Daily Republican., 1885-04-10
Russia Begins War.
A GREAT SENSATION CAUSED In
LONDON "A BATTLE ON THE
AFGHAN FRON TIER.
THE WAR INEVITABLE.

THE WAR INEVITABLE.
LONDON, April Tho brief an.
nouncement in a morning paper that a
battle had been fought on the Afghan
frontier between Russian and Afghan
soldiers proves, upon further informa-
tion, to have been q much more impor.
tant and significant event than inai.
Gated in the early advices. The engage
ment occurred on the 30th ultimo w hen,
as stated In a despatch from Gulran,
under date of April 3, the Russians,
making a pretext Of changing the posi-
Jion of their outpoets On the Afghan
frontier, attacked Pendjeh on March 80.
and drove the Afghans out Of their
position.
The Afghars stubbornly resisted
their assailants. The weather was wet
at the time of the attack, which rem.
dered the muzzle-loading guns of the
Afgbans quite useless. Two companies
held one position against the Russians
until its defenders were killed. The
Afehans retreated to Maranchak in
perfect order. The Russians made no
pursuit. The Sarahks remain neutral,
but plundered the Afghans' camp. The
Russian losses, the same dispatch says,
we're very heavy.
THE RUSSIAN GENERALS REPORT.
General Komaroff. who commanded
the Russian troops in the attack, says
In report printed in the Official Mes.
seDger OF st. Petersburg, that in copse.
uuence OF provocative and manifestly y
hostile proceedings of the Afghans he
was compelled 10 attack them on the
30th ultimo on both banks of the X ushk
river. The result was the defeat of the
Afghans, W i,h the loss of five hundred
men, all their artillery, two standards
land their entire camp and provisions.
The Russian loss was one cflicer and
ten soldiers killed and three subalterns
and twenty nine soldieIs wounded.
When the fighting ended General Ko.
marotf returned across the rivor to the
positions he had formerly occupied.
General knmarof also reports that
some British officers, who had been eye
" illnesses, but not participants in the
engagement, appealed to the Russians
for protection when they saw, that the
Afghans were beaten.
PENDJEE OCCUPIED.
The Telegraph published fourth
edition, which was on the streets a little
before 2 o'clock this afternoon. This
states that the gravity OF the news
from the Afghan border has not Teen
in any degree diminished by the
advices received by the govern
ment. The telegraph wire to Meshed
has been cut for some days. The Tele
graph has q dispatch from Allahabat
| which states that General Komaroff
x-in tod DanI sak
| VIII ich has long been held by the AT
the fear that q British officer fell In th,
rout at Pendjeh.
EXCITEMENT IN LONDON.
There was gIo@t e- sits.-s-t ga u
London Stock Exchange, amounting I
almost panic, over tho news of tn
fight, which is regarded as equivalen
to declaration of war.
| A Cabinet council was summone'
Immediately on the receipt of the new
of the engagement, each member hay
ing been furnished with copy OF Ger
eral Komarofi's dispatch. When Pal
lament re.assembled TO day, after th
4 Easter recess, Mr.. Gladstone in tn
House of Commons affirmed the INTEL
Igence of the combat. He said : FroI
l luO hith eho BoN'A hAHNh
has received of the fight the Russian
ihave apparently been guilty of an III
liustifiable attack on the Afghan
England has demanded from Russl
full explanations in regard to IL
affair.
1t Is stated that the promised ordel
to have the Russian advance stoppet
which M. de Giers, the Russian F0reig
Minister, gave assurance he would sent
were 80 managed that they did M
reach the headquarters of Generi
: Komaroff, Russian commander at Il
front, until after his attack upon Il
(, Afghans.
England will at once demand
Russia an explanation of the Russia
: conduct in forcing battle upon Il
Afghans. This demand will, 1t Is unde
5 stood, be coupled with a demand f
a the withdrawal of the Russian fore
to the north of Sarakhs.
REINFoRCEMKNTs FOR INDIA
fl There is great agitation this evenii
in ell the government departments.
:, is stated that twelve thousand reinfor
= monts will be at once sent to 1Idi
The First Army Reserve will probab
{ be called out Immediately.
A dispatch from Rawul Pindi to Il
D Bombay Gazettee says: The conft
Ij enco between Lord Dufferin and A
'idurrahman Khan has resulted in &
= Ameer's strongly favoring an ALLAN
with the British, the latter to supp
q A fghanistan with arms and ammuI
tion and to increase the annual subsid
> These conditions have been accept
l. by Lord Dufferin. The Ameer expires
ed fears that the entry of British troo
s into Afghan territority would rcvi
n the animoslty caused by the form
wars.
it'll Lord Dufferin replied that tho Br
ish Government had no intention
" sending troops across the Afghan fro
titisr. unless the Afghans sodeslred, al
that in any case ENGLAND will fulfill b
n pledges to maintain the integrity OF
Ameer's domain.
Z Mr.. Gladstone, in the Houee Of Col
vi mons, appeared anxious and cal
= worn. Lord Randolph Churchill
- entering the House was warmly gre
ed by both Conservative and Libel
= members. The general opinion G
n pressed in the lobby was that nothi
can prevent war. When Mr.. Gls
a stone declared that the Russian alta
lon Pendjeh appeared to be unprovok
aggression the House warmly indors
ts4 hisphras Q.
IL, RUSSIA BUYING SHIPS.
NEW YORK, April 0.-The rumors
Is jgarding Russian negotiations for stea
ships in the American market, whi
t. lhnye fioGted around tho exchanges