COULD PERSIA OR RUSSIA INVADE INDIA?

Auckland Times, Volume 1, Issue 4, 15 September 1842, Page 3

COULD PERSIA OR RUSSIA INVADE INDIA?

(From the Atlas, 30 ih April.) Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine. —From the documents which have already been published relative to the negotiations with Persia and the Seikh and other powers of the north-west, it may actually have been fortunate that our career in Cabooi has received a check; if we had succeeded there, we should possibly have made our next experiment in a march, across the frontier, to Persia. The siege of Herat by the Persians seems to have acted as a nightmare on the British Indian government. On the possession of a paltry town in the heart of a desert, a wretched collection ot hovels, of which nobody had ever thought before, seemed to be the balance in which our Indian destinies were weighed. It was actually and most absurdly, described as the key to India ; and, of course, the Persian monarch having got such a key in his hand, had nothing to do but to open the lock, and walk into the Bengal provinces, seat himself in the governor’s chair, and, do what next 1 Our imagination wants the vividness of the “ state papers;” but it his Persian majesty was not content with his Indian supremacy, he had oniy to march his army overland, and take possession of London. It is notorious that there were thick reports of an intention “ to march an army to Herat;” an operation which, in all human probabiVty, would have cost ten times the loss at Cabooi.

They might have found no Persian army to fight, but they would have laid their bones in the wilderness. In this country Alexander the Great, after having reached the mouth of the Indus, lost nearly all his army; probably not one British soldier would have ever returned. The very idea of a Persian invasion of India is ridiculous; and could, therefore, never have nestled in the brains of any one but Lord Auckland himself. If the Cabooi misfortune has prevented this chivalric performance, it may have been the only way in which rashness combined with ignorance were to be lessoned into common sense. Il has certainly cooled the gratuitous gallantry of . ndmg a.mies to fiaht wiih snow and hunger, pestilence and storm. We now hear nothing more of the heroic march to Herat; while the result of our follies in Affghaoistan is reported to have been the actual revival of Peisian hostility, and the march of a Persian force of 60,000 men against that place. Our wisest policy is, to let them try their foitune; if negotiation will send them to their homes, so much the better; if not, let the Persians knock out their brains against the walls of Herat; and even if they should make a break and hang Kam-ram,in either his sober fit or his drunken, for the chance is doubtful in which he may be, the change of the dynasty needs not affect us more than a change in the dynasty of Tongafaboo, On 'his point, too, it is to be remarked that our diplomatic seivants in the East ought to be listened to with considerable leserve. In Europe, during the last century, the despatches of our envoys on (lie Continent were chiefly details of Voltaire’s last pamphlet, on the dSbut of some court minister or court dancer, matters much the same, until Napoleon gave them something to do. The despatches from the whole list of our well-salaried functionaries, from the wall of China to the Dardanelles (at least those portions of them which have transpired), have been all the most solemn intimations of the silliest intrigues. The Khan and tribe of naked wretches terrifies one diplomatist wiih fears of an Asiatic invasion. The gallop of another trocp of horse eaters across the desert, stimulates another to predict a universal conspiracy to break down the British power. The march of a Persian army, who could not stand half an hour before a troop of horse artillery and a British brigade, or who, if they could, would be forced to devour each other within a week, supplies a camel’s load of correspondence; and the unfortunate Secretary for Foreign Affairs is startled out of his peace of mind, by the movement of a few thousands of ragged robbers, who, long before the news had reached him, have left their monarch in some swamp or sand, and “ robbed” their way home. The expedition of General Perowski towards Khiva, the very thing that ought to have been wished for by a British diplomatist who desired to demonstrate English strength and Russian weakness, frightened the whole class of charges des affaires. How the Russian cabinet could ever entertain so ridiculous an is inconceivable. But the general, after the most horrible succession of famine and freezing, after eating his camels, horses, dogs, and everything eatable, and, if report says true, things that not even the horror of famine could render eatable by anybody but a Russian, was glad to make his escape to Orenburgh, completely Tartarized, The true policy is, to let the savages fight each other, All the princedoms surrounding the British territories in India, are utterly powerless. They can make no more impression on the British than on the granite of their hills. A mere brigade here and there, to prevent the ravages of robbers, would be amply sufficient for security. The idea of an Indian insurrection without troops concentrated in the interior, would be absurd. The native princes are profligates, but they are not madmen ; and the'idea of a Persian invasion, an invasion of poltroons —of a S*-ikb invasion, an invasion of peasants—or an Affgban invasion, an invasion of highwajnmen— needs not disturb the pillow of even the most Auck land'sh governorgeneral who sha'i ever tremble on the throne of India. AFFGHANISTAN. Ere we again go to press, the Ap.il oveiland mail from India, will, barring accidents, have reached London. It is looked lorward to with the deepest anxiety; for although the previous despatches brought tidings of an unparalleled disaster, it is the opinion of many that matters will be worse before th y are better. That they will ullimapdy resume the “ even tenor of their way,” we entertain no doubt whatever, but some little time mu<t necessarily elapse before we can rationally expect a thorough repair of the damage done to our Anglo-Indian interests by the Cabooi tragedy. Opinions of course very with regard to the extent of the evil, its probable increase, and the possibility of ns speedy suppression. By the timid, fears are entertained of the safety of Jeiialabad, GhUznee, and even-Candahar; but we have great, faith in the gallantry and patient endurance of our troops in those citadels, and knowing that the most vigorous measures will, long ere this, have been adopted by the Indian legislature to hasten their relief, we caunot participate in these dreary apprehensions. It is inherent in frail human nature to exaggerate adversity as well as to gild ihe anticipations of joy. Little, however, being at present exhibited to encourage indulgence in the latter emotion in the matter of our Cabooi disasters, many a e apt to fly into the other extteme, and look upon the darkest side of the sad affair. Thus it is that some dissiminate gloomy forebodtngs of the destruction of the remainder of our devoted band across the Indus, and base upon the lust and the religious hatred of the Affghanss either the massacre or the dishonour of the hostages in the custody of Ukhbar Khan. It is to be hoped, however, that his object is a heavy ransom only, with regard to these ill-fated individuals, and that they will suffer no out.age whilst we are en route to release them from thei- captivity. In the absence of official statements of ihe actual state of affairs in Afghanistan, we are driven to the natratives given in private letters from parlies engaged in the various conflicts to their friends at home. The following, from a medical officer of the Bengal 64th, furnishing an account of our reverse on the retreat from Ali Musjid, the particulars of which have not yet reached England from other sources, will be read with great interest under existing circumstances. It gives a lamentable account of that catastrophe; but before the summer is over, we hope to hear that tlie Damoclean sword, so long impending over the heads of the Affghans, has at length fallen, and made ample amends for these dire calamities. Letter from Dr, Harper, 64th Regiment, to his Brother describing the Attempt of Col. Wyld’s Division to force the Khyber Pass. Camp, Kuvvulnia, Jan, 31,1842. My dear brother, —I wrote to (another brother) last month ; but. God knows if ever it reached him—the safe conveyance of letters from this p’ace being very uncertain, owing to the very disturbed state of the country. I have just returned from a miraculous escape of being both starved and shot. I do not suppose that two regiments ever made so narrow an escape; but, I must give you a description of it, that you may be able to understand it. Our brigade arrived here on Christmas-day, consisting of tour corps, a company of sappers and miners, a company of artillery, and a risallah of local horse; but we found that the whole country was up in arms aga ir st us—that through the Khyber P«ss which, I dare sav you have

heard a great deal about. Well, our brigade being totally inadequate to force it, we made up our minds that we should be kept here until another and stronger force joined us, which were on their road through the Penyously However, one fine evening, when we were all sitting at mess very comfortably, about eight o’clook p m , in came an order from the secret and political authorities, ordering two corps, viz., ouis and lhe 53rd, to get under arms with the least possible noise, and march that same evening, at ten o’clock p m., towards a fort-called Ali Musjid, situated sixteen miles into the Whylia Pass. Never was such a mad project attempted, "i banks lo the accursed stupidity of our polilicals, even the Khybers themselves did not suppo.-e that we were sued) idiots, as was evidently shown by their not having the slightest idea of our intended advance. We marched all night, having had only three shots fired at us, and reached the fort, our place of destination, about eight o’clock next morning. By ibis time the enemy discovered our track, and began to collect in c nsiderable force. Ttiere was some sharp skirmishing. However, we took the fort, having only twelve men wounded—one officer severely. We got securely into ihe fort, and crowned all the heights around ; so that we were safe enough from the fire of the enemy. But alas 1 we found that we had only four days’ provisions. Ihe fort is one of the most miserable places you can imagine. No shelter whatever; and we were not allowed to take our tents with us; so that the privations we suffered were bejond ?ll description. In the first place, we were put on half rations of the very worst kind, and were obliged to sleep out under the wide canopy of heaven for eight nights, with the rain pouring incessantly on us, and with a temperature below fieezing point. The following morning after we left this place, the other two regiments, with the artillery, sappers and miners, &c., attempted to force the pass, to come to our assistance; but the whole country was up in arms, and they were repelled at the very entrance of the p ss, with great slaughter. They made the same attempt two or three successive days, but with like ill fotlune. Our biigadier and the major ot brigade, at the very first onset, together with some fifteen and sixteen officers, and God knows how many men, finding that it was impossible to come to our succour, and knowing that we must s< m be starved out by the politicals, offered the Khyber chiefs £5,000 sterling to allow our two corps to return; but so exasperated were they at the trick we had played them, that they answered “ No 1 you may give us your money, but we will cut the throat of every one we have secured in the fort.” You will see that we were rather in an unpleasan l situa ion. I’Ve remained in the fort for nine days, until we had not a single scrap to eat; and not seeing any assistance coming to our aid, we were compelled to come to the determination of cutting our way back. On the morning of the 25th instant we sallied out; but had not got outside the loit when a volley opened on us, from whence we knew not, every man being behind a rock, with a rifle in his 1 and of upwards of”six feet in length. Our muskets had not the slightest chance with them, They could knock us over at a ffstance our musketry had not the slightest chance of reaching. This destrucf've fire was kept up during the whole of the long march ; and when we had got about half way through the p?-s, we touud it was stopped by a wall of twelve fee” high and about ten broad, of blocks of rock intermingled with thorrs. Here we were at a stand, with the murderous villains pouring their unceasing fire on us. We immediately, however, got up the sappers and miners, and blew up and pulled down the obstruction. Most forluuately for us, the force that we had left here concluded that we must make ttie attempt, on that day to cut our way through, and they made a demonstration at ihe mouth of the pass, and and.enleiing igand crowning ttie heights about the mouih of it, kept up a perpetual fire; otherwise every man ot us roust have been massacred. We, however, arrived here about three o’clock pm , although with fearful loss. We bad in our own corps alone 178 killed and wounded ; the 53d regiment aboui as man/; and, 1 suppose, out of the whole biigade, not less than 600 men, and from twenty to twenty-five officers killed and wounded. I was waikir.g at the head of our regiment with the commanding officer, as good a fellow as ever lived —a Scotchman (lie and I were bosom triends) and Lieutenant Rattray, ihe bails were wlrizziog about us like as many peas—men falling on all sides ot us—when poor Wilson remarked to me, “ Isn’t it wonderful that we three have escaped all these balis so long?” The words were not well out ot his mouth when a ball struck him in the left breast and came out at h?s back-bone. He immediately fell. I lifted him up ; but he never made the slightest attempt to speak, and died almost immediately. I had scarcely ordered him to be canied off, wheu a ball struck Rattray, entering the fleshy part o? irs fore-arm, p ssing through, and it w's found the next morning flattened and deeply embedded in the hilt ot h« sword. But for this he must have been shot dead. He is, however, doing well. But poor W ilson’s death is one of a most melancholy description. He had just, returned from England with a most beauiiful lady—hts Wife. 1 delivered her of a son and heir at Ferozepore. 1 hey were the happiest couple I ever saw. but, poor fellow ! he seemed to have a presentiment that he was lo fall. He said to me when we were in the fott, “ Harper! if anything happers to me, write to my poor, dear wife-” I pielended to laugh him out of it. He said, ” I’ll do the same for you, should anything happen to you.” Poor lady ! what a trial it will be for her when site gets my letter 1 I think I forgot to mention that we lost all our baggage, hoises, &c. They all fell into the hands of the enemy. I lost every article I had with me; and what I regret most :s the loss of two beautiful Arab horses that I would not have taken £l5O for. Well, here we are wailing for reinlorcemen's, which will arrive in a few days, when we are again to altenv- t to force the pass, although it is the act of madne - to attempt it with any force, ?s there is no doubt but one thousand determined men could hold it against any force we could bring against them. '1 lie most frightful sight ihtoughout lira whole day’s engagement was, just as we were getting onl of the Captain Locke had crowned a height with his company, and after getting fairly possession of it, lie ordered ins men to advance to take another hdi, They had not left him one hundred yards, when two or three of the enemy rushed in on him. He fired his pistol at one of them, but unfortunately missed him. They immediately canied him off’to a high hill; aid, in sight of us all, snipped, him naked, and then cut his (Jnoat, civered his bead from ■ his body, and carried it away, a very considerable reward being-given by the chiefs for any Faungee (European) head. Ot course, you have heard of our awfui disa ter in Cabooi. Our army there has been massacred almost to a man. God knows what steps the government will take when they hear of it. I suppose I have given you enongii of tiri. 1 have' upwards of 200 patients in the hospital, so that every tiour of my time is occupied. Lots oi surgical operations to perform. What tbink you of taking off five : nibs ju one day !I am regularly fagged, and what is worse still, I have pricked the middle finger and thumb of my tight hand, so that I am nearly unable to hold the pen, although I have wrote you such a long lette-, In n v y une sy . bout my fingers, -■■■ lam afraid some putrid ma jr hat go' in:-j the wound.