The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-12
The Ministry Becoming Pugnaeious.


LONDON, April 1.-THE ministry it
appears have been coerced by the aggres-
siveness of public opinion into tardy
but evidently determined attitude of
pugnacity. AT first Gladstone satisfied
himself with demanding of Russia an
explanation of Gen. Komaroff7s attack
upon the Afghans. He felt sure, it is
stated, that Russia was sincerely desir-
GUS of peace and would discountenance
the action of the commander, no matter
how thoroughly he might have repre-
sented the bellicose policy of the st.
Petersburg war party, but when the
Gar answered that he would explain to
England as soon as Gen. KomaroH ex-
planned to him. the British Premier was
forced to conclude that the Car was
trifing to gain time. To-day, there
fore, Earl Granville, British Foreign
Minister, advised Baron de Stael, Rus
sian ambassador to London, that the
British government had decided that
whatever the nature of the Russian ex-
PLANTATION of Gen. Komaroff7s action
might be, Great Britain would not
allow any further discussion concern
ing the delimitation of the Afghan
frontier to go on until the Russian
troops have been withdrawn from
their present outposts on the dis
puted Territory, back to the positions
which they occupied at the time Eng
land appointed her part of the commits
sion to adjust the Afghan frontier, as
this was nearly year ago, and as
almost all of the Russian advance has
been made in the interval. it is difficult
to believe that Russia will seriously
attempt to reach an amicable under
standing.
Count Won Munster, German ambas-
sador to London, is given as authority
for most significant utterance on the
part of the British ministers. The Ger
man minister states that at a conference
upon the Afghan question held yester-
day, Earl Granville stated that England
had declared it was impossible to con-
sent to a diplomatic discussion with
Russia, unless England was guaranteed
security against having the result of the
controversy imperilled by collisions
on the disputed frontier, such as
had occurred on the Kushk. England,
Lord Granville said, must refuse to &C
cept Russia's assurance that she desires
peace, unless the assurance was accom-
drawn from Tepi to Sariyasi.
At the German and Russian Embas-
sizes here, the opinion is expressed that
the dispute between the Gear and Great
Britain has actually reached its final
phase in diplomacy.
De Giers, Russian Prime Minister,
through Baron De Stael, has offered to
abandon the Russian proposal to extend
the line of the debatable zone proposed
by England, so as to include the Para
pamissus mountains, and recur
to the line suggested in the Lessar
proposals. This offer on the part
of the Russian premier, while appar
emily containing a concession, is con-
sidered to be merely ruse to modify
the effects of General Komaroff S attack
and to gain time The Lessar line, while
within the Parapamissar line, would
hardly be acceptable to the English
statesmen, although the proposal would
be made to appear to the British public
as a retreaton the part of Russia. AS
Earl Granville'S demand for the with
drawal of the Russian troops was tele-
graphed to Sir Edward Thornton at st.
Petersburg after the receipt of DeGiers
proposal, it is inferred that the Russian
Premier's overtures has not met with
acceptance and has made no impression
upon the English government. Both
Russia and England are busily engaged
in correspondence with other powers,
and are actively counting alliances. If
the English negotiations with Turkey
succeed, the most important immediate
result will be the opening of the Darda-
nelleS to the British feet.