Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎34v] (69/312)

ENGLAND AND AFGHANISTAN.
The Bombay correspondent of the Standard has telegraphed the text of
the Viceroy's letters to the Ameer of Afghanistan. On the 14th of August the
following letter was sent by the Viceroy from Simla :—
The authentic intelligence which I have lately received as to the course of recent ■
events at Cabul and in the countries bordering on Afghanistan has rendered it necessary '
that I should communicate fully and without reserve with your Highness upon matters
of importance which con earn the interests of India and Afghanistan. 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 i
13owles Chamberlain. He will visit your Highness immediately, in order that he (
n-ay converse personally with your Highness regarding these urgent affairs. It j
appears certain that they can best be arranged for the welfare and tranquillity of |
both States, and the preservation of friendship between the two Governments, by a f
v full and frank statement of the present position. This letter is, therefore, sent in I-
advance to your Highness by the hand of 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, 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
- details, the time and manner of the Envoy's visit, and will ask that your Highness may be t;
; 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 T
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 I
representative of a friendly Power, a due safe conduct and suitable accommodation I
J, 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 for your Highness,
and to subscribe myself, &c.
Ten days later the second letter, dated August 23, was despatched. It was
as follqws :—
After the despatch from Simla of my letter, dated August 14, 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 I
Peshawur the melancholy news that your Highness has suffered a great affliction I
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 depen- I
dencies. I desire to express to your Highness personally the sincere regret which this I
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 I
postpone for a short time his departure, in order that your Highness may not be troubled I
by public business, however important or urgent, until the usual period of mourning has |
elapsed.
The same correspondent telegraphs the text of the letter sent by Sir Neville I
Chamberlain to the Ameer's commandant at the Fort of Ali Musjid—Faiz I
Muhammed Khan. After the usual compliments Sir Neville says :—
I write to inform you that, by the command of his Excellency the Viceroy and I
aGovernor-General, a friendly mission of British officers, with a suitable escort, is abjut I
to proceed to Cabul through the Khyber Pass, and an intimation of the despatch of this I
mission has bpen duly communicated to his Highness the Ameer by the hand o£ the
Jsawab Gholam Hussein Khan. I hear that an official from Cabul has recently visited at
Ali Musjid. He has doubtless instructed you in accordance with his Highness the I
Ameer's commands. As, however, information has now been received that you
have summoned from Peshawur the Khyber headmen with whom we are making
arrangements for the safe conduct of the British mission through the Khyber Pass, I I
therelore write to inquire of you whether, in accordance with the instructions you have I
received, you are prepared to guarantee the safety of the British mission to Dhakka or j
not, and to request a cl§ar rejdy 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 I
known that the Khyber tribes are in receipt of allowances from the Cabul Government, I
and, like other independent tribes on this frontier, have relations also with the British I
Government. It may be well to let you know that when the present negotiations were I
opened with the Khyber tribes it was solely with the object of arranging with them for I
the safe conduct of the mission through the Khyber Pass in the same manner as I
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 I
had been given to understand that the negotiations were in no way intended to pre
judice their 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 instructions 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 rlply not later
than the 18th inst., so please uaderstand 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 I
not what I trust it will be, or if you delay to send an early reply, I have no alternative I
ibut to make whatever arrangements may seem to me best for carrying out the instructions I
I have received from my Government.
With reference to the military preparations of the Indian Government the t
same correspondent says :—" There is considerable excitement here, as it is
thought probable that if an invasion of Afghanistan is undertaken, a division
will be sent up from Kurrachee, by the Indus, to join the forces which will
operate by the Bholan Pass." He also states that orders have been at once
tissued to draw other bodies of troops, besides those'mentioned yesterday,
towards the frontier, with a view of early ulterior operations should the course
of affairs render it necessary. It is, he adds, believed to be quite possible that
Persia, acting under the advice of Russia, will take advantage of the confusion
which will ensue upon our advance, to make a fresh attempt to capture Herat.
The Allahabad correspondent of the same journal believes that General
Chamberlain will have the chief command of any military operations that may
take place.
SUMMARY OF THIS MORNING'S NEWS.
The Times correspondent at Calcutta says that war with Afghanistan is there
believed to be inevitable. He states that; the commandant of Ali Musjid Fort
threatened .Major Cavagnari," saying that s^ve for his personal friendship he
would shoot him on the spot. Other telegrams show that it is still considered
uncertain in India whether the military preparations which are being made are
intended as a demonstration to terrify the Ameer or for an actual invasion of
Afghanistan. The Indian papers have phblished the two letters, dated
August 14 and August 23, sent by the Viceroy to the Ameer, the first announc
ing that it had been decided to send a mission to Cabul, and asking for it a safe
conduct and proper reception ; the seebnd, offering condolences on the death
of the Ameer's heir. To neither of these letters was any answer returned.
The Standard publishes their text, together with that of the letter which
Sir Neville Chamberlain addressed to the Afghan commandant at the Khyber
Pass.