of political opinions. 5

frontier. Petroosevitch's sketch map answered every purpose required by the politician. The lithograph stone was lying ready at the publisher's ; it was easy to trace the new frontier-line upon it ; and by Friday night copies of the map, with descriptive letterpress appended,1 were already in circulation. By the following Monday every prominent Member of Parliament and every important English newspaper had received a copy of the map.

No Russophil feeling of the Bulgarian atrocity character prompted me to issue the document. I was guided simply by a principle that I have laid down in my books, and constantly enunciated in the Press — namely, that we can be just to Russia without being unjust to ourselves, and that it is a political folly not to give credit where credit is due. The indiscriminate wolf-cry of certain English writers on Central Asia has done more harm than good to the cause they espouse, and has provoked public distrust against their opinions. I myself take no side. I seek to be impartial. I know I have a greater love for Russia, the country of my youth, and a better appreciation of the Russian people than the so-called Russophil traders in politics, who lauded her indiscriminately in 1877 from motives of self or party interest, and aban- 1 Inserted in the Appendix at the end of the book.

doned her afterwards to false attacks ; and the public know from my writings that I am a vigilant and anxious observer of the ."Russian advance towards India. I am both a Russophil and a Russophobe. As for my local opinions, my youth was passed in a country which has no political parties corresponding with our Liberal and Conservative factions, and does not want them ; while my studies have led me to survey politics from the standpoint of one who considers himself more in the light of a citizen of the English Empire — of that great empire that embraces the five empires of England, of Canada, of Australia, of South Africa, and of India — than merely a Liberal or Conservative Englishman of Lesser England only. Being, in this sense, an Imperialist, and a nonparty writer, I claim immunity from any charge of unduly favouring Liberal or Conservative policy in my remarks on the Central Asian Question.

Through an oversight on the part of the agents to whom I had entrusted the getting of my passport, that document was not in order when I called for it a few hours before my intended departure on Saturday, February 25th, and I therefore found myself under the necessity of either troubling the Embassy for the visa, or else waiting

The Embassy and Krapotkin. y

until the Russian Consulate reopened the following Monday morning. Nobody was to be found at the Embassy when I called, and it was not until it was already too late to catch the night mail for Russia that the Councillor, Grospodin Davidoff arrived at Chesham Place, and gave me an opportunity of asking some one for the visa. The Councillor occupies the post of assistant-ambassador ; he has been a number of years in England ; and he entertains a rooted belief that we are so hopelessly hostile to Russia, that centuries must elapse before any change can be expected in our sentiments.

In reply to his question why I could not wait till Monday for my passport, I stated I wished to proceed to St. Petersburg without delay, to ascertain the state of feeling there regarding Central Asia, and to obtain from Skobeleff information for my new book on the siege of Geok Tepe\ Eliciting that I should represent the Newcastle Daily Chronicle, he said drily, " Ah, that is the paper to which the Nihilist leader, Prince Krapotkin, contributes." On my hastening to remove any bad impression by stating that I should represent Mr. Cowen personally more than the Chronicle, he rejoined in a still drier tone, " Ah, that is the friend of Prince Krapotkin ! "

I had a copy of my new map in my pocket. I drew it out to explain more clearly the nature of the information I desired to obtain at St. Petersburg. He scanned it with interest. " You are in advance of the Embassy," he said, forgetting all about Krapotkin for the moment. " We ourselves know nothing about the new frontier arrangements."

" But my information is taken from a source accessible to the Embassy, the Russian Official Journal" I pointed out.

" Unfortunately we do not take it in, and thus we do not know the nature of the negotiations that have been in progress at Teheran." His conversation then became of a personal character, and ended by a promise on his part to let me have the passport with the visa at eleven o'clock the following morning.

When I called upon him at that hour his first remark was a repetition of the suspicions he had expressed the previous evening. " We still believe, Mr. Marvin, that you must have some other aim in view besides obtaining information regarding Central Asia. We can hardly believe that the Newcastle Daily Chronicle — a mere provincial paper — would send you out on that mission alone."