Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-12-12
THE LION AND THE BEAR
England Excited Over Russia's
Invasion of Pamir.
A WE'LL GROUNDED WAR SCARE

Desperate Battle Already Fought on the
Frontier between British Troops and
Natives who Are Inspired by Russians
and Under the Protection Of the Gar.
LONDON, Dec l2.-oficial dispatches re-
ceived here last evening from Calcutta
state that there has been fighting between
the British forces and the tribesmen ia the
vicinity Of Gilgit, near the Pamir frontier
and not far from the new boundary line re
Gently claimed by Russia In short the
British troops are now face to face with
frontier tribesmen in arms who are claimed
to be under Russian protection, and most
serious events may result from this clash Of
arms. At Gilgit there is a British agency
ga1risoned by some British Kashmires and
Indian Ghoaorxhas and battery Of artil-
lery The tiibesmen of Hunza and Magyar,
two towns on the Indus river and almost
opposite each other, melted by Russian
agents have been for some time threat
ening the Chalt fort, held by a detach-
ment Of Great Britain's Kaehmires
stormed by the Elsltish.
LUIS AhlccQ AtiNutA DNIANut tHt DIlLlHu
agent at Gilgit, to make an advance upon
the Cssalt fort for the purpose Of relieving
the garrison. It appears, however, that be-
fore he got there the Hunza and Magyar
tribeslnen swooped down upon the Chalt
fort, routed the Kashmire garrison and cap
tured the fortress When Durand came up
with his men he Immediately stormed the
fort and reoaptured it on Dec with loss
Of seven sepoys killed and twenty-six
wounded.
Colonel Durand and Captain Aylmer aud
Lieutenant Badcock were seriously wound
ed. Several other officers including Lien
tenant Gorson and others, were slightly
wounded Captain Aylmer and Lieuten-
ants Boisagon and Badcock displayed ex-
traordinary gallantry
Captain Aylmer's Brave Act.
Captain Aylmer most gallantly led
storming party Carrying guncotton
petard, and, in face Of a shower Of bullets,
he dashed up 20 the iron bound gate of the
fort affixed the petard to it, lit the fuse,
retreated a short distance and then had the
pleasure Of hearing a deafening report The
next moment the gallant captain saw that
the petard had blown the gate of the fort
TO pieces Captain Aylmer and Lieuten-
ants Boisragon and Badcock followed by
handful Of sepoys then made dash into
the fort, and after some desperate fighting
captured a field gun which had been used
effectively against the attacking party The
British officers and sepoys also captured
nine prisoners, the remainder OF the tribes
men fleeing, leaving number Of dead inside
and outside the fort The news Of this en-
gagement is not quite clear as to what be-
came Of the original native garrison Of the
fort.
Think II Means War.
Reports Of a conflict on the Pamir frontier
reached this city in time for them to spread
to the clubs and theaters The result was
feeling OF considerable excitement and there
were many old Indian officers who grayely
shook their heads upon hearing the news
saying thati was the most serious That had
come from India for many day. The
younger officers were elated and were loud
IN their expressions Of hope that the long
expected war with Russia was to come at
last and that the British hon and the Rus
sian bear were TO engage in the long antici-
pated struggle for supremacy in the east
and for the possession Of India, the richest
prize in the east. The general opinion il
that war with Russia Is looming up on the
horizon in India In amy case it is certain
that the whole Pamir question win now be
raised in deadly earnest.
Great omcial Activity.
All night there was great activity in Off
cial circles, and some OF the officials in the
Indian Office remained az the building until
early this morning.
One officer Of high rank, who has recently
returned from India, frankly said there
could now be no doubt that affairs on the
frontier Of the Pamir district had reached
most delicate and dangerous stage. The
claims made by Russia, he said, must now
be greatly modified before even basis for
negotiations can be established between the
three nations concerned Russia China and
Great Britain
The Younghusband Incident.
The commencement Of the trouble was IN
what is now known as the Younghushand
incident Late last summer party Of Rus
sians-numherng eight officers, sixty horse
mon and forty infantry soldiers-made am
exploring expedition toward Afghan Chitral
and the Chinese boundares, which an APP
proach each other On the Pamir Captain
IOunghusband a British officer and proba-
bly, a British agent, Intentionally hunted up
the party, who told him that Russia claimed
the whole country up to the Khore Bahat
Pass, thus practically annexing part Of
China's territory The Russians arrested
Captain Younghusband and Lieutenant
Dawson, and removed them into undisputed
Chinese territory despite the protests Of
Chang, the chief Chinese official there.
The object Of the Russian expedition how
ering on the frontiers Of British Indiai said
TO be to give solidarity to certain claims
which they have vaguely put forward from
time TO time II efforts to advance
southwark Of the uemarkating line agreed on
in 1878. China and Afghanistan are the two
immediate sufferers by the present Russian
movement, and II is in connection with the
latter country that the obligations and en-
gagements with Great Britain may at last
bring her into open conflict with Russia on
the Indian frontiers. The Russians are try
ing to substitute a southern headwater for
the Oxus for the more northern one agreed
upon as a line Of demarkation in 1873 and to
inclose the immense tract Of territory inter-
vening between the two rivers. II is not
apparent how England, not to mention
China, can permit Of this wholesale annexa-
ton Of territory without very strong pro
test.