The New York herald., 1879-12-27


HAR AND WOUND GENERAL TYrIER-No NEWS
OF GENERAL GoUGH-sERIoUs ANXIETY FELT
FOE HIS SAFETY.
lex CABLE TO THE HERALD.1
LONDON, Dee. 26, 1879.
A new element has entered into the Afghan
conflict. The vague fears of holy war have
grown into certainty. The English have now to
fight, not with wild hill tribes alone, not with un-
disciplined guerillas intent ON plumber, but with
the armed Mohammcdanism Of the Himalayas.
The first man put to death by General Roberts
was Moollah. Cough hanged three Moollahs
to the same tree in the Jagdallak Pass. Mo
hamed Jan, himself Moollah and man of
singular personal influence, is said to
have taken the field solely to avenge
the insult offered to his caste. The
newspapers have loudly condemned the policy
pursued by General Roberts with respect to
the religious feeling of the country. 1.-THE Lon
don Spectator publishes the following:--"A song,
a story, the arrival of leader, the preaching
of a popular teacher may rouse them to an en-
thusiasm in which they will oil die. We fear
the nspiriting cause in this instance has been the
insane severity displayed at several points to the
Afghan Moollahs. Even if these men had been
guilty, which they were not, it being their re-
ligious duty to preach resistance to the infdel,
it was madness to put them to death. If the
''fanatic" feeling has really been excited
in Afghanistan it will take 10000 Eu-
ropeans to garrison the country and 10000
more to hold down the Nizam's dominions We
hope for better things but if the Afghans for
any reason, now mean fighting, the entire stu
ton is changed, and we have q most serions
war upon our hands.
FANATICS IN CANDAHAR.
AS soon rs the English left Cabul q meeting
of the Moollahs, with all their disciples, was
held at a shrine within the city. Here the
green flag was set up and furious Orations were
made against the infdels. The same night q
secret jirga ldeliberation) was held, and
though the result Of this is not known,
or at least has not been allowed to pass the
press censorship of Cabul, it is generally be-
ieved that messages were sent to all the strong
holds Of the MahOmmedan faith throughout the
country, insisting that the unbelievers must
be forthwith expelled. 1t is remarked
here that the same distrust Of the predominant
Arab population of Cabul which has just
been expressed in the Standard was felt the day
before Sir William MacNaghten was murdered.
observances are enforced more strongly than
the laws of the country. During the
Ramazan and Tdi-Kurban all the bud
ssasles (rascals in the city are moved
to excess of religious zeal The Standards
Candahar despatch, dated today, says:-"This
being Mohammedan festival, the fanatical por-
ton of the city is much excited. Some mounted
Ghazis ran amuck through the British camp.
General Tytler was wounded and four of
the fanatics were killed" General Tytler
had assumed the command Of all the troops in
the Kurrum Valley from General Watson. He
had made reconnaissance in the country of the
Zaimukhts, had marched unsuccesstully
against the Chukmunnis to impose a fine ON
them, surrounded their villages, seized their
cattle and then returned to the headquarters Of
General Stewart ut Candahar.
a.ls.as IN THE CAMP.
So long as the communications are open there
is no danger Of a retreat from Cabul. General
Roberts has ut present a large store of provi-
sions, though they are sparingly dealt
out. He has also the eight lakhs of
rupees in coin taken from the house of
Yakima Khan, and much valuable property
found both there and in the Bala Hissar. The
camels, indeed, which are herded between the
cantonments and Behmaros village, are starving.
They have neither grain, cAoosa nor grass.
They have eaten up the trees and tender
branches and are even gnawing tent pegs for
sustcnance. Pariah dogs, gorged with the
carcasses of dead animals, prowl round
the new Notifications. The hospital at Sharpur
is rapidly filing. Roberts despatch that his
men were suffering from cold and overwork is
this morning confirmed. The fall of snow has
been unusually light, but the weather is cold,
particularly ut night. Most OF the Sepoys
are engaged in cutting frewood, dragging the
guns and taking fatigue duties. ['rhe corre-
spondent of u London paper says :-''My insideis
destroyed with the bad food. There is nothing
eatabe here. A piece of haIf-baked dough and
bit of mutton that nobody can swallow are
our daily rations. We had an awful time during
the cholera. The Afghans dug up every one of
the cholera patients that died and stripped
them OF their clothing and we were obliged to
bury them over again."]
BURNING cABUL.
Plans are being drawn up to attack the AZ
ghans, who now hold the city. The Bala Hissar
is 10 longer formidable, but there is fort
opposite the Bazaar which it will DO neces-
sary to shell. There is the Godown fort, which
must betaken mt all hazards. 1t is almost decided
to burn the city to the ground. This will be by
no means an easy task, for tho houses are Hat
rooted and mud walled. In any case, the an
nounccment Of the intention shows that Rob
erts does not consider his plight so desperate
as the newspapers describe it. General
Baker and his 1000 men have returned
from the Madam. There are more than five
thousand effective men either intrcnchcd at
Shapur or securing the ncighboring hills.
Azmutullah Khan and his 1000 Ghilzas arc
believed to have dispersed from the passes
round Jclalabad. General Bright and
the Khyber column are hourly expected.
The main difficulty is one of transport. Man
for man the Europeans and the Sepoys, when
they have drilled, may be expected to hold
Al. NJ .ol 20