THE AFGHAN QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1762, 29 August 1885, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE AFGHAN QUESTION.

The London Observer of July 27 printed news ~t(MV^ffect that the Russians were in occupa--tio^Wthe Zulfikar Pass, and that the Marquis '•of Salisbury knew of the occupation several days "before. The Paris Gaulois says that Prince Uismarck has suggested that the Pass be made -neutral ground and the question of possession "be thereby solved ; but military experts in Lon•«don declare that to make the Zulfikar a •""no man's land," to " be roamed over' at 'will .by both Cossacks and ' Afghans^ as suggests,' would be to make a collision inevitable. There would also be a couiiinual difficulty about policing the pass and enforcing the neutrality provision. If the pass is ~to be policed by Russia it might as well be surTendered to her. If it be under the charge of .Afghanistan the situation would be much the :same as. at present, only with greater provoca- . tion and prospects of hostilities. The Panslavist Political Society are'stirring up the war feeling all over Russia by abusing England. 1 'Apolitical correspondent writing from Vienna 'OiijJuly 28 says a settlement of the Afghan difficulty is unlikely til! the end of the year. A despatch! of July' 29 says, Lord Salisbury; has to the request of M.De Steel to suspe'riu until "M. De Giers obtained the Te- : of>.the topographical survey which; has. been , -^ordered at.the Zulfikar Pass. , ,i , •The' report 1 that the Ameer of Afghanistan f^asstented td'the establishment' of, a 1 Bfttjisfi

•Cantonment at Candahar- is said- by a despatch from Simla of July 29 to have no .foundation. At the same time, in a recent durbat, the' Ame'er spoke of the relations between himself, and Eng 1 -' land, and said he .was convinced' England desired nothing but good to the Afghans. He advised his people to cultivate the friendship of .England, and said it would be a bad day for them if they ever came under the " Tyrrauical rule "of Russia." '",; , | A despatch of July 31 says that Major-general Macgregor is going to Quetta to select 'a site for an entrenched camp in the Valley of Pisheen.