I am certain that sooner or later, we will go to war with Russia over India. What concerns me is that we will be kept in the dark until the day Shiva is occupied. Then, the Russian army will reach Kabul three to four months after setting out from Shiva. To thwart the enemy's attempt, we should defeat them before they reach India; otherwise, it will be too late once twenty thousand Russian troops arrive in India. Britain has no way to retreat; we must spare no effort to block the Russians in Afghanistan, and for this, we must develop a forward defense policy for Central Asia.
— Lord Ellenborough, President of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Indian Management Committee during the Wellington Cabinet
Blackwell lately has found his boss, Sir Arthur Hastings, to be acting quite strangely.
While Arthur seemed more like a policeman than a diplomat earlier, now he fits more closely Blackwell's impression of a traditional diplomat.
