The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-04-08
Who is The Aggresser?
THE HISTORY OF IRE QUARREL on
THE AFGHAN FRONTIER.

.# AAhA ~ UAAhN AkUN41LhS 4
England has Enough on her Hands
Without Stirring up a War with Rus.
sia-Why Should not the United
States Suggest q Settlement by Ar
bitration t?
NEwBEBnY, Mach 29.-As the situa-
ton between England aud Russia seems
to become more complicated and threat
ening from day to day, a little cxamin-
alton into the actual merits Of the ques.
ton may interest your readers. Getting
a. We do, all our news from London,
and from the English papers, We natur-
ally get but one side Of the question.
Russia is put in the light Of the sole
aggressor, and England ix represented as
being forced against her will into q strug-
gle in defense Of her Indian empire.
The New York papers, almost without
An exception, represent the question in
this light.
So far as have seen, only the NcW
York Hertad, in its London kilograms
q few days ago, puts the question near
er ia an impartial light and less unfavor-
able to Russia. The article last week
in Ha,pe,'s Weekly by Mr.. Ker was
entirely one-sided, and the Afghan from
tier drawing most incorrect, if Sticlcr's
large German atlas can be accepted rs
authority. I have that atlas before INC,
and his large map Of Central Asia, in
Guiding Persia, Afghanistan, the Turko-
man country, recently annexed by Ru.-
sia, Buchora, de-, gives the entire re-
gion in question far more clearly than
any other map l have been able to see.
All our American maps arc very indis-
tinct and unsatisfactory on this region.
Stieler is universally regarded abroad as
Of the very highest geographical author
ity and being a German, may be except
ed as entirely impartial.
Steler represents the range Of mouu-
tains called Gulistan Mountains, which
forms the northern frontier Of Persia
sind divides that country from the new
ay annexed Turkoman region, as con-
tinuing on in a southeast direction be-
yond Larachs, and forming also the
frontier between Afghanistan and the
Turkoman country. Larachs is situated
on the river Heri-Rud just north Of the
northwest corner Of Persia and the
northwest corner Of A%fghanistan, the
Hsri-Rud forming the frontier between
Persia and A:ghanistan for n considera.
He aSstapce sQuths af ;yfhias8sclain of
leaialfstlh IAssshSfs ssESst asaandsea
sSxntk ma on fhS direcs
80 sAiisoSdE bsing built by he
sShdssians from the Caspian Sea, via AS
kabad, toward Herat and India. 1t
is said to be a point Of great strategic
Importance for the Russians, and we
shall likely hear much Of it in case Of
war. II IS aboT 3 800 miles north
xsess ekHen go istan chain con-
tinueson in the sam ...:rnstcrly direc.
ton at least two hundred miles beyond
Larachs, forming all the way, according
70 Stieler, the boundary between Afghan
istan and the Turkoman country.
About a hundred miles beyond Larachs
the river Murg-Ab descends from the
Ghoor Mountains in A.fghanistan, CROSS
es the frontier and flows on north until
lost in the desert beyond Nero. The
fortress of Penjdah (p%anschcdeh) which
we see so frequently mentioned as occu-
pied by the Afghans and where there il
greatest danger Of contract with the
Russians, is on the banks Of the Mure-
40, north Of the Gulistan Mountains
md consequently on Turkoman terrific
~ according to Sticler. But it is not
only Stieler that makes this range of
mountains the northern frontier Of Az
ghanlstan. Even a map issued a few
years ago by the Indian Government
puts the Afghan border nineteen miles
south of Penjdeh, and the Amcer of A. |
ghanlstan seems only to have thought Of
laying claim to it, and occupying it since
tba Hussians have conquered and nnncx-
ed the Turkoman country. As to the
justice Of this conquest I do not enter
but certainly England ia the last couu-
try in the world that can consistently
contest the right to obtain territory in
this way. Thus FIR We have no news Of
Russia having occupied a foot Of Afghan
territory, and even should she occupy
the entire territory claimed as Turko.
man, h will he ut no point nearer than
> hundred miles to Herat with two
ranges Of mountains between. Sixty to
seventy miles south Of the ~frontie, |
range have described comes q more
lofty parallel range called .he Kuhi. |
haltg, OF Ghoor Mountains, still thirty
TO forty miles north Of Hcrat, The Go.
lat Pass, which We Bee mentioned: as thu
Key 70 Aesat, is in this chain north oil
Hsrst, We are told that some Russian