THE MURDERED AMIR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 177, 22 April 1919, Page 6

THE MURDERED AMIR

A MERRY AFGHAN MONARCH

AN INTERESTING SKETCH

Tho • Amir Habibullah of Afghanistan, whose assassination was reported recentsiv. was 47 when death overtook him. He was born at Samarkand, in Russian Central Asia, while nis father, afterwards the famous Amir Abdur liahman, was in exile. When Abdur Rahman was placed on the throne of Kabul by the British during the' Afghan War of 1877-78, the child Habibullah was indicated as his successor. As he grew up several wives were chosen for him from tho families of the leading chieftains. Ho received a thorough training in government, and succeeded his father in 1901.

Eor years the Amir was much hampered by the' veiled hostility of his brother, Hasrullah Khan, who many years ago spent some months in London, and returned home strongly anti-Euro-pean. Nasrullah had the priesthood at his back, but was never strong enough' to oust his brother. Latterly tho two had been on better terms.- The succession should pass to. the' Amir's eldest sun, Inayatullah Khan,' who is nearing 30. but Nasrullah may make a bid for the throne.' In any case the country may lapse into serious disorders. The death of Hahibullah is a serious blow' to tho political stability of the Middle East, and will cause great anxiety in India. Throughout the war the Amir has been staunch to his pledges to us. and it is largely owing to his influence that peace was preserved on his side of the Indian borderland. . In the early stages of the, war German gold and emissaries, combined yith religious prejudices, created an extraordinarilv strong war party. Thei Amir warned the Government of India, that he doubted if he could hold the party in check, and added that he had been forced to call a Durbar to consider war. The Indian Government took all possible measures, and the Amir played a waiting game with his war party. For weeks he procrastinated while the party were spending or gambling away their Ilun gold. Then, at a favourable moment. lie called a Durbar lo his own liking, and, pointing out that the Germans' mvtnical forces (which wore to assist in an attack on India) had not arrived. he said he proposed to go on waiting. and the Durbar adjourned sine die. Tho Amir's position was considered to be so strong that his murder has caused general surprise. He had just Concluded an alliance with the Emir of Bokhara and with minor potentates of Central Asia. Missions from these are understooa to be at the Court of kabu\ at the present time. ' Hahibullah was a short, stout, bearded man of fair complexion, whq looked more like a Southern Italian than an Afghan. He was unquestionably the ablest man in his kingdom. He prided himself on his talent for cooking. He used to declare thlit no Afghan pillaus (a dish of chicken and rice) equalled those he cooked himself. ■ Habibullah has been described as the Merrv Monarch of tho Far East. At a great fete in Calcntta, a daridy in his grey frock suit, lie joined in all tho fun, proved his marksmanship at the rabbit rangesf did a round of the side-shows, and put posers to tho native conjurers. His interest in machinery was insatiable. Ho bought motor-cars as others buv razors. He had one for every day m the month, and the roadmakers had to work overtime making the rou»h places in Afghanistan smooth for the passage of his new fleet of motors. Gramophones fascinated him, and he insisted on seeing how records were made. He kept vice-regal dinner parties diverted with "stories, and sat at the piano for hours singing the latest English and the oldest Persian songs, While in India he loved to spend many hours buying at the leading stores. He played a capital game of bridge. He had anile a passion for Indian race meetings, and would throw over most important engagements to go to them. At Bombay he even refused to witness the "battie practice" of a squadron of warships specially assembled in his honour because at the last moment he found it was a race dav. Ho picked up English in India very rapidly. .

"Mother needed not sxperienco to be

kind."—Stauus. It came to her naturally, and therefore always on the home shelf is a big bottle of Baxter's Lung Preserver, ready forTommy's little sneezes and sniffles. Just now the weather iB so changeable that all mothers should have Baxter's! handy. >&?. 6d. per large bottle—Advt.