5 MARCH 1881, Page 3

The Lords have decided, it is said, to give the

Government a little slap, by passing a vote of censure on them for not retaining Candahar. The debate opened on Thursday with a long speech from Lord Lytton, who, having in his confi- dential minute declared Caudahar of no importance, in his speech declared that without it we could not control Afghanistan. We have commented on his utterances else- where. He was answered by Lord Derby, who, admitting that if it were necessary for India lie would conquer Candahar, pointed to the great internal dangers of India as a reason for not wasting resources, and held that if Russia ever reached Afghanistan, we could enter it as the Afghans' friends. -" The Afghan will always bate the Power actually on his soil." Ho believed that Candahar kept was to keep down Afghanistan, and Candahar would therefore be the bribe Russia would offer to Afghans. "Stay where you are, and it is at your choice to advance ; but go further, and you cannot stop there." As to the weight of Indian opinion, the Services unite to a man, when it is a question of extending foreign possnssious." "As to loss of prestige, what loss of prestige can there be in doing in 1881 what you said you would 410 in 1878 ?"