322 THE NEAR EAST. 



men, for, as was long since observed by India's present 

 Viceroy, " without India the British Empire could not 

 exist." 



It is well, therefore, before going further, since Asian 

 problems depend for their solution so largely upon India, 

 to define the position of that country from an interior 

 point of view. This has been done by Lord Curzon, 

 than whom there is no man living better qualified to 

 pronounce, only so lately as the spring of the present 

 year : " India is like a fortress, with the vast moat 

 of the sea on two of her faces, and with mountains for 

 her walls on the remainder ; but beyond those walls, 

 which are sometimes of by no means insuperable height, 

 and admit of being easily penetrated, extends a glacis 

 of varying breadth and dimension. We do not want 

 to occupy it, but we also cannot afford to see it occupied 

 by our foes. We are quite content to let it remain in 

 the hands of our allies and friends ; but if rival and un- 

 friendly influences creep up to it and lodge themselves 

 right under our walls, we are compelled to intervene, 

 because a danger would thereby grow up that might 

 one day menace our security. This is the secret of the 

 whole position in Arabia, Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, 

 and as far eastwards as Siam. He would be a short- 

 sighted commander who merely manned his ramparts 

 in India and did not look out beyond ; and the whole 

 of our policy during the past five years has been directed 

 towards maintaining our influence, and to preventing 

 the expansion of hostile agencies on this area which I 

 have described." To preserve India free from danger, 

 therefore, and not only India, but our line of communi- 

 cations with India, Australia, and the Far East, it is 

 necessary that those countries which border on India 

 and impinge upon such communications should remain 

 in the hands of friendly, or at any rate of innocuous, 



