Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎142v] (293/312)

'snare in keeping the ilhyber ir'ass open tor tramc.
In 1872 the Shinwaris earned some notoriety by
harbouring the murderers of Major MacDonald,
whom they resolutely declined to deliver up to us. j
In the last war General Monteath marched into
their territory and summarily punished them for i
the unprovoked assault on the post of Pesh Bolak. [
j It is estimated that this clan can put 7,000 men I
into the field.
The Momunds, we have already described in I
I an article last week. They have openly avowed their I
intention of joining the Ameer, and it is believed ^
that they can aid him with a contingent of about
18,000 men.
Bajawar lies to the north of the Momund terri
tory, and its inhabitants have ever been most hos
tile to the British,but their enmity to their southern
i neighbours is even more marked. We have but small
' data by which we can arrive at any approximate
I knowledge of their fighting strength, which is "
1 generally computed at about 15,000 men. During I
the last Afghan war the Bajawaris were very ;
active, a strong force of them being present at the
siege of Jalalabad ; and in 1863, at tJmbeyla, they
openly espoused the cause of the Hindostani fana
tics. 'Some few of them enlist, and one if not ; ;
more of the tribe holds a commission in Her
Majesty's service; it may be assumed they willsup-
| port the Ameer. Kunar could put perhaps 7,000
men into the field; the State pays revenue to Shere
■ Ali with commendable regularity, and would in all
' probability aid him loyally.
The Jajis are a small clan who inhabit the
mountain tracts between the Peiwar and the
Shutar Garden Pass. They are Shiahs, and have a
blood feud with their neighbours the Turis. Our
knowledge of them is derived from the passage of
Lumsden's Mission through their country, and cer- I
tainly prompts the belief that they will oppose any
force advancing up the Kuram route by every
means in their power.
Of the Mangals we know equally little. They
j dwell on the southern slopes of the Peiwar Moun
tain, pay revenue to the Ameer, and are great
fanatics in religious matters. It is said they can
put 5,000 men into the field. The Jadrans own
the country to the south of the Mangals and north
of the Vaziris ;, they are Shiahs and notorious
robbers. Khost is a large mountainous district, of
: which but little is known ; it is peopled by Maho-
medans of the Shiah persuasion, who, though they have
i been brought but little in contact with us, have
ever contrived to show their animosity to all but
true believers. They are divided into two great
sections—the Tor and Spin Gundis—and can con
jointly turn out about 3,000 men. Their country is
bounded on the north by the Kuram district, on
the west by the Mangals and Jadrans, on the south
by Gurbuz and Dawar, and on the east
by the Cabul Khel Vaziris. Revenue is
' collected by the Ameer's Viceroy, who dwells in
the chief town, Sirkar ke Killa, so named by the
inhabitants merely because it is a Government fort.
1 The people are very fanatical, and are constantly
engaged in religious disputes, which are much
, fomented by a disciple of the late Akhoond of
, Swat, who has settled in Lakan, one of the largest
villages in the district. For some yeafs he has
busied himself in preaching a religious war against |
ua ; so that there is small reason to hope that the
' Khostwals will prove our allies.
We thus have briefly touched on the principal
Pathan tribes of Cabul. Among these the Duranis,
fixed Ghilzae clans, Shinwaris, Momunds, Baja
waris, Kunars,Jajis, Mangals, Jadrans, and Khost
wals will in all probability throw in their lot with
: Shere Ali ; while the Turis, nomad Ghilzaes,
and certain Afridi clans will in all likelihood side
with us. The probable attitude of the Paraiwan and
Hindki population of Oabul we will consider on
another occasion, merely remarking that the ties of
! religion will probably cause all the Mahomedan
tribes, whether of the Shiah or Sunni persuasion,
to combine against the infidel invader, as they did
iiKthe last war.
ENGLA ND AND CABUL.
PESHAWUE EEINFOKCED.
FORMATION OF A FEESH j
RESERVE.
EASTERN VIEWS ON ASIAN!
POLICY.
[BY EASTERN TELEGRAPH COMPANY.]
[fkom our special correspondent.]
SIMLA, OCT. 15 (7.15 A.M.)
Reinforcements are now rapidly reaching
.Peshawur, and another reserve force is in pro-
cess of formation at Hassan Abdul.
| The rumours stating that the TTussians are'm
Yarkand are believed by some to refer to the
Russian caravan sent to make commercial
arrangements with the Chinese authorities.
Hassan Abdul is a town east of the Indus,
between Attock and Rawal Pindi, on the high
road to Peshawur ; the troops collected there
will form a support to the column gathering near
the Khyber Pass, and, should these advance,
would be in readiness to cross the river and
1 occupy their places.
i [BY DAILY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL WIRE.]
[prom our own correspondent.]
VIENNA, Tuesday Night.
This morning I had an opportunity of con
versing with an Eastern personage of high rank
who is passing through this capital on his way to
Paris, whither be is travelling in the strictest
incognito. He spoke at some length on the pre-
{ sent political situation, expressing himself in
| English sufficiently well to be understood, and,
I although he was particularly desirous that I
should not give bis name, manifested no objec
tion to my communicating his views.
" England's troubles on the Indian frontier,"
he said, " are unquestionably the work of Rus
sia ; but I fancy that their importance for the
moment is exaggerated, inasmuch as, ^providing
Russia does not lend active assistance to Shere
Ali, England will not have much difficulty in
bringing him to his senses. But you must make
up your minds to look beyond Afghanistan,
and to deal at once with other and far
greater dangers with which you are threatened.
| Persia is the sworn ally of Russia. The Shah
hopes to get Arabia in exchange for the services
he will be called upon to render; while Anatolia Peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey. ,
in spite of your occupation of Cyprus, seems
destined to become the early prey of Russia. I
have travelled in those countries, as ?Qso in Kur
distan, and I always wondered why England did
not exercise the power she commands by her im
mense wealth among the population, which is
l composed for the most part of savage
tribes, ready to sell their services to the
highest bidder. I found many of them
i well armed with Martini rifles, which I do not
j imagine will ever be used in defence of their
1 legal Government. When the Russo-Persian
| scheme is carried out, which may be sooner than
you expect, Turkey in Asia, with the Russians
i fortified at Batoum, Kars, and Bayazid, will be
in the same helpless position as is Turkey in
, Europe at present, after the loss of Bul
garia and Eastern Roumelia; for believe
me, those two provinces may henceforth
be regarded as Russian. Thus hemmed in i
j on all sides by the enemy, what is to
save the rest of the Ottoman Empire ? In my i
opinion the sick man is already a corpse, and '
the question now is, who is to get his estate ?
You will not succeed in improving the Turkish j
administration as long as you leave it in the
hands of the Turks. Take it resolutely in yodr j
own now while it is yet time, and, if my experi- I
ence of Orientals is worth anything, you will be
hailed throughout the East as the envoys of
Providence.
" If you do not do this," he added,
putting his head on his hand, and closing
his eyes as if asleep, "your Indian Empire
is doomed to escape you." Then suddenly
I snatching up a crutch stick that lay beside him,
and brandishing it in the air, he said, " You
must fight; or at all events you must let Russia
and her allies see that you are ready to fight.
Wherever I go I hear the people say,' No; Eng
land will not go to,war; she will threaten and then
she will yield.' But I say you will die if you !
j continue to talk. Russia talks, but she works
too, and spends more money than you. Other
Powers make war to increase their Empire, and
you will not even draw the sword to defend
yours against them."
[PvEUTER'S TELEGRAk.]
CONSTANTINOPLE, OCT. 14.*
The j£ 7 Jawaih has published a lead ing article
U'd ox r *?Tinq iCironufj'squs pno Aivsf" •noa.i3-mT:q|K J \V
COof 'Old8?otif)) -ainagvojs: •naaiS '
VmotnBAv 'jopntia: tn xidtfv—"qs® 3 *881331
fcnoi 'osBtpand jo satja; vcsua; -jatnaSoi jo ajsuis 'sssnotf rx
huao JOd •f2 ' 0 i 'nuaas-tttbiiii'av '?uanns8ani .10 uotim f t
l -i ooo joj 'q-iog! oq ot -sasnOH aomjai :?KO ga\VJLI
'(Siu&Sojii ■
njj jsstt) ra«Tp(03 c T 'puoi-g/naatl!*) 'en 'aipnao—"sjaXiiq ^ins 01
'janotwoifdc jo 'cea'£3? 90U,T 'ZKt mre 87.$ 113191'gash oh .X
'MfirS in keeping cne ivnyber J J aSS open tor tramc.
In 1872 the Shinwaris earned some notoriety by
harbouring the murderers of Major MacDonald,
whom they resolutely declined to deliver up to us.
In the last war General Monteath marched into
their territory and summarily punished them for
the unprovoked assault on tlie post of Pesh Bolak.
It is estimated that this clan can put 7,000 men
into the field.
The Momunds, we have already described in
an article last week. They have openly avowed their
intention of joining the Ameer, and it is believed
that they can aid him with a contingent of about
18,000 men.
1 Bajawar lies to the north of the Momund terri
tory, and its inhabitants have ever been most hos
tile to the British,but their enmity to their southern
neighbours is even more marked. We have but small
data by which we can arrive at any approximate
knowledge of their fighting strength, which is
generally computed at about 16,000 men. During
the last Afghan war the Bajawaris were very
active, a strong force of them being present at the
siege of Jalalabad ; and in 1863, at XJmbeyla, they
openly espoused the cause of the Hindostani fana
tics. Some few of them enlist, and one if not
more of the tribe holds a commission in Her
Majesty's service; it may be assumed they will sup
port the Ameer. Kunar could put perhaps 7,000
men into the field; the State pays revenue to Shere
Ali with commendable regularity, and would in all
probability aid him loyally.
The Jajis are a small clan who inhabit the
mountain tracts between the Peiwar and the
Shutar Garden Pass. They are Shiahs, and have a
blood feud with their neighbours the Turis. Our
knowledge of them is derived from the passage of
Lumsden's Mission through their country, and cer
tainly prompts the belief that they will oppose any
force advancing up the Kuram route by every
means in their power.
Of the Mangals we know equally little. They
dwell on the southern slopes of the Peiwar Moun
tain, pay revenue to the Ameer, and are great
fanatics in religious matters. It is said they can
put 5,000 men into the field. The Jadrans own
the country to the south of the Mangals and north
of the Vaziris ; they are Shiahs and notorious
robbers. Khost is a large mountainous district, of
which but little is known ; it is peopled by Maho-
medans of the Shiah persuasion, who, though they have
been brought but little in contact with us, have
ever contrived to show their animosity to all but
true believers. They are divided into two great
sections—the Tor and Spin Gundis—and can con
jointly turn out about 3,000 men. Their country is
bounded on the north by the Kuram district, on
the west by the Mangals and Jadrans, on the south
by Gurbuz and Dawar, and on the east
by the Cabul Khel Vaziris. Revenue is
collected by the Ameer's Viceroy, who dwells in
the chief town, Sirkar ke Killa, so named by the
inhabitants merely because it is a Government fort.
The people are very fanatical, and are constantly
engaged in religious disputes, which are much
fomented by a disciple of the late Akhoond of
Swat, who has settled in Lakan, one of the largest
villages in the district. For some yeai's he has
busied himself in preaching a religious war against
us ; so that there is small reason to hope that the
Khostwals will prove our allies.
We thus have briefly touched on the principal
Pathan tribes of Cabui. Among these the Duranis,
fixed Ghilzae clans, Shinwaris, Momunds, Baja
waris, Kunars, Jajis, Mangals, Jadrans, and Khost
wals will in all probability throw in their lot with
Shere Ali ; while the Turis, nomad Ghilzaes,
and certain Afridi clans will in all likelihood side
with us. The probable attitude of the Paraiwan and
Hindki population of Cabul we will consider on
another occasion, merely remarking that the ties of
religion will probably cause all the Mahomedan
tribes, whether of the Shiah or Sunni persuasion,
to combine against the infidel invader, as they did
ituthe last war.
i6 (r
ENGLAND AND CABUL.
PESHAWUE KEINFOKCED.
FORMATION OF A FRESH ,
RESERVE.
EASTERN VIEWS ON ASIAN t
POLICY.
[BY EASTERN TELEGRAPH COMPANY.]
[from our special correspondent.]
SIMLA, OCT. 15 (7.15 a.M.)
Eeinforcements are now rapidly reaching
Peshawur, and another reserve force is in pro
cess of formation at Hassan Abdul.
. ... ^
The rumours stating that the'Hussians are'in
Yarkand are believed by some to refer to the
Russian caravan sent to make commercial
arrangements with the Chinese authorities.
Hassan Abdul is a town east of the Indus,
between Attock and Rawal Pindi, on the high
road to Peshawur; the troops collected there
will form a support to the column gathering near
the Khyber Pass, and, should these advance,
would be in readiness to cross the river and
occupy their places.
[BY DAILY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL WIRE.]
[prom our own correspondent.]
VIENNA, Tuesday Night.
This morning I had an opportunity of con
versing with an Eastern personage of high rank
who is passing through this capital on his way to
Paris, whither he is travelling in the strictest
incognito. He spoke at some length on the pre
sent political situation, expressing himself in
English sufficiently well to be understood, and,
although he was particularly desirous that I
should not give his name, manifested no objec
tion to my communicating his views.
" England's troubles on the Indian frontier,"
he said, " are unquestionably the work of Rus
sia ; but I fancy that their importance for the
moment is exaggerated, inasmuch as, providing
Russia does not lend active assistance to Shere
Ali, England will not have much difficulty in
bringing him to his senses. But you must make
up your minds to look beyond Afghanistan,
and to deal at once with; other and far
greater dangers with which you are threatened.
Persia is the sworn ally of Russia. The Shah
hopes to get Arabia in exchange for the services
he will be called upon to render; while Anatolia Peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey. ,
in spite of your occupation of Cyprus, seems
destined to become the early prey of Russia. I
have travelled in those countries, as j Q so in Kur
distan, and I always wondered why England did
not exercise the power she comman.ds by her im
mense wealth among the population, which is
1 composed for the most part of savage
tribes, ready to sell their services to the
highest bidder. I found many of them
well armed with Martini rifles, which I do not
imagine will ever be used in defence of their
legal Government. When the Russo-Persian
scheme is carried out, which may be sooner than
you expect, Turkey in Asia, with the Russians
fortified at Batoum, Kars, and Bayazid, will be
in the same helpless position as is Turkey in
Europe at present, after the loss of Bul
garia and Eastern Roumelia; for believe
me, those two provinces may henceforth
be regarded as Russian, Thus hemmed in [
on all sides by the enemy, what is to |
save the rest of the Ottoman Empire ? In my |
opinion the sick man is already a corpse, and :
the question now is, who is to get his estate ?
You will not succeed in improving the Turkish
administration as long as you leave it in the
hands of the Turks. Take it resolutely in yoilr i
own now while it is yet time, and, if my experi- f
ence of Orientals is worth anything, you will be
hailed throughout the East as the envoys of
Providence.
" If you do not do this," he added,
putting his head on his hand, and closing
his eyes as if asleep, u your Indian Empire
is doomed to escape you." Then suddenly
snatching up a crutch stick that lay beside him,
and brandishing it in the air, he said, " You
must fight; or at all events you must let Russia
and her allies see that you are ready to fight.
Wherever I go I hear the people say,' No ; Eng
land will not go to, war; she will threaten and then
she will yield.' But I say you will die if you
continue to talk. Russia talks, but she works
too, and spends more money than you. Other
Powers make war to increase their Empire, and
you will not even draw the sword to defend
yours against them."
[reuter's telegrak.]
CONSTANTINOPLE, OCT. 14 *
The El Jawaib has published a leading article
deprecating Shere Ali's hostile attitude to Eng
land, and remarks that war between England
and Cabul would profoundly disturb every Mo
hammedan kingdom, and that Shere Ali, by
making war against 'England, the sole ally of
Islam, would draw upon himself the censure,
not only of all Mohammedan Sovereigns, but of
I every Mussulman. The ElJawaih expresses its
I conviction that if Shere Ali would frankly expose j
his gnevances England would not refuse to give '
them a faix-hearing. ' - |
* Belayed^, trancmission.