New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-10
RUSSIA STRIKES A BLOW.
THE RATTLE AT PENJDEH'
.rcu,Ns DRIVEN BACK WITH GREAT LOSS

<b;s afternoon had purpose qulte uiuoiioi
10 that which had been given out. III was saiu IL
had in view simply the preparationsfor tho opening
of Parliament this evening. lts real op]ect' now
ever. was to consider the alarming kilograms wnlch
have been coming from Sir Peter Lumsden. The
first of these dispatches was received yesterday,
INT il WAS in confused and incomplete shape, ana
mo ac,ion was taken upon it, though the Foreign
Office was greatly alarmed by its contents. Ac'ion
upon il was postponed till its full text was re-
ceived. 1t read thus:
a. large force of Russians from Pulikhisti made
n severe attack on Afghan Outposts at PenJdeh.
Inst here. at Its most important point, the dis
patch was broken off, plainly on account Oh 'no
cutting of the wire. 1t was then conciuoed tha'
Sir Peter Lumsden had gone at once to Guiran lor
the purpose of remaining ON guard at Robat fasS
Oh the road to Herat.
The Times's dispatch from Gulran, dated on April
9 stated that the Russians. while making pre-
text of changing the positiodM theiHoutposts on
the Afghan frontier, attacked Penjdeh ON March
30 and drove the Afghans out of their position
1t records the desperate fighting OF the A1gnan
troops. and saws they stubborny resisted their as
sailants, and being forced back re-
treated in good order, centesting bravery
eyery foot of the way. The weather
was reported to be wet at the time, rendering ,he
muzzc-loading guns of the Afghan practically use
position against the Russians until its defenders
were killed The Afghan retreat to Maranchek was
made in perfect order and after driving them BACK
the Russians made pursuit. The British ohcers
remained on the field until the Afghans efiected
iber retreat. when they joined the camp of Sir
Peter Lumsden The Times prints the statement
that the Russian losses are said to be great
In two important points this account of the en-
gagement differs from that teleGraphed
from ST. Petersburg as the Official re-
mort of General Komarof In The
Omcal Messenger. 1he latter says that General
Komaroff reports that in consequence of provoca-
tion and the manfestly hostile proceedings OF the
Atgbans he was compelled to attack them on March
10 ON both banks of the Kushk River. The Iimess
account saws that the Russians made the attack
upon the pretext of changing the position OF tnelr
outposts. General Komaroff reports his loss to be
limited TO one officer and 10 soldiers Killed ana .
subalterns and 20 soldiers wounded, whlie INC
Times prints the rumor that 1t was very great. All
accounts however, agree that that the Afghan loss
was severe. General Komarof estimates 1T at 800
men, all their artillery two standards and all their
camp eqpipage and provisions. When the hghting
ended he says that he returned across the river TO
the position he had formerly occupied
General Komaroff also reports that some British
officers who had been eye-witnesses but not par
ticipants in the engagement, appealed 10 the
Russians for protection when they saw that the
Afghans were beaten. But unfortunately he says
convoy which he Immediately dispatched to the
relief of these officers was unable to overtake the
Afghan cavalry. who carried the British away with
them in their fight.
fourth edition of The Telegraph, put out this af-
ternoou little before O'clock served 10 increase
public alarm 1t stated that the gravity OF the
news from the Afghan border had not been in any
degree essened by the later advices received by the
Government, The telegraph wire 10 Meshed had
been cut for several days. The Telegraph also
printed dispatch from Allahabad that General
Komaroff after his victory had been won occupied
Penjdeh, which has long been held by an Afghan
garrison 1t expresses the fear that British off,
Ger fell during the retreat.
NJ Lessar, the special Russian Commissioner,
expresses the opinion that the battle brought
about by the Afghans attacking Russian pickets
and driving them from their posts This. he thinks,
would have caused the Russians to retaliae, and
thus general light would be brought on. He
still has hopes that the boundary question may find
pacific settlement
The broken dispatch received from Sir Peter
Lumsden by the Government yesterday was suf-
fcent to dspel any doubt that the attack, whether
or not it was disastrous to the Afghans as was
reported, was-unless satisfactorily explained-a
cause for war. At its session the Cabinet consid-
now at Malta Immediately to the Dardaneles.
The agitation this evening in all the Government
departments is great. 1t is stated that II 600 re-
inforcements will be at once sent to India. The
First Army Reserve will probably be called out
Immediately. The Earl of Dufferin, at Rawal-
pndi, to-day was informed by telegraph of what
had occurred at Penjdeh. He at once told Alb
durrahman, the Anieer of Afghaulstan, and the
native Indian chiefs who are in attendance at the
10, gl.vr
nended tho immediate throwing of troops into
Afghanistan. This recommendation has been
placed before the home Government in London.
Larer IN the day the surnise of the Government
in regard to the movements of Sir Peter Lumsden
were confirmed by the receipt of a telegram from
him at Gulran. This telegram was dated on April
], and completed the broken dispatch. 1t states
officially that the Russians attacked the Afghans
htrenched in their position at Penjdeh. and
slaughtered 200 of the garrison Seventy thou
sand British and Indian troops now stationed
along the Northern Indian frontier, may, 1T
Is thought, reach Herat in time to prevent the cap
ture of that important point by ihe Russians.
The Cabinet meeting lasted for two hours. At
It's close Lord Granville, the Foreign Minister, had
separate and confidential interviews with Musurus
Pacha, the Turkish Ambassador to London, and
Baron de Staal, the Russian Minister. These two
interviews are the talk of all the clubs tonight
aud thought to be Of the greatest significance.
To-nlghts session of the House Of Commons was
intense with interest. In to nterrogatores,
Mr.. Gladstone said that Saturday the Cab
inet had considered Russias reply to Englands pro-
posal TO limit the zone of survey to the debatabe
points. Russias reply was an agreement TO do
this provided the zone of survey as marked ont by
England was extended southwark SO as to include
tho Parapamisssn range of mountains. The Govern
ment considered that this reply did not advance