The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-11-28

move ON the part of the Viceroy, but
the bait did not take.
IN THE sCLKS.
Sundry ,rumors then reached the
Indian government through their ma
tive agent at Cabul that the Ameer
was sulky, and, moreover, that Rus
sian spy was present at the Cabul
Court in the presence of certain
Bokhariot. Such being the state of
things the Indian government thought
1T we'll to test these rumors by invit-
ing the Amer either to come in per-
son or to send properly accredited
envoy to meet the Governor Generals
agent at Peshawur. A political con.
ference was arranged. The British
plenipotentiarv selected for this mis-
sion was Colonel Sir Lewis Pelly, and
the envoy appointed by the Ameer
was Syud Muir Mohamed Shah. The
Peshawur conference commenced on
the 23d of January, 1877, and lasted a
period of some six weeks. Through.
out the whole conference it was evil
dent that the Ameer was not amend
the Indian government were moderate
and reasonable. The present state of
affairs in the East required that Her
MaJeSty'S government should be in
possession of the most trustworthy
information with regard to the affairs
OF Central Asia, and the time had
now arrived when England desired to
place English officers as agents at
Herat. Balkh and Candahar. AS it
was known that the Ameer objected
to having an English Envoy at Cabul,
that would not be pressed, although
the principle that such an agent might
eventually be sent even to the Cabul
Court was insisted upon.
THE COED OFFICES OF ENGLAND.
In return for this England was pre-
pared to enter upon treaty both
offensive and defensive with the
Ameer. to restore the subsidy at one
time granted to his father. DOst
Mohamed, and if the ALleer wished
it the succession to the throne of
Cabul of his fayOrite son, Abdulla,
would be guaranteed. The proposals
were. of course, submitted by letter
to the Amer, and some time elapsed
before a reply was received by his
agent. The Amer of Cabul was in
eXorable. He needed no help, he
required no treaty, he had borne with
the English long. What had the Eng
fish done for him! When he was de.
throned 10y his brothers, Afzul and
Aim, the English had recognized
the usurperS as the Ameer OF At
| t,on cts I,
arbitration with reference to his diff.
culties with Persia on the Seistan
question, the English had decided in
favor Of his enemies When his son
Yakub was in open rebellion against
him the English had tried to inter.
fere in his rebel sons favor! And
now they had even threatened his
kingdom by the occupation of Duet.
tab. For six long weeks did Sir John
Pelly try his diplomatic skill to the
utmost to find a remedy, but he lef,
Peshawur on April 2, with the draft
OF the treaty unsigned in his pocket,
while the whole country around him
was breathening threatenings of a
religious war.
WHY THE PRESENT SURPRISE!
AhSIS WOO IL ID VI ucs d ItIOlL CIICu.
lated that the sudden death Of the
Cabul envoy at Peshawur had brought
the conference to an untimely end .
but no one knows better than Lord
Lytton himself that Ameer Shere Ali
Khan had virtually declared war
during the very sittings of the politi-
cal conference ut Peshawur. From
March %, 1877, the day on which the
Ameer's envoy died at Peshawur,
until the day on which Major Cavag.
mari was insuited in the Khyber Pass,
not one single communication has
been received from the Ameer OF
Cabul. More than one person has
been killed by order Of the Ameer az
suspected British spies at his court.
While eighteen months ago he openly
summoned the chiefs of the different
tribes to join him in a jehdd against
the British. All this has been going
on day By day and month by month
for the last two years, and yet our i'm
pending war with Afghanistan takes
the Whole British nation by surprise