St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-01
The Russian New.


ST. PETERSBURG, April 3O.-The Baltic
fleet Will go to HelsenfOrdS tomorrow. 1t
is stated that the imperial family will spend
the summer at the palace at TsarskOe-Selo,
seventeen miles south of St. Petersburg.
The Official Messenger publishes the fol-
lowing telegram from Gen. Komarotf. dis
patched from Askabad on Friday last: ga
telegram forbidding the occupation of
Penjdeh reached me on March %. l only
communicated it to The commanders Of out
posts, and did not make it generally known.
Col Zacrzenski, with my permission. was
interviewed by correspondents some British
officers, in a private capacity. | did not
admit their right to treat officially. L
addressed nv demands direct to the COM
mander of the Afghan forces. Gen. 4. Lik-
hanoff. with a sotinia of the Turcomans,
rode in the direction of Morkals, along the
river bank. on the Russian side. 1t was by
no means my intention to march Oh
Penjdeh. To march to the SOtnia, in the
rear of f. 900 AfghanS, was incOnceIvable.
One company of Russians marched on the
heights on the right bank of the AIurghaba
river. but did not reach our yidetteS Oh the
left bank of the same river. When the Af-
ghans approached however, this one
company. by my order, returned to camp"
Gen. Komar0ff thus concludes his dispatch:
''In view of the constant movement over
hundreds of verst of territory, and owing
also to heavy floods, it is impossible to fur
nish steady reports"
CRITICIsING GLADSTONE.
The Journals De st. Petersburg says Mr..
Gladstone'S recent speech on the war credit,
was Of a kind TO carry away parliament. 1t
attained its desired result without giving
time for reelection or criticism.
Some of its statements refute
each other. It is no wonder the British
cabinet summoned 3Ir. Stephens, who was
attached to the British Afghan boundary
commission. to reconcile the statements in
Gen. LumSdenS four contradictory reports.
VIII it see clearly after his testimony? We
hope so, in the interest of truth and the ap-
peasement which must follow.
REVIEWING THE BATTLE.
The Official Messenger, in an editorial on
the report of Sir Peter Lumsden of the
capture ond occupation of Penjdeh by the
Russians, says: Bad weather has delayed
the arrival Of the officer whom Gen.
Komaroff dispatched with a detailed
account of the battle of the 30th ult.
Sufficient data, however, has been received
TO arrive at a correct conclusion of how far
IumSden was warranted in impugning Gen.
Komaroff's report. Russia is desirOus of a
friendly settlement with England and en-
trusted the delimination Of the frontier to a
Joint British and Russian expedition, but
the unexpected entrance of Afghans into
Penjdeh and the Afghan advance down the
Murghab and Herind rivers compelled
Russia to protect her rights in a practical
manner against this arbitrary seizure
OF HER TERRITORY.
In this view Gen. Komaroff was ordered
in January last, to occupy with his videttes
the line extending from Zulfkar along the
Eerirnd river. via Kech RiesSla, Chemni-
bisad and Chonsikhan as far as Pull
Khisti, Ewhere the ancient bridge crosses the
Kushk river. thus forming the western
boundary of the Penjdeh oasis. The Rus
sian commanders were enjoined to abstain
from armed collision with the Afghans,
unless the latter provoked an encounter.
The Russians, as directed, occupied
the above described position on
Feb. 20. On the 4th Of
March Sir Edward Thornton, the British
minister, Informed N. De Giers, Russian
minister Of foreign affairs, that the Afghans
had been requested not to attack the Rus
slams with the object of driving them back
from their positions, but solely to resist
further Russian attack. England at the
same time expressed wish that,
PENDING A SETTLEMENT
of the boundary question, the Russian out
posts be requested not to make any further
advance. Russia agreed to this, with Ger
tain restrictions, and being informed also
that Russian outpost was already stationed
at Pul-I-Khisti and an Afghan outpost at
AkTep, Gen. Kamaroff was requested not to
occupy Penjdeh. The information fur
nished Russia corresponded with what Gen.
Lumsden said, that the Russian outposts
had occupied Pul-I-Khisti, and that an Af-
CHAN outpost was stationed on the right
bank of the Kushk river. England's ex-
PLANTATION that the Afghan troops had heen
requested to stop their advance entirely ex-
cIuded the possibility of assuming that the
Afghans might advance their outposts to
the left bank of tke Kushk river. But
when Gen. Kamaroff approached Pull
Khisti he found on the left bank Of the
Kushk river, outside of the Penj-
Deb district, fortified Afghan
post. This being in contradiction with his