Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎54ar] (111/312)

•with'the Ameer had been taken quietly. There
was no excitement and the country remained
perfectly tranquil.
In estimating the conditions of an Afghan
campaign in the winter, it must be remembered
that Cabul is 6,400ft., Ghuznee 7,800ft., and
Oandahar 3,500ft. above the sea level. Cabul is
bitterly cold from December to March, and the sur
rounding country is covered with snow. The
Koorum route for some distance is fairly well
known, and an advance might be made under the
same conditions as from Peshawur by the Khyber.
From the end of February to December the
climate of North Afghanistan is perfect. The
sun is hot, but always tempered by cool breezes.
In the south it is much hotter. The great difficulty
in a campaign would be scarcity of grass.
The following are further detailed particulars of
the Mission and its collapse :—On the 16th of
August the Viceroy sent to the Ameer the following
letter :—
" The authentic intelligence which I have lately
received of the course of recent events at Csibul 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 concern the interests
of India and Afghanistan. For this reason I have
cousidered it expedient to depute a special and con
fidential envoy of high rank, who is known to your
Highness—his Excellency General Sir Neville
Chamberlain—to visit your Highness immediately
at Cabul, in order that he may converse personally
with your Highness regarding these urgent affairs.
It appears certain that they can be best arranged for
the tranquillity and welfare of both States and for
the preservation of friendship between the two Go
vernments by a full and frank statement of the pre
sent position. This letter,therefore, is sent in advance
by 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. ,who will explain
all necessary details as to the time and manner of
the Envoy's visit. It is asked 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 to all other authorities upon the route between
Peshawur and Cabul that, without delay, all neces
sary arrangements for securing to my Envoy,the re
presentative of a friendly Power, due and safe con
duct and suitable accommodation according to his
dignity while passing with his retinue through your
Highness's dominions. I beg to express the high
consideration I entertain for your Highness, and
remain, &c."
On the 23d of August the following letter was
" After the despatch from Simla of my letter
dated the 16th of August I received the melan
choly news that your Highness has suffered a
great affliction in 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, heir apparent to the Cabul Throne
and its dependencies. I desire to express to your
Highness personally the sincere^ regret which this
intelligence has caused me, but life and death are
in the hands of God, and resignation to His will
unavoidable. In consequence of this calamity I have
directed my Envoy to postpone for a short time
his departure in order that your Highness may not
be troubled by public business, however urgent,
until the usual period of mourning should have
elapsed."
No answer has been received to these letters, the
Ameer having adopted the same line of con
temptuous silence as he adopted on the last occa
sion in 1876 when the Viceroy wrote to him. At a
later date Chamberlain wrote a courteous but
rather more peremptory letter to the Commandant
of the Ali Muajid Fort, intimating his intention to
press the mission.
The reasons which actuated the Viceroy in push
ing forward the mission without waiting longer for
the Ameer's leave to pass were that information had
been received that the Ameer had no intention of
ever receiving it, but was merely playing in a deri
sive and insolent manner with the expectation of
the Government. The tenour of his language was;—
"111 choose to receive a mission, I will myself
Invite it; but meanwhile it must await my pleasure
at Peshawur."
This tone of course the Viceroy could not brook.
Indeed, if he had it would have been remembered
against us for all time, as there is no description of
reply which Orientals so thoroughly admire as one
of accepted insolence. Great danger, too, was in-
curred by further delay, as the Ameer has been in
triguing with the Khyberies to break faith with us,
and the risk of their desertion had to be consi-
In these circumstances the Government wisely
decided to push on the mission and put to
the test the question of the good faith of the Ameer,
and thus have the matter definitely decided. It is ,
infinitely more advantageous with regard to future
policy to force the Ameer to declare himself an |
open enemy than to remain in the insecure position
of haying to rely upon the false neutrality or
alliance of his disguised enmity.
The King of Burmah is still living, but his reco.
very is hopeless. Prince Theebo has been pro.
Claimed heir and regent. The other Princes are
closely imprisoned. Prince Nyolingy has taken
refuge in the English residence at Mandalay.
All the European firms save two signed a docu
ment contradicting Sir R. Temple's statement as
to the existence of notorious fraud and corruption
among European and Native railway officials. The
Press criticizes severely Sir R. Temple's wwduct.
The Surat rioters are all acquitted.
(By Teleqeaph.)
( P kom cub C okbespondbnts.)
BERLIN, S ept . 28.
The St. Petersburg journals pay considerable at-
tention to Afghan events. The Russki Mir is of
opinion that the defeat sustained by Lord Lytton
will be severely felt by Lord Beaconsfield, the
latter having so long inclined to competition with
Russia for the recovery of British prestige and the
protection of the road to India. The English, we
are told, intended to cement a new and solemn
alliance with the Ameer, previous good relations
with that potentate being, in their opinion, dis
turbed by the appearance of a Russian Embassy at
Cabul. But instead of meeting them half-way, the
Ameer, a mere Asiatic Khan, had been indepen
dent enough to box the ears of the proud English
man and to shake the authority and prestige of the
Indian Empire.
Improving upon this, the Novoye Vremya
says :—
" Although Shere Ali has gone over to Russia,
our Government will hardly allow him any direct
and open support. No doubt Shere Ali going to
war with England requires a Russian alliance to
cover his rear—a precaution taken by him ever
since he began to prepare for the rupture with Great
Britain. But there is nothing in such an alliance i
to compromise our relations with England. Did not i
England think herself entitled to aid and assist
rurkey, immediately after her defeat by our troops,
and is this not an exact counterpart to the Russian
alliance Shere Ali reckons upon as a guarantee for
the neutrality of the Khanates under our control V>
The Novoye Vremya foresees that the blow in.
flicted upon England's position in Asia will enable
the Liberal Opposition to renew their attacks upon
the Beaconsfield Administration.
putedloKtissla tfio guSTof houndi ng him on against"
Great Britain.
PAKIS, S ept . 29.
The Brussels JVori, a Eussian organ, comment
ing on demands in English newspapers for the dis
missal by the Ameer of the Russian Envoy, says :—
" If the Russian Envoy withdraws, which we
will not yet take upon ourselves to affirm, it will
evidently be under the regular conditions of the
return of these kinds of Embassies when once their
nussion is accomplished, and not at the summons
ot England. There is at present no Afghan ques
tion at St. Petersburg, and it would be gratuitous
clumsiness and imprucUmce of English policy to
create one. Russia, at peace with England, is in
no way desirous of attacking or disquieting British
rule in India, She has no idea of involving it in a
connict with the Ameer, which would be a very
bad move, for the scheme, even if ultimately
crowned with success, would not fail to be costly
and hazardous. There is as yet no proof that the
Indian Government does not largely owe to its own
predpitation the nascent quarrel with Shere Ali ;
but what is certain is that it would be entirely the
laultof that Government if Russia became poli
tically mixed up in their dispute."
j—Hmmmmrnrn
The St. Petersburg Correspondent of the Berlin
Post, who reflects Russian official views, says that
ihe Russian Government will allow Bokhariots
Khirghiz, and Turkomans to aid and assist the
Afghans in the impending war. There is no one in
Russia, he goes on to say, who will not b® delighted
at the insatiable British lion breaking his teeth in
the vain attempt to tear and worry the Afghans.
The Ameer was perfectly right to refuse admission
to the numerous military force coolly announced to
form the escort of the English Special Envoy. Had •
he asked Russia's advice, he would have been told
to receive the Envoy, but to shut out the so-called
escort. However, he acted independently, and it 1
was only the malice of English scribblers which im-