THE RUSSO-AFGHAN DIFFICULTY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 7532, 23 April 1885, Page 5

THE RUSSO-AFGHAN DIFFICULTY.

[BT ELECTRIC TELEGRa* H—COM&H3HT.I [Heuter's Telegrams,] [Received April 22. at 10.30 p.in.l | LONDON, Apeil 22. Statements were made last night in the Houses of Lords and Commons by Earl Granville and Mr Gladstone respectively, to the effect that Government were in receipt of a reply from General Lumsden to the communication which had been addressed to him, asking for a full account of the recent hostilities near Penjdeh ; but that his account differed very seriously from that supplied to the Eussian Government by General Komaroff. In the House of Commons, Mr Gladstone asked for a vote of credit for £11,000,000, of which £4,500,000 was intended for operations in the Soudan. In proposing the vote, the Premier announced that the general situation of foreign affairs rendered it incumbent upon Great Britain to prepare all her forces. Government were not prepared to abandon the operations at present being condusted in Egypt, but reserved full liberty of action in the future. The Indian troops now in Egypt, Mr Gladstone added, would prove sufficient to hold Souakim, the British forces being reserved for any emergency that might arise. ("Received April 23, at 1.30 a.ni.J Prom further particulars which have transpired regarding General Lumsden's reply to the British Government, it appears that he places considerable emphasis on the patient bearing of the Afghan troops, and states that the conflict was entirely due to the aggressive action of the Russian commander. [Special to Peess Association.] [Received April 22, at 11.55 p.m. | CONFLICTING REPORTS. LONDON, Apeil 22. The report on the recent attack by General Komaroff, furnished by Sir Peter Lumsden, completely traverses those supplied by Komaroff, and shows that the Afghans did not advance after the announcement of the agreement arrived at between England and Russia, and that the fighting which took place was forced by General Komaroff. The Marquis of Salisbury, speaking at Wrexham, urged the Government to resist the Russian aggression in Afghanistan. The P. and O. Company's steamer Rosetta has been engaged by the Admiralty as a cruiser. Persistent reports are in circulation to the effect that the Powers will endeavour to compel Turkey to maintain strict neutrality in the event of war breaking out. The Standard states that the Government have re-demanded that the Russian Government should disavow Komaroff's action. General Wolseley will return to England.

THE DISPUTED TEEEITOEY. In view of the latest developments of the Afghan difficulty, the following extracts from a letter by the Times correspondent at Bala Murghab, dated- Jan. 8, will be found of interest:— When I last wrote, we were expecting Sir Peter Lumsden at Kuhsan. He arrive'fl on Nov. 19, after a march of about 1000 miles, froin Resht via Teheran, to Meshed, and thence, via Sarakhs, to Kuhsan. There was something pathetic in the distinction and hospitality with which he was received in Persian territory; it really seemed as if poor shorn Persia welconred. the opportunity of thus expressing sympathy with her more fortunate Afghan neighbour. From Meshed the British Commissioner ascended the Kashuf-i-Eud, which, rising to the west of Meshed, flows into the Heri Eud—" rud " means river—a few miles north of Pul-i-Khatun. Instead of proceeding from Dorband in a southerly direction to Kuhsan, as had been expected, General Lumsden turned to the north-west and made his way to Sarakhs, which he reached on Nov. 8. There are two Sarakhs —an old and a new Sarakhs. They are three and a-half miles apart, about the same latitude, on opposite sides of the river. The Heri Eud, or Pejend, as it is called beyond Sarakhs, which separates the two places, is dry at this season of the year, or rather the river runs underground—a characteristic of many Afghan rivers—rising again about 12 miles to the north. Old Sarakhs, which is now practically in the possession of. Eussia, is an important strategical position, being the junction of several trade routes. It was once a large city, but now a ruined Turcoman village on a mound is the only evidence of its former greatness. "When General Lumsden was at New Sarakhs, General Komaiofi, the Governor of the newly-annexed TransCaspian Province, and Colonel Alikhanoff, Governor of Merv, were encamped about a mile to the north of Old Sarakhs. General Komaroff had with him 200 Eussian infantry, with a few hundred Turcoman levies, raised in the Akhal; for Eussia has already begun to enlist Turcomans under her flag. New Sarakhs is a large fort, or rather mud wall, in a wide open plain, enclosing about 75 acies of land, and containing a ruined village and citadel. The armament consists of six small guns of an obsolete pattern, and the garrison of about 400 infantry and a few hundred Tymuri levies. . . . . The party marched the whole way as far as Toman Agha along the left or Persian bank. As far as Pul-i-Khatun there was a good and easy road for all arms, but it was dominated by the right bank, which is considerably higher. The river at this time of year is fordable nearly everywhere, but not so in spring. There is a small fort and garrison at Nauruzabad, but this was the only human habitation encountered on the way to Kuhsan ; indeed, excepting the Cossacks at Pul-i-Khatun, the General's party did not meet a living soul, such is the desolation of the country onbothbanks. Of course the Persian Government, which leaves its frontier districts a prey to the fiendish man-stealing Turcomans, is responsible for this deadly blight. Between Sarakhs and Daulat-abad, about ten miles from the latter, the river is dammed up by fascines, boulders and mud, and the water is thus raised into small water-cuts on both banks, which supply Old and New Sarakhs when the river is dry. Pul-i-Khatun itself is a bridge, hence its name, "The Lady's Bridge," said to

have been built by Timur's daughter. It has five arches, of which the centre arch •was blown up by the Persians when retreating after their disastrous defeat by the Turcomans of Merv. The Afghan bank is a very important strategical position, for it commands the passage of the river where the road from Meshed to Herat, joiningthat from Sarakhs, crosses the river. The road on the left bank to Kuhsan here ceases to be practicable for any but a small party without wheeled transport, while, as M. Lessar discovered, on the right bank there is a comparatively open country through which a railway could be run without difficulty to Herat from Sarakhs. The plateau, however, on the right bank rises precipitously, and for some distance access to the river is only possible through the so-called passes of Germab , and Zulfikar, which are in reality the rocky beds of long winding ravines gradually ascending to the summit of the plateau of Badghis. Through the Germab, live miles, and the Zulfikar, 33 miles, above Pul-i-Khatun, the Turcoman raiders of Merv used to ravage Khorassan and the districts west of Herat. At Toman Agha, General Lumsden's party crossed over on Nov. 19 to Afghan territory. The river flows through open country. It is about 20 yards broad, and easily fordable, but the traveller has to make to the water through a thick tamarisk jungle. ' Another important strategical position is Penjdeh, in the valley of the Yolatan, on the edge of the Merv oasis, by 80 miles of desert, and is connected with Afghanistan by a short road, through an easy and fertile country. Its inhabitants have always been subject to Afghanistan, and it is occupied by an Afghan garrison. To understand the importance of these two positions you must remember that there are only two roads by which Herat can be invaded by Eussia—one is from the Caspian by way of the Akhal, Sarakhs and the valley of the Heri Rud, and the other is from Turkestan, by way of the Oxus, Merv, and the valley of the Murghab or Khushk. Of course the more of these two reads that Russia can quietly annex in times of peace the nearer she will be to Herat, and the less resistance she will have to overcome when she is ready to fight for Herat. Three years ago the nearest Russian outposts on the road from the Caspian were at Krasnovodskv and Chikishlar, 700 miles; now they are at Pul-i-Khatun, about 150 miles from Herat. Three years ago the nearest Russian outpdtets on the road from the Oxus and Merv were at Katra Kurghan, say 500 miles; now they are at Yolatan, 140 miles from Herat. Nearly all this progress has been made by peaceful, unopposed encroachment since we evacuated Oandahar. Again, in May last Her •Majesty's Government accepted the invitation of the Russian Government to define the north-west frontier of Afghanistan. Her nearest outpost on the one road was then at Bahadurmez, about 300 miles from Sarakhs. In July she advanced to Old Sarakhs, and in October and November, after the date fixed for the meeting of the Commission, she pushed on to Pul-i-Khatun. Now take the other road. In February last Eussia occupied Merv, in September she advanced to Yolatan, and in November Alikhanoff appeared before Penjdeh. It is these last two acts of aggression—namely, in the direction of Penjdeh and Pul-i-Khatun—which particularly incensed the Afghans. When General Lumsden reached Meshed he heard of the occupation of Pul-i-Khatun, and he promptly proceeded to Sarakhs instead of going direct to Kuhsan, as he had intended, in order to protest against it to General Komaroff, who was encamped at Old Sarakhs. The Russian troops, however, remained at Pul-i-Khatun.

For a long time there , had been many rumours regarding a possible Russian advance on Penjdeh, but it was not until Pul-i-Khatun had been occupied that General KomarofE and Colonel Alikhanoff turned their attention to Penjdeh —so quickly, indeed, that when General Lumsden arrived at Kuhsan a report was received that both Komaroff and -Alikhanoff, with a large body of cavalry, were advancing on Penjdeh, aid that the garrison were prepared for resistance. A fight was expected the next morning ; cartridges were served out to the Afghans, who, throwing aside all superfluous clothing, were, according to*a news letter from Penjdeh, frenzied with joy at the prospect of becoming " Ghazis " —Anglice, religious martyrs. Thus does the current of fanatical dislike, which has so long defied our attempts to establish friendly relations on a firm basis with Afghanistan, seem likely to flew into another channel. However, General Komaroff thought better of it, and he left Alikhanoff to advance with 200 or 300 cavalry. The latter advanced within sight of Penjdeh, and finding that the Turcoman population did not on his appearance rise against the garrison, he returned to Merv, after writing », very insulting letter to the Afghan general.

ME SALA'S OPINION OF THE CEISIS. During a .lecture at Maryborough, Victoria, on " Wars, Tumults, and Eevolutions," Mr G. A. Sala thus delivered himself regarding the threatened war between England and Eussia: —" In 1876 war with Eussia was imminent, imminent as it is now, and' my employers said, ' Go to Eussia at once, and see what they are up to.' So I went to St Petersburg, from thence to Warsaw and Moscow, and from the latter place. towards Odessa, on the Black Sea. When I got close to Kief, however, I found that the railway was broken away and unworkable, through a great snowstorm which had recently occurred, and I had to travel in a sledge close on 200 miles to Kichineff. Here I saw the Eussian army in course of mobilisation, making ready for the invasion of Turkey ; and eventually I left there, passed through Odessa to Constantinople, where the International Peace Conference was then sitting, at which Lord Salisbury represented England. That conference proved ineffectual. War eventually broke out, and after a few checks, by mere force of numbers Eussia won one battle after another, until at length her armies penetrated to the very environs of Byzantium. The Muscovites then got Turkey to agree to the infamous treaty of San Stefano, whereby the Turkish territory was to be reduced almost to nothing. But that treaty was not carried out. The celebrated conference of Berlin was held, where Benjamin Disraeli, on behalf of England, boldly told the Eussians that its scandalous proposals could not be allowed. (Loud cheers.) Through the energy of Disraeli, the bear moderated his claims, and smothered his ambitions, and for a time England has had peace with honour. (Hear, hear.) Now we are again on the point of being confronted with the necessity of determining whether we are again to fight with our implacable foe. I am too far from England, where I meet the journalists and politicians who know most about these questions, to give you anything like a reliable idea of what the determination may be. But I don't think for a moment the Eussians mean fighting. It their hand was forced by some audacious commander of Afghan troops they may have been compelled to fight. I am convinced they never intended to do so. The most they want to do is to swindle us, for a more thoroughly corrupt and venal Government does not exist. I believe, if their hand has not been forced, they would prefer cheating to fighting. For these reasons, their whole material and political organism is honeycombed with Nihilism, which might at anytime lead to internal discord, and in order' to carry on a continuous struggle it is necessary to have money. I declare to you Eussia is more than trebly bankrupt, and she does not know the extent of her own bankruptcy. She has just enough money—whether it comes from the gold mines of the Ural or the Caucasus, I know not—to pay the Imperial debts and the salaries of

the Jcorps diplomatique, but that is all. As for credit, she cannot get loans in any capital in Europe. At all events, let us beware, of the bear. We know that wherever England rules there is a rule of right and freedom. Let peace be secured by proper acts. It is not to be based on halting counsels, or our prestige can never be preserved. (Hear, hear.) It is not for me to tell you what may be done, but keep a firm heart, and, as Cromwell said in the old days, " Trust in God, and keep your powder dry." (Great applause.)

The'Esmeralda was built for the Chilian Government last year by Sir William Armstrong and Co. She was armed at Cherbourg, and sailed in September, 1884, for Valparaiso. The Russian ironclad cruiser Vladimir Monomach, believed to be in the vicinity of the Cape, was launched in the autumn of 1882, her contract price having been 1,795,000 roubles (nearly .£250,000). Her length at waterline is 295 ft, and her tonnage 5796 tons. Her armament consists of four BJin and 6in guns in an open battery on the upper deck, besides six Hotchkiss machine guns. She is defended by a belt of armour extending from 2Jft abeve the load waterline to s£ffc below, the armour tapering from 6in to 4Jin forward, and 3iin round the stern, and the plates from Gin to 4Jin downwards 3ft below the waterline. She has two engines of 3500 horse-power each, with six boilers and 36 furnaces, can carry 1000 tons of coal, and steam at the rate of 16 knots an hour. Altogether, the Vladimir Monomach is the most formidable cruiser in the Eussian navy, the only vessel equal to her being the Dmitri Donskoi, a cruiser of similar construction. Mr Service informs the Argus that there is no truth in the report that the Victorian Government are in treaty with the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand for the purchase of the s.s. Eotomahana to patrol the Australian coast in search of Eussian cruisers. Patrol duty of this kind, in the Premier's opinion, more properly comes within the province of vessels belonging te the squadron commanded by Eear-Admiral Tryon. He does not recognise the obligation as one that rests upon any of the Colonial Governments. The Minister of Defence adds that the Eotomahana was offered to the Victorian Government a month ago, but no steps were taken to secure her. Ministers dedine to say whether they are aware of any negotiations having been opened up between Admiral Tryon, on behalf of the Imperial Government, and the Union Company for the service of a fast steamer.

Sir H. B. Loch, Governor of Victoria, has received a telegram which conveys interesting information relative to the movements of Russian cruisers which were recently reported to be approaching Australia. When Mr Service was furnished a fortnight ago with a telegram from Singapore, warning him to look out for the Russian ironclad General Admiral, which was at the Cape of Good Hope, it was thought desirable to test the reliability of the information. With this view His Excellency the Governor telegraphed to Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor of the Cape Colony, asking for advice as to the movements of Russian warships in that part ot the world. This message reached its destination in the usual course, but the reply was delayed in transmission by the interruption of the Zanzibar-Mozambique cable. The telegram from Sir'Hercules Robinson states that five or six ' Russian cruisers left Capetown during the month of February, and that some of them were supposed to be bound for Europe, and others in the direction of India. The General Admiral is not mentioned in the telegram, but the name of one of the vessels which is given is 30 mutilated as to be unintelligible. The army of the Maharajah Scindia, of Gwalior, which has, with the forces of other Indian princes, been offered to the British Government for service in the event of war with. Russia owing to the Afghan difficulty, was in camp near Sasera, India, at the beginning of the year, and was spoken of by the Indian press in terms of praise of its excellent training. The Calcutta, Englishman says:—-"The Maharajah Scindia annually assembles his forces, in January and February, near his capital. This year the ground selected is a fine, open plain, near the village of Sasera. A camp for all arms has been formed. For a fortnight a regular army, stated to consistof six battalions of infantry, four regiments of cavalry, and eight batteries, numbering in all about 8000 men, has been going through a series cf drills and field manoeuvres, under the personal direction of the Maharajah. The caoips are laid out with great regularity, showing how carefully the British regulations have been followed. The Maharajah took up his quarters in the camp, and materially aided in its success. The great feature is the system of visual signalling, by flags and heliographs. This is probably the first instance of signalling being utilised by a purely Native army; and it makes another, step in the progress towards efficiency."