THE AFGHAN FRONTIER PROBLEM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 37, 11 July 1885, Page 2

TH E AFGHAN FRONTIER PROBLEM.

'VIEWS OF SIE PETER- LUBISDEN.

On his >yay; hqme; from Herat Sir Peter - Lumsden was interviewed several 'timeß. The following are : spm<S of tlie : opinions he; expressed oh Afghan frontier^ .:— \ - - . • <■ .' . ; Constantinople, June 4. Sir • Peter Lumsden says :-^" Complications l ynU "soon arise^betweeri i the "Rus-" £J sians and Afghans at \ the frontier about the question Of water supply 1 . • That; with? gold, forms a pivot of all Central Asian 'politics. Nearly-all Kussian-Peman dis-putes-hay-e^umed. on questionsva£>w^feer -, j'use^ Persia has been compelled at' times'^ to < relinquish the „ right to use water courses for irrigation wheneyer - Russia .. . required the water for military or comSnercial purposes. Murghab is the finest fiver m Central Asia," witfr -a . f ull stream. Tlie next Russian Acqui§ffidtii will as--Buredly be the ,yhiter shed vat- tne Murghab valley." He does hbt fear any Russian, invasion of In^ia,, but;Ke does fear the loss of England's prestige having ill effect on the people of India, >yKich will give undue strength-to, rthe "power ofMuscovite : intrigues. He said, adequate •measures >were; being adopted tor make. I : : the Indian frontier extremely safe, and' nothing need ;be feared m tha. .direction o±: CashcSer^, _ ds that ; cbunjry^ ;was .inaccessible from' Russian territory and the place fully m British hands. „■"'" : . ■.- 'f T'^Vv. : ViENNAya\|une|t;;v - , j'» Sir , Kter~ 'iLumsdeii passed 'through - ; h!ere to-day by lightning express for London. j£e>j seems/t horoughly, disgusted %ith the result of his mission, and says -hte; will.;never Teturh^o^lndja;.-iHej;atso, y stated that the, Russians. ;wiU.: [prolong " ;iiegotiatlons 'until tne is com.;pletedi ( The ,Russiaris are at work night and'ftSy'Btrbrijgly foiiafying Batoumi-': l^' 0 ' t'i^.j-:. : ■.••'" iU!: -"' : ; :.;'': l ' J Jun^ ; i : y«Ster^ay., Sir. Peter, Lumsden . ar.rjyed » , here 'and proceeded on; his jpurne'y io' ' Lphdon. 'In an' interview' he "said thatCoionelAlikhanoff had openly boasted to the Afghaiis tha^Russia-waiitell • to* JlSkeU'ir H^rat and a great deal more. Sir Peter said RussiA would never have .urged, heir- : absinrd -demand if- she had believed "Ehg- 1 " lattd was m: earnest m resisting theni. Russia is now able, through the posses-/ sioii of Penjdeh di6tfict|>t6prpvoke fresh complications whenever itrsuits^lier policy to vex Englanq^for.instance;by^supporting Turcoman^ claims to/some further pasturage of " thje use, of . -water-sheds, thereby bringing about a collisibn with the, Afghans. Russia wants i an ethnographjcal frontier, ,'j, propose -a/glblogical on 4; The Ameer has now 15,000 men at ; HeVat,;> but when; the Russians ,fiaßt a ad r x vapcefl that;piace ( :was quitiß open, and jt . | : would' have fallen i at. once, for fihe population we.tg and-eyenmow to some extent are: siding wJth ; the. Russians. '..,'-,• ? •• : ; r