LETTEE FROM "THE FRONT."

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3298, 23 April 1885, Page 2

LETTEE FROM "THE FRONT."

Some interesting information regarding the insidious nature of the Russian advance and some of the prominent places mentionedin recent telegrams is gi»enin a letter by The Times correspondent at Bala Murghab, dated January Bth. We take from it the following extract* .— ' „ '. When I last wrote we were expecting Sir Peter iunisden at Kuhsan. He arrived on the 19th November, after a march of about 1000 miles, from Resht, via Teheran to Meßhed, and thence, via Sarakhs, to Kuhsan. There was gomething pathetic in the distinction and hospitality with which ho ■was received in Persian territory ; it really seemed as if poor shorn Persia welcomed the opportunity of thus expressing sympathy with her more fortunate Afghan neighbor. From Meshed the British Commissioner ascended the Kashuf-i-liud, which, rising to the west of Meshed, flows into the Heri Bud — " rud " means river — a few miles north of Pnl-i-Khatun. Instead of proceeding from Dorband in a southerly direction to Kuhsan, as had been expected, General Lumsden turned to the north-west andmade his way toßarakhs, which he reached' on November 8. There are two Sarakhs — an old and a new Sarakhß. They are three and a half miles apart, about the Bame latitude, on opposite sides of the river. The Heri Rud, or Pejend, as it ia called beyond Saraklis, 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 twelve miles to the north. Old Sarakks, which ia now practi. cally iu tho possession of Bussia, is an important strategical position, being the junction of several trade routes. It was once a lorge city, but now a ruined Turcoman Tillage on a mound is the only evidence of its former greatness. When General Jjumsdera was at New Sarakhs, General Komaroff, th« 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 KoßJawff bad "srith, him SOO Bwsw in.-

fawtrv, with a few hundred Turcoman levies", raised in the Akhal; for Russia lias already begun to enlist Turcomans under her fla». New Sarakhs is a largo fort, or rather mud wall, in a wide, open plain, enclosing about 75 acres of land, and containing a ruined village and citadel. The .rmamen consists of fix email guns of an obsolete pattern, and the garrison of about 400 infantry and a few hundred Tymun levies. . Tho party marched the whole way as fur as Toman Aghu 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 Nauruz-abad, 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 on both banks. Of course the Persian Government, which leaves its frontier districts a pray to the fiendish man-stealing Turcomans, is responsible for this deadly blight. Between Sarakbs and Daulat-abad, about 10 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 Bridgo," said to hare been built by Timur's daughter. It has «ve 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 13 a very important strategical position, for it commands the passage of the river where the road from Meshed to Herat, joining that from Sarakhs, crosses the river. The road on the left bank to Kushan here ceases to be practical for any but a small party without wheeled transport, while, as M. Lessor 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 socalled passes of Germab and Znlfikar, which are in reality the rocky beds of long winding ravines gradually ascending to the summit of the plateau of Badghis. Another important strategical position is Penj-deh, in the valley of the Murghab. It is separated from Yolatan, the edge of the Merv oasis, by 80 miles of desert, and is connected by 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 Russia— 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 roads that Russia can quietly annex in times of peace the nearer she will be to Herat, and the les3 resistance she will have to overcome when she is ready to fight for Herat. Three years ago the nearest Russian outpoßts on the road from the Caspian were at Kransnovodsk and Chikishlar, 700 miles ; now they are at PuM-Khatun, about 150 miles from Herat. Three years ago the nearest Russian outposts 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 Candahar. 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. la July she advanced to Old Sarakhs, and in October and November, after the date fixed for thfr meeting of the Commission, she pushed on to Pul-i-Khatun. Now take the other road. In February kst Russia occupied Merv, in September she advanced to Volstan, and in November Alikhanoff appeared before Penj-deh. It is these last two acts of agresgion — namely, in the direction of Penj-deh and Pul-i-Khatun — which particularly inconsed the Afghans. When General Lumsden reached Meshed he heard of the occupation of PuM-Ehatun, and he promptly proceeded to Sarakhs instead of going direct to Kushan, as he had intended,, in order to protest against it to General Komaroff, who was encamped at Old Sarakbs. The Russian troops, however, remained at Pul-i-Khatun. For a long time there had been many rumors regarding a possible Russian advance on Penj-deh, but it was not until Pul-i-Khatun had been occupied that General KomarofE and Colonel Alikhanoff turned their attention to Penj-deh — so quickly, indeed, that when General Lumsden arrived at Kushan a report was received that both Komaroff and Alikhanoff, with a large body of cavalry, were advancing on Penj-deh, and 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 Penj-deh, 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 flow 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 Penj-deh, and finding that the Turcoman population did not on his appearance rise against the garrison, he returned to Merv, after writing a very insulting letter to the Afghan general.