The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-02
ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.
More Testimony Showing that the Russians
Provoked the Fight of March 80.

More Testimony Showing that the Russians
Provoked the Fight of March 80.
LONDON, June "A portion of the papers
relating to the attack by the Russians on the
Afghans, March 80, has been published.
They show that on March 90 Sir Peter
Lumsden telegraphed to the government that the
Russians were moving heaven and earth to get
the Afghans to fight, and that fighting was cer-
tain to occur. On April he repeated his asser-
tion that an attack by General Komaroff was be-
ing planned. The subject of arbitration was first
proposed by Lord Granville. M. DeGiers, the
Russian Foreign Minister, demurred, saying the
Emperor Of Germany would be the only fit per-
son to arbitrate, and he would refuse. Lord
Granville retorted that the Emperor must con-
sent. If asked
The second set of Afghan dispatches shows
that on April IL Lord Granville wrote to Sir
Edward Thornton at ST. Petersburg as follows:
Baron De Staal informs me that he has received
a dispatch from NJ Deljiers ascrbing the
collision to the military part of Sir Peter Lums-
den's commission, which encouraged the Af-
ghans' professions, and declining to admit that
General Komaroff provoked the collision"
On April 10, Earl Granville wrote to Sir Edward
denying that Sir Peters, commission a had az any
bearing on the question. and refuting NJ DeGlers
statement. Nj. DeGiers, in reply, de-
clined to sacrifice the interest of Rus
sia OK submit the Penjdeh affair to
further inquiry. Earl Granville replied
to Baron De Staal proposing arbitration and a
| resumption of frontier negotiations. Baron
De Staal said he believed Russia would decline
to agree to arbitration, and even if she admitted
the principle, she could only entrust the
task to Emperor William, who would decline.
Earl Granville replied that he had no objection
to Emperor William. He thought that If both
England and Russia asked him to arbitrate it
would be impossible for him to refuse.
NJ. DeGiers then proposed to neutralize the
| Penjdeh district, pending the frontier negotia-
| tons. Earl Granville stipulated that both the
Russian and Afghan soldiers be withdrawn from
| Penjdeh
On May 4. Earl Granville wrote Baron De
nit the Penideh affair to arbitration, if it could
not be settled otherwise.
| The official statement, published in the Daily
News, to-day, from Earl Granville, Foreign Sec
| retary, is to the effect that the Russo Afghan
boundary question was still unsettled has highly
disconnected the Liberals and made the Tories
| jubilant.
| In an interview at Constantinople as to the
| present condition of the Anglo Russian contro-
yersy. Sir Peter Lumsden said, to-day, that
it might be weeks, it might be
months before matters were again
embroied, but that the difficulty
was sure to break out afresh sooner or later and
before very long. The old frontier included all
that was best on eighty miles of desert land that
was now to be given up to Russia
The London News says that England and
Russia, being assured of the King of Denmark's
readiness to act as arbitrator, have agreed to
| invite him to arbitrate.