The English Mission to Cabul.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3001, 27 September 1878, Page 3

The English Mission to Cabul.

■ : (from ;the xokdon stands id.) The Indian Government has promptly realised the magnitude of the danger to our interests from the installation pt Russian officers in the dominions of the ruler of Afghanistan, and has taken a , precautionary measure which, for its simplicity and boldness, must command the complete approval of the country. The telegram which we published in yesterday^s paper confirms the intelligence upon which we commented yesterday, that a Bu«sian officer had been received in audience by Shere All. It appears that General Abramovis accompanied by two other officers, whose, names have not transpired, and by an escort of Cossacks and Usbegs. The Russian Envoy was the bearer not only of a letter from the Governor General of Turkestan, but also of one from the Emperor of Russia to the Emir of Cabul. To such condescend ■ion on the part of the Autocrat of •All the Kussias Shere Ali could not be •indifferent, and accordingly a grand review was held, to which representatives and-troops had been summoned from all parts of the kingdom. The Russian officers entered Cabul on the 22d of July, and the military display just referred to took place on the 2d instant. The exact object of the mission is still unascertained, and perhaps unascertainable. It is, however, asierted that they want to possess establishments—what for ?' it may fairly be asked—on the north-west of Afghanistan, and that they have a great desire to visit Herat and the western frontier. Before passing on to other subjects, we may note that " establishments on the-north-westof Afghanistan can only mean a Russian occupation of Merv, or perhaps of Maimene as well; arid from this it would appear that Kussia is endeavouring to secure ■ a promise of Afghan neutrality while she crushes the Turcomans by a double 'advance from Charjui upon Merv and from Krasnovodsk upon Kizil Arvat. By visiting Herat and returning thence to the Oxus, via Maimene and Balkh, General Abramoy hopes to acquire strategical in , formation of the least known and most valuable portion of the Afghan kingdom. Such are the ostensible designs of the Russian mission to Cabul, but there are probably darker schemes still behind, and Gtonenral Abratnov may well be trifling with Shere Ali while General Kaufmann's brigades are seizing the fords of the Oxus. In everj way are the Russians attempting to throw dust in the eyes of those who are seeking to discover what is the object at which General Kaufmann's troops are being held in readiness to strike. Now it is Merv, again it is Balkh, and then at another moment it is the petty Khanates, which lie east of Hissar and at the base of the Pamir plateau. At all of the points General Kaufmann may be indirectly aiming, but his prime object to our mind is simply the acquisition of the passages of the Oxus. ( With those in his possession he can manoßuyre as he pleases, and in perfect secrecy. He can take Merv by a coup de main from Charjui, ■ Balkh from Khojah Salih and. Kilif, Faizabad in Budakshan from Sharwan or ,■ Janikaleh, at any moment, without either England or Shere Ali, for the matter of ,: that, being able say him nay. Nor will the Russian troops cross the Oxus until Shere Ali has been won over to their side, and then they will'come ashis champions and allies. The gravity of the situation "".'requires'';no augmenting by misleading reference to widely extended Russian con; quests, for now the .very seriousness of the dangefc^that Russia may soon, with :: Afghan aidjEe able to strike straight at the prize which has been before her eyes since first she entered Central Asia in hostile array. Everything depends on the contents- of Shere Ali's reply to V^neral Kaufmann sent off by a special messenger to Tashkent. So*far. then, the Russian" machinations. ■ - - The action of the Indian Government has fortunately been as prompt „ the of Commons, to despatch a counter British mission, and this mission will, we are enabled to state, start; nex; month. The,head of the mission is to tenant Neville Chamberlain, the.bearer of a name dear to all Anglo-Indians,md[he is to have under him the gallant Major Cavagnari* the hero of the surprise of the hfflmen near Abazll WVehwxy. and two other distinguished British officers. , There is moreover, to be a large escort, composed of'detachments from the guides and cavalry in addition to a complete native regiment, the 11th Bengal Lancers. a Sikh regiment. The power of England will be very properly represented by tbis gallant.display, and Shere Ah. will show something of the sagacity of his father it he proves amenable to the lessons it should convey. A more important question is, what other preparations ought to be made in view of the Eussian advance (towards India. Of course there will be a i iurtber concentration of British power at l?eshawurand Eawul Pindee.and, if we *are wise, we should come to terms with 'the border clans in good time. It is not cmpossiWe that our mission may have to

force its way through Hie Khyber, and may arrive, at <lio enuUnl in (he guise of an frssailinir. Jh-uhiihi; assailed, army. Lieutenant CMiariilvtlaih's tnsk is far from being free f rcm» danger; but to make it secure from any serious loss ij; must be our object to take every reasonable precaution. In such a crisis as the present the importance "f Qurttah must be brought homo to us. It is rathcV from the south than from the east that Cabul is exposed to bur attack. We have I pacified Khelat; through n whole win! or ! there has been tranquilli y along the | Belooch frontier, and the Bholan Paso has } been rendered more practicable for the passage of (coops. The most sanguine ; expectations that were formed of the good i results of our advance into Beloochistan have been more than realised, and in ihe breasts of the.Belooch clans, if we are tb. I judge from a recent paragraph in an Indian journal, reporting an offer for the raising of .two regiments, there is springing up a feeling of loyalty to our cause. Queltah, which has been-so useful in the past, may be made more so in the future ; and the best way to bring Shere AH to his senses is to make the fullest use of the power we bold over him from Quettah: ■ Sir Henry Rawlinson once declared that the day that saw tbe Buss'"r.ns at Merv should* see us at Herat. On the present occaaon we cannot too fully make up our minds on this point—that the day that sees Russian troops cross the Oxua must not pass by without finding British regiments at ' andahar and Ghizni. When that hostile act has been committed by Russia, there must; be no hesitation evinced in accepting the re-, sponsibility of forcing an ent-y into Cabul. Our Envoy may yet be able to restore the fast-departing alliance between ourselves and Cabul; and for us it is sufficient to know that we have.honestly sought to restore it. With Shere Ali and the Afghan people rests the responsibility of refusing our well-intentioned offers, and they may be well-assured that the reward or the punishment will not be far distant from the manner in which they may accept the responsibility of the.occasion.