The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-05-01
A SEE SAW AFFAIR.
oNEsIpEsAYswAR; orHERPEAoE
me Movements Of ths Rasslan. On the
Afghan Frontier Gen. Komarof's Re-
/ port of the Rattle ON the Border.
ADsaeit In the Enril.h Badsst.

"a = I ! II 4 - 4
port Of the Battle on the Border.
1, ADsneit In the Eugilsh Badsst.
LONDON, April 50. The st. Petersburl
Official Maaeegs to-day publishes q tele
J, gram from General Komarof, which Is 4
j reply to the dispatch Of Sir Peter Lums
den. the British Commissioners, denying
the accuracy Of General Komaroff's repof
4 o. the battle. on March so, on the Kushl
river, between the Russians and Afghans
General Komatotf, in the dispatch pub.
lished to-day. admits that he had received
an order from the Russian war office,
4 previous to the battle, not to occupy PEN
iaah, but says that other officers on the
frontier had not yet been advised Of the
receipt Of such an order. Referring to the
alleged advance Of Russian troops preyi,
Gus to the fight he says that only q sortie
Of Turcomans had advanced toward PEN
ideh, but they had no intention Of attack
ing the Afghans, and withdrew when the
latter approached them in hostile at
titude. General Komarof reiterates his
former assertion regarding the andacity
and arrogance Of the Afghans, their daily
drawing nearer 10 the Russian camp, their
occupation Of o commanding position on
1.-THE left flank OF the camp, and other
events which led up TO the battle.
In the House Of Lords this afternoon,
Lord Granville, Foreign Secretary, an.
nounced that kilograms had been received
from Sir Peter Lumsden which contra,
dicted the reports Of q Russian advance
upon and occupation OF Meruehak.
In official circles at simla the occupa-
tion OF Meruehak by the Russian advance
il regarded as doubtful. II Is isSexpected
that q British military commission will
be sent 70 Teheran.
The Duke and Duchess Of Connaught
viii remain at Herat
TUE RUSSIANS ASaERIp.
AHelsingiors dispatch says: The Dog.
bad thinks that Russia has little power to
hurt England seriously upon the sea. The
paper says four Russian tortresses on the
Baltic will require assistance, and that
any engagement with the English aeet in
the open sea is out Of the question. The
lSopoe Pragya, Of st. Petersburg, Is annoy
ed at the statement Of the DGob btud, and
tries 10 lessen the effect Of its article.
Essad Pacha, Turkish Ambassador to1
France, in an interview to-day ~ Paris,
said that, in his opinion, twas 10 the in
terest Of Turkey TO remain neutralin5 the
event ofwar between Russia and Engiand.
LeSpos, April al.- dispatches from 81.
Petersburg gay that General komaroif
and Lieutenant Alikhanof arrived at
Sarakhs on, April 20; and that the Russian
forces are concentrating at that point.
As sarakhs is in Persian territory the
city alluded to in the dispatches il prob
abiy did sarakhs, which. Is on thss oppo-
site aide Of the Hari Hud river and In Rus.
sian territory. In itself the mere occupa-
ton Of Old sarakhs Is not significant. It's
significance lies in the fact that while
.Herat Is the key TO India, Old saFakbs Il
the key TO Herat, and the caneen entFahnn Of
tpooaa at that point while still advancing
froui enideh, indicates that the Russian
Government fully realizes the situation,
and has determined 10 take every adyan-
'tage Of the procfastinating delay of the
British Ministry to put her army on the
very threshold Of the coveted land. In
point Of fact, Old Sarakh Is much iarther
away from HeTat than Penideh Is. The
border line between the Russian end
Afghan possessipn is recognised by the
british Government Us running from the
Hari Ilud on the west to Khoja Saleh on
the pxus onthe east. Old. sarakhs Is i'm.
:mediately north OF this boundary line,
The boundary claimed by the Russians Is
farther down the HAD Rud, near the 2ui-
kitar Rass, and cutting diagonally across
the country to the same point on the east
recognized blythe British ommlasion.
a AAsts OF IMPORTANCE.
( The importance of Old sarakhs as abaae
Of operations can readily be understood.
Its on the line Of what is known as the
Caspian highway te HeFat There Is .
,ailSay irom the caspian TO Askabad, less
than 100 miles from Old sarakhs, and the
nature Of the country Is such that the rail-
way could be rapidly complicated te the
latter p9lRt. From Old sarakhs, Herat
can be reached: by q great natural high-
way that offers little oFpa, obstacles 70 an
slisanelng army. Both sarakhs and Herat
ase ne on the Hari Rud, and the 202 miles Of
river valley between the two cities Offers
aImagnifc fcent field iey isiiitarY operations.
ssfakb gives The Russians posseasiaa Of
two distinct roads 70 Hessts and indicates
that ;tsp advance viii be made from. two
direct tions at the same time. Pepideh tsI
IN disputed territory, but ifthe .s.sat dis.
patches can be relied spaa, the Russians
have already crossed the line into territory
about which there Is no Question, Mara
chuk, upon which the ndssians are now
advancing flom Penideh, 10 in territory
conf sssedly Afghan An immediate I'd
vance from Old Sarekhe Nosld coneen-
trate annn Herat Russian army that
conld successful occupy that city before
an adequate force could arrive Al that
point from the soash 10 attempt Its de-
fense.
When Russt / annexed Old sarakhs, the
excuse was gtatuitopsly put soEth In the
British Commons that the place was OF no
stsatesleal impo oFtance that II was only q
heap ot ruirs. @fhe heap OF rG'naH "a
likely 10 play O very important part In the
Eastern drama. The fact that Herat was
only Ave days march from Old! sarakhs
seemed to be forgotten altogether. q
The Car presided over the Grand Goun-
Gil Of war held on Tuesday. The Council
decided that the Russian army should ad-
vance 70 Herat and oecppyit, Alter the
occupation q Russian administ will
be Immediately established. The war
steamer Czaritza Is watching English war
vessels in the Pacific ocean. II Is reported
that Geyen English war ships asoTuising
lint vicinity ol Nagasaki. The Russian
0fuisefs have put out 10 watch these. Il
ID thought here that the first conflict be-
tween the powers will be in the Pacific.
The Vienna P lsf q lloyd, official organ,
states that the three Emperors contem.
plate d meeting On the 9th Of August.
g 81 4