Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-04-24
The Afghan Invasion.

The Afghan Invasion.
The latest dispatches respecting the
state of affairs with regard to the Brit
ish advance into Afghanistan shows an
uneasy feeling among the officers, who
see the danger of history repeating itself.
and fear that the hostility of the noun
tain tribes may not only cut off their
communications with India, but block
up the roads for retreat. 1t will be re-
membered that in 1889 British force of
Il, 900 men, with 10000 camp followers,
entered the country and in succession
captured Candahar, GhuZni and Cabool.
Dost Mahommed surrendered in 1910,
and Shan Shujah was installed as the
ruler, though the real direction of the
government remained under British con-
troll, involving an expense of S6,250,O00
per annum. In retrenching this outlay
the ire of the chiefs was aroused and a
conspiracy formed for the extinction of
the invaders. InSurrectiOn followed, the
British forces at Cabool were reduced to
starvation by the capture of their COM
missariat fort, and in 1912 capitulated,
agreeing to evacuate the country, safe
conduct, provisions and means of trans
port being promised. Having surren-
dered nearly all their cannon and am
munition, they were unable to defend
themselves from the hostile tribes that
occupied every height, and the retreat of
$500 troops and $4,000 camp followers
proved more disastrous than that of
Napoleon from Moscow. The Kurd Ca
bool pass became the grave of nearly all
the army, and the remnant, less than
200 Europeans, fell at the entrance of
Jugduluk pass. The only survivors
were DR.. Dryden and few captives.
The British forces at Jellalabad and
Candahar maintained their positions un-
til relieved, and after avenging the mas
sacres at CaboOl the English abandoned
the attempt to maintain in power ruler
of their choosing and retiring, DOst Ma
COhlAOl VI
istan. A paper treating on the scientific
frontier of India, recently published in
the Fortnightly Review, pointed out
very cogently the dangers of the advance
into Afghanistan, and contended that
the proper frontier was substantially
which had been maintained from 1S49 to
1876, with a line of garrisOns or forts ex-
tending from the Indus, by Pechawur, to
Jacobadad. The tribes occupying the
hills between the India boundary and
Afghanistan proper can muster 100000
fighting men, bold and persevering free
hooters, who view with jealousy any in
vasion of their strongholds, and in the
future as in the past will carry on a war
of determination against all intruders.
The Khyber Pass they are all interested
in, and its fortification by the British
will be standing menace. 1t will re-
quire force of from 5000 to 5000 troops
to keep the pass open from the entrance
to Dakka. By trusting to the hill tribes
and dispensing with troops to guard
their communications, the number re-
quired would be reduced, but the expert
ence of the past shows that such a
course would be perilous in the extreme.
Adding the troops necessary to keep
open their communications, from $4,000
to 14,000 men would have to be with
drawn from India, at a cost of at least
five million dollars per annum, without
any corresponding benefit. The recon-
mendations of the author of that paper
were to keep to the old frontier,
strengthen it and improve the communi-
cations, be ready to defend India by mil
itary action within or beyond the 'front.'
ier as may seem best, but beware of lock-
ing up troops in premature anticipation
of foe who may never come and in
creasing the dislike of the Afghans by a
seizure of some of their best territory,
when the true policy would be to
make them friends. Fhe dangers fore
told in this paper have since become
more threatening 1t is thought that
YakOob Khan has been sending emissa-
ries in the hill tribes to excite them
against the British invaders. If he sue
ceeds the troops now on Afghan ground |
will be shut in, and India must be |
further depleted of troops to extricate |
them from the country that has been |
hitherto so fatal to every invading ex-
peditiOn.-[ BALTIC. American.
THE interests in the Talmage trial in