The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-06-05 00:00:00

poLtrttds O.:, Two CON riNE NTS.

Tait new adminisitation have resolved to retain
Sir Blrtle Frcre in his capacity as Her Majesty's
High Commissioner in South Africa, in order
that he may carry out the scheme of confeder-
ation upon which Parliament resolved in 1877.
The idea of confederation has always been an
attractive one to the minds of the people ofthis
country, no matter to vriiit dependencies it was
proposed to be applied. It was popular half a
geueration ago when carried out with respect to
our American possessions on the Canadian side
of the St. Lawrence, and %Vai. regarded as a bold,
grand, and comprehensive scheme. It has
:vorked well in Canada, and when the suggestion
was made ht it should be extended to South
Africa, the idea was generally approved, and
although criticised by some, received the sanction
of the Legislature. True, the conditions were
not quite the same—our North American
colonies consisting of (.ur own people and their
descendants, and the dependency in South Africa
being peopled by trines of varying degrees of
civilization. Still it was determined to mak.:
the experiment, and Lord Caruarvon, when at
the Colonial Office, selected Sir Bartle Frere us
a fitting exponent of the views of the Govern-
meat and the Legislature on the subject of con-
federation. The plans both of the Colonial
Office and of the Cape Executive were somewhat
inierfereo wan by the Zulu war ; but now that
is over, the incoming Administration, being
convinced that the policy of a confederated
province is a good one, has bidden Sir Bartle
Fiero continue his work in that direction.

Turning to another sdhj?ctof national anxiety
the progress of events in Afghanistan, it wii:
have been noticed that the Ministry has an-
nounced its intention of withdrawing our troops
from that country as soon as it can be trauquil.
ised and pernment iustitutions established.
desideratum, however, appears to be as
fs,r off as ever A year and a bait has elapsiq;
,ince the Afghan frontier was crossed, after the
repulse of Sir Neville Chamberleu's mission ;
and scarcely a week even now pai..aes without
no receipt of telegrams giving accounts oi
skirmishes amongst ine fastueses of the 'noun
ttsinens land. To the attentive observer it is
i.vident that we are in possessim, or rather in
sran-d oc7upatie:, of courc7, whose inhabit.
zoos, though more or less awed into quietness in
the innuediate neight•onrieiod of the largei
c'.3e.tilLs, cot-Ain-sue to no bitt.riy hostile to us,
an lose no ()priori tini,y of ellowing their hatrca
by attacking satail po:ts end cutting our com-
munications. Much is thought to depend noon
Ahclurrahmsn Kuan. If he aeci-pts our over-
twee, there wilt be probably for a short time an ;
appearance of peace and friendship. he is an
able man, of considerable military reputation
and popular for the moment with the majority
of the Afghan people. For these reasons he
would appear to be best man whoa' we (Inuit'
I select for the Throne of Cahn!. Indeed he
Reams to be the only man Woo at present has
any chalice of retaining the goodwill of his
countrymen and making his rule respected. It
consequently to be hoped that the negotiations
now being carried on with may p.ove successful.
In a matter like this, choice is necessarily
liwitecl, and whether this is the best selection
that could be made or not, time alone can prove,
He has for many years been a pensioner of the
Russian Government, and a resident in Russian

writory. The ii?UtEIVAIItB of the Czar hav
therefore had ample opportunities of impressing
upon him the advantages to be derived from co
operation with them. However, the line taken
;-ly the Indian Government has been to make the
best of this personage, who will be subjected
to pressire from both Russia and England, and
who, on our part, has to be convinced that this
rountry is not to be trifled with. It is true that
his fickle and turbulent subjects may not all at
once, ti,_; disposed to se A matters. in the same
light sia im does; hi even upon them the
tritr,:phs of the Btitisn arms in Afghanistan
will not be withont their effect.