Mr. Bell on the growing power of Russia. 423 
trious, manufacturing, peaceable people,—if the whole of Inde- 
pendent Tartary, as it is called, were conquered, and put under 
the active controul of a strong, efficient, and enlightened govern- 
ment, so that the cultivator, the artisan, the mechanic, and the 
merchant, might enjoy in peace and security the harvest of their 
toil? And what power will, and what power can do it, but Rus- 
‘sia ? What a boon to humanity, what an eventual blessing would 
it not prove to society and to themselves, if these idle, lazy, thrift- 
‘ less, plundering tribes, were compelled to betake themselves to the 
cultivation of the soil, or the rearing of cattle, to acquire habits of 
order and honesty, and the rudiments of civilization, and the arts 
ot life. There is not one who has the least regard to, or love of 
his species, who has enjoyed the benefit of moral instruction and 
example, of religion and industry, but would wish it. And how- 
ever important it may seem, to check the ambition of such an as- 
piring power as that of Russia, to set bounds to her conquests, we 
must on every principle of humanity, of love to mankind, and above 
all, of the religion we profess to believe and practise, wish success 
to Russia in the prosecution of her schemes to reduce the barbaric 
hordes of Toorkistan, and put a stop to a system so replete with 
mischief and misery as the slave trade of Khyvah and Bekhara. 
We have exclaimed against the African slave trade for more than 
forty years, and have reprobated the system in all its branches, and 
made unwearied, though alas! too unsuccessful efforts to put it 
down, and are doing so still; and therefore, to be at all consistent, 
we must be pleased with the progress of a Christian power in put- 
ting down Mohamedan influence, whether in Europe or Asia, and 
putting a stop to that slave traffic, so congenial to the precepts of 
the Koran, and carried on by all the followers of the false prophet. 
And even if it should be said that the slave traffic is not peculiar 
to the Mohamedans, nor originated with them, but existed long 
prior to that religion, but that it rose out of a rude and barbarous 
state of society,—that it was from time immemorial among the 
Seythian tribes,—even on that supposition it would still be a bless- 
ing, an incalculable advantage gained to humanity, could these 
rude and lawless tribes be put under the ban of powerful political 
coercion. Independence, no doubt, is an invaluable privilege ; but 
if that independence is productive of mischief to themselves and 
all around,—if such independence is totally inconsistent with the 
welfare of their industrious and civilized neighbours, then such an 
independence is a curse. It is nothing else but the independence 
of armed robbers, who use it for no other purpose than to plunder 
their neighbours, and make slaves. Such states must be excluded 
from the pale of a civilized and political society ; and it is impos- 
sible for any to commiserate their political annihilation. On this 
question we must lay aside all our political partialities, our selfish 
commercial jealousies of the growing power of Russia, and exercise 
the feelings of cosmepolites and Christians, and fairly put the two 
evils in opposite scales ; (for in the most of cases, we have only 
