The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-05-05
AFFGHANISTAN.


as sent the following history of this country, which
exctes considerable interest at this time
The of these late transactions IS country Oh
some interest in history and the following particulars
may not be fresh in the recollection OF your readers
or entirely uninterestng to them. All the invaders
of Hindostan from the date of the tabled expeditions
Of Bacchus and Sesostrs down to the period OF Eu-
ropean dominion there have penetrated 10 the Indus
through the passes of the mountainous region lying
between that river and the bounds of the old Persian
Empire This region, now called Afghanistan, has
been, from time immemorial, peopled by number of
hardy warlike tribes of the Circassian race, whose
language is evidently derived from the same roots
the Sancsrit and Zend. Alexander the Great, and
after him Seleucus In their march to India, advanced
by the route of the river Cabool passing Jeelabad,
where Sir Robert Sales detachment is now cooped
up, and crossed the Indus at Attock the present
great highway between Afghanistan and the Pun
jasib The former hero is said to have 6ulit Can
dahar, which long existed as Greek colony, and
now with Ghuzni, ranks after Cabal, IN the short
list of afghan towns. Little is known OF the cond-
ton of these tribes from the decline OF the Kingdoms
of the Asatic Greeks, till the fall OF the Nahometan
power of Chorasson left room for Sebectagi, slave
of the last sovereign TO establish himself at Ghuzn
His son and successor, Mahomet the Ghuznivede,
about the year l00O extended his sway from the Cas-
pian to the Indus, and saluted by the Caliph
with the then title of Sultan. He was the first
Moslem conqueror who invaded India. He made
twelve expeditions the Indus, and after riting
the Virgin Wealth of the Hindoo Cities and reducing
the Rajas submission, this favorite of Eastern
nance returned to GhuZni, with his accumulated
treasures His son, Massoud, was stripped Of Aft
ghanisan by the Seljuk Turks, against whom ne fell
in battle, A. ID. 1893. One hundred and twenty years
afterwards, under Mahomet of Ghore, the Afghans
regained their power these provinces but in 1927
the Eruption Of the Satars of Zngis again drove them
beyond the Indus and their Sultan Gellaleddin, was
chased into Kurdistan, where he lost his life a
band of his followers entered the service of the Sci
juk Turks Of Asia Minor, and grandson OF one OF Its
leaders Ohman, the founder of the present Turk
sh dynasty.
The afghan rulers of Delhi still retained their
authority the Mahommetan Rajas of Northern
Hindostan, and their power survived the short
but terrible invasion of Tamerlane, whose myrads OF
horsemen in 1891 spread devastation from the Indus
which they crossed at the Auock to the Gauges
Beber descendant of Tamerlane, in 1906, made
himself master of Cabool, and in 1926 took Delhi
subverted the old afghan dynasty, and established
the empire of the Great Moguls. His successor, the
great Emperor Akbar, welded his mighty power in
prosperity but after his death, in 1910, the Uzbek
Tarars took possession of Caboo and the Persians OF
Candahar, and in l707, at the death of Arungzebe,
the Empire rapidly declined. The Ghilzie tribe OF
Afghans now rose to great power. In lI2O, they
took Ispahan and for twenty years ruled from the
Indus the Tigrls. About the same time, the Nah
rattas extended their power in the South the Sikbs
Lahore and Delhi; the Rajpoots asserted
their independence and the Rolha Affghans wrested
the northern provinces from the feeble Mogus.
In l739 Nadir Shah expelled the Ghilzies from
Persia, traversed Afghanstan, and added another t
the long list ofrobber conquerors invaders of Hin
dostan In l747, Ahmed Shah, Afghan, revolt
ed from this authority, and founded at Cabool thu
present dynasty On the death of Zeman Shah
about 1900 the brothers. Mahomet and Soojah, con-
tested the throne, and repeatedly expelled one ano
ther from the country. Sooah was finally compelled
take refuge in India, and to throw himself into the
hands of the British authorities there. In 1879 Run
jut Singh, the OLD "Lion of the Punjaub," ruler Of
III aIIx IF Elo Eact
India Company, took advantage of the discussions in
Afghanistan and added Peshamer the Eastern Key
to that kingdom to his own dominion of Lahore In
1896 Mahomet dethroned, and fled to Herot
About this time, the apprehensions Of England fol
the safety of her Indian empire became excited by the
successes of Russia in the neighborhood of afghan
istan. But, instead of compelling Runjut Singh t.
restore Peshamer to Dost Mahomet who then occu
pied the throne of Cabool, and who urged his CLAIM
for restitution upon the only power who could efec
tually accomplish his just Wishes the East India gov
preferred to allow their ally to retain hi
conquests. The opportunity of making friends of tn
tribes who held the highway to India from the west
was not long lost, for Dost Mahomet, wearied wit
unavailing applications Of the British, attempted
other to regain the territory he had lost, an
negotiated with Persia and with Russian officers 70
assistance. Lord Auckland, Governor General of In
da then stepped forward to the assistance of Runu
Singh, and, taking up the old deposed and despise
Shah Soojah, sent him back to Afghanistan, with
large force of European troops, Sepoys, and Sikhs
In 1889, General Keane at the head of part of thi
army, took Ghuzn, and in few months Dost Maho
met was made prisoner and sent to India, and tn
kingdom was reduced under the subsection of tn
British and of their puppet, the Shah Soojah. 81
Alexander Burns, and the other officers at Caboo
deemed their acquisition perfectly down to tn
moment of the assassination of the principal officer
and tie breaking out of the "rebellion," though
apparent to some of the English, that the power
full tribe of Ghilzies had combined and vowed yer
geance for the nexcusabe slaughter of the occupant
Of one of their forts by Lieut.. Lynch's troop so
of Dost Mahomet now heads the Afghans and wa
of many months is likely to ensue-for the BIRTHS
not likely to set down quietly with the loss of the
conquest, which had cost them 5000, 000-es
pecially as their dominion in India is mainly de-
pendent on the pristige of continued success
Troops are now embarkng for India, and all pal
ties in parliament incline to join the ministry in the
efforts to wipe this stain of defeat from their escutcf
The justice of their cause is now to them ma
ter of little moment