The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-10

said to be great. British officers re
NAMED until the Afghans effected
their retreat when they Joined the
camp of Sir Peter Lumsden.
LONDON, April st was ascertained
late this afternoon, that to-day's ses.
sion of the Cabinet had not been called
as reported, merely to prepare for this
evenings opening of Parliament. The
real purpose of the session was to dis
cuss the alarming kilograms coming in
from Sir Peter Lumsden. The first OF
these dispatches was received yester-
day, but as it came in an incomplete
state 1t was not acted upon, although of
an alarming nature. Action was post
poned, in order to get the full text. The
telegram read thus: ga large force of
Russians from Pull Khisti made Sc
we're attack on the Afghan outposts at
Penjdeh. At this most important
point the dispatch was broken off, evil
IDENTIFY through the cutting of the wires
1t was decided that Sir Peter Lumsden
had gone at once to Gulran, for the pur-
pose OF remaining on guard at Hobart
Pass, on the road to Herat. No doubt
is entertained that Between the time of
and to-day's developments, government,
while believing that the Afghan defeat
at Penjdeh was really less disastrous
than reported, it is still considered an
incident, unless satisfactorily explained
of cdSuS beIH. 1t is believed also that
the Cabinet discussed the question of
at once sending six iron-clads now at
Malta to the Dardanelles.
There is great agitation this evening
in all government departments. 1t is
cta fa6 hof
at once sent to India. The first army
reserve will probably be called out i'm
mediately.
Earl Dufferin, at Rawul Pindi, to-day,
was informed by telegraph of what oc-
CURED at Penideh. He at once told
Abdurrahman, Amer of Afghanistan,
and the native Indian chiefs, who are
in attendance at the council of native
chiefs, unanimously recommended the
immediate throwing of troops into
Afghanistan. This recommendation
has been placed before the home gov
eminent in London.
Later in the day the surmise of the
government in regard to the movements
of Sir Peter Lumsden, was substanti-
ated by the receipt of a telegram from
him at Gulran. This telegram, dated
April 1st, completed the broken dis
patch. 1t states, officially, that the
Russians attacked the Afghans en-
trenched at Penjdeh. and slaughtered
200 of the garrison. The 10000 British
and Indians, now stationed along or
near the northern Indian frontier, may,
it is thought, reach Herat in time to
prevent the capture of that important
point by the Russians.
The Cabinet sat two hours. Earl
Granville, British Foreign Minister,
after adjournment, had separate inter
views with Musurus Pasha, Turkish
to London, and Baron De
Stael, Ambassador from Russia.
Gladstone, in the House of Commons,
this evening, IN answer to interroga-
tories, said that, on Saturday, the
Cabinet considered Russia's reply to
proposal to limit the zone of
survey to debatable points. Russia's
reply was an agreement to do this, pro-
vided the zone of survey, as marked
out by England, extended southwark
so as to include the ParapamiSsam
range OF mountains. Government con-
sidered the reply did not advance the
question towards conclusion, and was
with it. Within the past
twenty-four hours, however, said the
Premier, a subsequent communication
had been received from Russia, and
this appeared, in the opinion of gov
eminent, to place the matter in a more
hopeful position. Being asked what the
nature of this communication was,
said it would be impossible,
at present, for government to make any
further statement concerning the pend
ing negotiations about the Afghan
frontier, in view of the grave occur
rences just reported. Continuing,
Gladstone said that it was evident that
the Russians had attacked the Afghans.
The Afghans had, in this attack, been
defeated, after making gallant resist
ance. 1t was apparent, also, that the
Russians, after the fight, returned to
their former position, or at least to the
left bank of the Kushk river, which
might be equivalent to such retirement.
has been informed, the
Premier went on. that the Russians had
made every endeavor to induce the
Afghans to begin fighting. The Russian
troops had even twice attempted to
fercibly pass through the Afg han
picket line. After one of these
attempts failed to provoke an
Afghan attack, Captain Yates met
a Russian chief of staff, and talked to
him about the conduct of the Russian
soldiers, being an evident violation OF
the Russian agreement to not advance
pending the outcome of the negotia-
lions. The Russian officer stated that
he had 30 knowledge that any arrange
ment existed against the Russian ad-
vance. Captain Yates referred to an
official dispatch sent from st. Peters
burg on March the Eth, to London, as
surfing England that orders would be
at once sent to the Russian officers at
the front, directing them to forbid any
advance, and to do all in their power to
prevent the proYocation of the Afghans.
The Russian officer declared that he
knew nothing whatever of any such ar
rangement. Gladstone, commenting
on this, said that England had kept
her part of this agreement up to March
Both. at least the Afghans had made no
advance nor any forward movement
of any kind as far as the information
possessed by the Ministers went. The
government, Gladstone stated, must
regard the attack by the Russians upon
Penjdeh as unproyoked. The govern
ment had asked an explanation of this
attack from Russia, but, of course, sui
ficient time had not yet elapsed for the
receipt of an answer. Sir Edward
Thornton, British Ambassador to St.
Petersburg, had, however, last night.