The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-05-15

any time TO lose TO su.Iea the ke, of
India from the other,s eager hand
Having thus explained the lay Of the
land to be fought for and over, so that.
with the aid OF the map, the reader can
appreciate the physical conditions of the
great contest. il only remains to say that
the foremost leaders on each side are
Lord Duf erin. the a meer Of Afghanistan.
General Kouropatkin. General Komaroif
General Sir Peter Lumsden, and General
Sir Frederick S Roberts The Earl of
DuHerin .the NicG-oy Of India ana has
made a brilliant reputation as a diplomat.
an administrative officer, and a man of
letters. He believes in an energetic and
vigorous attitude towards Russian az
erosion on the northwest frontier Of In
dia. AS soon as the Russian outposts an
peHred on the Afghan frontier he de-
manded of Mr.. Gladstone strong rein
forcements Of troops from England, and
when the Prime minister began to hesi-
tate Lord DntiGTtn made the demand per-
emptory, and threatened to resign his
post unless il was complied with 1t was
as a result of this coercive step that Nj.
Gladstone reluctantly advised the queeh
to cali out the army reserve and the mil
itia. Lord DufTerin Immediately began
ordering troops forward 70 the frontier
stations at RawaI Pindi and Quettah, and
held important conferences with the
Ameer Of Afghanistan at the former
place, with many native princes, the re
suit of which has apparently been to make
sure of their allegiance against Russia.
Lord Dufferin counselled the home gov
ernment, on receipt of the news OF the
capture of Penjdeh by KomaroT, to on
der an advance into Afghan territory at
once In the crisis he evidently had the
master mind among the British states
men.
Gen. Roberts is popularity regarded as
the best fighting general of the AngIo-In-
dian armies He has distinguished him
self repeatedly in the field and received
well merited honor at home.
General Lumsden was appointed by the
British government early in 1884 as the
Corr missioner on their part to proceed to
Afghauistan and meet a Russian Com
missioner for the purpose of delimiting
the frontier by mutual consent. He is a
veteran in the service and wears medals
for bravery aud valuable public services
Gen. KomaroT is over fifty and a hard
fighter. He has seen much aIduoGs serv-
ice in the many Asigtic wars by which
the eagles of Russia have been brought
to the position from VIII On they now men
expedition which captured Aiery he dis
tinguished himself lie had been gov
ernor of Askabad for some time prior to
that event, which occurred in 1852, and it
was under his orders that the dashing
Major Alikhauoff. whose name occurs
quite often OF late in the cable dispatches,
pushed forward and brought the Mervis
to terms 1t was on February 6, 1882. that
the four chiefs and - notables of Merv
gathered in Gen1Sal Komaroffs drawing
room at Askabad, and took the oath of
allegiance to the White Gar Under the
orders of General KOnaroff Nerv was
promptly fortified after the European
fashion, and is today the base of the new
Russian advance southwark. AS re-
ward for this service he received the Or
der of the White Eagle, and his district
(Askabad) was raised to the rank of a
province equal to that of Turkestan, and
he himself was made governor general.
This is the man who fred the first shot at
Ak Tepe recently and the Gar promptly
decorated him afresh for the gallant as
sault upon and capture of that place In
this move If he was not acting under or
ders from St Petersburg it seems strange
that his success should have received the
recognition it did
The Russian leader to whom all eyes are
turned as the man most likely 10 com
msnd the Cars armies is Gen. KouropRt-
kin He figured conspicuously in the
I Turco-Russian war under the late Skobe-
left, aud since the latter's death this
dRshing man has been popularly regarded
in the light Of his successor.
With the geographical, military and
personal data above laid before our
readers the general conditions of the
( great struggle now opening between Rus
sis and Great Britain will, we think, be
toIerably clear. We have drawn upon
various standard authorities for the facts
comprised in this article, and believe its
statements may be fully accepted as cor
f., rect SO far as they go. To aid the reader
! still further in appreciating the lay of the
land, as exhibited on the map, and the
relative difficulties of the British and
( Russian advance toward Herat, we ap-
I pend table of distances between the diff
/ ferent points