The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-08-12
AFGHANISTAN.
The New Ameer-- His Relations to the
Russian Government.
New York Herald.

The father of the Abdurranman was
Mahommed Afzul Khan, eldest son of
the Dos Mahommed; but on his wifes
side he has Populzai blood in his veins.
In 1S63-64, when the death of the Dost
had rendered the throne vacant, Afzul
Khan, as eldest son of the deceased
Ameer objected to his claims being set
aside in favor Of his younger half
brother, Shere Ali, and soon the country
was in state of civil war. Abdurrah-
man was placed by his father in charge
of Takhtipul in Turkestan, and showed
some genius as soldier, but was event
ually obliged to confess himself beaten
by Shere Ali's forces. He made half
hearted submission, and being suspect
ed of still intriguing in favor Of his
father, was summoned to Cabul. This
order he refused to obey, but dreading
the consequences fled across the Oxus
into Bokhara, where many other sir
dars had taken refuge. Turkestan was
still very unsettled, and Abdurrahman
induced many of the garrison of Balkh
to desert Shere Ali and cross into Box
harra. The Ameer of that khanate
openly espoused his cause and aided
hlm in many ways. With small but
we'll equipped force he at last recrossed
the Oxus and made 70 Akcha, then in
charge Of Faiz Mohammed Khan. The
latter, finding himself unequal to any
successful resistance. threw over Shere
Ali and united his garrison with the
force from Bokhara. The governor of
Turkestan, Fateh Mohammed Khan,
was not so easily won over, and resisted
the new army. His soldiers, however,
proved faithless, and leaving them to
follow their own course of action, he
fled from Eurkestan. Abdurrahman
thus found himself in few weeks at
the head of few weeks at the bead of
a fairly powerful army; and pushing on
to Takhtipul, he resumed his old posi-
ton as governor Turkestan had thus
fallen easily into his hands, and so
striking was his success that lie resolved
upon march to Cabul. His uncle,
Aim Khan, a man of some ability,
joined him; and Shere Ali, still having
with him, Afzul Khan prisoner, was
forced to leave his capital. On the oath
of February Abdurrahman entered the
city without opposition. But his posi-
ton in TurEestan soon became unten-
able. His soldiers, hearing that Shere
Ali was in possession of Cabul, lost
heart and deserted and in January,
1869, in conjunction with Aim Khan
he was once more fugitive. After
Aim Khan had appealed to the Indian
government for help and been refused,
the sirdars sought refuge in Persia, and
afterward in the trans-Oxus Khanates
Aim Khan died in October, 1869, and
Abdurrahman, still entertaining his
idea of regaining Cabul, went to Khive.
Here his intrigues to raise force with
which to conquer Afghan-Turkestan
met with such slight success that he
turned his steps to Bokhara. Living rs
refugee in that khanate was Jehanhar
Shah, ex-Meer Of Badaksham. This
chief had heartily aided Afzul Khan in
his struggle for the throne, and to ce-
ment the alliance had given his sister
in marriage to Aim Khan and his
daughter to Abdurrahman. Shere Ali,
in August, 1869, induced the Badak-
sham sirdars to depose Jehander Shah,
who was imprisoned in his own capital
of Faizabad. He persuaded his late
subjects to grant his release ,and crossed
the Oxus to Rulab where Abdurrah-
man joined him. Their intrigues to
gain possession of Badaksham were on
the basis of raising a force of Tur-
comans on the north, while the Nicer
of Maimena. with an army of Usbegs
co-operated with them from the west
through Baikh and Kunduzi The want
of money was great obstacle to sue
cess, Abdurrahman conceived the idea
Of supplicating aid from Russia. While
Jehandar Shah went to Chitral to seek
aid from Aman-ul-Mulk, chief of that
country, Abdurahman left Bokhara for
Samarcand, and reach Tashhend in
May, 1870. General Kaufman received
him Hospitality, but was deaf to all his
appeals for troops to aid him in con-
quering Afghan-Turkestan. A pension
Of about f5, 900 was assigned to him,
but refusal was given to his request
to visit St. Petersburg and represent his
case to the czar When Schuyler saw
him he expressed a confident belief
that with 95O,0OO to raise and equip an
army he could once more make him.
self supreme in Afghanistan. With
this one idea in his mind he was saving
nine-tenths of his pension, and limited
that, under favorable conditions, he
night be aided by Russia. Jehanda
Khan, after raising an unsuccessful in
fsurrection in Badakshan in 1878, joined
his son-in-law at Samarcand in 1875,
but has since died.