THE 



ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA. 



A 



AFGHANISTAN, a monarchy in central Asia, 

 occupying a mountainous country between the 

 Oxus and Indus valleys. It is the only remain- 

 ing territory separating the Russian possessions 

 in Asia from the Indian Empire. The ruler is 

 Abdurrahman Khan, Ameer of Afghanistan, 

 whbse residence is at Cabul. He was placed 

 on the throne under the protection of the 

 British Government, after the conquest of the 

 country in the war of 1878-'79, and the abdi- 

 cation of his predecessor, Yakub Khan. 



History of the Afghan Question. In 1836, two 

 years after the question of the Persian royal 

 succession had been arranged to the satisfac- 

 tion of England and Russia, the Russian Minis- 

 ter at Teheran, Count Simonich, incited the 

 Shah of Persia to conquer and reannex Herat 



money and accompanied by Simonich, who 

 acted as his military adviser. The defensive 

 works constructed under the superintendence 

 of a young English officer, Pottinger, prevented 

 the city from falling into the hands of the Per- 

 sians. The Ameer of Cabul had already, in 1836, 

 made overtures for being taken under Russian 

 protection. In 1837 Great Britain sent a com- 

 mercial mission, headed by Capt. Alexander 

 Burnes, to Dost Mohammed. Upon the appear- 

 ance of a Cossack officer, Vickovich, at Cabul, 

 Burnes was driven out of Afghanistan before 

 he could obtain an audience with the Ameer. 

 The Persian Government, while engaged in 

 operations against Herat, entered into a treaty 

 with the Afghan rulers of Candahar whereby 

 that province was to become a dependency of 



THE OLD CITADEL OP HERAT. 



for the purpose of consolidating his power by 

 a brilliant achievement, and of permanently 

 suppressing the slave-traffic. Although the 

 Russian Government denied having imparted 

 such advice, and subsequently sought ostensi- 

 bly to dissuade the Persian ruler from such a 

 course, when the Shah undertook the expe- 

 dition against Herat, he was aided by Russian 

 VOL. xxv. 1 A 



Persia, receiving in return the government of 

 Herat and a guarantee of military assistance 

 against attack from any quarter. The Shah 

 was frightened out of his designs on Herat by 

 the hostile attitude of the English Government, 

 which made a naval demonstration in the Per- 

 sian Gulf, and occupied the island of Karrack. 

 The Russian Minister, Count Nesselrode, pro- 



