The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-30
ENGLAND'S ALARM
Over Condition of Affairs in
India.
NEWS OF MORE VICTORIES WON
BY THE TRIBESMEN.

Quota Said To BE In Danger of Capture
Wounded Include Three British OFF,
cers-Great Empire is TREMBLING in
the Balance.
Simla, August 2s.-News has Just been
received here of another insurgent success.
The Daulatzais on Thursday last cantured
the police post at Mohomedzai, which was
garrisoned by a detachment of the Border
police. The garrison retreated to a new
post held By a detachment of the Second
Dunjab Infantry, reaching. there the next
morning. AS the flying column, comman-
ded by Col. Richardson, which left
Hang on Thursday to REINFORCE the post
on the SANTANA range was returning after
repulsing the enemy, the latter rallied
and attacked the British force on the
plain. The tribesmen, although in great
| strength, were again driven off with
heavy loss. On the British side Can't.
Baird Smith and Lieut.. North of the
| Scots Fusileers and eight men of the
Punjab Infantry were wounded. The
| British post at Lakka was attacked YES
terday. The Fifteenth Sikhs with two
guns, were sent to REINFORCE the garrison,
but their advance was opposed. There
was heavy firing all last night In the
direction of the Sunnawari post on the
SANTANA range Col. Vaughan, command
ing at Fort Lockhart, hearing of the large
and threatening gathering of the Orak-
zais above Fort Guilstan, on the SANTANA
range, started to the assistance of the
garrison with $50 rifles. The colonel re-
ports that shortly before his arrival at
Fort Guilstan yesterday morning. a re-
connoitering party, under Major Des
Voeux, who commands at Fort GuiIstan.
was compelled to retire under fire. In
addition, Lieut.. Blair was severely
wounded while cutting off the enemy's
water. But the British force succeeded in
driving back the enemy's pickets.
The lates, news from the front is not of
a more hopeful character than that re-
ceived during the last few days though
it is true that thesattempted raid on the
Kohat district has been repealed and that
the Orakzais have taken to the hills. But
against the temporary successes of the
British arms must be set the very serious
state of affairs prevailing at Quetta,
Beluchistan. There is little doubt that if
the fort there be attacked the chances of
the garrison's safety are slight. The
Notifications are practically worthless and
the place is said to be, inadequately
manned. The commandment -chief can
not too speedily despatch relief force to
Quetta, for that place is almost entirely
isolated.
Another note of alarm and rather in
comprehensive one in view of the gal
liant defence made in the cases of forts
Ali-Musjid and Lundi-Kotal, comes this
morning from Jamrud, from which place
a despatch announces that the British
military authorities yesterday deemed it
wise to disarm the Khyber Rifles forming
part of the garrison of that place. The
situation of the outlying garrisons on the
SANTANA range is, next to Quetta, the
centre of interest, in view of the urgent
need for reinforcements, and Col Gordon
tomorrow will load a column of troops
buTOuSu Uu6 AOudU phSS LILO Un6 CdI0Ana
district. On the other hand there is a
hopeful sign in the we'll authenticated re-
port, that discussions have broken out
~ ong the Afridis.
IL may be that the past fighting on the
Indian frontier can be regarded as three
distinct, but small campaigns, and that
there is no cause for alarm either from
the contingency that the tribes now I'D
in arms can overthrow the British forces
ON the border and attack them in the
plains, or that the fighting now going on
is precedent only to another war with
Afghanistan, but If the tribesmen are
not acting in unison, the effect at the
present time is the same as though they
were. The tribes opposed to the British
in the Swat district, in the Tochi Valley
and the Mohmand country north of Pes
hawur district may fight without any at
tempt at combination, but there is the
affinity between them of religious fanatic
ism which stimulates all of them to fight
against the British. Mohmands, who
were the leaders in the attack upon
Shabkadr, and who live in close proxirni.
ty to the Swat country, would have helped
the Swatts were it not for the prompt
and vigorous punishment inflicted upon
them at Malakand and at Chakdara,
There is, however, no relation between
the Mohmands and the Waziris.
The total fighting forcessof the Mob
mands is between II 900 and $4,000 men.
Their country extends from near Jamrud.
at the mouth Of the Khyber, to Fort
Abazai on the Swat river. They original
~ owed q certain indefinite allegiance to
the Ameer of Kabul and a great propor
ton of them still do so. These inhabit
the district around Jalalabad and Lal-
pura, while the others to the south come
within the country, which, according to
tho boundary recently determined by the
Dl1ra nd rnicciop ia british
is hardly correct, however, to look upon
them III the light of British subjects. for
owing mainly to difficulties raised by
the Amer, the boundary cannot yet be
said to be definitely fixed, and the delay
may have influenced the tribes to their
present action. The total population of
the Swats is about s6 900, and their com
petent fighting strength may be put down
as about equal to that of the Mohmands,
The Bonerwals, who come next have
only 5000 fighting men; but the Waziris
are the most numerous, numbering. as
they do, over 10000 fighting men. ffheir
territory however, is long way go,