Page:England & Russia in Central Asia, Vol-2.djvu/13



CHAPTER I.

policy which England has closely adhered to for more than thirty years of not interfering in any way in the affairs of the States lying beyond its Indian frontier has borne fruit in one sense much to our disadvantage. Owing to our inactivity, and the restrictions that have been imposed on British officers in going beyond the frontier, we know much less of the regions north of the Hindoo Koosh, and we ourselves are much less known there, than the Russians. In fact, Sir Alexander Burnes's remarkable book of travels is still our highest authority on that region which has become generally known as Afghan Turkestan. The journey of a portion of the Kashgar mission to Wakhan in 1874 was a solitary break in II.