And in Afghanistan the case, said Sir.W. Harcourt, was even
worse. There, the gain which the Government promised, which they boasted of having secured, had turned to the heaviest possible burden in our hands. The scientific frontier, which was to econo- mise our military strength, was employing almost our utmost military strength only to keep it within our grasp. For the first time, it was to be feared that the Indian Empire would prove a financial burden to the British Islands. The Foreign Secretary urges inconsistent apologies for his former Indian policy. One day it is said that Russian intrigue in Afghanistan had gained a strong hold on Shere Ali, even during the Liberal regime. On the next day it is said that if Lord Northbrook had but obeyed his instructions in 1875, he would have found Shere All pliant to his will. The one allegation refutes the
other. We should never have peace in Europe or Asia, in Sir W. Harcourt's opinion, so long as we have a Foreign Secretary " whose only idea of diplomacy is insult and menace."
