تمرد محمد يعقوب خان [ظ‎‎٢‎٢‎٠] (١٧٤/١٣٠)

the viceroy’s endeavours to effect a reconciliation. [l8(U.
men accompanied him in his farther march. His subsequent stages were as
follows :
Babasee—[here he began to recover from his illness.]
Aneek—27tli October.
!«•-[,. this P l..e, of ‘
* Diai’y ending 14th November. *
* Diary ending 16th November.
Across the Helmund to Soork-doozA
Killa mulkan— from thence he gave out thathewouldproceed to Shoia-
i w tV,k route is waterless for 100 miles, it was clear that this must
wulv, I O a * , , renewed intelligence immediately followed that
l, 6 8 ‘ bis dete™ nSn and that he had a mind to turn upon undefended
this was his determ > Koshah, Mauroof, Kakur and Abistadah route,
Gabul, taking he Shorawuk,a^ ^ ^ ^ r< ’ ute between Cabul and Can-
]' j proiect Uslum and Feramoz sent Sirdar Shere Ah to Kuzlee.
Thence”if Yacoob leally made the threatened move, Shere Ali « could advance
into Shorawuk and intercept him ; and they could take Ins place at Kuz .
Meanwhile, they would continue at Shumean.
631. While the Cabul force was there, and Yacoob at Killa-mulkan,
there was a further attempt at negotiation.
In the early part of October, the Ameer received > the letter ^ of the 24th
Sentember in which the Viceroy of India counselled him to “ spare no pains to
le P reconciled to his son,” whom be should “ attach to his person as a friend and
supporter of his power, instead of allowing his dissatisfaction to excite dis
turbances in Afghanistan.”
On the 12th October he sent off therefore a ^ letter to his rebellious
son warning him to return and make his submission, or he would he com
pletely disinherited. The delivery of this letter was committed to Us urn
[as if this very fact was not sure to destroy its effect.] He was to send
it with a warning letter from himself as soon as he neared Canda lar.
If Yacooh obeyed, well and good; otherwise Uslum was not to hesitate o
use force with him. On the 30th October Uslum sent the Ameer s letter by
the bands of a messenger, who brought back a written reply which was never
shown to the British agent, and a verbal reply to the effect, so Uslum said, that
Yacooh refused submission, unless the management of Herat, Candahar, and I oor-
kistan were made over to him. This letter reached the Ameer on the 13th i o-
vember, and on the 17th he told the British agent that he knew well that no
remonstrance would cause Yacoob to adopt a better line of conduct; that, never
theless, acting on the suggestion of the Viceroy, he had written a re-assuring
letter, which had, however, now produced a reply of a most irritating nature,
that it would never do to make over to Yacoob the Provinces which he de
manded, as he had openly stated, while in front of Candahar, that it he had not
been prevented, he would have killed the Ameer and his younger brothers and
carried off the treasure.
Some doubt is thrown on the above statement as to the nature of Yacooh s
reply, by the fact that when he found that Uslum was still pursuing him, he
wrote again saying, that Uslum must have misinterpreted the Ameer’s instruc
tions : that he himself had in his letter to the Ameer begged his father “ either
(а) Shere Ali represented the imprudence of this move to the Ameer. The Candaharee force sent with him was
the one which he had found so much cause to distrust during the siege, and would probably go over to Yacoob if they
encountered him in the open field,
(б) To this letter the Ameer replied by thanks for the motives which had dictated it, and by a recapitulation of his
son’s misconduct— -(S. I, No. 438). To this His Excellency the Viceroy (on the 16th November) replied, by uisang
him again to terminate, if it were possible, the unfortunate civil war then going on, by the adoption of measuies
characterized, not only by firmness, but by moderation and a spirit of conciliation.”— (S. I, 439.)
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