Following up his point, he dilated on these subjects of the
British crown who, cut off from adequate assistance, can only
turn in personal or commercial peril to the protective power
of the nearest consulate. Then, quietly demanding the
attention of his hearers, he marshalled fact after fact to
demonstrate the isolation and inadequacy of a consulate so
situated; the all but arbitrary power of Russia, who in her
new occupation of Meshed had only two considerations to
withhold her from open aggression--the knowledge of England as
a very considerable but also a very distant power; the
knowledge of Persia as an imminent but wholly impotent factor
in the case.
Having stated his opinions, he reverted to the motive of his
speech--his desire to put forward a strong protest against the
adjournment of the House without an assurance from the
government that immediate measures would be taken to safeguard
British interests in Meshed and throughout the province of
Khorasan.
The immediate outcome of Loder's speech was all that his party
had desired.
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