The New York herald., 1879-12-17

The Afghan War.
There is no cause for alarm" says the
London Times in regard to the war in
Afghanistan; just as the rulerpf France at
critical stage in the war with Germany
said to the Parisians that ''all could yet be
set right" AS the Emperor's phrase inn
piled that all was at that moment wrong,
so the phrase of the Times suggests it's
opinion that the reports pre such that the
country will certainly need reinsurance as
to the possible extent of the bad news
Thirty thousand Atghaps are in arms
against the British forces near Cabul. They
are well armed and apparently we'll dis
cipliled. "Their fire was severe" lays
General Roberts, but as the report of op-
erations for seven days sums up loss for
the English of only forty-two killed and
seventy-six wounded it may be judged that
the severity" does not appear, unless we
are to assume that the English got out
of the way with peculiar alacrity. To
make head against this thirty thousand
the British have an effective forcc
of five thousand. Nominally they have
rather more, but in the parade of the whole
available force made on the 10th, with o
view to awe the city of Cabul, the number
of troops then under arms was reported at
five thousand. No troops Of any value for
active operations would have been left out
of the lines on that day. And this small
British force is now besieged by the Afghans
in its intrenched camp to the north of
Cabul. This exhibits sudden and remark
able change from the recent attitude of, the
forces.
But very few days ago the British were
in possession of the country and its capital;
and, though neither was tranquil, there was
not excitement or activity enough to in
spire any uneasiness 1t was known at
Candahar and Cabul early in the month
that Ayoub Khan had marched from Herat
but it was believed that this was an out
burst of ''mutinous" spirit on the part
of the troops; though how the activity
of soldiers eager to drive a foreign
invader out of the country can fairly be
called mutiny it would trouble any one
but On Englishman to tell. But Ayoubs
movement was attributed to the "mutiny"
of his troops and so regarded with con-
tempt It was not in the least suspected
that this movement might be taken in con-
cert with sudden activity of troops near
Cabul.
On the 9th an agent of the British COM
missary, collecting supplies at Maidan, on
<boN 1oa
erable disaffection in that neighborhood
was reported. On that day or the next
General Baker was sent to restore order,
and General Massey was to follow, but the
latter commander did not get far on his
way. He was surprised at Sarkhkotal
by the discovery that he was at a
point which had been selected for
the concentration of hostile forces;
and General Roberts found that the war
had broken out all around him without
notice. An immediate attempt to dispense
the hostile forces brought on the fight be-
tween General Massey and Mohammed
Jan, in which General Massey was beaten
and compelled to- make precipitate re-
treat. On the next day the fight was
renewed, with the addition of the force
under General Baker, brought back from
Maidan. General Roberts reported COM
plete victory. Nevertheless the enemy
accomplished the object of their move
ment. which was to seize the heights
south of the Bala-Hissar. With the
enemy in that position the Cabul citadel
was not tenable, and therefore it was de-
oided to storm their position on Saturday
last. We have not heard any account Of
that fight, but we are permitted to learn
that the English are no longer in Cabul,
that they have evacuated the city and are
in their intrenohed camp, and that ''their
strength is being tested more severely than
hitherto" and "for the moment the At
ghans have the upper hand"
But we must remember that we have not
heard the worst of the news from Afghanis-
tan. We have heard only the reports of
official correspondents, who are not per-
mitted in these days to distress the British
public with u detail of unpleasant facts.
What could not possibly be kept from tho
public is out, and it indicates sufficiently
that serious calamity has actually oc-
Cured or is imminent
Captain williams Transfer Himself.
| The HERALD has occasionally become
weary Of well doing in the matter of in
forming the Police Commissioners of what
every one knows to be the duty of those