THE SCENE OF THE LATE BATTLE. Sir Peter Lumsden's Reception at Penjdeh.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 98, 18 April 1885, Page 3

THE SCENE OF THE LATE BATTLE. Sir Peter Lumsden's Reception at Penjdeh.

Ix our Supplement to-day we give an account of the people who inhabit the country round Penjdeh, the scene of the recent attack by the Russians on tho Afghans. The narrative is from the pen of the "Daily News" correspondent accompanying the Frontier Commission. Tho same writer, in a letter dated " Penjdeh on the Murghab, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 1854," says:— "My la.st letter was from Kuhsan, whore we met the camp from India, and I had described, as far as the space of a letter would permit, the ravages and desolation which had been produced by the Turkoman raids in Persia and along the frontier on the east of that country. From Kul'san we have been on Afghan territory, and I had faint hopes that the state of the frontier here would not be found in s>uch a woeful condition as that we had just passed through. A very short experience in thip locality was enough to show that the process of extermination had also gone on here. From one of the officers who came with tho Indian camp I learned that as far south as Sher Bakhs, about 50 miles south of Herat, he had noticed towers of refuce in the fields, and ' lie found them all the way from that place to Kuhsan. These towers are a pretty sure indication of the limits which were liable to raids. Herat, like Meshed, being a large town, was of course avoided in marauding excursions. " Two days before reaching Ak Tapa, some of the Sarak chiefs, got up in gorgeous pink and gold, came from Penjdeh to meet Sir Peter Lumsden, and marched back with us. At Ak Tapa, which is close to Penjdeh, the Afghan garrison, which is commanded by General Ghous-u-din Khan, turned out to receive us. On arriving, the Afghan General rode forward to receive Sir Peter Lumsden, and a salute of 17 guns was given. The Saraks turned out in great numbers to witness the ceremony, and the artillery is said to be a great wonder and astonishment to them ; most probably they had never heard them fired till the day of our arrival. They havo only one notion of fighting, and that is on a horso, with a musket and a sword. they may havo heard of, but it is impossible that they could have scon such weapons till the Afghan troops came here. The guns, it may be stated, are small ; but then Sarak experience has nothing with which to compare them, and hence the "moral cflect" of the artillery on their minds. Another astonishment was the escort of the 11th Bengal Lancers. We have a detachment of 50 of them with us. The tall lances, with the red and blue penons fluttering in the wind ; fine strong men, and all dressed alike ; every strap and buckle the same ; swords and carabines without a point of difference between them, wero matters of detail they had never before witnessed. Little boys will remember the day for a long time to come. The little boys were out in great strength, many of them riding on horses, often two on one animal. Little fellows, scarcely more than four or five years of age, with small stumps of legs, sat, or straddled, on large steeds, and looked quite at home. It was rather a striking contrast, after cominglovex* t much ground which had been dbyastatcd by these Turkomans and their kindrod tribes, to find oneself amongst them. Coming hero for the last month or so, one could only think ot them by their deeds, and suppose them to be monsters. There they were before us, peaceab'^, goodnatared, and smiling fellows. Wt nad seen them at work for come days back, and found them a simple, harmless people. History contains many illustrations of similar transitions which it is needless to refer tc. '