AFRICA. 



AKKAS. 



1st of August. Definite proposals for peace from 

 Ayoob Khan were rejected, and the Ameer ad- 

 vanced to join battle with his rival on the 

 road to Candahar. For many days the armies 

 lay encamped opposite each other ; and Abdur- 

 rahman ottered buttle daily, but could not draw 

 out the enemy. The Ameer was then obliged 

 to change bis camp to a position nine miles to 

 tlie west, ill order to he near thnir-iiiills. Ayoob 

 took a position opposite in the village of Chil- 

 /.ina. Here tlio ileeisive battle waa finally 

 fought on the 22d of September, and was lost 

 through the treachery and desertion of the Ca- 

 boolis, who had gone over to Ayoob after the 

 defeat of (iliolam Hyder, and of the disaffected 

 Herat i soldiery. The encounter with Abdur- 

 rahman, for which Ayoob Khan had been so 

 long preparing, would probably have resulted 

 otherwise in the overthrow of the Ameer. In 

 the battle of Chilzina Ayoob Khan occupied a 

 position of superior strength, behind the ram- 

 parts, ditch, and buildings of the old city of 

 Candahar, protected on the right by a rocky 

 ridge. Ayoob's army was also more numerous. 

 After three hours or so of fighting, the Cu- 

 booli and Herati regiments, which Ayoob Khan 

 probably mistrusted and therefore kept in the 

 ri-ar. commenced to fire upon the Ghazi and 

 Candahari men who formed the pretender's 

 battle-front. This treacherous act broke the 

 line, and soon the army was in full rout. 

 Ayoob Khan and his confederate chiefs escaped 

 to Herat, leaving his artillery, consisting of 

 twenty-two guns, in the hands of the enemy. 



Abdurrahman did not follow up his victory, 

 but returned to Cabool after sacking Candahar, 

 which opened its gates to him without resist- 

 ance, and pillaging the surrounding country, in 

 revenge for their adherence to Ayoob's cause. 

 Abdurrahman leisurely made his preparations 

 to advance on Herat. Meanwhile Abdul Ku- 

 dus Khan had set out with a small force from 

 Cabool and was making his way toward Herat 

 through Northern Afghanistan and Turkestan. 

 He was joined by a large force of auxiliary vol- 

 unteers from die local tribesmen, who were hos- 

 tile to Ayoob. This formidable force menaced 

 Herat from behind at the same time that Ayoob 

 was obliged to draw his forces from the city to 

 meet the army of Abdurrahman. After three 

 engagements, the last one fought at Shaflan, 

 thirty miles east of Herat, October 2, in all of 

 which Abdul Kudus and his local allies were 

 successful, Herat surrendered without further 

 resistance on the 4th. Ayoob Khan, after the 

 capture of his stronghold and capital, and his 

 sole military base, prudently made his escape 

 to Persia. 



AFRICA. An important change in the map 

 of Africa occurred during 1881. The Trans- 

 vaal Republic, which had been annexed by the 

 British in 1877, regained its independence and 

 assumed the name of the South African Repub- 

 lic. A strong agitation against British rule was 

 kept up in the annexed district, which finally 

 resulted in a declaration of war by the Boers. 



After several severe repulses of the British, 

 public opinion in England became outspoken 

 against the further continuance of the war, and 

 negotiations were entered into by the Liberal 

 Government with the Boers, which resulted in 

 the restoration of virtual independence. (See 

 CAPE COLONY.) 



At the biennial election held in Liberia on 

 May 8d, Anthony W. Gardner was elected 

 President, and Rev. A. F. Russell, Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the republic, the successful candidates 

 receiving a majority in every county. This 

 will be Mr. Gardner's third term. The contest 

 is described as independent of party lines. The 

 successful candidates have pledged themselves 

 to the education of the masses, the incorpora- 

 tion of the native tribes into the body-politic, 

 in favor of temperance, the honest settlement 

 of foreign indebtedness, and the frugal ad- 

 ministration of the Government. 



A small native war arose for the British on 

 the West Coast of Africa. A native, who 

 styled himself King of the Denkera tribe, had 

 taken refuge within the limits of the British 

 protectorate of the Fantee and other tribes ; 

 but King Koffee, of Ashantee, claimed that 

 the Denkeras were subjects of the Ashantees, 

 and demanded that he be given up. As the 

 British refused to comply with this request, 

 King Koffee declared war in February. The 

 affair was settled in May, after a short and de- 

 cisive campaign, by the payment of a penalty 

 of 2,000 ounces of gold, and an apology from 

 King Koffee to Queen Victoria. At the final 

 interview of the Ashantee embassadors with 

 Sir Samuel Rowe, the Governor, the latter in- 

 structed them to inform the King that the 

 British would not consent to the conclusion of 

 any treaty with him so long as he permitted 

 the practice of human sacrifice to continue. 



The German traveler, Nachtigal, has made 

 a computation of the surface and population 

 of the countries and districts of the Continent 

 of Africa, as follows in kilometres (2-| kilo- 

 metres = 1 square mile) : 



AKKAS, a dwarf race dwelling in the val- 

 ley of the "White Nile, in about the third de- 

 gree of north latitude. Reports of dwarf peo- 

 ples in equatorial Africa have been made by 

 travelers in all ages. The pygmies of the an- 



