The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-18
THE FIGHT Is "OFF."
RUSSIA AND ENGLAND WILL PaoeA-
BLY, KEEP THE PEACE.
Dufferin Says the Afghan Trouble Is Net
Worth Burning Powder Over-Lums-
den's Account of the Penjdeh
Incident.

LONDON, April IS Earl Dufferin, vicer9y
Of India, in dispatch to the home govern
lnent regarding the Russo Afghan boundary !
que ton, said that in his opinion Peniioi |
was not worth fighting for as TIE ameer has |
had for long time very little control over
the tribes in its vicinity; that they were in a |
continual state of revolt and Il source Of /
much uneasiness to the ameer The latter, |
he believed, would willingly concede Pen jleh |
to Rus ia in the interest OF peace, as it woald |
also likely prevent cattle-raiding on tho
border
1t is now announced that the cabinet. after
considering Earl DuGeria message, adopted
the same view of the matter.
1t appears that the above item originated
in the Central News agency This was
the agency referred to in Earl Granville's
statement in the house of lords Thursday
night, in which he characterized the news as
unauthorized and always inaccurate re-
portS.'
| The Manchester Guardian in its CONNER
cial article, says a more cheerful feeling
prevails in the market. There has leen
little increase in business, but the demand
both for home and abroad is SLOW Prices
are steady. Sellers are encouraged by the
prospects OF the continuance of peace be-
tween England ard Russia AMI the harden
ing tendency in tie prices of cotton.
Gladstone, in the house of commons, Fri
day afternoon, stated that the government
had received from Sir Peter Lumsden Il re-
ply TO their request for an independent re-
4 port upon the Penjdeh incident In this it
is stated that Gen Komarof was aware
at as early a date as the 2Sth
of March, of the understanding
agreed upon March II, between Russia and
England. According to the terms. of this
understanding, England was to deter the
| AfghanS, and the car was to deter his
troops from advancing beyond the positions
they then respectively occupied, until some
subsequent agreement about the demarca-
ton Gi the Afghan frontier could be
reached between the two governments
1'na battle on the Kushk was fought, thcre-
fore, several days after Gen. hon-
aTof hal been made aware OF
tn, agreement to not advance 1t vii!
be rendered that Capt Yates, a British
oiiiccr who witnessed the battle, was as
su,cl 10y a Russian officer who commanded
liz tae light that he knew nothing of tina
understanding of the 18th of March. 81
Peter Iunsien's present report appears .
warrant ths Inference that whatever Cen
Komaroff new officially about st. Peters
bur-h's a greenant with London, be kept tt
! himself.
MIR. Gladstone, being asked if the British
government hal protested against tue recen
occupation of Penjdeh by Gen. Komarof
ana bis establishment Of Russian admins
tration there, answered that the govern
ment rad not yet made either occurrence
matter of official communication with Rus
rk sili The government was awaiting surthe
information, the premier said, conceruin,
these events.
Some time ago Tue Pail Mall Gazette too
~ the cudgel N behalf OF Russia, and pr,
pounded a series of what it termed incontes
able propositions with reference to til
- Afghan affair This occult agency in ia
employ of foreign power has baea al
svered Ivy The London Times in a
elaborate article, which may be summarize
as FOL ows:
!. In 1882 Russia declared that she la
/ no intention OF attacking Merry; IN 1854 Rd
\ STA se2od Merv
,. Peniieh has been repeatedly rec /,
2 lizei 10 be within the Afghan boundaI
4 | " the Russians themselves. 6, III ls>
4 ,hen II. de Giers proposed TO delim
8 ne Afghan frontier by n line runni
: north OF Penjdeh and the places recent
u selHu ny lNuSSlds III march, loof' NuSh !
70 de Gicrs explicitly repudiated Russis
y staff map which drew the frontier south
:, Prnidah; in November, 1884, when {,
y AliAhanoff told Sir Peter Luns1en that {
Il frontier claimed lay north OF Penjden.
- g. 1t is not true that after the comIasSi
Il, had been appointed, the Afghans a
~ vanced into the territory under debat
nd The Afghans put troops into PeDjleh,
ni town admitted thy RUSSIA to be with
r. their territory, on June lG; this Was
rs week before the comm, sion had he
~ agreed on and NOR, than two months
". tore the commission was definitely L
DC pointed Moreover, it was several d
IL lie ore the Russian government, at The
\ stieation of NJ Lessar, lad uttered ~
Of protest on the subject Of Penjdeh.
T. - a not true that the saTyk5 OF =
doh have asked for Russian protect,
- silce in March OF last year they refused
admit Nj Lessar saying thy weFe 81
iccts Of Ahiur Rahman.