AFGHANISTAN. 



bassies arc kept a profound secret, and the 

 iv l>rts of the Indian and Russian newspapers 

 HIV too contradictory to be of any value. The 

 Indian Government selected as its envoy a na- 

 tive Mohammedan of India. Special embassies 

 \\ m also received by the Amir from the rulers 

 of Bokhara and Kelat, and all the reports 

 from Afghanistan concurrently point to the 

 growing excitement concerning the approach- 

 ing crisis in the complications of Central Asia. 

 'Hi' Amir devoted special attention to his army. 

 The number of troops and the pay of the 

 s iMiors were increased; dependent chieftains 

 were ordered to send their contingency of 

 troops to Cubool ; and even a gun-manufactory 

 was established in the same city. 



One of the mountain-tribes living along the 

 frontier between Afghanistan and British In- 

 dia, the Afridis, made repeated inroads into 

 Indian territory. They were reported to num- 

 ber about 10,000 soldiers, and to have received 

 promises of aid from other tribes. The Indian 

 Government at first endeavored to pacify them 

 by negotiations and promises of subsidy, but, 

 when this proved unavailing, determined to 

 put an end to their inroads by force of arms. 



BEL, 00 CHIS TAT* 



As the absence of trustworthy information 

 makes it impossible to give a connected account 

 of the progress of Afghan affairs, we give the 

 views of men well known as authorities on all 

 questions of the state of Central Asia on the 

 situation in Afghanistan. 



Emil Schlagintweit, the well-known explorer 

 of Central Asia, gives the following account 

 of the relations of Russia and Persia to Af- 

 ghanistan (see Augsburg Gazette, No. 285, 

 1876) : " In Afghanistan, the state of affairs is 

 by no means satisfactory, although Shore AH 

 seems to be slowly getting the upper hand of 

 his rivals. Europeans are carefully excluded." 

 After citing several oases in support of this 

 statement, among others the case of Colonel 

 McGregor, who wished to make a scientific trip 



to Herat, bat was refused permission to enter 

 the country, M. Schlagintweit continues as 

 follows: u The report that Russia had sent a 

 diplomatic agent to Cabool is not confirmed in 

 the Indian papers. The cause for the report 

 seems to have been the defeat which Persia 

 some time ago suffered at the hands of the 

 Turkomans in its recent expedition against 

 Merv, and which may be made the basis of 

 Perso-Russian demands upon Afghanistan. 

 This will be looked upon very unfavorably in 

 India, but cannot be prevented. Merv, the old- 

 est city of Central Asia, which was once cele- 

 brated for the fertility of the country sur- 

 rounding it, gradually decayed after fanatical 

 conquerors destroyed the dam which collected 

 the waters of the Murghal River to irrigate 

 the fields. As the country became less culti- 

 vated, the manners of the Turkomans living 

 there decidedly deteriorated, and they became 

 the most daring robbers, carrying off slaves 

 and booty from the north of Persia. Persia, 

 as well as Russia, repeatedly sent out troops to 

 punish the Turkomans, but the former power 

 was always defeated. Thus in 1860, 22,000 

 Persians were repulsed by 5,000 Turkomans, 

 while, only a few months ago, five Persian 

 battalions and ten cavalry regiments with one 

 battery were so completely defeated by an 

 equally strong force of Turkomans, that the 

 Shah of Persia was forced to discontinue the 

 campaign. The Turkomans, emboldened by 

 this success, now threaten Russian settlers on 

 the Atrek line, and even now Russian journals 

 discuss the necessity of a regulation of the 

 border, by which the left shore of the Atrek 

 would come to Russia. At present Russia 

 employs skirmishing-parties to punish the rob- 

 bers, thus smoothing the way for a revival of 

 old treaties between Persia and Cabool, which 

 are so distasteful to England. On January 23, 

 1853, the Shah and the ruler of Herat agreed 

 that, if it should ever become necessary for the 

 subjects of Herat to furnish auxiliaries to Per- 

 sia for the purpose of punishing the Turko- 

 mans, they may send as many troops to Persia 

 as they desire, but only for a temporary stay 

 or to pass through that country. On the other 

 hand, the Shah considers himself bound to aid 

 Herat if it is threatened by a foreign power, 

 whether it be Afghanistan or some other. In 

 the Treaty of Paris, of 1857, Persia bound her- 

 self to England never to interfere in the in- 

 ternal affairs of Afghanistan; but this treaty 

 leaves Persia free with regard to all its other 

 neighbors. At present Afghanistan is as much 

 interested in the punishment of the Turkomans 

 as Russia and Persia. The occupation of My- 

 mana, the newest province of Afghanistan, 

 effected only in March of the present year, 

 would be seriously endangered, if the large 

 number of those dissatisfied with the change 

 would effect a union with the Turkomans. 

 The dethroned Amir was brought to Cabool, 

 and is there held in close confinement, that he 

 may not become the head of a conspiracy. A 



