The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-04-17

The British cabinet met, and, after reading
the latest kilograms concerning the battls
discussed the question of sending at once the
six ironclads now at Malta to the Dardanelles
Instructions were teegraphed to Sir Peter
Lumsden to proceed instantly with all the
forces at his command to occupy Robat Pass,
the approaches to which have already been
fortified by the Afghans under the direction
OF the British royal engineers. Robat Pass
is forty-five miles north of Herat, and through
it lies the only practical road for a large
military force to Herat. Sir Peter
ish and natives, and the Ameer's
forces capable Of concentration at
this point number between 10000 and IL, 900
men. The pass is 900 feet high, AMI the
mountains are impracticable for even a small
force. The country east of Robat Pass and
south of Penjdeh, lying between Herat and
Penjdeh, is held by the Afghans in consider.
able force, and is so difficult as to be inacces-
sible by any force not holding the fords and
passes
Sir Peter Lumsden is reported to be now
engaged with large force of Afghans and
a body of picked men of the British and In
dian armies in pushing forward the forti-
ficatiOns of Herat.
The British government has received adj
vices from its representative at st. Peters
burg stating that the war feeling at that
capital since the receipt of the news from the
that the Russian officials make little or no
effort to conceal their qualification at the out
come of the fight between the Russians and
the Afghans on the frontier
An explanation of the attack upon the At
ghans by the Russians is afforded by n letter
from Meshed, which states that previous
encounter had taken place in Zulfikar Pass.
In this fight the Afghans were reported to
have attacked the Russian troops and com.
PEELED them TO retreat. M. Lessar the Rus
sian commissioner quoted above said that
this incident, if true, accounted for General
komaroffs attack upon the Afgtans at
Penjdeh.
In the British house of commons Premier
Gladstone amid intense excitement, in an
swer to interrogatories said that the pendlug
negotiations between England and Russia
about the Afghan frontier had been inter
rupted by the grave occurrences just reported.
He said further that England had kept her
Part of the agreement not to advance and
that the Russian attack was unprovoked
During Mr.. Gladstone's statements regarding
the battle III Afghanistan ms manner even
more than his words, emphasized the gravity
of the situation Most of the facts which he
stated were quoted from an official report re-
ceived from General Sir Peter Lumsden, the
British Boundary commissioner, who was at
Gulran, on the Here-l}ud river fifty miles
w, st of Herat, with an escort of 5000 Indian
cavalrymen.
III Is estimated that the RUSSIAN forces
ready for an immediate advance upon the
Afghan frontier are upward of %, 000 men,
The British forces ready for the front are
placed at 81, 900 men, consisting exclusively
of British and picked troops of the Indian
army.
The English press unanimously declared
that it was Englands imperative duty to
tight unless Russia recalled Gen. Komaroff,
and disowned his action in attacking the AT
ghans
News of the battle on the Afghan frontier
caused tremendous excitement in all the Eu-
ropean as well as in the American stock and
other markets. Prices of stocks fell every
where in Europe In the United States there
was Wild excitement in the grain and produce
markets at New York and Chicago. and there
was an advance of from five to seven cents
bushel in the price of wheat. Corn, oats and
Hour also jumped up in price with extraordi-
nary celebrity.