10 NOVEMBER 1877, Page 16

THE ARMENIAN SCARE.

[TO TRH EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR:']

Sxn,—As a specimen of the kind of argument which seems to be thought good enough for Turkophiles, may I call your particular attention to the opening sentence of the first leading article in this day's Telegraph ?—" A straight line drawn upon the map—be that map little or big—[note the sarcasm] from London to Cal- cutta, passes through the town and fortress of Erzeroum." On this text is founded the regular lecture which we know so well by now : Afghanistan, Kelat, General Williams, and the whole thing. But all I want you to notice is the display of geographical and engineering science in the sentence I have quoted. How many people know, like our instructor, that a straight line on the map represents the shortest distance between any two points, or that it is usual for railways, like love, to follow this line, "over rocks that are steepest" or " under floods that are deepest "?

" Quantula scientia docemur !" or, in English, for the benefit of the Daily Telegraph, "What a lot we have to learn !"—I am,