The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-01-23
AFGHlNIgFAN AND IT'S PEOPLE.

London TIE raph.
Afghsnistan, which we hear so much
about, is looked upon As the northwest
4" gate Of India" and consists OF two long
districts or provinces, named respect.
ivelv Cabul and KhOrsssan; The former
being a mountainous region Situated
north of Ghuzni and the Su'ed Koh or
White mountains, and bounded on the
east and west by the Indus and the ex-
panse OF country known as the Hazara !;
while the latter extends on the north to
Hazara and Ghor, with the SULLIVAN
range on the east and Persia on the west.
The scenery in Cabul, which is the
chief seat of the Ameer of Aighanistan
-Shere Ali Khan-is very grand, and
consists mainly of lofty snow-capped
mountains, the lower portion of which
are covered with piue-'orests, while the
wales and glens are enriched with lux
uriant foliage and watered by numerous
mountain streams. Khorasssn, or the
Land ofthe Sun, is, on the other hand,
almost the opposite Of Cabul, for IL
principal features are long low ranges o.
rocky hills and elevated plateaus of sand
and gravel snd while the summer in
CabuI is rendered mild and bearable by
the cool breezes waited down 10 It's plains
from the mountsins, Khorasssn has to
bear the full blaze of the fierce Indian
sun.
In the Mobammedan cemetery ON the
southeast of the city of Cabul is tomb,
stone with the following ePitaPh
"Hrre lyeth the body Of John Hicks
son Of Thomas and Edith Hicks, who
departed this life Hin October, 1866
Perhaps some of our readers can INFORM
us as who John Hicks was, and whai
took him to Cabul in the days when
Aurungz4be was Mogul of India, and
Charles Ii. king Of England.
The population of Afghanistan il
composed OF a variety of races or tribes
among whom are the Bozdsrs, the Ku'
trans. the Kssrsnees, the Murrees, the
Cutchees and the Bugtees, beside the
wild and cruel Jajis who haunt the
Khyber Pass and its neighborhOod
The dominant race in khorassaD il
undoubtedly the BrahOe, which is sup
posed by some authorities to have come
from Abyssinis, while others maintain
that the tribes are of Mongol extraction
The term Belooch (fOr these tribes arr
also known as the Beloochees--BeloO
chistan being the original name of Kho
rassan) or Blush, as it is written by tn
Persian scribes, is, according TO Prot
Rswlinson, derived from Belus, King o
Babylonis, the Nimrod of scripture.
The government of each tribe is
most complete democracy, split up int
as many factors as there are families
Each section of tribe has its own guar
refs and supports its own chief, who's
tenure of authority is often of the mos
precarious nature, being raised to pOwe
one day to be overthrow the next
There are also blood-feuds of long stand
ing between them, 50 that village
divided against village and house agsins
house. 1t was to one of these terribl
feuds that the late Lord Mayo owed hi
sad death the man who ssssssinate
him having been sentenced to pens
servitude for life for killing anothe
with whom ne rad a feud. He hs
once been servant to the Viceroy an
thought that he should have psrdone
him.
The most numerous and importan
race are the AtgaSns proper, whose iorl
of government and general customs r,
semble all other MohammedsH nation
and who, while proud Of their Islamisn
do not hesitate 10 break ali its laws whel
ever their love of fighting, thieving au
debauchery makes it incumbent on tbel
to Go SO. The absence from their mid
of honor and p7triotism is very remark
bic; indeed. they are a b goted 81
treaeheS2us rsca, stained by indescrib.
BILE uebsucaely, and degraded TO Il
lowestdspths Of iafamy and corruption
In spite Of their debauched lives, it
remarkable TO and that the Afghans su
BeIoOchees sre, physically, fine race
tsU. robust, wellformed and activ
The former, especially, have eztrsmel
handsome faces; and the besuty Of the
women hss been noticed by ali our trs,
elers. The Afshsns are great sPortsme
hunting and hawking being their fsvo
lite pastime, while in marksmansh
and Workmanship they cannot be e
celled. Strange to say, chess Is one
their smusements; but what they mo
like is TO lie and listen to stories OF t
"Arabriau Nights" style, though mo
intermiaable and always Of more or IL
coTYll IT usture