CENTRAL ASIA. 



ed both in the reinforcements and supplies ex- 

 pected, abandoned their position and moved 

 in the direction of Vera Cruz. Colonel Calogne 

 followed in pursuit, and on the 29th of May 

 succeeded in overtaking the retreating enemy 

 at the town of Chiche", in the department of 

 Totomicapan, where a battle was fought, which 

 resulted in the defeat of the Government troops, 

 with ,a loss of 10 or 12 killed and wounded. 

 The force under Colonel Calogne, thus dis- 

 gracefully defeated, numbered 800 men, com- 

 manded by Lieutenant-Colonels Cueras and 

 Salazar. From Chiche Granados returned to 

 Masatenango, where he declared himself lib- 

 erator of the country. Soon after President 

 Cerna left the country, and Granados entered 

 Guatemala, declaring himself Provisional Pres- 

 ident. The ministry organized by him seemed 

 to afford general satisfaction. The following 

 appointments were made: Dr. Felipe Galoy, 

 Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs; 

 Dr. Areado Estrado, Minister of the Inte- 

 rior ; Marescal Lavalo, Minister of "War ; and 

 Jose Maria Samayoa, Jr., Minister of Public 

 Works. The Government entered into sev- 

 eral contracts, of which the most impor- 

 tant is for a tramway from the port of San 

 Jose" to the city of Guatemala. Dr. Galoy, the 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, died in November, 

 and was succeeded by Senor Favala. The new 

 Government of the republic exiled the Arch- 

 bishop of Guatemala as well as the Jesuits, as 

 both were charged with stirring up a revolu- 

 tion in favor of the Government of ex-Presi- 

 dent Cerna. The Departments of Chiquimala 

 and Jalapa were declared in a state of siege. 

 The revolutionary outbreaks were suppressed 

 by General Barrios. 



The Costa Rica Government, in April, de- 

 cided to build a railroad from San Jose" to the 

 Atlantic coast. The estimated cost of the work 

 is $7,000,000. A contract for the construction 

 of the railroad was concluded with Henry 

 Meigs. 



The cultivation of coffee and sugar-cane in 

 Guatemala continued to increase, and that of 

 indigo was attracting a great deal of attention. 



In San Salvador a beginning has been made 

 in the construction of telegraph-lines. 



The new President, Quadra, of Nicaragua, 

 received an autograph letter from the Pope, 

 congratulating him on his elevation to the 

 presidency of Nicaragua, and thanking him 

 for promising to promote and protect the holy 

 Catholic religion. 



CENTRAL ASIA. Events of great politi- 

 cal importance have taken place in Central 

 Asia within a few years, attended with a rapid 

 extension of Russian influence and authority 

 into those Mohammedan countries, from which 

 Europeans and their civilization have been 

 hitherto rigidly excluded. 



Afghanistan was recently disturbed by the 

 danger of a civil war growing out of the re- 

 bellion of the Sirdar Mohammed Yakoob Khan, 

 against the authority of his father, the ruler 



of Cabul, which has, however, been suppressed 

 by the submission of the son and his partial 

 reconciliation with his father. This insurrec- 

 tion arose out of the family complications and 

 rivalries engendered by polygamy. Sheer AH 

 Khan had two sons by different wives. The 

 mother of Yakpob Khan, a daughter of the 

 Dschemshid chief Chan Aka, was his favorite 

 wife when he ascended the throne, and her son 

 was of course preferred. Having participated 

 with much credit in many severe engagements 

 in behalf of his father, he was proclaimed heir 

 to the throne, but without the public cere- 

 monies which are demanded by the customs of 

 Afghanistan. After a time the affections of 

 the King took another direction. An Afghan 

 princess, whom he had married later, supplant- 

 ed the Dschemshid wife in the royal favor. 

 She also was the mother of a son, Abdallah 

 Shan, now eleven years old. She persuaded the 

 King to put her son forward, and proclaim him 

 heir, instead of the Sirdar Mohammed Yakoob 

 Khan, before designated. This being done, 

 Abdallah Shan was recognized by the British 

 representative at Cabul as the lawful heir of his 

 father's honors and subsidies. Yakoob Khan, 

 much enraged, unceremoniously left the court 

 of Cabul as soon as his father returned. The 

 mother of Abdallah Shan and her party re- 

 joiced much at this, imagining that the prince 

 would quench his political ambition in the ex- 

 citement of the wild sports of the wilderness 

 of Siftan. The father, who better understood 

 his son's wild temper, looked with apprehen- 

 sion for news from the western part of his 

 kingdom. He felt comparatively secure, as 

 affairs there were in the hands of his most 

 trusted servants. Herat was under the con- 

 trol of the Prince Feth Mohammed Khan, n 

 favorite nephew of the son of the celebrated 

 Shah Ekber, the assassin of Sir W. MacNaugh- 

 ten; at Ferrah was Afzal Khan; at Gizni, 

 Chudali Nazr; and at Candahar, Safdar Ali 

 Khan, in all of whom the Emir had full confi- 

 dence. Sheer Ali Khan was therefore toler- 

 ably safe from treachery ; Yakoob Khan was not 

 able to persuade even his own father-in-law to 

 break faith. But the designs of the prince 

 were not hindered by these circumstances ; his 

 reputation as a warrior was sufficient to enable 

 him to gather a small but resolute band, with 

 which he came out of the wilderness of Kain, 

 and on March 27, 1871, encamped before the 

 important fortress of Gurian. As soon as he 

 received news of this proceeding, Feth Mo- 

 hammed Khan sent his son, Sirdar Aziz, to 

 the assistance of the fortress with two regi- 

 ments of infantry, two light cannon, and a few 

 howitzers. But, before they reached Gurian, 

 the fortress had surrendered, and its command- 

 ant, Ali Chan, had fallen in battle. What add- 

 ed to the advantage gained by the rebellious 

 son was, that the mercenary troops who had 

 hastened to the defence, instead of going into 

 battle, went over to the conqueror, and left 

 the officers to return to Herat alone, the best 



