Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎63r] (129/312)

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large scale will be made before spring. No soldier would advise that w"? should encounter
tfte terrible hardships of a mountain winter campaign. We can thoroughly well afford to
wait, and can then deliberately mass by the commencement of spring such an over-
rr-r g /r e a - S t l r f nder successful resistance impossible. All appearance of ill-
Sn n 15 1 de P, recated - Some sli g ht danger exists from the tone of expec-
tation awakened in England and reflected here that Government may feel pressed to
endeavour to satisfy this expectation by precipitating military movements earlier than
complete preparation would warrant. ■ e s mai1
Iwo Russian officers, it is said, still remain at Cabul, but it is believed that
beneral Abramoff has returned to the headquarters of General K mfrn
respect to the stoppage of the British mission, the correspondent
The reasons which actuated the Viceroy in pushing forward the mnsion without
waiting longer for the Ameer's leave to pass were that information had b^n received
that the Ameer had no intention of ever receiving it, but was merely playintr in
a derisive and insolent manner with the expectation of the Government. The
| * eno " r of his language was :—"If I 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
lor all time, as there is no description of reply which Orientals so thoroughly admire as
one of accepted insolence. Great danger, too, was incurred by farther delay, as the
Ameer has been intriguing with the Khyberees to break faith with us, and the risk of
their desertion had to be considered. 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,
Russian journals continue to discuss the Afghan question. The Russki
Mtris of opinion that the defeat sustained by Lord Lytton will be severely
felt by Lord Beaconsfield, and speaks of the Ameer, " a mere Asiatic Khan,"
having been " independent enough to box the ears of the proud Englishman
and to shake the authority and prestige of the Indian empire." The Novoye
vremya says that if Shere Ali goes to war with England he requires a Russian
alliance to cover his rear; but the Russian journal says "there is nothing in such
an alliance to compromise our relations with England. Did not England think
herself entitled to aid and assist Turkey, immediatelyafter 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?"
Novoye Vremya also foresees that the blow inflicted on England's
position in Asia will enable the Liberal Opposition to renew their attacks
upon the Beaconsfield Administration. The St. Petersburg correspondent of the
vl-'"u.P os t says that the Russian Government will allow Bokhariots,
Khirghiz, and Turkomans to aid and assist the Afghans in the impending
There is no one in Russia, he goes on to say, who will not be
delighted at the insatiable British lion breaking his teeth in the vain attempt
to tear and worry the Afghans; but the Ameer acted independently, and it
was only the malice of English scribblers which imouted to Russia the guilt of
hounding him on against Great Britain. The Nord says that there is at
present no Afghan question at St. Petersburg, and it would be gratuitous clum
siness and imprudence of English policy to create one. Russia, at peac; with
England, is in no w ay desirous of attacking or di squieting British rule in India.
She has no idea of involving it m a conflict with the Ameer, which would be a
very b<d move, for the scheme, even if ultimately crowned with success, would
not fail to be costly and hazardous.
The Fremdenblatt of Vienna asserts that the Anglo-Afghan difficulty is
nothing else but the triumph of Russian diplomacy over that of England. No
tliinkirg man (it says) will admit that Russia contemplates the invasion of
India. Russia's object is twofold—firstly, to plunge England into serious com
plications, which she will succeed in doing ; and, secondly, to leave only one
road lor Central Asiatic Indo trade through the Bamian Pass, north of Cabul.
Millions which hitherto found their way to India by the Turkestan valleys
would thus go to Russia. This result, peacefully obtained, would certainly be
preferable for Russia to the most popular of wars. But that the accomplish
ment of this double aim may very well lead to war is a fact we do not feel
inclined to deny. -r
"LATEST INTELLIGENCE.
(B y T elegraph.)
(F rom oub CoEEEsroNDENTS.f
INDIA AND AFGHANISTAN.
BERLIN, S ept . 30.
A few months ago, before tho conclusion of the|
, i Russo-Turkish War, Colonel Maieff, topographer
; Potroff, and some other members of tho scientific
• geographical staff were despatched by tho Russo-
i Turkestan Government to the basin of tho Uppor
i Ainoo and tho region adjoining the north-western
slopes of the Hindoo Koosh. Thoir explorations,
; referring chiefly to the road to Derbent, the Ainoo
; fords of Ka, ra Kmnor, Kelif, and tho Ilissar
territory, have been recently embodied in maps.
; 1 he preparations commenced a short time ago for
an expedition to tho petty Khanates intervening
; between the Amoo Darya and Afghanistan proper
i seem to be at a standstill.
j -I he Berlin Montagsblatt, the most popular
j German Liberal weekly, says :—
'Peace,which was considered safo since thodiplo-1
matic success of tho Congress, is again imperilled byj
I jaffront England has had to endure at tho hands!
■ or the Ameer of Cabul. Shere Ali having refused to I
receive an English Embassy when ho is sumptuously B
entertaining Russian emissaries, the conclusion is N
forced upon us that the arrow shot at British!
selt-esteem was a weapon of Russian manufacture. B
llad this occurred a little earlier, the St. Peters- I
ourg Government might have found it easier to i
eal with Turkey and England at or before the ^
ongress. The humiliation sustained is bitterly felt Js
y the English. Great Britain will no doubt con- r*
sider it a duty she owos to herself and the safety of 1
er Indian Umpire to obtain ample satisfaction.
No doubt this is a problem more readily proposed
than solved ; and as it will require the whole
might of England to be employed in the East, the
course of European affairs will probably bo in
fluenced by what has happened."
VIENNA, S ept . 30.
The difficulty with Afghanistan is followed here
with close interest day by day. All the leading news
papers, both Austrian and Hungarian, give copious
extracts from the articles in the chief English
journals, accompanying them frequently with their
own comments, which leave no doubt that the
seriousness of the conflict is thoroughly understood,
as well as the complications which it may possibly
lead to. It is seen that these might eventually
affect the Eastern Question nearer home, and, there
fore, the interests of Austria, which have by the
^Bosnian occupation becomo even more closely
bound up with it than before.
We hare received the following telegrams through
j Renter's Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. :—
ENGLAND AND AFGHANISTAN.
PARIS, S ept . 30.
Private advices received here state that the British
Charge d'Affaires at St. Petersburg has presented to the
Imperial Chancellery a note from the English Cabinet
inquiring in what way the Russian Government proposed
to reconcile General Stolieteff's mission to Cabul with its
previous engagements, by which Russia agreed to renounce
all political influence in Afghanistan. The reply to this
note was to the effect that Russia was always disposed to
respect existing engagements, and that the mission of
General Stolieteff, although decided upon at a time
and in circumstances j which now no longer fixisted, was
merely intended as an act of courtesy to the Ameer of
Afghanistan.