The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-01-25 00:00:00

THE ENTRY INTO CANDAHAR.

The following interesting amount of the ettry of the
British troops into Candahar is from the Standard's Special
Correspondent with General Stewart's column :

"Candahar (through Quettab), January B.—The
First Brigade of Stewart's division and the First of
Biddulph's marched through Candahar to day, Bid-
dulph's Bride leading. The ceremony of our ebtry
was sadly impaired by a variety of delays and mis-
takes, some preventable, but others which could not
have been foreseen. During the nieht the dykes
running by the roadside had been flooded, partly by
an accident to an artillery waggon which got off the
road and broke down a dam, partly by the wilful
action of the natives, who wi,hed to prevent our men
from straying over the fields, the whole force wets
therefore obliged to follow a narrow causeway;
the road was moreover, detestably bad. Thus it
happened that although we started at half-past
nine, with but eight miles to traverse, it was four
o'clock before we passed through the Shikapore Gate.
Candahar is less a great city than a collection of
numerous walled villages lying in an oblong plain, in-
tersected every fifty yards by watercourses, and sur-
rounded by a common wall. It I. encircled by abrupt
stony hills. It possesses no good-streets practicable
for wheeled vehicles, and in empty spaces within the

walls are many rugged trees, aud some large sapling
plantations, which assist in destroying its appearance
as a great city. The mug walls encircling it are of
great height and thickness, and are in a state of fair
repair. The bastions and towers described as exist-
ing in 1840 have now entirely disappeared. As
we approached the city we found some thousands
of the inhabitants squatted under trees and among
some ruins outside the gate. They viewed us as
we passed with that tranquil gravity characteristic of
the people, In the streets a considerable crowd had
assenabled, many of whom were considerably whiter
than our own trooss after their dirty march. On the
house tops were numbers of women, who looked
calmly down upon us, evidently enjoying a far greater
degree of freedom than they would possess in Ma-
homedan cities in India. Mingled with the crowd,
too, in the streets were large numbers of women, some
of whom were bcarcely veiled. The crowd within
the city, like that at the gates, observed oar soldiers
curiously, but *ithout any exhibition of fear, hoe-
tility, or pleasure. They appeared to me to be won-
dering to themselves whether we should turn out better
masters than those from whose krinding yoke they
had just escaped. Tne large Ilindoo colony who
iiiha)iit the town pressed forward awl welcome', us
with delight, The populace in general, quiet as
they were, appeared visibly and favours.oly im-
ptessed by General Stewart's lofty figure and aiuuly
face, as he rode past, the main figure of the martial
pageant. The town appe.irs at tirst sight to be a
wilderness of ruins, but the eye accustomed to things
Oriental could see evidences of wealth in many of the
lanes leading off the main streets. There were nume-
rous blank façades, hidden behind which were spacious
dwellings inhabited, doubtless, by the rich trading
classes, Who fear to excite the cupidity of the authori-
ties by any open display of wealth. In the middle of
the city the column passed underneath a great domed
building, apparently of considerable antiquity, and
situated where four principal roads meet. They then
went on to the Citadel, a quaint fortress, constructed of
mud with machiolated walls, rising above each other tier
upon tier. This was the goal of our march. The column
then turned and marched out of the city, encamping on
ground to the north-east of the town by the side of the
Ghnznee road. Owing to the delays of the column,
the commissariat carts had not arrived; but fortu-
nately an abundance of supplies of all aorta could be
purchased from the people, who, with the expectation
of rupees before their eyes, brought out everything
which they thought we could require. In the in-
promptu market thus established the gravity and
reserve which reigned in the town have disappeared,
and they appear, eager, lively, and animated by de-
cidedly friendly instincts. General Stewart has re-
ceived intelligence that Yakoob Khan has fled from
Cabul, and that there is neither head nor Government
with whom to treat. The general opnion is that we
shall advance when weather permits and rernforce-
manta arrive."

Candahar, Monday.—Everything has now settled
down, and is now going on in a most satisfact,ry
manner. The people are perfectly peaceable, and
the trading class express openly their efitisfaction at
their release from the despotism of Cahill. The shops
are all open, and business proceeds ia its ordinary
course. It is not etlitsidered to be necessary to retain
any large body of troops within the town, and the
General, with his staff and the great bulk of the
column, will encamp outside the town. The only troops
to remain inside will be a wing of the 25th Bengal
Infantry, who will encamp in the square in thu
centre of the city. A hospital will be established in the
citadel. The citadel itself is a rambling old place.
the moat remarkable feature being a large half-closed
colonnade along its front. This was used for durbars
and as a court of justice. There are many good
chambers in it, and as it possesses a large garden it
will do excellently for the purposes of a hospital. At
present its interior presents a scene of wild confusion,
testifying to the haste with which the Governor finally
prepared for his flight. Iron chests which have been
emptied of their contents, old Wizen, stores, rubbish
of every kind, strew the floors, and the element of
danger is not wanting, as jars of powder stand or
lie open in many of the rooms. From this it
would seem that military preparations of a rough
nature were being made- to resist a siege, when
the news of the skirmish at Tak-ti-put and the flight
of the troops showed that nothing remained but a
precipitate retreat. Among all the rubbish I could
discover no single article of value, and the Governor's
stores must either have been of the most meagre
description or his packers must have been excellent.
A large mortar, with some shells, fell into our hands
with the rest of the guns of the place, and two miles
out of the town we found the famous large gun which
is one of the great objects of pride to the Candahreese
lying abandoned."