HOSTILITIES COMMENCED.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 127, 11 April 1885, Page 2

HOSTILITIES COMMENCED.

BATTLE BETWEEN AFGHANS AND RUSSIANS. 500 MEN KILLED. (BEVTEB's TELEO»_iS.) London, April 9. Intelligence is to band to'the effect that General Komarpff, the Russian Governor of t he Trans-CaspianßttMf e^ the Afghans on the 30th of on the banks of the Khusk river. During the engag^tnent the A^girwnriost fully 500 men, and wore eventually severely defeated, the whole of thei* ; artillery and camp equipments -falling into the hands of the Russians. '■'• '*Eftb Russians loss comprised , eleven, killed and twenty-nine wounded.; . .()'■/*•' < : . Tke Times publishes a telegtr^ia - from its correspondent at GhuHait '.-nf^ near Herat, giving details of the encounter between the Russians 1 ' «n& Afghan troops, '^.^'9^- :^^3iti^^ The correspondent states the pretext for the attack was aychan^,m.£bs> position of the Afghan outpost: a* Penjeh. The Afghans are reported* tb have fought with great stabbbrmiesft and ttie Eussian Joss ,. ws^L^ge. Komaroff _ forces did, not/pursue -tti^ Afghans on their, retreat/ A iiupiber of British officers witnessed the battle, and afterwards rejoined Sir Peter Lumsden at Herat. '; ' * . In the House of Commons tp-^y r M^r Gladstone made a statement regarding the outbreak of hotilities op tjie Af ]£hsi frontier. The Premier stated* information had reached the Croyernment that the Afghans gave no provocation for the attaok Wdei upon them by the Russian General (Komaroff), He added that the Britiah Cabinet, had demandfid explanations from the Eussian Government as to the occurrence. It is reported that; Xiord Eosebery 'requests the meditation) yoty PrinfO Bismarck between Russia and England in regard' to the' Setttemenl of the Afghan difficulty. : t , T The Standard considers .that the position of affairs is very critical. St. Petebsbubg, April 9. M. Giers, Minister ■■ 'a& Foreign Affairs, waited on the^B-ntish. Ambassador last night, and ftxpfessed tho .Czar's hope that the. Eussian -Afghan incident would not have the Effect of stopping the parleying, which yw^s proceeding between England ""ahA. Russia on tho 'frontier question. M. Giers added, that the Russian officers i.i Central Asia were unaware of tho agreement arrived a.tf between; England and Russia -on the 13th ult. lhat no advance should take .place, on either r'do in Afghanistan, pending negotiation oh the frontier, question. . r . [PEB VNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION.^} :;r " Wellington. April lpw The Government have received a cablegram from the Agent-General, stating that a conflict has taken place between the Rusian and Af ghanj-troops in the vicinity of. Murghab riyro^ oa the 28th March. The Aghans suffered sevre loss. ' .;.- •■•-;