INVERCARGILL.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1789, 17 January 1885, Page 2

INVERCARGILL.

Friday,

At the first wool sales on the 21st inst., it is expected the quantity offered will exceed by previous sale upwards of 2,500 bales.

Mothers Don't Know. — How many children are punished for being uncouth, willful and- indifferent to instructions or reward simply because they are out of health! An intelligent lady said of a child of this kind : " Mother don't know that she should give the little one moderate doses of Hop Bitters for two or three weeks, and the child wouldjbe all a parent could desire." Look for

THE RTJSSO-AFGHAN FRONTIER

A REPRESENTATIVE of the PreSS AsßOciation had an interview at tlie India Office with Major-General Sir Peter Lumsden, who was selected by the British Government to represent Great Britain at the forthcoming meeting of the joint Russian and British Commission for the delimitation of the northwestern boundary of Afghanistan. Sir I*eter tmmsden, in the course of the interview, said — 1 cannot tell exactly what the direct length of the frontier line is, but I should think something about 300 miles. You see, it starts from the Heri Rud river, near Sarakhs, and extends to the most westerly point in Afghanistan of the River Oxus. The great work we shall have is to define territories almost unknown and uninhabited. These territories are made use of by the Turcomans in the summer as grazing pastures, and they drive their herds down from the valleys among the mountains to the north-east, sometimes, it is reported, far beyond where they have a right, and it is probable the Afghans do the same thing, thus bringing about disagreements. We will bring in our suite the owners of the territory upon both sides of the present frontier, and with their assistance and our own judgment we will define a boundary, which will be marked out upon a map, and should the Russian Commission object to any of our judgments, then the matter in dispute will be arranged by the respective Governments. Should there be no dispute, I suppose a Treaty or Convention will be drawn up immediately after ourreports are received. Until the different claims are examined by the Commission it is hard to say what is Russian -and what Afghan territory. I leave England very shortly, but. if the Ameer is prepared for us, I will 'ask the staff and escort accompanying the Commission to start beforehand, and I can catch them up at one of the halting places en route. Our road will lie through Quettah, most probably Candahar, Herat, and then on to Sarakhs, where we will no doubt meet the Russian Commission, and commence our labours from that spot. The period occupied in that work it is impossible to say.