ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1689, 15 April 1885, Page 3

ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.

AM ENGLISH ARMY READY FOR EMB.Vi! RATION. London. April u Ti.o Amesr - f Afghanistan was much disd Leering <_f die engagement with

It is mentioned that England could have ua-ly for embarkation, should hostilities with Russia occur, 20,000 men at two day’s

u -: i o». The English Press and the public demand but General Komaroff should be recalled, and they consider that Russia is now only trifling with a view to gain mote time. The patriotic fund of the Bengal natives has amounted to seventy lacs of rupees (£640,000). Lloyd’s Australian war risks have increased 5s pi.,r cent. SAFETY OF SUEZ CANAL FEARED FOR, GENERAL KOMAROFFS EXPLANATION. THE RUSSIAN PRESS SUPPORT KOMAROFF S ACTION. April 12, It is feared that the Russians will make an attempt to disable tbe Suez Canal.

Admiral Hornby will probably command the Baltic fleet.

The Blaca Sea, the Sea of Azova, and the lower portion of the Baltic will remain open. The -Morning Post states that the Emperor i i Germany considers General Komaroff the aggressor in the recent action ngamst the Afghans. His Majesty urges that the Afghan difficulty should be settled by arbitration at the nest annual meeting of Emperors at Skiermevice.

A telegram, dated Ist April, from General Komaroff to the Russian Government has been published. It explains that be summoned the Afghans to evacuate their position. This, however, acting under the advice of the British officers who were present, they declined to do. In order to support hia demand, General Komaroff ordered his troops to advance, still counting, however, upon a pacific issue of the difficulty. On the approach of the Russians, the Afghans opened tire upon them, uud followed this with an attack by cavalry, whereupon General Komaroff felt compelled to order his troops to commr c hostilities, with the result that a battle - f fi-ught as already reported. The cc.m-official organ of the Government, the Journal de Bt Petersburg, commenting upon Genera! Komaroff’s explanation of the Afghan incident, declines to allow that the action of the Russian commander was prompted by aggressive motives.

THE RUSSIANS ADVANCING,

AFGHAN TROOPS MASSING AT QUETTA. April 13. The Russian* are advancing along the River Murghab. The Afghans are sending vast quantities of military stores and munitions of war to : j'hc-en, and the troops are massing at Quetta. The Russian men-of-war Vladimir and .'.Jo no men are believed to ba in the vicinity 01 tiie Cape. Intormat.oa is to hand that the Russian Government are purchasing swift cruisers in the United States,

The English Press assert that, by his ex, p.anation, General Komaroff convicts himself.

The Ameer cl’ Afghanistan left Rawul F'indi to-day tor Cabul, after reiterating his continued friendship for Great Britain.

It is announced that in view of the exist-

ing crisis the Admiralty has resolved upon immediately reinforcing the naval squadrons on the Australian and China stations.

In the house of Commons to-day, Mr. Gladstone referred the recent negotiations between the Earl of Dufferin and the Ameer ot Afghanistan as entirely satisfaclorv. Speaking of the recent hostilities near PenjJeh, Mr. Gladstone informed the House that as there was a considerable discrepancy between the British account of the affair and that forwarded by General Komaroff, the Government had telegraphed to Sir Peter Lumsden to ascertain the actual facts of the case.