AFGHANISTAN. 



most exposed frontier an established military 

 line of defense, which he trusted it would nev- 

 er surrender, for its value had been severely 

 tested and clearly recognized. The anxiety 

 felt concerning the crisis which the British 

 forces had recently passed through at Cabool 

 was natural but not altogether reasonable. 

 The Indian Government had been charged with 

 want of foresight in not doubling the strength 

 of Sir F. Roberta's force, but such an act would 

 have been unwise; it would have quadrupled 

 all the difficulties and delays in reaching Ca- 

 bool, and would have left the troops there ex- 

 posed to infinitely greater perils. In a memo- 

 randum written by the late Duke of Welling- 

 ton on the conditions of Afghan warfare, which 

 had been given him, supreme importance was 

 attached by the writer to the fact that the num- 

 bers of a force operating in Afghanistan must 

 always be strictly limited in exact relation to 

 the carefully ascertained means and conditions 

 of supply. Sir F. Roberts had succeeded in 

 collecting supplies sufficient to place his entire 

 force beyond the risk of danger. The General 

 well knew wherein his real strength lay, and 

 neither he nor his garrison ever felt the slight- 

 est anxiety. The new year, the Viceroy added, 

 opened under happier auspices and with more 

 hopeful auguries than the old had done; but 

 the work of the soldiers in Afghanistan was 

 not yet over, nor could it be relinquished or 

 relaxed till its object was fully attained. 



The situation at Cabool was complicated 

 during December, 1879, by the appearance of 

 large bodies of hostile tribes who speedily pos- 

 sessed themselves of advantageous points, cut 

 off communications, and held the British forces 

 for a few days in a critical position. General 

 Roberts collected his forces within the Shir- 

 poor cantonment. The enemy attacked him 

 there at daylight on the 23d of December, but 

 the British were ready for them. The engage- 

 ment continued through the greater part of 

 the day, and ended in the complete dispersion 

 of the Afghans and the final deliverance of the 

 city from the danger which had threatened it. 



At the beginning of January, 1880, General 

 Roberts had made good his position in Cabool, 

 and was engaged in strengthening the Shir- 

 poor cantonments and constructing block- 

 houses on the hills to command the city and 

 the Candahar and Peshawer roads. Order 

 was restored in and around Cabool, the popu- 

 lation began to return, and an amnesty was 

 published, from the benefits of which the lead- 

 ers in the resistance that had been offered to 

 t h < I { ritish forces were excepted. Other chiefs 

 went out to plot against the British and excite 

 the tribes to a renewal of hostilities against 

 them. Among them was Mohammed Jan, who, 

 when driven from beneath the walls of the 

 Shirpoor cantonments in the battles of Decem- 

 ber, 1879, had taken with him, it was believed, 

 a hir-re quantity of ammunition and treasure. 

 Leaving the young Ameer Moosa Khan, son 

 of Yakoob Khan, in safe keeping at Ghuznee, 



he went into the northern parts of the coun- 

 try, while his colleague, the mollah Mooshki- 

 Alim, departed in another direction. The of- 

 fice of military governor of Cabool was discon- 

 tinued, and the Wali Mohammed Khan was 

 appointed civil governor. Mohammed Hassan 

 Khan, former Afghan governor of Jelalabad, 

 joined Mohammed Jan at Ghuznee, and after- 

 ward went into the Logar Valley for the pur- 

 pose of arousing the local chiefs and prevent- 

 ing their submitting to General Roberts. Mo- 

 hammed Jan caused to be circulated among the 

 Kohistani chiefs a forged letter purporting to 

 have come from Ayoob Khan at Herat, saying 

 that he had captured Candahar and driven the 

 English to defend themselves behind breast- 

 works. The Kohistanis declared that they 

 were prepared to fight if the English invaded 

 their country, but would not at present renew 

 the attack upon Shirpoor. General Roberts, 

 previous to his intended advance in March, sent 

 Mustaufi Habiboollah, who had been Minister 

 of Finance under Shere Ali, and Yakoob Khan 

 as a messenger to Mohammed Jan and other mal- 

 content leaders with letters to the effect that 

 the British Government was disposed to accept 

 as ruler for Cabool any sirdar (with certain 

 exceptions) whom the assembled representa- 

 tives of the nation might choose. In Febru- 

 ary nearly all the representatives of the domi- 

 nant and reigning branch of the Barakzai tribe 

 were at Cabool with General Roberts. Among 

 them were five of the seven surviving sons of 

 Dost Mohammed, with their families, and most 

 of the numerous nephews, grandsons, and 

 grand-nephews of that chief. Of bis sons, 

 Nek Mohammed was the only one against the 

 English ; only three of his grandsons were 

 absent ; and the only able counselor of Shere 

 Ali and Yakoob Khan, Mustaufi Habiboollah, 

 was working heartily in the interest of the 

 British. The attempt of the English to corne 

 to an understanding with Mohammed Jan was, 

 however, unsuccessful. The British Governor 

 was driven from Kohistan in February, unable 

 to resist the insurgents, who had occupied a 

 number of villages. Peace, however, still pre- 

 vailed at Candahar, where the administration 

 of General Stewart was attended with almost 

 continuous tranquillity from the beginning. 



The British constantly endeavored to con- 

 ciliate the people, and to satisfy them that their 

 designs respecting the country were moderate. 

 The sirdars were told at an interview held with 

 them by a British agent, Mr. Lepel Griffin, and 

 again on the 13th of April, at a durbar which 

 was attended by the principal chiefs who had co- 

 operated with Mohammed Jan at Ghuznee, and 

 who had come up to Cabool from Maid an for 

 the purpose, that no permanent annexation of 

 the country was intended unless of parts that 

 were necessary for the defense of the frontier; 

 that Yakoob Khan would not be allowed to re- 

 turn ; that the Government was ready to ap- 

 point any chief whom they might select to be 

 Ameer at Cabool, provided he was friendly to 



