Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎42v] (86/312)

AFGHAN ETHNOLOGY,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—In the present critical state of our political rela
tions with Afghanistan, even the most fragmentary in
formation relative to that country and its inhabitants is of
interest. Perhaps, in the circumstances, I may be
pardoned for quoting from the as yet unpublished sheets
of a work by my father, Mr. Talboys Wheeler (now in Cal
cutta), a few words ■which have an ethnological bearing
upon the question. Briefly, these are as follows :—
" To all appearance the Afghans are of Jewish origin;
not Jews of the orthodox type, the outcome of Jerusalem
and the temple worship, but Jews of the old, turbulent,
stilf-necked type, who revolted at Shechem against
Kehoboam, and set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan. i
The Afghans claim to be descendants of Saul, the son of
Kish. Theyaredivided into tribes, clans, andfamilies. They
distribute conquered lands by lot, perform the ceremony of
the 8capegoat,and build shrines on high places. Their features
| are unmistakably Jewish; but their language is not
Hebrew, nor anything akin to Hebrew. It is conjectured
j that they are the descendants of the ten tribes, whom the
! King of Assyria carried away to the city of the Medes ; but
the loss of all traces of the Hebrew language militates
against this theory, and it is impossible to verify the
' identity. In modern times they are Mahomedans of the
Sunni religion, and traditional foes of the Persians or
Shiahs."
In a foot-note referring to the Jewish type of feature
exhibited by the Afghan, my father remarks that this, to
his mind, outweighs the evidence of language. He goes
on to say that '' the face of Shere All Khan, the present
Ameer of Afghanistan, reveals, not only the Jewish
features, but the melancholy mania that belongs to the
character of Saul." Personally, I have never had the
honour of seeing Shere Ali, but I possess what I believe
few in this country besides myself possess, a very striking
photograph of that " morose and uncompromising bar
barian " (as your Calcutta Correspondent aptly described
him in Monday's telegram), which is a speaking confirma-
! tion of my father's words. I may add that to me the ex
pression in the photograph certainly appears rather
" morose " than " melancholy."
In the fourth volume of his " History of India," Mr.
Talboys Wheeler mentions the spirit of revenge in which
the hereditary feuds of early Afghan history were carried
on. He observes that this national characteristio is a pro
verb in India. " No man is said to be safe from the re
venge of an elephant, a cobra, or an Afghan."
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
OWEN EDLESTON WHEELER.
Witham, Essex, Sept. 25.
KAFIBISTAN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—When quartered with my regiment at Peshawur,
opposite the Khyber Pass, I remember the inhabitants of
Kafiristan being a subject of conversation.
They were said to be a white race bordering on Afghan
istan ; savage Christians, living among grand mountain
ranges ; their women were beautiful, and the Afghans
I made frequent raids to carry off the girls for the harems
! of their chiefs. The Ameers of Kabul had, it was said,
| frequently tried to conquer these brave people, who, being
I Christians, are regarded as outcasts ; but they still held
their valleys, though badly armed, and every now and then
sent messages to the English for help.
No doubt some of your readers can enlighten us on this
now very interesting subject. It is just possible that
Christian soldiers raised in these valleys may yet garrison
Kabul and Candahar under English officers.
Your obedient servant,
EDWARD PALLISER, late Captain 7th Hussars.
Army and Navy Club.
I AFGHANISTAN.
The news we publish this morning from our
Calcutta Correspondent shows that the Govern
ment of India are by no means inclined to rush
blindly into the perils of an Afghan war, but are
; contenting themselves with warning a number of
additional regiments for active service, with
strengthening Quettah, and occupying all the
salient points along the border. Such a policy is
both dignified and prudent. Although we may be
justified in assuming from the very imperfect data
before us that the act of the Commandant at Fort
Ali Musjid in thus wantonly insulting and threat
ening our envoy was the result of orders from
the Ameer, yet it may be possible that the officer
overstepped his instructions, or that Shere Ali)
alarmed at the prompt measures taken for bringing
him to reason, may offer ample apologies for the
deed. At any rate, until the return of Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India.
iGholam Hassain Khan, C.S.I., from Cabul, it
would be impolitic to commence (even if it were
possible to do so) any active operations. It will be
remembered that this native officer left Peshawur
late in August with a letter from the Viceroy to
the Ameer announcing the intended despatch of
the Mission. His arrival we heard of some time
since, and it was stated he was most hospitably
received. This is probable, for Gholam Hassain
Khan, a near relative 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. of Dera Ismail
Khan, is an Afghan allied to the reigning
house of Cabul. For many years he filled the im
portant post of British Vakeel or Envoy at the
Court ot Afghanistan, so he is personally well
known, not only to Bhere All, l)ut must also be on
intimate terms with most of the Afghan 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. .
Besides possessing much diplomatic experience,
the Isawab is an old soldier, and served through
out the Mutiny as Native Commandant of Curefcon's
Horse, a regiment he raised from landowners in
the Mooltan and Dera Ismail Khan district. For his
long and loyal services Gholam Hassain Khan was |
given a grant of land near Bunnoo and made a Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India.
and a Companion of the Star of India. He thus is
bound to the British by no ordinary ties, and is
well qualified to point out to the Ameer the danger
he runs in provoking a conflict with a nation as
powerful as we are. That he will use his earnest
endeavours to bring about a peaceful solution of
: the difficulty is obvious, and until the Viceroy is
in possession 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. 's report,which,probably,
will elucidate much that now remains obscure, it ;
; would be unwise of the Government of India to do
more than we learn they are doing. It appears
^strange that the Ameer should receive the native j
envoy with hospitality and yet refuse the British i
General permission to cross the border. It will be
fully 10 days before we can hear the gist of 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 Hassain Khan's report, and on it depends
the question—peace or war.
In a letter we publish to-day from " Be-
j loochee " regret is expressed that Sir Neville
! Chamberlain did not at once call up the reserves at
I Peshawur and force his way through the Khyber,
! occupying the open ground beyond the pass until
the Viceroy could satisfy himself Shere Ali was
responsible for the insult offered. That such a
course would have met with the approval of the
majority of military men in India we have no
doubt, and that it would have had a most beneficial
eftect in the bazaars of India is also possible ; but
■ the spectacle of a British force halted midway
between Peshawur and Jumrood would, after the |
: first burst of astonishment was over, have brought
upon it not only the forces of the Ameer, but swarms
of Afghan mountaineers from Bonair, Ningrahar
Tirah, and the far-o ff hills of the Orukzae and
Vaziri ; the halt would have been construed into
indecision, and doubtful allies would flock to the
Ameer's standard. Again, it is probable the garrison
of Peshawur was by no means prepared for a
sudden advance into an enemy's territory ; com
missariat trains for an army of 7,000 men are not
collected in a day. On the whole it seems that Sir
Neville Chamberlain followed the only course open
to him in retiring without further parley.
Colonel Callender calls attention to the existence
of a pass which turns the Khoord Cabul, and which
was thoroughly reconnoitred by Captain Main- j
waring in 1842. The importance of this route is, no
doubt, fully estimated by the Indian Intelligence 1
Department. Throughout the range of mountains
from the Khyber to the Bolan there are in-;
numerable small paths by which most of the main j
passes can be turned ; many of these are merely
short cuts avoiding long and difficult bends of the
main road. They are invaluable for the advance of
flanking parties ; many of them are well known,
having been explored by Colonel Macgregor in the
years 1870-72 when he was employed in the com- i
pilation of a Gazetteer of the North-West fron- :
tier of India, a confidential publication of)
inestimable value. Some few of these so-called
passes have, of course, escaped detection, fon j
the mountaineers have strong objections to
showing their hill roads to English travellers. Stijl
there is no doubt that we are in possession of very
full information concerning all the roads to Cabul—,
information which Government very naturally is
not anxious to publish to the world. \ J
Sir Henry Havelock, in a long letter we publish
this morning, urges that the Ameer should be given
j until the 15th of October to retract; that in the
interim troops should be pushed up to our border, j
and that if by that date he had not made ample!
reparation for the conduct of his officers, we should!
advance in four columns by the Khyber, thd!
Koorum, the Gomul, and the Bolan Passes oi|
Cabul and Candahar simultaneously. It might,!
| indeed, be feasible to seize these places before-i
winter sets in. Then, again, in all military opera-1
tions every precaution must be taken to provide for
mishaps. It is possible that Ghuznee might not
fall as easily as it did in the last campaign. That
the works have been considerably strengthened we
know, and on a closer acquaintance it might prove
to be too formidable for assault. It would certainly
I be impossible to move a siege-train, or even 40-
pounders through any of the above-named passes
without a great deal of labour and road making ;
indeed, even for the passage of field guns, sappers
- will have to be constantly employed. It is not
only that our forces must , reach Cabul and
Candahar before the 10th of December, but that
they must be permanently settled in those
fortresses, with stores of fodder and provisions for
six months. This would be the difficult point. It I
would be unwise to speculate on obtaining suffi
cient supplies in Afghanistan for this purpose ; it
would be equally unwise to endeavour to march with '
a commissariat train carrying such a vast amount
of stores. The passes will be closed early in
December, not to be opened again until early int
April. For those four months it will be impossible^
to obtain reinforcements or supplies from our base. ]
Our army must be self-supporting, and^ to make it