Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-02-15
Herat.

Russia borders upon and influences ,Persia--Persa
is only separated from British India by the noun
famous country of Afghamstan, country about four
times as large the State of Virginia. and contain.
ing SO ne five or six millions of people, who. at diff
ferent times when combined under able leaders, have
spread their arms over both India and Persia. They
are now, however. very loosely held together for
merly monarchy, the country is now held by any
number of petty chieftans with three principaiies
claiming sort of pre- emnence viz :-Herat, Cabul
and Candahar. Herat borders npon Persia. Cabul
with the tribes under her nominal sovereignty, CON-
mands the XIV Der and Belan passes into rtish India
So Jealous have been the British authorities IN Hin
dostan of any advance from the West that when in
1899, Persian army laid siege 10 Herat, British
army advanced to Cabul, with the ostensble object
of reinstating the deposed Sovereign Shah Soojah,
b, t really for the purpose of setting puppet of its
own the throne of the most important of the AT
CHAN States, to strengthen its influence there and
establish barrier against any Persian or Russian
advance from the West. British Engineer officers
assisted in the defence of Herat, and British diplo
macy threatened Persia with the presence of fleet
and my in the Persian Gulf The attacks upon
Herat failed, and the l-advised movement on Cabul
resulted in the disastrous defeat which the Brit
rible massacrss recorded in history In 1912, Ackbar
Khan the son of Dost Mahommed, the sovereign in
whose stead the British had set up their puppet, Shah
Sooiah, gathered force and compelled the
ton OF the country. In their retreat, the Ango-In-
dian Army were set upon by the Druranee tribes OF
the mountains, and thousands upon thousands slain.
McNaughten the British Resident al Cabul was as
sassnated. The British again entered that Country
to retrieve the prestige of their arms,-took the main
tortresses blew up the finest buildings in CabuI, and
tEen retired, never to return.
Among the advices by recent arrivals, we Inc the
announcement that 'sthe Persians have taken Herat
and thus has been accomplished the very thing, to
Illustrate which, the British undertook their disas
trous expedition of 1910 against Cabul, and under
circumstances now of nature far alarming
than surrounding it in 1899, had it then
fallen, which it did not because now there can
be no question of Russian hostility, of her infu
ever Persia the time that vast bodies of
troops have been Withdrawn from British India to
swell the ranks of the Crimean army. An attack
Upon Persia through the Gulf would throw her OPEN
ly into the arms of Russia-make her open enemy
of Turkey and of England. The British exaggerate
the crueltes perperaed by the PeTsans in their cap
ture of Herat, with the view of rendering them and
their Russian hackers odous TO the Afghans and
HndCos, while they threaten retaliation for as
sault upon of their allies; treaty. offensive and
defensive, existing between Herat and the AngloIn-
dian government. But, with all these efforts, British
in Auence has been weakened in Asia, and barrier
between Russia and Hindosan has been destroyed.