The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-07-07 00:00:00

AGRAUKHBAR,

The following extract from a letter from Cabul, dated 14th
April, contains the latest intelligence from that quarter :
" I have no items of interesting news to offer you. The
king and minister return here at the end of the present month,
and a cantonment is being laid out for three regiments of in-
fantry, one of cavalry, and a battery. Whether the regulars
will occupy them or not is a matter of conjecture. Dost
Mohamed has, no doubt, been handsomely treated at Bokhara,
and the Russian envoy has arrived there, and will as certainly
effect a treaty with the King in their favour. Their army is
powerful, and as they advance every good position is un-
touched. What they acquire they secure, unlike ourselves
who have done nothing to enable us to resist contingencies
which may, but Ido not say will, happen. The best thing
that could happen to our cause would be the death of the
present king and the elevation of his son Timour. The
former is thoroughly hated and despised ; the latter is, I have
reason to think, liked, and is certainly a gentleman in address
and behaviour.

" The position of affairs at Herat is decidedly bad, and
they have been mismanaged. Thousands have been thrown
away, and no equivalent received. Indeed we pay first, and
ask afterwards. If this system were revised, it might be
conducive of good. Yar Mahomed, the minister, indeed
king there, the man whose vigour defended the place against
Persia, has no idea of tasting of Brit6h inutivrati.“ and
forbearance.' We have had a noble season, and a full harvest
moot ensue : but at present grain is dear, and much misery
has been induced, which, of course, the people must have
contrasted in his favour with the time of Dost Mahomed.
That man was certainly a just, good ruler, and highly popular.
A disgraceful event has taken place at Bamsean, in my idea..
A villager refused to sell grass, and after some altercation
fired upon a political party. In consequence a detachment
was ordered out, who stormed the place, put every man to
death, thirteen in number, who killed and wounded eighteen
of the assailants. Contrasted with the cool way in which
Lieutenant Inverarity's murderers were treated this looks
more like butchery at political shrines than fair play. They
were his Majesty's subjects, and thus we render him popular
indeed."—Enlliishman, May 7.
MAY 9.—The following contains the latest intelligenee
from Caboul, and may be relied on as the most authentic in-
formation there current :

" The latest intelligence from Abbot reaches up to the sth
of March, being less than two months, which may be con-
sidered quick, as owing to the hostility of the King of Bok-
hara, his letters come round by Herat. The Russians, in
consequence of the great depth of snow upon the ground,
were still in their entrenched camp, and were not expected
to resume their march before April, so that we shall not
hear of their arrival at Khiva till June. Some 30,000
Usbecks, who attempted to carry off camels and even attack
the camp, were so severely handled, that Abbot thinks
they will not attempt to offer further opposition to the
Russian advance. The Russiam force, to be able to halt so
long, must have a very large commissariat with them,
as from Orenburgh to Khiva is a good two months' march,
the distance being about 700 miles, and from Orenburgh to
Bokhara is nearly the same distance as it is from Loodinah
to Candahar. The British made a much longer march than
that—cannot the Russians do the same ? And a Russian
army of 12,000 men does not march with six times that num-
ber of camp. followers. Sir A. Burnes positively asserts,
that the Russian army amounts to nearly 30,000 fighting
men, and 72 guns, and that they will be at Bokhara before
the summer is over. Shortly after our arrival at Caboul, this
talented officer declared that a Russian army would be some-
where in Central. Asia, either at Herat or Bokhara, before a
year was over. Lord A.'s account also tallies with Burnes,
that besides Cossacks, there are 12,000 of the elite of their
infantry."