Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎99r] (201/312)

RUSSIA AND OABUL;
AT"
(By Great Noethern Telegraph.)
(erom our own -coukespondent.)
ST. PETERSBUEG, sunday.
The Moscow News of the 5th of October says
that " England has intentionally sought a quarrel
with the Ameer. For many years Great Britain was
contented with her position regarding Afghanistan,
when suddenly, as though stung by a
gadfly, she throws herself upon Shere Ali,
with menacing demands to have permanent Resi
dents in Cabul. This, no doubt, has been long
ripening. It is a move just like the Anglo-
Turkish Convention. They are threads of an
; extensive intrigue directed from every quarter to
i entangle Russia. England has failed, however, to
arm the Mussulman countries against Russia, and
has only succeeded in arming them against herself."
The St. Petersburg News, of the 5th, October, says
that " the Mission of General Stoletoff to Afghan
istan has done us great service, although we know
nothing of its success or failure, and are even
unaware of its object. Beyond doubt our
Embassy called forth Chamberlain's pompous
Mission, and the remarkable fiasco which fol
lowed the sad fate of the British Mission has
disclosed to us the vulnerable point in England's
heel and shown better than any other kind of in
quiry her strength in India, and to know the
strength ■ of one's enemy is the first step towards
victory. This knowledge will be of use to us in
future dealings with England, and by properly cal
culating our means of harming her in India we
might incline her to assume a milder policy
regarding the Balkan Peninsula."
The Exchange News of the 5th October says :—
" While avowing that they were against Turkish
war, it is only in Afghanistan that the question can
be settled as to whether we have a possibility of
defending ourselves against England in the East. If
the mountain passes through the Hindoo Koosh
remain imder our influence our strength will be
equal to Britain's. If these passes get into
England's hands there will be no end to her pre
hensions and meddling in our Central Asian
affairs. One-tenth of the soldiers we are now,
thanks to England's intrigues, obliged to keep in
Bulgaria would be sufficient to strengthen our Tur
kestan army and make the passes impregnable.
Thus it is our policy not only to support the
Ameer, but to make his affairs our affairs,* his
struggle with England our struggle. We have a
right to do so, since Englishmen do not conceal
that in declaring war against the Ameer it is not
him but Russia fliey have in view. The expulsion
of the Russian Mission from Cabul is the condition
they make for an agreement with Shere AIL
They now ironically thank Russia for having by
its Embassy to Cabul, givep them an opportunity of
occupying the passes through the Hindoo Koosh.
The English desire, at whatever cost, to have posses-
lion of these passes. We, at whatever cost, must
retain them in the hands of the Ameer. These
words are not dictated by war-fever, nor empty J
I n fqv^j'rincmayjjY b|it rnjnnmOT|- ,
1 *g -ioq 'oanasaaiadE us
•AJ^unoo ut e^g pu^ qomift
u99Aiq.3q pe^sise qoiqM saouejajgip Qqq. q^oom
o^ axeq^ joj ^ueuiujQAo*) mzqizuig ei|
put? siq 2up[ui3q^ 'jojaarag; eq} o^ uuu
^uipTO^ raoaj pue sseuqoxj siq uiojj jo
oq^ eq jjrm. eg ^sod siq joj jfj ^oqs |[p
qanoq ubqiz-eag; eq^ o^ opmifci pduj Man eqjj
•g -ioo 'aimoa
{• sitvaoaiai,
•SQ.u'BJ^Toj'Boej oqq. q^ti
sie^Bxia q^ooras o; oq. euosiad ^x^uongui
o^ ^uas uaeq OA^q suoi^ona^sui -s^msaf eq^ uioj
o; peaqqeq ej-e eseqjj -qoaumsig- eouu^
jo SA19TA eqq, o^ SuTpraii! o? 9{q'BJ9j9jd Suieq e
TTisiuos ^o Suisfeeds ' , Bissuj c j raoij p9Ai909j uaoq qau ,
3 i sj9h9t tinotUiC«out r •U'BDia'BA oua a 'B vcaatvuw oai s <-
Our Special Correspondents in India send - us
news to-day of considerable importance, con-
I firming and amplifying that which appeared
j in our columns on Saturday. There can be
| no doubt that, while our columns have be^n
j concentrating at Pesnawur, Thcull, and DeJra i
Ghazi Khan, there has been great activity j
| within the Afghan borders. Troops have been ■
directed on Khurum, and the gjarrisons of Can- !
dahar, Jellalabad, and Ali Mursjid have been !
strongly reinforced. But Shere Ali is not relying
upon his own Afghan army alone. He Las invited
the co-operation of those border tribes whom
he threatened " to roll against us like a blast
of fire," and the " jirgaha," or councils of
the clans, have assembled to take into con
sideration the Ameer's proposition, which w T e
may be sure is of a high-flown description
emphasising the wealth of India and the weak
ness of England. The Momunds, who dwell on the
northern banks of the Cabul river, and who are a
powerful and tolerably united tribe, are reported to
be advancing upon Ali Musjid, and ere this they have
probably joined the Ameer's forces there. As yet
the reply of the other tribes is not known ; but it is
expected to be an acceptance of Shere AU's offer.
The Afreedees may possibly hold aloof, which
means that we could secure their services, and from
the Belooch tribes it would be easy to raise a con
siderable force. Their action will remain uncer
tain for some days yet, and will be decided by the
events which are about to occur in and round the
Khyber Pass. At Jumrood, the border village,
within three miles of which Afghan troops were
reported to be on Saturday, there were on Satur
day only three companies of a Sepoy Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. regiment, but
the whole Peshawur garrison, probably 10,000
effectives, had marched forward to reinforce this
detachment. Their place would be taken up by
troops pushed forward from jSTowshera and Attock.
An immediate attack on Ali Musjid was proposed,
and our Bombay Correspondent mentions a
rumour that it had fallen. This is probably
premature, as Ali Musjid lies ten miles
beyond J umrood, and almost in the heart of
the Khyber. There is every reason to believe
that it will not remain unattacked for long, and any
moment we may hear of its capture. The fall of
Ali Musjid will be an immense blow to Shere Ali's
reputation, and must produce inestimable results.
The order telegraphed to the column at DeraGhazi 1
Khan to advance will not be a surprise to those of I
I our readers who have followed the reasons which we 1
have alleged for attaching special importance to the 1
movements of General Biddulph's force. From
Bera Ghazi Khan it is possible to strike through
easy passes held by friendly tribes one of,
the weakest portions of the Afghan frontier,
and to reach Quettah by a shorter road
than through the Bholan. Any attempt on
the part of the Ameer to advance against Quettah
Ifrom Candahar is paralysed by our threatening his
flank from the Sangarh Pass and the Tull road.
It also serves the very useful purpose of dividing
the attention of the Afghans so much that they 1
must remain uncertain where we intend to strike 1
seriously and where only in feint. It is impossible
at present to say what is the importance of the
death of the Ghiljie chief Adhan Khan, or whether
it has any importance at all. There were rumours
some time ago of disturbances in the Gliiljie
country, but they have not since been confirmed.
The Ghiljies are one of the most powerful
of the Afghan tribes, and their territory lies
east of the great province of Zemindewar, and
along the Cabul road, from the vicinity of Can
dahar to Ghizni. Its chief city is Khelat-i-Ghiljie.
Shere Ali is said to have freed Yakoob Khan, and
he may have given him his freedom on the con
dition that he takes the command of his army. If
this be so he will probably not find in his much
ill-used son the same devotion that he did during
the crisis of his life in 1867. At the present
moment the interest of the campaign lies in the
country between Jumrood and Ali Musjid. The
first brush with the Afghans will probably take place
at the mouth of the Khyber Pass, and from the result
of that encounter we shall know what degree of
resistance we may expect from the Afghan army,
and also what change our improved weapons have
wrought in mountain warfare. But the important
result of the attack and capture of Ali Musiid
will, beyond all doubt, be in the effect that event
must exercise upon the neighbouring clans. The
Momunds have chosen their course ; on the result
of the first skirmish depends the attitude the
Af^eedees, Yusufsae, and the other hillnun will
observe towards us during the preliminary stages of
a war in Afghanistan.
X
EUSSIA AND CABUL;
(B y G reat N orthern T elegraph.)
(prom our own ■correspondent.,)
ST. PETERSBURG, Sunday.
The Moscow News of the 5th of October says
that " England has intentionally sought a quarrel
with the Ameer. For many years Great Britain was
contented with her position regarding Afghanistan,
when suddenly, as though stung by a
gadfly, she throws herself upon Shere Ali,
with menacing demands to have permanent Resi
dents in Cabul, This, no doubt, has been long
ripening. It is a move just like the Anglo-
Turkish Convention. They are threads of an
j extensive intrigue directed from every quarter to
i entangle Russia. England has failed, however, to
i arm the Mussulman countries against Russia, and
| has only succeeded in arming them against herself."
The St Petersburg News, of the 5th October, says
' that " the Mission of General Stoletoff to Afghan-
| istan has done us great service, although we know
nothing of its success or failure, and are even
I unaware of its object. Beyond doubfc our
i Embassy called forth Chamberlain's pompous
I Mission, and the remarkable fiasco which fol
lowed the sad fate of the British Mission has
disclosed to us the vulnerable point in England's
heel and shown better than any other kind of'in
quiry her strength in India, and to know the
strength of one's enemy is the first step towards
victory. This knowledge will be of use to us in
, future dealings with England, and by properly cal-
1 culating our means of harming her in India we
| might incline her to assume a milder policy
regarding the Balkan Peninsula."
The Exchange News of the 5th October says ;—
"While avowing that they were against Turkish
war, it is only in Afghanistan that the question can
be settled as to whether we have a possibility of
defending ourselves against England in the East. If
the mountain passes through the Hindoo Koosh
remain under our influence our strength will be
equal to Britain's. If these passes get into
England's hands there will be no end to her pre
tensions and meddling in our Central Asian
affairs. One-tenth of the soldiers we are now,
thanks to England's intrigues, obliged to keep in
Bulgaria would be sufficient to strengthen our Tur
kestan army and make the passes impregnable.
Thus it is our policy not only to support the
Ameer, but to make his affairs our affairs,* his
struggle with England our struggle. We have a
right to do so, since Englishmen do not conceal
that in declaring war against the Ameer it is not
him but Russia fhey have in view. The expulsion
of the Russian Mission from Cabul is the condition
they make for an agreement with Shere AIL
They now ironically thank Russia for having by
| its Embassy to Cabul, giveji them an opportunity of
occupying the passes through the Hindoo Koosh.
The English desire, at whatever cost, to have posses- t
lion of these passes. We, at whatever cost, must
retain them in the hands of the Ameer. These 1
words are not dictated by war-fever, nor empty ■
Chauvinism, nor a desire for conquest, but common- ,
sense and calculation alike dictate them. We are
not Don Quixotes, and have never incited emanci- j
Ration wars nor crusades for races and religions ; |
but Afghan affairs concern purely Russian interests,
and we must defend them, if we do not desire
for the future to pull the chestnuts out of the fire
for England, as we have been doing but lately."
The Novoye Vremya, of the 5th October, says :—
" Russia can help Afghanistan no more than j
England helped Turkey with active assistance. Of j
a war there can be no question, and if under
extreme circumstances Russia were to move 30,000
men to Cabul, that army corps would play no
more active part than did the British fleet in the
Sea of Marmora and at Gallipoli, " '
(B y S ubmarine T elegraph.)
(pllom qur own correspondent.)
PARIS, Sunday.
The Eepuhliqiie Francaise, in an article on the
Afghan question, says it is evident to all that the
relations between England and Russia are in a very
strained and delicate state, and that the language of
the Russian press is not likely to improve matters.
The Gambettist print proceeds :— :
"It is certain that England could not pretend
to prevent Russia from sending an Embassy to
Afghanistan or elsewhere ; but the English believe,
and not without an appearance of reason, that the
Russian Embassy sent to Cabul was commissioned
to embarrass England. It is also certain that the
Ameer has tried to turn the Sultan away from the
English alliance and to push him into the arms of
Russia. And what is not less certain is that Russia
appears to be au courant with the topography of
Afghanistan, and that it takes great interest in the
composition of her army."
Our Special Correspondents in India send - us
news to-day of considerable importance, con
firming and amplifying that which appeared
m our columns on Saturday. There can be
no doubt that, while our columns have been i
concentrating at Peshawur, Thaill, and Deta f
Ghazi Khan, there has been great activity |
within the Afghan borders. Troops have been 1
directed on Khurum, and the garrisons of Can-
dahar, Jellalabad, and Ali Mwsjid have been
strongly reinforced. But Shere Ali is not relying
upon his own Afghan army alone. He has invited
the co operation of those border tribes whom
he threatened <e to roll against us like a blast
of fire, ' and the " jirgahs," or councils of
the elfins5 have assembled to take iQto con-
sideration the Ameer's proposition, which we
may be sure is of a high-flown description
emphasising the wealth of India and the weak
ness of England. The Momunds, who dwell on the
northern banks of the Cabul river, and who are a
powerful and tolerably united tribe, are reported to
be advancing upon Ali Musjid, and ere this they have
probably joined the Ameer's forces there. As yet
the reply of the other tribes is not known ; but it is
expected to be an aceeptar.ce of Shere Ali's offer.
The Afreedees may possibly _ hold aloof, which
means that we could secure their services, and from
the Belooch tribes it would be easy to raise a con
siderable force. Their action will remain uncer
tain for some days yet, and will be decided by the
events which are about to occur in and round the
Khyber Pass. At Jumrood, the border village,
within three miles of which Afghan troops were
reported to be on Saturday, there were on Satur
day only three companies of a Sepoy Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. regiment, but
the whole Peshawur garrison, probably 10,000
effectives, had marched forward to reinforce this
detachment. Their place would be taken up by
troops pushed forward from Nbwshera and Attock.
An immediate attack on Ali Musjid was proposed,
and our Bombay Correspondent mentions a
rumour that it had fallen. This is probably
premature, as Ali Musjid lies ten miles
beyond Jumrood, and almost in the heart of
the Khyber. There is every reason to believe
that it will not remain unattacked for long, and any
moment we may hear of its capture. The fall of
Ali Musjid will be an immense blow to Shere Ali's
reputation, and must produce inestimable results.
The order telegraphed to the column at DeraGhazi
Khan to advance will not be a surprise to those of
our readers who have followed the reasons which we
have alleged for attaching special importance to the ^
movements of General Biddulph's force. From
Dera Ghazi Khan it is possible to strike through
easy passes held by friendly tribes one 1 of
the weakest portions of the Afghan frontier,
and to reach Quettah by a shorter road
than through the Bholan. Any attempt on
the part of the Ameer to advance against Quettah
'from Candahar is paralysed by our threatening his
flank from the Sangarh Pass and the Tull road.
It ell so serves the very useful purpose of dividing
the attention of the Afghans so much that they i
must remain uncertain where we intend to strike 1
seriously and where only in feint. It is impossible
at present to say what is the importance of the
death of the Ghiljie chief Adhan Khan, or whether
it has any importance at a*. There were rumours
some time ago of disturbances in the Gliiljie
country, but they have not since been confirmed.
The Ghiljies are one of the most powerful
of the Afghan tribes, and their territory lies
east of the great province of Zemindewar, and
along the Cabul road, from the vicinity of Can
dahar to Ghizni. Its chief city is Khelat-i-Ghiljie.
Shere Ali is said to have freed Yakoob Khan, and
he may have given him his freedom on the con
dition that he takes the command of his army. If
this be so he will probably not find in his much
ill-used son the same devotion that he did during
the crisis of his life in 1867. At the present
moment the interest of the campaign lies in the
country between Jumrood and Ali Mus jid. The
first brush with the Afghans will probably take place
at the mouth of the Khyber Pass, and from the result
of that encounter we shall know what degree of
resistance we may expect from the Afghan army,
and also what change our improved weapons have
wrought in mountain warfare. But the important
result of the attack and capture of Ali Musjid
will, beyond all doubt, be in the effect that event
must exercise upon the neighbouring clans. The
Momunds have chosen their course ; on the result
of the first skirmish depends the attitude the
Afr^edees, Yusufsae, and the other hillmtn will
observe towards us during the preliminary stages of
a war in Afghanistan.