The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-02-21 00:00:00

made from Caudahar

course by the Jellalabad army

NN'hen then it be

that th

rmies must remain nearly six months in
Lord EllenborQugh's policy was altered ; and he ad-
the Ist. of June, IS-12—before he had had time to
on the previous orders from this

receive any communica

Ueneral Pollock,

which i

ollowing

" I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
of the 20th ultimo, and to express the extreme regret of the
Governor-General that your army should he so deficient in
carriage as you represent, and thus unable to move.

victory g
Pass, an

The retirement of your army immediately after the
;ained by Sir Robert Sale, the forcing of the Khyber
d the relief of Jellalabad, would have had the appear-

litary operation successfully accomplished, and
aantly achieved.

ent, after six months of inaction, before a
will have an appearance of a

army of Atfv,hans

I differe❑

:1 less advantageous character

" 4. It would be desirable, undoubtedly, that before quit-
ng Affghanistan, you should have an opportunity of striking

at the enemy ; and

since circumstances seem to com-
pel you to remain there till October, the Governor-General
earnestly hopes that you may be enabled to draw the enemy
into a position in which you may strike such a blow effectu-
ally. You have already full powers to do everything you may
deem necessary for the comfort of your troops, and for their
efficiency.

" 7. It will be for your consideration whether your large
army, one-half of which would beat, in open field, every-
thing that could be brought against it in Affghanistan, should
remain entirely inactive during the period which must now
apparently elapse before it can finally retire. Although you

may not nave, or soon be able to procure, the means of
moving your whole army, you may possibly be able to move
a part of it rapidly against some portion of the enemy's force
incautiously exposed, and of giving it a severe blow.

" 11. You have properly no political duties; you are to be
governed by military considerations alone to make the force
you have at your disposal felt by the enemy, whenever you
can, and withdraw it at the earliest period, consistently with

easy and certain communication with India. The execution of
these military objects will, of itself, accomplish all the political
objects which the government now bas in Affghanistan.

mated to General Nott that

below t
Thus

asses till October

I Lord Ellenborough give to Gen. Pollock a

see, similar powers

to General Nott also

while been reinforced at Candahar
by the Kelat-i-Ghilzve garrison, arid the plight of his army
was greatly improved by the receipt of additional means of
carriage; Lord Ellenborough therefore, in the spirit which
he had acted throughout towards the military authorities,
left to the general's option the line by which he should with-
draw his troops,—whether by Quetta, the Kojuek Pass and
Sukkur, or by way of Guznee, Cabool. and Jellalahad. Lord
Ellenborough in his despatch (No. 404), July -1, 1842, places
in striking colours all the difficulties of the latter course
before General Nott

I IN-ott had In

Dependent entirely upon the courage of your army. and

upon your own ability in directing it, I should not have any
doubt as to the success of the operation; but whether you

. -
will be able to obtain provisions for your troops, during the
whole march, and forage for your animals, may be a matter
of reasonable doubt. Yet upon this your success will turn.
" You must remember that it was not the superior courage
of the Affghans, but want, and the inclemency of the season,
which led to the destruction of the army at Cabool ; and you
must feel as I do, that the loss of another army, from what-
cause it might arise, might be fatal to our government

in India

" I do not nndervalue the aid which our government in
India would receive from the successful execution by your
a march through Ghuznee and Cahool, over the
.ones of our late disasters. I know all the effect which it
would have upon the minds of our soldiers, of our allies, of
our enemies in Asia, and of our countrymen, and of all foreign
nations in Europe. It is an object of just ambition, which
no one more than myself would rejoice to see effected ; but I
see that failure in the attempt is certain and irretrievable
ruin; and I would endeavour to inspire you with the neces-
sary caution, and make you feel that, great as are the objects
to be obtained by success, the risk is great also."
Lord Ellenborough knew well the choice General Nott
would make, and the only condition he attached to the ad-
vance was, that the General was to reach Jellalabad in the
first week of October, so as to form the rear-guard of Gene-
ral Pollock's evacuating army ; he enforced humanity in
dealing with the towns the general might take, and by this
despatch involved himself in all the trouble which has arisen
out of the sandal wood gates.

army of