Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-04-10
DAILY pOs1.INTELLIGEKcER
rmE BATTLE @S Tae AFGHAN
FRosTIEK-

For ,osps tint Il has been appsrsui
that the ragged progress Of tie neaosis'
.ions between Russia snd Eoe!aDd sss
more apparent than real Pesesfsi a.
surnuces and varlike preparations do
not 90 veil together. WhiIe at tine
Of sush delic4te negotiations g those
which have been pending for tie pass
few weeks, IL was very natural for ootn
nations TO prepare for the worst TIE
preparations actually made hs'Ve been
en- 20 extensive a scale and Of no eos'iy
a nasure. that Il was evident itisi both
9overnmsn,s deemed gar great deal
more probable than peaes. E 7s1@nd
voald nc4 have gone 70 the eErorrnous
sxpeuse Of ehartering. rsfstirg and arm
M the fast stsamers OF the Anshor'
Ouuard and National lines, without a
strong probability that they would be
found useful. It vss toe apparent that
she object Of the Russian Diplomacy
sas merely to shin fsw Seeits time
daring whioh troops could BE- missed In
the Caucasus. Lord DudsTin seems
10 have understood the situatisin thor
.,uQhly, and never for monent TO have
rslaxsd his effort, to prepare India for
var.
Whatever may have been the aims
and hepes Of tbtse Who we're carrying
an the negotiations, their pialas have
saddspiy been overturned by ala aet.Al
collision between the Russian ind Al
CHAN troops. From the contradictory
reports resolved Of this affair it Is din
saIt 10 determine precisely what has
taken place. This much, howsver'
ssems certain. a conflict has taken
place, and the AfRhans have bSsu de-
ieatsd this vas not mere affair OF
ousposts. bat Q hattie In which large
foroen we're engaged; the kusstans are
either IN OF near PsDidh, and are sd-
yanoinR upon Herat. IL Is new, there
fore, 10 clear az not TO admit Of u doubt
shat Rassia has been systematically de-
seiving England, and willie aRresiDR
shat no further advance should be
naade. has. in fact, either been IrushrnR
her troops forward, or has left them al
liberty 10 act as their officers naw d.
The result, Of course. was a conflict.
This IL doubtless What the Russians de-
sired and intended. They have now
bad time 70 mass large army on tie
frontier, and will probably Attsnps 10
push forward and seize the principal
strategic points before British troops
ean reach the scene OF hostilities.
II Fspidh has been occupied by the
Rnsaiana. 10 Ia q serious loss TO The A.
ghsns. bat not one half 20 serious as
che loss Of Htrat would be. The Rus
sians seem 10 be pushing for this point,
and 10 IL reported that Sir Peter Lums-
dan has entered 1t and will resist the
Russians II they attempts lie eapture.
BlI Peter ID a Major Gsner,i in the
British army, and Is an able aLd re
liable ofiierr He has with him only a
few e ,gliah efassrs and small escort,
bis misrion In that region having beeb
70 aasist In laJinE ont the frontier b.
tween Russia and Afehanistan. Thsrs
are several thousand Afghan troops 10
Hsrat, and on thsss, with what aid b.
may receive from the citix ne, Sir Peter
will have 90 rely for the defense Sf tht
city. Il is not impossible that be voaid
be able To hold ont for some time, M
Herat Ia strongly fortified aud IL
naturally difhculs Of attack. Half a
century ago IL passed through ore OF
the most memorable sieees Of modern
history. Lieutenant Louis Pot,inesF,
an English officer and correspondent,
supported only by such forces as be
eoald aather from the residents of the
city, resistsd a Persian army of thirty
thousand men for nine months. fron
November q, 1881, 70 September ., 1883,
finally driving them OF. Il can be seen,
shsfefore, that, II necessary, Sir Peter
mIsy DO able 10 resist she Russian, long
snoaRh to enable strong English gar
sison 10 be thrown into this most ian.
portani point.
The movements of the next few Says
will Be watched vish intense interest
By the entire world. Blood has hesn
shed TIE iirst gun has been hred. and
IL is difficult 10 zee how diplomacy can
nov prevent war. The aring on Sam
Ter overturned world Of compromise.
The peaoe parties IN England and Rus
Mn will probably fade away before an
intense harst OF patriotic enthusiasm
sash - always follows 90 appeal to |
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