Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-04-10
THE WAR EXCITEMENT.
a COnFticT UNAVOIDABLE
4 D.speraie Battle al N1rEnaD Glad
atone StH Hopes for Peace MOI
seisg ~ ~fhdFa~

L.sDos. Apui .. "A .i.-I..tsh fFom Asshed
s8n1ruls TIE rsDort ~ 4 a4tlle between ths
Aa-silas s1d AfgbAa oalposts. The Afghan
camp 4f Nurgas.b 3n the Murghab river.
las been eapls1ed - ne Russians after
1ref 14f .anEainars battle. in Snich ~ At
zi4aus ssfs slllosL The hassialn lo-s ~a- ~
killsd tad salaled. the camp e1ntaInsd a
large tllanltg of ana-, ammanition aAd
ulAlafg stores. au of xhien ted into tEs
haaas 81 lAo aa-silAs. The lsht eas slt-
lesssd 8g a lsuDer ol British officers. Who
slasel the battle a. passive spectators.
Naen these officers sas that tie Afghans
sare iefeasaa she's 4-ked li.e Russian. com
mandsf to laka thenl anlef l4s pfoIection.
fsarln. taat tle fgnaLs il laslg trenzy over
their 1rfeat k34l1 massacre them Tins TIE
Russian officer iifempted ~ do, but he Was
thNartel - lar AZ tfsiIs- Nao carried the OF
lcers 1oyoaa al- .esicn.
The iaiest dispatches from the Afghan
frontier state that the ngnt 80 Aarghao ~als
a u4a-t stab0oFn one lae battle sts fought
La a Iavinz rain storm. winch rendered
uaauF l.f tne mukxir-l leading arm. carried by
both forces luelfectaaL The Afyhaas fought
Klth graat desperation, and braTely opposed
step - step tae advance of the RUSSIANS.
Two companies " Afghans defended one
position lnul lhry Nere completely annlhl-
lated - q deadly artillery nre opened on
them - fne ka--laus lhe Afghans retreat
ed lu lerfect order. after lutlctIng some
severe is-sc- The Russians were evidently
sUrpr.-ed by tha Stubborn opposition, and
lid nos foli0x up their adv sntage, being eyl-
Isntiy content stth the capture of the camp.
The Blush officers who srre present during
The h1tt are load ln their praise Of the yalOr
"a D.. a Hrf... AZ
oroceeded .o ihe headquarters OF olr Peter
i-lm-siru. The English eoIunli ssioner, and
made a faii report of The ught % THAI official
The news 20 the engagement has caused
ths xreateat excitement here. The people
Are lnceussd si ku--il's daphclty IA pre-
teudin. to De ANXIOUS for peace while her
0b eci they say. vas merely 70 gain more
time The streets we're crowded this morning
with lu -Icitrd populace rushing hIther and
thlther iu search If the latest Information.
The newspaper oiics- are bs-ieged and the
streets are almost iIuiiu=-slble at points where
ualietlns are displayed he night on the
frontier b generally vieStd ls the first step
us kls-la iu iou-- contenpis contest for
supremacy in Asia and bloody and des-
perato xar betweeu her and England = now
considered inevitable. The feeling IA lnan-
cial aaf commercial circles D. mi-pauicky
On t1e stock exchange she gravity Of the
sitaaflou l- reelected by heavy fdnng OF
in cons0l- and Russian bonds. The former
have declined fully pee cent. since yester-
day. while Russian bonds have declined
neaay l0 points. Egyptian securities are
down per cent. The whole market = on
and fears ~ a panic are entertained before
the day closes.
There was hurried consultation OF the
head quarters star af the Horse guards and
the wires between London aud India were
instantly cleared Tor dispatches between the
india Office and the Governor General OF
India The Secrrtlry ~ state for India
wired f1r confirmation and flll information.
IL the report trlrgraphed from Meshed -
accu rate. the po-i fi0n gained by the Russians
opens the road to PenJdeh. the advanced
Afghan stronghold. lt - reported that the
lndlan Government has ordered the imme-
dlafe advance ~ a corps a arnies INTO Az
ghHmsfAn. The Russian ambassador has
been communicated with immediate ex-
plantations invited and au interview 40 the
foreign Office requested. The Russian em-
has4g have wired to ~ Petersburg for IN
forr1ttlou and Instructions.
Blt~on De S.,lt. The Russian Ambassador
% London, wis called ou by a Central Ns'cs
reuurtsr this morning hs appeared not at
All surprised Pa The news 0f the outbreak or
fne Afghan frontier. He SAID be only won
dered go had been SD long deferred. The
affair f- very serinns no present. said the
Amhassaflor. "huf I fear the worst - not
known and that the fghtng has been on
even macn arrer sclle than the press dis
pafrhe- ind.rnte. Baron De ctaal would
NOT venture au opinion fs fu the result and
ref rsed to talk further On he subject until
be- had received official sdvices from his
Government concerning the affair.
~ rIE COMMONS.
toSnoy. Arril s.-tfiadsfone stated IN the
House ~ Commons tonight that he had
iisf -aceivtd telegram from Sir Peter
Iamsflou rerorfnx that before the recent
battle the Afznans. owing to the threatening
attitude II rhr Russians. crossed tas river
kaahk Ia order fo occupy a safe vz~3tIon.
81 Peter. however. denies thaf tins man
onvre es,n ro4-ihlg be Construed a. aa ad-
vance 1uon neufr,il territory.
ft Ia t--ertel that the Russian embassy IA
London <neV of the battle 81 March a
Twelve hours before the British government
.ad ttat Barron r. Sttsei. the kgss. an Am-
ha-s,,sier suew that hosfiiities bad begun 40
the very time ~ vas assuring Granville ~
fhe Ctsr's iesirH fo maintain peace
efApsroSF srDfCrEEp.
faxpos tprl a-ln the Commons this
afternoon 1prrartous laughter from All parts
~ the House Ereeiet tslafi-foue's statement
Hiat "A a. ttiers. Minister af fsrai IN Affairs
sf 81 Petersburg declared bis belief that
Nie affair between the eutpost- in Afzhr
i-fan need nos eause any impairment sf
f-feudlF reiernfs between kussia and -
tsnd
FSaf k<p urHsf FfeHr.