britannien. Nr. 8701. and soldiers shall not enter or remain in Penjdeh, and that the limits of Gross- Penjdeh will be understood to extend only to the point north of Maruchak 1. Mai 1885. at which the Russian Government proposed the boundary should pass through the valley. If Russian Government agree, we will do our utmost to press the engagement upon the Ameer. Nr. 8702. Russland. Nr. 8702. RUSSLAND. Min. des Ausw. an den russ. Botsch. in London. Bereitwilligkeit, ein Schiedsgericht über die Tragweite des Abkommens vom 16. März zu vereinbaren. [III. 85.] (Communicated to Earl Granville by M. de Staal, May 2.) (Télégraphique.) St. Pétersbourg, le 19 Avril (1er Mai), 1885. Sa Majesté l'Empereur, après avoir pris connaissance des deux notes 1. Mai 1885. Anglaises, a daigné confirmer ses décisions préalables telles qu'elles sont indiquées dans mon télégramme du 16, c'est-à-dire d'écarter entièrement toute discussion ultérieure sur la question militaire. Quant au malentendu qui peut s'être produit dans l'interprétation de l'accord établi entre les deux Cabinets, s'il subsistait des doutes ou des divergences d'appréciation, l'Empereur ne refuserait pas d'en référer au jugement d'un Souverain étranger inspirant confiance aux deux Gouvernements. Sa Majesté se réserve, le cas échéant, de s'entendre avec le Cabinet de Londres sur le choix de ce Souverain. Si cette solution était acceptée par le Gouvernement Anglais, notre auguste Maître n'hésitera plus à reprendre à Londres la négociation sur les points principaux de la ligne de délimitation dont les détails seuls seraient examinés et tracés sur les lieux dans les conditions convenues par la Commission. Nr. 8703. 4. Mai 1885. Nr. 8703. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Botsch. in London. Min. des Ausw. an den russ. England ist jetzt bereit, die Verhandlungen über die Grenzlinie wieder aufzunehmen. [III. 87.] M. l'Ambassadeur, Foreign Office, May 4, 1885. I have submitted to the Queen and to my colleaGross- gues the telegram from M. de Giers which your Excellency did me the honour britannien. to communicate to me on the 2nd instant as to the manner of dealing with the questions relative to the conflict between the Russian and Afghan forces at Ak-Tépé. It has at no time been the desire of Her Majesty's Government to see gallant officers on either side put upon their trial; but the differences between the two Governments which arose out of the engagement at Ak-Tépé rendered it necessary to provide means for a settlement consistent Iwith the honour of both. Her Majesty's Government have now, on the receipt sa by of the telegraphic despatch of the 1st instant from St. Petersburgh, the Granville. Nr. 8703. Grossbritannien. 4. Mai 1885. Nr. 8704. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Memorandum, betreffend die afghanische Grenze. [IV. 32.] Memorandum sent to M. de Staal, May 22, 1885. Her Majesty's Government have had under their consideration the Memorandum which M. de Staal handed to Lord Granville on the 21st instant relative to the proposed frontier between the Heri-Rud and the Oxus. It appears from this Memorandum, that the Russian Government are not satisfied with the definition of the line agreed upon in London in communication with M. de Staal and M. Lessar, and which the Ambassador undertook to recommend for their acceptance. || The points on which a modification of the line is asked are the following: || 1. As regards Zulfikar, the Memorandum deprives the Afghans of the passage left to them by that agreement, and proposes that the line, after leaving the Heri-Rud a little to the north of the point marked Zulfikar Pass on the English map, should follow in an eastern and southern direction the crests of the heights which border the Valley of the Heri-Rud, and then should pass between Ak-Robat and Souma Karez. 2. That the point north of Maruchak, at which the frontier will cross the Murghab, should be fixed so as to attach as much as possible to the Russian territory the lands cultivated by the Sarik Turkomans and their pastures, instead of the stipulation that it should leave to Afghanistan Maruchak and its dependencies. || 3. The Memorandum proposes, that the frontier east of the Murghab shall be traced within a zone between the heights indicated on the Russian map, which border on the north and west the Valleys of the Kaisor and the Sangalak, and the limits of the cultivated lands of Maimeneh and Andkhoi, forming part of Afghan territory, and should end at Khoja Saleh; the delimitation of the pastures belonging to the respective populations to be left to the Commissioners, and, in case of their being unable to agree, to Nr. 8704. Grossbritannien. 22. Mai 1885. Nr. 8704. Gross britannien. 22. Mai 1885. be referred to the Governments. || The Memorandum ends by stating, that, if the Cabinet of London holds to an extension of the Afghan pastures bordering on Maimench and Andkhoi, and to an extension of the limits of Zulfikar, in such a way, however, as to secure Russian territory against the incursions of bands which might take advantage of the pass, the Russian Government would consent on the condition that Maruchak should be ceded to them, and the frontier fixed to the north of Bala Murghab. To deal, first, with the concluding paragraph of the Memorandum, the Russian Government appear to be under a misapprehension as to the views of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the points to which it refers. They have not asked for any extension of the Afghan pastures, but only that the inhabitants of Maimeneh and Andkhoi, which, under the Agreement of 1873, were recognized as belonging to Afghanistan, should not be deprived of their cultivated lands, or of those pastures, the use of which they were actually enjoying before the Russian occupation of Merv established tranquillity in those regions. With regard to Zulfikar, they do not claim more for the Afghans than the command of the passage running eastwards from the HeriRud. | If the definition in the Project of Agreement could be construed so as to imply more than this, they would be ready to consider a different wording; but a definition of Zulfikar which would not secure to the Afghans the command of the pass in question would render the arrangement valueless to Afghanistan. || The suggestion that Maruchak should be ceded to Russia and the frontier fixed north of Bala Murghab could not be entertained by Her Majesty's Government. The possession of that place by Afghanistan is considered by them as an essential condition of the settlement, and it is in accordance with the proposal made by the Russian Government on the 16th January. Her Majesty's Government agree with the Russian Government, that great circumspection is necessary in tracing the frontier. They would be prepared to agree to the following modifications in the project drawn up with M. de Staal and M. Lessar: 1. As regards Zulfikar, "the frontier will start from the Heri-Rud a little to the north of the point marked 'Zulfikar Pass' on the map attached to the Protocol (English map), and will follow the crests of the heights bordering on the north the pass which runs from the Heri-Rud castwards, so as to leave to Afghanistan the command of both ends of the pass in question." || 2. With regard to the point, at which the frontier is to cross the Murghab, Her Majesty's Government are ready to agree that it should be defined as a point north of Maruchak, fixed so as to leave to Russia the lands cultivated by the Sariks and their pastures. The principle thus laid down is accepted by Her Majesty's Government as an equitable one, on the understanding that it should be applied to the populations on both sides of the line. They would accordingly propose for the frontier east of the Murghab the following definition, which would obviate britannien. the difficulties caused by the doubts thrown by recent surveys on the position Nr. 8704. of the heights mentioned in the boundary proposed by Russia on the 16th GrossJanuary, and embodied in the draft Agreement. || "Applying the above principle 22. Mai 1885. both to the Turkomans subject to Russia and to the subjects of the Ameer of Afghanistan, the frontier will follow a line north of the Valley of the Kaisor and west of the Valley of the Sangalak (Ab-i-Andhoi), and leaving Ankhoi to the cast will run to Khoja Saleh on the Oxus. || The delimitation of the pastures belonging to the respective populations will be left to the Commissioners." Nr. 8705. RUSSLAND. Min. des Ausw. an den russ. Botsch. in London. Bedenken gegen die vorgeschlagene Grenze bei Zulfikar. [IV. 42.] Nr. 8705. 28. Mai 1885. Communicated to Earl Granville by M. de Staal, May 29. (Télégraphique.) St. Pétersbourg, le 16 (28) Mai, 1885. Etant désireux de contribuer à prompte solution et éviter malentendus, au sujet de Zulfagar, nous sommes disposés à abandonner aux Afghans le Russland. défilé qui, partant du Héri-Rud, traverse la première rangée de hauteurs, de façon toutefois à ne pas couper et empêcher les communications entre les points situés du même côté de la frontière. La ligne tracée par Lessar sur la Carte Anglaise depuis le Héri-Rud par les points A et B répond à cette proposition. Une ligne tracée par le point C couperait nos communications. Quant à la frontière depuis le point A jusqu'à Yegri-Gueuk, vous êtes autorisé à proposer le tracé qui suivrait autant que possible les crêtes des collines en laissant aux Afghans Pistalik-Attek. Pour tout le reste nous acceptons la dernière rédaction des propositions Anglaises. In making the proposal of the 22nd ultimo, the object of Her Majesty's Government was to secure the full possession of the Zulfikar Pass to Afghanistan. | Her Majesty's Government do not desire to cut any existing communications between points on the Russian side of the frontier. There is a difference of opinion as to what these are; but Her Majesty's Government would not object to its being an instruction to the Commission to preserve as much as possible such communications without interfering with the command of the pass by the Afghans. Nr. 8706. Gross britannien. 4. Jun. 1885. Nr. 8707. Gross britannien. Nr. 8707. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Sir, Botsch. in St.-Petersburg. Foreign Office, June 7, 1885. The Russian Ambassador communicated to me yesterday morning the inclosed telegram from M. de Giers, containing the views of the Russian 7. Juni 1885. Government as to the manner in which the question of the Zulfikar Pass should be dealt with*). || His Excellency asked me in the evening when I should be able to give him an answer. He hoped the matter might be considered as settled. || I said, that I would reply on the 18th, but that I regretted that the communication which he had made me left the whole matter open. || M. de Staal said that he considered the Russian answer as an acceptance of our proposal of the 4th instant. I replied, that in that case it would be only a question of drafting. His Excellency wished me, however, to understand, that he had no instructions excepting the communication which he had made to me. I expressed to his Excellency to-day the great satisfaction with which I had gathered from our conversation that, according to his personal opinion, the answer of the Russian Government was an acceptance of our last communication with regard to the Afghan frontier. I said, that Her Majesty's Government wished to avoid any possible misunderstanding on the subject, and would therefore be glad to be informed, in the name of the Russian Government, that, while the Commissioners should be instructed to preserve as much as possible any existing communication between points on the Russian side of the frontier, the basis of the proceedings of the Commissioners would be to leave to the Afghans the command of the Zulfikar Pass. || I am, &c. Granville. Nr. 8708. Russland. 10. Juni 1885. Nr. 8708. (Extrait.) RUSSLAND. -Botsch. in London an den engl. Min. des Londres, le 10. Juin, 1885. Quant à la question de délimitation Afghane, les instructions télégraphiques reçues de M. de Giers me mettent en mesure de vous communiquer que *) Das Telegramm lautet: (Télégraphique.) St. Pétersbourg, le 24 Mai (5 Juin), 1885. Croyant devoir insister sur intégrité de nos communications, serions d'avis que c'est à la Commission qu'il faudrait abandonner le soin de concilier ce principe avec les conditions auxquelles le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté Britannique voudrait subordonner la cession à l'Afghanistan de Zulfagar. |