The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-04-11 00:00:00

OUR MEAT SUPPLY,

Borne notion of how largely we are dependent upon
foreign countries for our meat supply is conveyed in
the annual report of the medical officer of health fod
the port of London, which shows that the enormous
quantity of upwards of 620,000 frozen carcases of
sheep, and 115,000
during the year, quarters of beef were imported
, exclusive of large supplies debarked
at provincial ports. One effect of this must, or
ought to be, to keep prices within the reach of nearly
all classes of people. Most of the supplies, it is
gratifying to learn, arrived in magnificent condition.
•Originally the risk existell of deterioration taking
place during transit, in which case the consignee was
=volved in heavy loss, but this has been reduced to a
"Ininimum through the knowledge obtained from ex-
Terience of how best to maintain the requisite degree
.of temperature in the storage chambers; and the
2neat is now sent into market in a thoroughly whole-
some condition.

The death is announced of Dr. Robert Aston Coffin,
the Roman Catholic Bisbop of Southwark, which took
"place at Teignmouth.

ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.
THE AFGHAN FRONTIER QUESTION.

At the commencement of the holidays, viz., on the
eve of Good Friday, the Russian reply to England
upon the Afghan boundary question was received at
the Foreign Office. In referring to it in an apparently
" inspired " communication the Pall Mall Gazette on
Saturday said: It is a most conciliatory document.
There is no truth in the report that it contains any
claims aboat the exclusion of this, that, or the other
point from the frontier. Neither does it refuse to
recall Russian troops from the positions which they
now occupy, for the simple reason that no such
demand was contained in the English despatch.
The Russian Government express an earnest wish that
the Joint Commission should get to work as
speedily as possible, and they accept the principle
of the definition of the zone of survey. But
instead of drawing the southern boundary of the zone
of survey at what they consider to be the northern
frontier of Afghanistan, which is an imaginary line
drawn across a desolate steppe, they propose that the
survey should be carried up to the only natural line
of demarcation that exists—namely, the Borkhut spur
of the Parapomisus. The difference between the two
propositions is that the Russian zone would include a
triangular piece of steppe varying from 20 to 50
miles in width in the zone of survey, which would be
excluded from the zone within which the English
would confine the Commissioners.

Writing in advance of this communication, the
Times "advises every one to accept with the greatest
caution statements as to the conciliatory tenour of the
Russian reply. For the purpose of influencing public
opinion in this country the Russian Government is
naturally anxious to create the impression that it is
doing everything that loyalty and love of peace can
dictate. Hence there will be no lack of assurances
that the reply is conciliatory, but they are to be pro-
foundly distrusted, unless it can be made quite clear
that they do not emanate directly or indirectly from
Russian sources. One of the penalties that we pay
for free speech and a free press is that Governments
which mercilessly stifle both wherever they have
power are able to poison some of the channels of
publicolnformation among ourselves. The Russian
reply may be conciliatory in form, hut we shall be
greatly surprised if in substance it is anything but an
attempt to gain time."
The Cabinet met at Mr. Gladstone's residence in
Downing-street at noon on Saturday. The sitting
was suspended for rather more than half an hour to
give Lord Granville the opportunity of further con-
ferring with the Russian ambassador, M. de Staal,
who was in autendance at the Foreign Office. The
Cabinet Council was resumed about three o'clock, and
continued until half-past three o'clock, when Lord
Granville had ancther brief consultation with M. de
Staal. Sir .de Rothschild and Blum Pasha separately
visited the Primo Minister and also Earl Granville
shortly after the conclusion of the Cab net Council.
The reply of the Russian Government to Lord
Granville's despatch was considered at the Cabinet
Council. Though conciliatory in tone, it did not, the
Standard says, entirely meet the views of the British
Government, and there are points on which further
explanations are required front the Russian Govern-
ment. "We hear that there is still a considerable
difference of opinion between the two Governments
as to the limits of the zone within which the Com-
mission is to fix the frontier. It is believed, however,
that this point will be settled by mutual concessions,
and that before many weeks the Commission will be
able to begin its work."
The Morning Post understands that the Cabinet
have not found the Russian answer as satisfactory as
was expected. Although satisfactory in form, it was
found to offer no decisive guarantee for a pacific
settlement of the Afghan question.
While the language of the reply, the Daily Tele-
graph says, is indeed conciliatory, it is of a decidedly
temporising tendency, and it makes no distinct con-
cession either as to the place and time of meeting for
theßoundary Commission, or with regard to the area
of delimitation.

A telegram received in Calcutta stated that Russia
had accepted in principle a proposal of Lord Granville
that the Afghan frontier should not be drawn further
south than Karez Elias, or Chaman-i-Baid, or further
north than Shir Tepe or Sari Yazi. "This news," says
the Calcutta correspondent of the Times, "has been
much discussed, and the general opinion is that it
is very disheartening, as indicating a disposition on
the part of the Ministry to give up much more than
Russia can fairly claim. If the southern line be
adopted, Russia will obtain the important starting
points of Pendjeh, Maruchak, Akrobat, Pul-i-Khatun
and Zulfikar, as well as the practical admission that
her recent advances were justifiable. It is generally
felt throughout India that war is preferable to such
concessions, and that to yield any material point now
will only postpone the crisis for a few years, to a
time when Russia will be fully prepared, while
England will have lapsed into a chronic state of un-
readine se."

The Moscow Gazette contains an article treating oi
the attitude of the British Cabinet on the question
and the meeting of the Ameer with Lord Dufferin in
its usual sceptical manner. It does not believe in any
of the offers of assistance from native Indian princes
nor in the promised support of other British posses-
sions. England is simply trying to terrorise Russia
and the British Cabinet has taken its place in the
ranks of Russophobists, where it is quite out of its
proper sphere, only to parade its national policy
before the Opposition in Parliament. It continues :
"England does not yet know whether Abdurrhaman
will let English troops pass through his territory
It is doubtful, and he may ask Lord Dufferin tc
have the Peshawur Talley and other parts of Afghan-
istan returned, and, perhaps, even request an increase
of his pension. This money is not a reward for set,
vice rendered, but is paid only that the Ameer should
keep quiet; so that in reality it may be viewed as a
kind of tribute paid by the English to the Afghan
Sovereign." The St. Petersburg correspondent of the
Times, who forwards the above, adds: "I may add
here that it is continually impressed upon me by
Russians, and I have even been requested by a well-
known authority to lay stress upon it in your
columns, that Abdurrhaman Khan is playing a double
game."
st. Petersburg advices received at Berlin state that
on several recent occasions the Czar has expressed
confidence in the preservation of peace; but it is
generally believed that his Majesty would not consent
to any withdrawal of the Russian forces from the
advanced positions now occupied on the Afghan
frontiers. As regards the Czarina, it is well know ;
that her Majesty abhors the very idea of a war with
England, and has all along exerted her influence tc
prevent it. M. de Giers is also undoubtedly in favour
of an agreement with England, but finds great diffi-
culty in counteracting the warlike propensity of
General Obratcheff, the acting Minister of War, whc
considers the present occasion favourable for taking
revenge on England for the Treaty of San Stefano.
It is stated that General Gourko, now Governor of
Poland, is already selected at the War Office as
commander in Turkestan, should war prove in.
evitable.

A Hungarian paper has published an article by
M. Vambery, in which the writer expresses the
opinion that war between Russia and England is
inevitable. Russia will at best postpone it, he thinks,
until the railway reaches Sarakhs and Pul-i-Khatun.
If she has been able to get her soldiers secretly
across the Caspian, M. Vambery considers that war
may begin in a few days. A telegram from Teheran
states that a full understanding has been arrived at
between the Russian and Persian Governments re-
specting the frontier from Mery to the Persian pro-
vince of Khorassan.

There is no doubt, says the St. Petersburg corre-
spondent of the Standard, "that Russia is taking
measures to meet the contingency of war with
England, and is making preparations no less earnestly
and rapidly, though with much more secrecy. General
Annenkoff, who controls all the Russian railways as
far as the movement of troops is concerned, has gone
to Saratoff, where he has an estate, but where also is
stationed the Fortieth Division, under orders for
Turkestan. The Russian Press, with the help of its
Eterman allies, has discovered what it believes to be a
new and formidable means of bringing England to her
senses' and moderating the ardour of her tone
against Russia, namely, the repudiation of the De-
claration of Paris. The Novae Vremya had a special
article on this subject, maintaining that the said De-
claration was all in England's favour; that, not being
a Treaty, it could be got rid of by a simple notifica-
tion, and that such a step would probably have a
magical effect in England. Russia, it added, must,
in the event of war, be free to fit out as many
cruisers and privateers as possible, and to seize Eng-
lish goods in foreign bottoms."
In the meantime, also, preparations are being
actively carried out by England to provide for the
eventuality of war. Orders have been issued for the
immediate completion of the railway to Quetta. An
offer of 15,000 picked Ghoorkas has been made to the
British authorities by the Maharajah of Nepaul. The
troops are ready to march across the frontier at once,
and would be commanded by British officers. A
grand review was held at Rawul Pindi on Monday, in
the presence of the Ameer, the Viceroy, and the Duke
of Connaught. In the evening the Viceroy gave a
banquet in honour of the Ameer, at which the health
of the latter was proposed by Lord Dufferin. The
Ameer replied, wishing prosperity to the British
Governmeat and to Afghanistan.