RUSSIA AND ENGLAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 73, 25 August 1885, Page 2

RUSSIA AND ENGLAND.

THF AFGHAN SITUATION.

[Per Mail Steamer |.

The 'London Observer, of the 27th printed news to the effect thoj. the , Kussians were m occupation of Zulfikar Pass, and that the Marquis of Salisbury knew of the occupation sevWU days liefore. Tho Paris Gaulois; says that Prince Bismarck has suggested that the. Pass be made neutral grdunfl, and that the question of possession be thereby solved ; but military experts m London declare, that to make Zulfikar a "no man's land," to be roamed over at will by both Cossacks and Afghans, as Princeßisinarck sujj. gests, would be to make collision inevitable. The Panslayist.Pplitical Society are stirring up war feeling .all over Bussia by abusing England. ', A despatch of July 29th says that Lord. Salisbury has agreed to the request of M. de Staal to suspend negotiati6tfsVhhtilM.de Giers obtains the . report the topographical survey which has* bee'h-ordered at Zulfi. kar Pass. The report that the A meer of Afghanistan had to, the establishment of a British cantonment at Kandahar is said, by a despatch from Simia, of ' July 29, to have no foundation. At the same time.'in.a recent durbar,' the Ameer sp'okeof the relations between himself and England, and said he was convinced England desired nothing but good to the Afghans. He advised his people to cultivate the' friendship of England, arid saidjt would be a bid day for them if they ever came under the " tyrannical rule of Russia." A despatch of July 31 says Major-General Macgregor is going to Quetteh, to select a site for an entrenched camp m the : Valley of Pisheen. .-,..■■

Almost the only items of newa from Herat are that the Russian telegraph is completed to Saraics, and the Boundary Conimissiori, still at Sinjao, are m excellent health. Reinforcements of 2000 men have reached Herat, and 10,000 Martinis are said to be on the way from Cabul. But even thus strengthened it is unlikely that Herat could resist a Russian attack, and the impression is growing that unless the^difficbltßs are speedily settled, the Commission; should be ■withdrawn through Persia, the Afghans being left for the present; to defend the frontier as best they can, ana our energies being devoted tqprepating support for them if necessary, as 'well as attacking the enemy m other quarters. — Times June 26. f * j

Labouchere m Truth says :-—"- After reading the last Blue Book upon the Afghan frontier question, ■!:. am. strongly inclined to think that the less we say about arbitration the better iti will be for ns; It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that Captain Yale, was mainly* to blame for the P«njdeli incident/ The Afghans had pushed forward, injto. country theY never had eyen claimed, and again iihd again GeneraVKoinaroff; suggested some sort of modus vivendi, whilst Captain Yale seems to have, regarded it as his mission to render this impossible." ; . \ ; ■"'-';■ ■■;'