Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎50v] (103/312)

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at Cabul while Shere Ali is in open hostility to England. But, if Baron
Renter is well informed, the Afghanistan question will not lead to any
explanations between England and Russia.
This, however, is incredible; notwithstanding that the ministerial
papers studiously refrain from reference to the fact that if the Ameer
has given us " a slap in the face," so has the Czar. Moreover, it
is said in St. Petersburg that Lord Salisbury has addressed a Note to the
St. Petersburg Cabinet requesting an explanation of the objects of the
Russian Embassy to the Ameer of Cabul, and desiring to know what
position Russia intends assuming regarding Afghanistan. On this news
the Golos remarks :—" English diplomacy has long been accustomed to
put these indiscreet sort of questions, violating all ordinarily accepted
diplomatic traditions. The noble Marquis will probably be ^informed,
firstly, that the St. Petersburg Cabinet does not consider itself bound to
explain, to whomsoever it may be, its aims when sending missions to any
foreign potentate, European or Asiatic ; secondly, that in war between
England and Afghanistan Russia intends observing just such a strict
neutrality as England observed in the war between Russia and Turkey.
We shall not be behind England in strictly adhering to the laws and rules
of international right; but shall not go a step further in that direction."
In a St. Petersburg letter which is said to be " sure to come from an
authentic source " a similar tone is taken. The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. says it is an entire
mistake to attribute to Russian influence the Ameer's refusal to receive
the English Embassy. " The Russian officers despatched to Shere Ali
from time to time were never commissioned to set Afghanistan against
England. Their only object was to promote friendship and amity and
develop commerce. Among other proposals of the like nature, they men
tioned the plan of a railway between Central Asia and Afghanistan, which
was very favourably received by the Ameer. The Ameer never had any
injury to sustain nor threat to endure from Russia; and if Russians mis
sions appeared at his Court their suite was too small to inspire fear. But
English conquest and greed of territory, as displayed in Beloochistan and
enforced under the most futile pretext at the cost of the petty Princes
of the region, had long set Shere Ali thinking as to his own possible
fate. Shere Ali was fully entitled to shut his door against a corps
which, contrary to the law of nations, was to have invaded his country on
the pretext of a pacific mission. Whatever may befall, Russia will con
clude no alliance with Afghanistan. Only, as England supplied Turkey
with arms and ammunition in the late Eastern war, so Russia will throw
no obstacles in the way of Russian foreign traders who may wish to sell
rifles or cannons to the Afghans."
In this state of things we recommend our readers to look into a
letter from Dresden in to-day's Times: it is worth all the attention that can
be bestowed on it. From another point of view it is as well to glance at this
morning's Telegraph, in "which will be found the " views " which that paper
is now instructed to lay before the country. From the obviously inspired
article to which we refer, it appears that her Majesty's Ministers, so far
from being distressed, are quite cheered by the news from Afghanistan.
We are to understand that the ^ explosion of the Russo-Afghan plot " is
an " enormous blunder on the part of the contrivers." It is suggested
that, the Russian intrigue having been already " squared " by the Preli
minary Agreement between England and Russia, Shere Ali will find himself
delivered over to us with all his belongings. We may expect to hear, it seems,
that " Shere Ali is relying upon a policy the mainsprings of which have
been broken by events;" and that he may find himself " disowned and
deserted." And this, the Telegraph appears to think, without any further
concessions on the part of England, secret or other. And then what
will happen ? " The first result of such diplomatic treachery on the part of
Russia must be that the Central Asian Courts would lose all faith in her,
and that our enemies among the Afghans would execrate her name. With
the abortive plot at Cabul she would have to abandon any collateral
designs she may have in Seistan and Balkh, and on the Persian and
Afghan frontiers;" and, in short, it will be all over with the Russians in
Asia. It should be remarked that this is what the Russians are to do
for themselves—voluntarily, and by way of putting a finishing stroke to the
whole business. Inobservance of certain agreements with England, they
are to end all with a piece of " diplomatic treachery" which will do
for them in the East finally. Here we have a fair indication of the sort of
stuff which is officially offered to the public from time to time, and a
measure of th« subserviency at their command in the press.
M. ArminiusVambery, writing in the Allgem eine Zeitung on recent
events in Central Asia, says that it is a mistake to suppose that General
Abramoff is the Russian envoy at Cabul. General Abramoff is com
mander-in-chief in Khokand; the name of the envoy in Cabul is Colonel •
Stolyetoff. The chief object of the Russian mission is to establish friendly
relations between Taschkend and Cabul. As a means of putting pressure
on Shere Ali, with the above view, Russia holds in reserve the Afghan
prince, Abdurrahman Khan, a relation of the Ameer and at the same time
his deadly enemy. Abdurrahman has for some time been residing in
voluntary exile at Samarcand, and with the help of Russia might become
very dangerous to Shere Ali. It has been lately reported that Russia
proposes to exchange Abdurrahman for Khudoyar Khan, the e x-ruler of
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at Cabul while Shere Ali is in open hostility to England. But, if Baron
Renter is well informed, the Afghanistan question will not lead to any
explanations between England and Russia.
This, however, is incredible; notwithstanding that the ministerial
papers studiously refrain from reference to the fact that if the Ameer
has given us " a slap in the face," so has the Czar. Moreover, it
is said in St. Petersburg that Lord Salisbury has addressed a Note to the
St. Petersburg Cabinet requesting an explanation of the objects of the
Russian Embassy to the Ameer of Cabul, and desiring to know what
position Russia intends assuming regarding Afghanistan. On this news
the Golos remarks :—" English diplomacy has long been accustomed to
put these indiscreet sort of questions, violating all ordinarily accepted
diplomatic traditions. The noble Marquis will probably be ^informed,
firstly, that the St. Petersburg Cabinet does not consider itself bound to
explain, to whomsoever it may be, its aims when sending missions to any
foreign potentate, European or Asiatic ; secondly, that in war between
England and Afghanistan Russia intends observing just such a strict
neutrality as England observed in the war between Russia and Turkey.
We shall not be behind England in strictly adhering to the laws and rules
of international right; but shall not go a step further in that direction."
In a St. Petersburg letter which is said to be " sure to come from an
authentic source " a similar tone is taken. The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. says it is an entire
mistake to attribute to Russian influence the Ameer's refusal to receive
the English Embassy. "The Russian officers despatched to Shere Ali
from time to time were never commissioned to set Afghanistan against
England. Their only object was to promote friendship and amity and
develop commerce. Among other proposals of the like nature, they men
tioned the plan of a railway between Central Asia and Afghanistan, which
was very favourably received by the Ameer. The Ameer never had any
injury to sustain nor threat to endure from Russia; and if Russians mis
sions appeared at his Court their suite was too small to inspire fear. But
English conquest and greed of territory, as displayed in Beloochistan and
enforced under the most futile pretext at the cost of the petty Princes
of the region, had long set Shere Ali thinking as to his own possible
fate. Shere Ali was fully entitled to shut his door against a corps
which, contrary to the law of nations, was to have invaded his country on
the pretext of a pacific mission. Whatever may befall, Russia will con
clude no alliance with Afghanistan. Only, as England supplied Turkey
with arms and ammunition in the late Eastern war, so Russia will throw
no obstacles in the way of Russian foreign traders who may wish to sell
rifles or cannons to the Afghans."
In this state of things we recommend our readers to look into a
letter from Dresden in to-day's Times: it is worth all the attention that can
be bestowed on it. From another point of view it is as well to glance at this
morning's Telegraph, in-which will be found the " views " which that paper
is now instructed to lay before the country. From the obviously inspired
article to which we refer, it appears that her Majesty's Ministers, so far
from being distressed, are quite cheered by the news from Afghanistan.
We are to understand that the explosion of the Russo-Afghan plot " is
an "enormous blunder on the part of the contrivers." It is suggested
that, the Russian intrigue having been already " squared " by the Preli
minary Agreement between England and Russia, Shere Ali will find himself
delivered over to us with all his belongings. We may expect to hear, it seems,
that " Shere Ali is relying upon a policy the mainsprings of which have
been broken by events;" and that he may find himself " disowned and
deserted." And this, the Telegraph appears to think, without any further
concessions on the part of England, secret or other. And then what
will happen ? " The first result of such diplomatic treachery on the part of
Russia must be that the Central Asian Courts would lose all faith in her,
and that our enemies among the Afghans would execrate her name. With
the abortive plot at Cabul she would have to abandon any collateral
designs she may have in Seistan and Balkh, and on the Persian and
Afghan frontiers;" and, in short, it will be all over with the Russians in
Asia. It should be remarked that this is what the Russians are to do
for themselves—voluntarily, and by way of putting a finishing stroke to the
whole business. Inobservance of certain agreements with England, they
are to end all with a piece of " diplomatic treachery" which will do
for them in the East finally. Here we have a fair indication of the sort of
stuff which is officially offered to the public from time to time, and a
-measure of th® subserviency at their command in the press.
M. Arminius Vambe'ry, writing in the Allgem eine Zeitung on recent
events in Central Asia, says that it is a mistake to suppose that General
Abramoff is the Russian envoy at Cabul. General Abramoff is com
mander-in-chief in Khokand; the name of the envoy in Cabul is Colonel
Stolyetoff. The chief object of the Russian mission is to establish friendly
relations between Taschkend and Cabul. As a means of putting pressure
on Shere Ali, with the above view, Russia holds in reserve the Afghan
prince, Abdurrahman Khan, a relation of the Ameer and at the same time
his deadly enemy. Abdurrahman has for some time been residing in
voluntary exile at Samarcand, and with the help of Russia might become
very dangerous to Shere Ali. It has been lately reported that Russia
proposes to exchange Abdurrahman for Khudoyar Khan, the ex-ruler of
Khokand, who escaped last winter from Orenburg to Cabul. Khudoyar, n
who is nearly seventy years old, pursued the trade of a horse-dealer while ■;
interned at Orenburg, and then contrived to escape on a swift horse across iS
the great steppe by Bokhara and Khiva to Afghanistan. But though he is
evidently a man of considerable energy, he was not popular with his people, ^
who thrice expelled him from their country, and M. Vambdry thinks the
Russians are not likely to put themselves to any trouble to get Khudoyar
again into their hands. Abdurrahman, on the other hand, is very popular
in North-eastern Afghanistan, and by threatening to support him as a
pretender to the Afghan throne Russia can at any moment secure the
submissiveness of Shere Ali to her wishes.