Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎31v] (63/312)

" For this reason I have considered it expedient
to depute an especial and confidential envoy of
high rank, who is known to your Highness—his
Excellency General Sir Neville Bowles Chamber
lain. He will visit your Highness immediately, in
order that he may converse personally with your
Highness regarding these urgent afiairs.
"It appears certain that they can best be arranged
for the welfare and tranquillity of both States, and the
preservation of friendship between the two Govern
ments, by a full and frank statement of the present
position.
" This letter is, therefore, sent in advance to your
Highness by the hand of the NawabGholam Hussein
Khan, C.S.I., a faithful and honoured Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. of
my Government, who will explain all the necessary
j details, the time and manner of the Envoy's visit,
and will ask that your Highness may be pleased to
issue commands to your Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. and all the other
authorities of Afghanistan upon the route between
Peshawur and Cabul, and will make, without
delay, whatever arrangements may be necessary
and proper for effectually securing to my Envoy, as
the representative of a friendly Power, a due safe
conduct and suitable accommodation according to
his dignity, while passing with his retinue through
the dominions of your Highness.
" I beg to express the high consideration which
I entertain of your Highness, and to subscribe
myself, &c."
Ten days later was despatched the second letter,
dated August 23. The following is the text :—
" After the despatch from Simla of my letter,
dated 14th August, 1878, which the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Gholam
Hussein Khan will deliver with this letter to
your Highness, I received from Peshawur the
melancholy news that your Highness has suffered
a great affliction by the untimely death of Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division.
Abdulla Jan, the heir apparent to Cabul and its
dependencies.
" I desire to express to your Highness personally
the sincere regret which this intelligence has caused
to me ; but life and death are in the hands of God,
and resignation to His will is unavoidable.
" In consequence of this calamity I have directed
my Envoy to postpone for a short time his depar
ture, in order that your Highness may not be
troubled by public business, however important or
urgent, until the usual period of mourning has
elapsed,"
No answer was received to either of these letters.
W ednesday E vening.
The following is the text of the letter sent by Sir
| Neville Chamberlain to the Ameer's Commandant
at the Fort of Ali Musjid—Faiz Muhammed Khan.
After the usual compliments Sir Neville says :—
"I write to inform you that, by the command of
j his Excellency the Viceroy and Governor General,
a friendly Mission of British officers, with a
suitable escort, is about to proceed to Cabul
through the Khyber Pass, and an intimation of the
despatch of this Mission has been duly communi
cated to his Highness the Ameer by the hand of
i the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Gholam Hussein Khan.
" I hear that an official from Cabul has recently
| visited at Ali Musjid. He has, doubtless, instructed i
you in accordance with his Highness, the Airjeer's,
commands.
" As, however, information has now been!
received that you have summoned from Peshawur 1
the Khyber headmen with whom we are making j
arrangements for the safe conduct of the British
Mission through the Khyber Pass, I therefore
write to inquire of you whether, in accordance with
the instructions you have received, you are pre
pared to guarantee the safety of the British Mission
to Dhakka or not, and to request a clear reply to
this inquiry, which may be speedily communicated
to the bearer of this letter, as I cannot delay our
departure from Peshawur.
" It is well known that the Khyber tribes are in
the receipt of allowances from the Cabul Govern
ment, and, like other independent tribes on this
I frontier, have relations also with the British
! Government.
" It may be well to let you know that when the
present negotiations were opened with the Khyber
tribes it was solely with the object of arranging
with them for the safe conduct of the Mission
through the Khyber Pass in the same manner as
was done with regard to the despatch of our agent
Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Khan, and the tribes had been given to
understand that the negotiations were in no way
intend ed to prejudic e the ir relations with the
Ameer, as it is well known that the object of the
Mission was altogether of a friendly character to
the Ameer and the people of Afghanistan.
" I trust that, in accordance with the instruc
tions you have received from the Ameer, your reply
to this letter will be satisfactory, and will contain
the required assurances that the Mission will be
safely conducted to Dhakka.
" I expect to receive a reply not later than the
18th instant, so please understand that the matter
is most urgent.
" At the same time it is my duty to inform you
in a frank and friendly manner that if your answer
be not what I trust it will be, or if you delay to
send an early reply, I have no alternative but to
make whatever arrangements may seem to me best
for carrying out the instructions I have received
from my Government."
(from our own correspondent.)
ALLAHABAD, Wednesday A fternoon.
The general opinion among military men here is |
that the force massing on the frontier is intended
as a demonstration against Cabul rather than for
a real attack, and that for this autumn an advance
upon Candahar only will be undertaken.
It is thought probable that the Ameer will give
in immediately he sees that our preparations are >
serious.
General Biddulph, with 3000 men, is moving up
to reinforce the garrison of Quetta. 4000 troops, {
under General Roberts, will march upon Thull, at j
the mouth of the Koorum Valley, and 4000 will be i
collected at Mooltan, under General Stewart.
General Chamberlain will, I believe, take the
chief command of the operations.
(prom our own correspondent.)
ST. PETERSBURG, W ednesday. i
The Golos, referring to the rejection of the'
English Mission to Cabul, says :—
" It will excite no wonder if British diplomacy,
after the failure of its Mission to Afghanistan,
attempts, for the purpose of distracting Russia's
attention from England's ' sore point,' to give a
sharp turn to all the complications that have of late
arisen in the politics of Europe."
Referring to the Convention with Austria, the
same paper continues ;—
" Probably no one in Europe supposes that
Russia ought not to take advantage of these com
plications as she may think fit. It is not our fault
that in Vienna it has been found necessary to
strike a German-Hungarian wedge between the
Slavonian Duchies."
The St. Petersburg News considers a war between
England and Afghanistan simply a local one:—
" Our Government," it says, " will probably not
interfere in the struggle between Shere Ali and
England. An alliance between Afghanistan
and Russia is indispensable to Shere Ali,
who desires to feel secure as regards Russia in his
war with England. Such an alliance by no means
compromises the relations between Russia and
England. Great Britain found it possible morally
to support Turkey in her recent war against Russia.
In London it was considered requisite to bring
native troops from India to Europe, which is in
itself a proof that England is unable without foreign
aid to cope with Russia on land. It would
be an unnatural and thoroughly senseless
piece of disinterestedness not to take advan
tage of such an occasion for the purpose of
giving Eastern affairs a turn, and paralysing the anti 1