THE AFGHAN FRONTIER.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 98, 18 April 1885, Page 5

THE AFGHAN FRONTIER.

Something About the Lapd Over \yhlch Russia and England arq Snarling sit One Another -Travels of the British Commissioners -- r

A cokkespondent of the London "New?," writing from Penjdeh, on the Murghab, Afghanistan, says : "It ought to be mentioned that very few Englishmen, it might be put Europeans, have travelled over this region of the earth's surface. It is almost unknown ground. The latitude and longitude of the maps of this part of the world are all wrong - Penjdeh has beon found to be seventeen miles to the west of its place as given o t maps, and five miles south. This condition of things gives a value to every bit of detail which can bo picked up, and will add very greatly to the interest con nected with the scientific department of the mission. • The surveyors under Maj. Holdich arc determining the latitude and longi tude o( each place with great precision ; Dr. Aitchison is collecting the natural history and the botany ; Mr Griesbach is working out the geology. These officers are carrying out their work in a methodical form, but all connected with the expedition aro more or le.«s at work, and when the work is over something will be known of the country we are now travelling in. '•Having come down the Kuehk Valley to Ak l'apa, we aro now going in a southerly direction up the valley of the Murghab to Bala Murghab, from which we turn to the cast to our winter quarters at Chahar Shamba. The Kazi Saad uddin; with an Afghan escort, accompanies Sir Peter Lumsden as tho reprenentativo of the Ameer So far we have come along smoothly. The commission has been well treated whorevei it has appeared. Here we are in Afghan istan, and tho Afghan authorities are most particular in their manifestation? af civility. This is slightly different from what the prophets foretold. We were going among wild races who would be sure to murder us all. Had I not known fcomething about the East, I should have hesitated to come out here, owing to what friends euggested as my probable fate before" I left England. Had the prophets of evil been here for the last two days—for we hare rested a day or so here — they would have seen something very different from that of the wild tribes murdering us. Everyone here haa besn busy, and I regret to have to report that all the officers, without an exception, havo, by their conduct the last day or so, rendered themselves liable to be called " carpet knights." The Turcoman young ladies have a deft way of working a peculiarly fine kind of carpet, and some of the finest of these serve as doors to the kibitkas ; thoy are hung up like a curtain. There has been quite a run on these carpets or "doors' here, Prices have gone up to fabulous sums. Our winter quarters are to be kibit kas, and everyone wants a carpet or tM-o, and a "door" as well. Judging by some pui'chase?, it looks as if some of our party are' going to have very large kibitkas, a kibitka, say, with a half-dozen doors at least. The largest and finest kibitka I have yet seen in "Penjdeh had only one door. This was a very handsome residence ; it was hung round with fringes and tassels, and the door wa? covered with a very beautiful carpet. It had a bloom on it like a peach. Some suggested that it would be the Lord Mayor's residence, and it was at once christened "Tho Mansion House." At first new carpets were brought for sale, but some one brought an old one, beautifully toned down, from the time it had hung on a door. This was bought up at a high price, and as soon as the value of old doors was discovered thero was a rush on tho kibitkas, and every ragged old article was brought to market. This led to some amusing scenes One of our people bought a carpet from an old man, and had paid his money, when the wife appeared. She peemed angry, and seized the piece of carpet, carried it off triumphantly, and hung it up on its place over the door of her kibitka. The old man looked rather foolish, for ho had to hand back the silver coins. "There aro a number of Jews in Penjdeh The Saroks aro a mixture of two races, tho Turanian and the Iranian, or Mongolian and Caucasian, accordirg to thffold'Way of putting it Some are vqry Chipeso in their features, while others rai£ht' pas's for Per ' sians, and there ie every degree of mixture between. On the day of our arrival I was carefully noting the facial forms to be seen in the crowd, and three or four men with a distinct physiognomy caught my eye. They were drtssed like fche others around, in high sheepskin hats, the hair outside, and the outer garment which covers 1 the body had very wide, bulging sleeves. After matching these men foifa time, I went \ip and pronounced the words, " Hani Israel !" to one of them. ( He turned eharply round, and looked astonished, but he did not look as if he understood me, so the words were repeated. What he said in reply was beyond me, but it expreseed aa?ent Thinking it would be worth knowing if he understood Hebrew, I began with " Baraschit," and repeated some of the words in the first verse of Genesis. At the woid " Elohim " he took up the sentence and wont o i to"Aretz," the last word of (he verse. He uttered it all in a low voice, as if lie did not wish anyone but mysolf to hear him, From this it may be concluded that even in this out-of-the-way ppot they aro nob ignorant of their own language or of their religion. I noticed fiat they were very bugy when carpets or other articles were in demand, and they have made a good harvest during our stay at Penjdeh. " Our stay here has had a good "effect on the people. They have benefited largely by our visit, and must have formed a favourable opinion of us Perhaps they may not have a high op'nion ol our judgment after seeing us give such high sums, for. the old doom of their kibitkas."