Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-11

|
former times the ascendancy, and il
was their ef-Mahmoud-who over
threw the Soft dynasty of Persia in 1717
and conquered Persia, but after their
expulsion by Nadir Shah the Duranis
got the upper hand. This tribe is di-
vided into nine clans, the chief of which
are the Sadozais, the royal clan of
Ahmed Shah Durani, and the Barokzais,
represented by Dost Mohammed and
Shere Ali; and it is the rivalries between
those royal clans and families which
have reduced Afghanistan to political
nonentity, in spite of its extent, fertili-
ty and population. The Afghan tribes
are, physically, remarkably fine races,
tall, robust, well formed and active.
They have extremely handsome faces,
and the beauty of their women is often
of dazzling brilliance. The Afghan
women of some of the frontier tribes 90
unveiled. When they meet a man COM
ing along the road, the more elderly
modestly cast down their eyes and pass
on, but the younger women turn their
| backs to him, and stand still until he
has gone by. This coy demeanor has
| proved fatal to the peace of many
| young English subaltern, who has found
it impossible to pass the enchanting ap-
| partition in his path. The Afghans are
extremely hospitable, and when once
forced to settle down to industrial pur-
suits develop an astonishing aptitude
for trade. They have made little prog
ress toward general settling down,
however, because of the rivalries and
jealousies of the chiefs of the different
tribes. In maps the frontiers of Afghan
| istan are made to coincide with those
of India, but all the border tribes both
claim and maintain their independence
of any central authority, and are under
no rule whatever except that of their
own chiefs, and even these are seldom
obeyed one instant longer than is con-
venient. Indeed, the only authority
which has of late years been reverenced
by the tribes on the northwest frontiers
of India was that of the late Akhoond.
of Swat, who accidentally gained his
ascendancy over them through his
reputation as a saint.
1t has been the settled policy of the
British officials of the Puniab, which is
the district Immediately adjacent to
Afghanistan, to encourage the claims
of the frontier tribes to independence of
the Ameer of CabOol. They have al
ways affected to treat these tribes as a
useful buffer" between the Indian
Government and the Ameer, and the
tribes themselves have only been too
glad to play off the one power against
the other As consequence, the north
west frontier of India has been in a
chronic state of trouble ever since the
annexation of the Punjab in 1S49 In
the interval between that date and the
present, the Indian Government has
been obliged to undertake no less than
twenty-eight expeditions against them,
or at the rate of one expedition a year.
The Khyber Pass, which is or ought to
be the great highway between British
India and Central Asia, has never once
been open to peaceful expeditions more
than few weeks at time. The Ameer
could not keep it open without assert
ing and maintaining his supremacy
over the wild tribes in its vicinity, and
the British have shrunk from undertake
ing the task for fear of giving offence
to CabOol. As a consequence the very
considerable trade between the Puniab
and Afghanistan has been obliged to
seek out the difficult routes to the north
of the Khyber and between the real
Kyber Pass and the Cabool River. The
ability of the Ameer to suddenly man
the pass and thus head off Gen. Sir Ne
vile Chamberlain's mission was the
direct result of the half-hearted policy
which has been pursued by the British
Government in India. Now tnev are
repenting at their leisure, and mean
while Gen. Abramoff, the Russian En-
voy, is doing all he can toward ce-
menting an alliance between the Ameer
and Russia. The British authorities,
on their part, fully realize the critical
character of the situation, and appear
to be moving in response to the univer-
sal demand of the Indian press for an
apology from the Ameer or the occupa-
ton of Afghanistan. But the military
operations which are inevitable must
be postponed until spring, for the at
tempt to force the Khyber Pass in win
ter would be sheer folly. Nearly forty
years ago the British were reckless
enough to venture upon military opera
tions in the Afghan country in mid
winter, and the terrible lesson then
learned has probably not yet been for
gotten Philadelphia Telegraph.