The New York herald., 1879-12-17
VICTORIOUS MAHMUD JAN.


VICTORIOUS MAHMUD JAN.
ENGLAND COUNTS THE COSTS OF OCCUPYING
AFaHANIsTAN-cABUL PASSING FROM HER
HANDs-BEsIEaED IN THE sBIRPuR CANTON
MENTs-NATIoNAL HUM1LIATIoNs.
[BY CABLE TO THE HERALD
LONDON, Dec 16, 1879.
military contributor to the Times telegraphs
as follows :-"The temporary success of Mahmud
Jan over General Massey, coupled with the evac-
uation of the position won at such cost OH the
18th inst, has evidently given the rising
impetus it will need all our strength to over
come. The Shirpur environments, which lie two
miles north Of Cabul are intrenched,
and they contain several months supplies.
The troops are in good health and
though it is humiliating to feel that at the mo-
nient the Afghans have the upper hand; that
our army of occupation is besieged; that the city
of Cabul has passed from our hands and its
Goyernorship been transferred to Mohammed
Jan, yet there is no cause for alarm. There is
many man inside that intrenchment who has
faced heavier odds than those at present against
him, and though it may be unpleasant to learn
that the Afghans hate us now with the undying
hatred they exhibited in 1912; there is no
reason to feel any apprehension of repetition
of the disgrace which overlook us then" The
correspondent of the Times ut Cabul telegraphs
ON the 18th inst. as follows 1.-THE troops are
in excellent spirits and ready for any work.
The British loss in the various affairs during
the past week was forty-two men killed, inelud-
ing six officers, and seventy-six wounded, in
Guiding nine officers"
ROBERTS PREDICAMENT
General Roberts telegraphs to Calcutta from
Cabul that one mountain gun was lost during
Sundays engagement General Roberts esti-
mates the number Of the enemy Mt 10000.
Their fire he says, was severe. He is confident
Of his ability to restore the British authority in
Afghanistan, bnt says reinforcements are neces-
sary to enable him to act vigorously. The
statement that the Indian government has
asked for reinforcement of 5000 men to be
sent out Immediately is probably untrue, as the
viceroy Of India telegraphed yesterday that he
had ample forces at his disposal. The Times,
in leading editorial article this morning, thus
sums up the situation THE news from
Afghanistan indicates beyond doubt that
crisis has been reached in our military opera
tions in that country more important than any
through which we have yet passed since tho
commencement of the invasion last year. Hap
PLY the position we occupy and the resources at
our disposal appear to render us better able to
meet this emergency than any which have yet
preceded it, but our strength is being tested
more severely than hitherto"
THE LESSON OF THE PAST.
[The Sharpur cantonments, to which the Brit
ish troops have withdrawn, are on low piece
of ground ON the road to Kohistan, and are sur
rounded by diminutive rampant. The assas-
sination of Sir William MacNaghtcn took place
on slight eminence, five hundred yards
from the eastern ramparts. Doubtless our
subsequent annihilation,' said an Eng
lish writer, thirty years ago, "may be
ascribed to the unaccountable absence
of Judgment, or military skill, which
selected such position for an army in the heart
of half conquered country cantonment
which troops could neither quit nor enter with
out running the gantlet of q tremendous fire
poured into them from fortress, garden, village,
hill and wall, which hemmed in and commanded
every face of the i'll contrived and widely scat
tered lines" The Bala Hissar, which has been
apparently abandoned, was at no time much of
u defence, ana alter the recent explosions was
probably untenable.] The Daily Ne.cs' despatch
from Chatham says:-"In view Of the serious
nature of the late intelligence from Afghanistan
the troops now under orders for India will be de-
spatched earlier than was originally intended.
The grave nature of the situation will delay the
departure from India 4 some regiments which
were about to return after long service in India.r
The Daily NesrS Cabul despatch states that
Daoud Shah, who was commanderin-ohief of
the Afghan army and who was sent by the
Amecr to quell the revolt during the nassacre of
the British at the Embassy, has been arrested.
despatch to the Times from Cabul, dated the
18th inst, says:-"The most difficult position
of the enemy was gallantly carried yesterday.
Later in the day our troops lost q position
which they had before taken"
The Times despatch from Kohat announces
that General Tytler has attacked and captured
Zawa, which was stored with the grain of all Of
the Zaimukht tribes. The enemy left large
number of dead ON the field. The British loss
was four wounded.