Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1854-03-07
MISCELLANEOUS.
VINO is Most lNTohammedl

a Who is DOst MOhammed!
There are doubtless thousands of our read.
ers, especially the younger ones, wondering
who Dost Mohammed is. We'will tell them
says the Philadelphia Ledger, for it is q
name that will, probably, live in history.
The country of,he Affghans, lying on the
northwest Of British India, is a mountainous
region, inhabited by bold and hardy tribes,
whose blue eyes, light hair, and marked
'countenances, show them 10 be Of the best
Caucasian race. Some years ago the mon.
arch Of Affghanis,an dying, the ancient
kingdom split into fragments, and among
those who pro6,ed by the occurrence was
Dosi Mohamed, a younger brother OF for
mer vizier. The British, however, taking
ahe part lof Shah Shuja, a former occupant
,ofshe throne, who had been deposed, march
ed an army into Afghanis,an, seized Cabul,
the capital, and having made prisoner Of
Dost Mohammed, sent him across the Indus
70 their own territories, where they retained
him in a sort Of honorable camiGty. At,he
same time Shah Shuja was replaced on The
,hrone Of Cabul. These events happened
in 1889 and 1910. 1a. sa
For the interference in the affait Of Aft.
ghanis,an, the British had no excuse what.
ever. II is true that The Persians were at
war with Heret, and tha. the British feared
if Hera, fell, iha. the Persians, instigaled by
Russia, would assail British India next. Ii
is true also that Dost Mohammed was be.
aieved to favor the Persians' designs on He.
rat. But that Dost Mohammed was, a. this
junc.ure, hostile 10 the British, has never
been proved. Dearly, however, did The En-.
glish pay for their interference. In Novem.
ber, 1841, an insurrection broke ou. at Ca
bul against the British. In the ,umult, Sir
Alexander Barnes and several other dislin.
guished officers los. their lives. This par
tial rising was followed by an insurrection
over the whole kingdom. The British for
the frs, lime in India, since Lord Give be-
gan TO lay the foundations Of their power,
quailed beneath The storm. Sir William
McNagh,en, the British Envoy at Cabul
agreed with Akber Kahn, the (avorite son Of
Dost Mohammed. 10 evacuate the country,
Akber slipulaling 10 escort the British army
TO The frontiers, and Sir William pledging
that Shah Shuja should abdicate in order to
make room for Dos, Mohammed's return
A. a second meeting between Sir William
and Akber, q dissension arising, probably
provoked on purpose by the latter, Sir Viii.
liam was sho, dead by The afghan chief
Akber however, agreed subsequently to
carry out the terms Of the treaty.
!, Now began a retreat, the horrors Of which
only lhatof Moscow has equalledin modern
simes. Akber professed 10 escor, the British
army, bu. secretly insligased, II, believed
\ che mountain tribes 10 assail Them; and con.
sequeh,iy' mafcirof the fughfves was 4
daily scene Of massacre. The season was
cold; the defiles were blocked up with snow
the troops were encumbered with q large
number Of women and children, besides Q
vas. body Of camp followers. Sore dice
from exposure; and some were left TO perish
from sickness on The wayside; but The great
erquan,ily fell by the sword Of the n,erci
less mouniaineers. Never but once in mod
ern times has more ignalvengeance beer
visited on invaders. The passes were Gllet
along the whole line Of reirea, with corpsss
that were often piled in heaps. Almost the
only persons who escaped were some off
Gers and their wives, who had placed them
selves under Akber's personal care, few
marches from Cabul, and yho, after month
Of captivity, after terrible privalons, an,
afser long weeks OF suspense more agonizinl
Than the worst privations, succeeded. b!
bribes, in making their escape and reaching
the nearest British fotce-having riddel
several days in hourly peril Of their lives.
The British, meantime, had advanced il
force from their own side Of the Indus, an
had even penetrated TO Cabul; bu. the prise
ners having thus been recovered, and Sha
Shuja having been assassinated, II was re
solved to leave the Afghans to themselves
Accordingly, DOst Mohammed, who ha
been retained in captivity all this time an
whose participation in the late events, thoug
suspected,. could not be proved, was set Q
liberty. He took possession at once Of tn
throne Of Cabul! The British simultaneous
ly abandoned that capital, but no, until the,
had destroyed the famous bazaar. II wa
in November, 1842, that the last divisio
recrossed the Indus, and the afghan prime
was restored 10 freedom and escorted 10 tn
frontiers Of his kingdom. Just twelve month
had elapsed since the insurrection in Cabu
But in that single year, more fatal bio,
had been struck at the British power, b
adesIroying the idea OF BRUSH invincibili,y
ahan theninely preceding years had witness
ed, sinceihe British arms frs, began to max
headway in the East.
3 Dos. Mohammed has no love for the Er
glish. There is little doubt that he secrtel
caused the massacre al Cabul, and that b
will, at the first chance seek still furlh,
vengeance. In releasing him, the Briis
ac.ed from fear more Than any other mo,iv
for they found they could not hold Afghan
islan, and they though, IL would concilia
Dost Mohammed 10 set him at ibery.-
They have been mistaken as they will fin
jf not now, then a, the first really lavorab
opportunity.
Cities an tho TmPk ish PriuClDaI