The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-13

Murghab river, just at the point where
Fort Ak Tepe (recently captured by Kom-
aroff) commands and controls the whole
Penjdeh district. Penjdeh Is about 100
miles from Herat. Ak Robat Is less than
so miles from Herat. f.
Fort Ak Tepe, on the map, is enclosed by
black lines. 1t was built last year by the
Afghans, under the advice Of the British.
It stands on huge mound (hence its
name, which means white hill) on piece
of fiat alluvial ground, round which the
! Murghab river passes in winding course
before joining the Kuskh. 1t not only
controls the junction of the Kushk and
the Murghab, but the entire country in
side those two rivers clear up to the hills
which overlook Herat Fort Ak Tepe,
with its II guns, has been thus regarded
as in every sense gate to Herat, and that
gate is now in Russian hands
The frontier which Russia claims is al
80 marked by a black dotted line upon the
map. Russia's claims include the town
Of Maruchak, 2S miles above the Penj
deh settlements, and IS miles from the
Afghan fort of Bala Murghab This last
named place is, or rather was. strategic
| point Of Importance, too II is situated on
the high road from Afghan Turkestan to
Herat, and thus controls n Russian ad-
| vance from that direction. The capture OF
Penjdch sewers Bala Murghab from Herat
and If Penjdeh Is retained BY KomaroR,
all the ameer's territory north of the Hin
doc Koosh river is at his mercy
H. 10 0I,H 1,
netting and ever aggressive she iustiles
her action In regard to the debatqble land
! byasserting that under the arrangement
with England in 1873, by which only those
places then in the actual possession of
Shere All were to be considered as Afghan
territory Penjdeh did not belong to AT
ghanistan No Afghan garrison had oc.
cupied Penjdeh since 1873 until August,
| 1854, when the present Ameer sent a force
there and, as the Russians claimed, wrong.
| fully seized it, and thus attempted TO fore
close the negotiations The Saryks of
Penjdeh number 5000 families and Russia
claims that they should be under her rule
on ethnographical grounds; that is, that
they are part ofthe Turcoman race. which
she has subjected in her onward march.
and that II order is 10 be maintained
among them she Is the power TO do 1t.
Between the Hari Rud and Kushk rivers
number Of salt lakes lie, and the use Of
these Russia claims to be indispensable TO
the tribesmen under her protection. The
whole OF the debatable land lies between
Sarakhs and Herat on the one side, and
between Penideh and Herat on the other
side OF the map.
M. Lessar, the famous Russian engineer,
furnished TO his government in 1882 de-
seription Of the country from Sarakhs TO
Herat. which is iull OF interest This re-
port OF NJ. Lessar Is significant from the
fact that 1t shows the Russians TO have
thorough survey OF the country over which
they must move to Herat, and that there
are no great natural obstacles In the way
Of their advance.
The question may now be put,-why is
Herat 30 lmportants What makes Eng
land alarmed lest Russia should obtain
possession OF 1t. and what Is there about
Herat anyway that entities It to be called
"the key OF IndiaT General Skobolef, writ
ing in 1882, when he was chief Of the Asiatic
branch Of the Russian general staff, said /;
"A body OF European troops established
at Herat, and standing with Its front TO the
southeast, would draw upon 1t the atten.
tion OF the whole population Of India.
In that lies the significance OF military
occupation Of Herat and 1t Is not with.
out reason that a number OF English ex-
| Tr1f Ia
their belief that were an enemy to occupy
Herat with powerful force, the English
army, without having fred shot, would
consider itself half beaten"
The civilian mind can perhaps, better
understand why Herat Is the key OF In.
dia, "if II is said that the vulnerable part OF
India cannot be reached by Russia except
through valleys. which cannot be entered
and held so long as Herat Is held by a
British force, or by force friendly
TO the British. These valleys, running
nearly north and south, are bounded on
the east by inaccessible mountain heights,
and on the west by impracticable deserts
Herat blocks the only entrance to them
that an army could safely make. II Herat
is captured the road is clear, through
these valleys, TO Candahar and thence TO
all British India.
It is believed that tho English wi.Sad-
vance from Pishin to Quetta, thence to
Herat. The railroad runs no further than
Pishin, and is not yet built TO that point,
though II soon will be. From. Pishin 10
Candahar is little less thans0O miles.
and from Pishin to Herat is 469 miles
The British army to be sent from Quettah.
where Lord Dufferin has gathered force
fully large enough to hold Herat, II 1t can
get there before the Russians, will there
fore, have a march Of about 500 miles TO
accomplish. There is broad wagon
road the whole way. Russia has railway
communication nearly all the way from
the Caspian sea to Askabad. From Aska-
bad TO Sarahks is 1856 miles, and from
Sarahks to Herat Is 202 miles, making q
total distance to be marched by the Rus
SLAMS OF less than 400 miles, against 500
miles to be covered by their British com.
petitors in the race. But 1t is TO be re.
membered that the Russians are estab.
lished already at Penjdeh, at Ak-Robat
and at ZulHker, which are but 100, 100
and 80 miles respectively distant from
Herat. How large their forces are at
those points is not known, and how much
General Lumsden has done to bar sud
den advance, II Il Is attempted, upon