Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-04-09

The Russians Attack aud Defeat tho
Af-hans With Heavy Ee~s-The Lon.
don stock Market Affected.

LoNpoN. April a-Gen. komarDf. the Rus.
sian commander. attacked the fortified positions
of the Afghans on the kushk river on March
30:h The Afghan force. numbering 1000 mon,
with = cannon, was defeated. Their loss vas
boo men killed and wounded. All the artillery,
two standards, the entire camp equipage and
provisions were captured. The Russians lost one
officer killed and three suhaltcins wounded, De-
sides 10 soldiers killed and 29 wounded.
dispatch 10 the Times nrom Gnlran, dated
April Sd, states that the Russians, while maxi
ing preteNt OF changing the position of their
outpcStS on the Afghan frontier. attacked PenJ.
dch on March 3oth and drove the Afghans out
al their position. The Afghans stubbornly re-
sisted their assailantS. The weather was wet
n the time nj the attack, which rendered the
muyZlc-loading guns Of the Afghans useless.
Two companies held one position against the
Russians until lis defenders were killed The
Alghans retreated toAiaranchaN in perfect order.
The Russians made no pursuit. The Sarahks
remain neutral, hut plundered the Afghaus'
The British officers remained until the Afghans
effected their retreat. when they Joined the
camp of Sir Peter Lumsden.
EQUIVALENT To A DECLARATION OF WAR.
7. M.-There is great excitement on the
London stock exchange. amounting 10 almost
n panic. over the news of the light in Afghanis-
ration of war. Foreign funds are demoralized.
Russians are quoted at s2A.
Tho India office has received no official dis
patches concerning the battle between the RUS
slams ana Afghans. ticu. komaroffs dispatch,
published in the O0icidi Messenger, has been
telesraphed 10 each member OF the British cab
met
THE STOCK MARKET AFFECTED.
LONDON, April 81. 1880 y. m.-There has been
q i',ll In the stock market This morning in con-
sequence OF the receipt of the Intelligence OF
the Russian attack on Atghans on the kuskh
river. Consols for money, and the account
which closed yesterday AT 81 ZIG have fallen
10 90. Russian securities have also fallen SIX
points from the prices prevailing at the close Of
the market yesterday.
The Telegraph published n fourth edition,
which was out on the streets n little before two
o'clock inns afternoon This states that the
gravity of the news from the Afghan border has
not been i'm any degree diminished hy the ad-
vices received 10y The government The tele-
graph wire 10 Meshed has been cut for some
days.
FEARS THAT AN ENGLISH OFFICER WAS KILLED
The Telegraph has "A dispatch from Allahabsd
which states that Gen. komaroff, after his yics
tory, occupied Penjdeh, which has long been
held by AN Afghan garrison. The TstegrdTh
expresses the fear that "A British officer fell In
the rout al Penjdeh.
THE FIGHT MORE SERIOUS THAN REPORTED
Baron DE Staal, the Russian ambassador be.
lieNes that the fighting more serious than
the dispatches have Indicated. NJ. IyeSsar the
special Russian commissioner, expresses tho
opinion that the battle WAS brought about by
the Afghans attacking Russian plckets and
driving them from their posts. This, he thinks,
would have caused the Russians to retaliate and
thus general fight would be brought on. He
still has hopes that the boundary question may
find pacific settlement.
The whole stock list sympathiSes with tho
marked decline of consols and Russian securi-
ties. Egyptian securities have fallen four points
A Cabinet Council I'm London.
LONDON, April %, p.m.-A cabinet council 10
now sitting. and the result OF it's deliberations In
awaited with great anxiety.
THE RUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF 1T.
ST. PETERSBURG, April 9.-The oJicidr Mess
senger publishes the following: Gen. komaroff
reports that in consequence of provocative aud
manifestly hostile proceedings of the Afghans,
he was compelled To attack them on the 30th
ultimo on both banks OF the kushk river The
result was the defeat of the Afghans with heavy
loss.
The Afghan loss was 500 men with all their
artillery, two standards and their entire camp
and provisions. The Russian loss was one offls
Ger and ten soldiers killed. and three subalterns
and twenty-nine soldiers wounded. When the
lighting ended Gen. komaroff returned across
the river to the positions he had formerly re-
occupied. Gen. komaroff also reports that some
British officers who had been eye-witnesses, but
not participants, appealed 10 the Russians for
protection when they saw the Afghans were
beaten. But unfortunately, he says, a convoy,
which he Immediately dispatched To the relief
OF these officers, was unable to overtake the
Afghan cavalry who carried the British away
with them in their flight