AFGHANISTAN. 



the English and their allies, and capable of 

 keeping the country quiet; and that the Eng- 

 lish would retire as soon as peace was restored 

 and the Ameer was enthroned. It was inti- 

 mated, however, that Candahar would be 

 placed under a separate government; and in 

 pursuance of this policy the Sirdar, Shere All 

 Khan, a cousin of the late Ameer, was appoint- 

 ed to the control of that district, with the title 

 of Wali. This chief was a firm friend of the late 

 Ameer, and had served under him as an am- 

 bassador to the Russian General Kaufmann, 

 as Regent of Cabool, and as Governor of Can- 

 dahar. 



The tribes renewed their harassing activity 

 with the opening of spring. Captain Showers, 

 of the Punjaub infantry, was killed while trav- 

 eling between Chappa and Quetta; Lieuten- 

 ant Thurlow, of the light infantry, was shot 

 near Jagdalak. In return, the British swept 

 the hills near Gundamuk and Jagdalak, thus 

 clearing the ground between Jelalabad and Ca- 

 bool. Fort Battye was attacked on the night 

 of the 26th of March, with heavy loss to the 

 British, although the assailants were repulsed. 

 A fine of 10,000 rupees was imposed upon the 

 tribes implicated in this attack, half of which 

 was paid immediately. General Stewart set 

 out from Khelat-i-Ghilzai for the advance upon 

 Ghuznee April 8th. On the 19th he had 



reached a point about twenty-five miles from 

 Ghuznee without having met with any opposi- 

 tion, when his further advance was opposed near 

 the village of Nani by a force of 15,000 Afghans 

 advantageously posted among the hills flanking 

 the road. While General Stewart was prepar- 

 ing to attack them, a body of 3,000 of them, 

 armed only with swords, rushed vigorously 

 down upon the British forces. They were 

 repulsed after a contest of an hour's duration, 

 leaving half their number on the field, when 

 the whole enemy's force fled, abandoning the 

 strong positions they had held. They could 

 not be pursued for lack of cavalry, but Gen- 

 eral Stewart immediately entered Nani, and on 

 the next day occupied Ghuznee without oppo- 

 sition. On the 23d his forces had another en- 

 gagement with a body of about 6,000 men a 

 few miles from Ghuznee, in which the enemy 

 were routed with a loss of 400 men. General 

 Jenkins was attacked at Charasiah on the 25th, 

 and kept on the defensive till reinforcements 

 came up, when the enemy were routed. A 

 force sent into the Maidan district destroyed 

 the towns of the hostile chiefs without oppo- 

 sition. The villages were spared under orders 

 from General Roberts that they should not be 

 burned. 



Attention had for some time been directed 

 toward the movements of Abdurrahman, the 



