Earl Grey has published in the Times of Wednesday a
temperate and most convincing letter against a war with Afghanistan, in which he raises points always too much forgotten. He says we can subdue Afghanistan, but cannot retire, for the nominee we leave behind will be as hostile as the present Government ; while, if we remain, the occupation of the country will require 10,000 fresh troops. The expense even of a raid—which, we may add, is a monstrous idea, unless we are attacked—will be "counted by millions ;" while that of a war of occupation will be "a serious matter even for England," and will be permanent. Earl Grey points out, further, that the Ameer is really independent, the acceptance of subsidies not destroying independence, else Portugal, and we may add, Prussia, would be dependent ; and earnestly pleads that before war is declared, the sense of Parlia- ment should be taken. Earl Grey forgets that one object of the present Ministry is to limit Parliamentary power, and that to take a vote before going to war would be to discredit the Con- vention of June, which binds us to go to war whenever Russia pleases, and was ratified without any previous Parliamentary sanction.
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