, 1880-09-01
THE TOWN AND CITADEL OF
CANDAHAR,

HCiO q UCtCaSuClC0 0hlLiou AOiCO ii UySOuO
times and have been associated with the
successes of the British arms in a campaign
which was otherwise full of disaster. An
Adjutant-G General of the Persian army, J.
P. Ferrier, previously q Chasseur d'Afri-
que,i wrote a book on Caravan Wander
ings' in Persia, Atghanistan, and Turke-
stan, and the unpublished manuscript was
translated by Captain ". Jesse, and edit
ed by tie late Mr.. 81. D. Seymour, M. P.
In the cou rse of the wanderings thus de.
scribed the author came to Candahar, the
citadel of which he speaks of contemp.
tuously as without glacis, r%avelin, or
thanking defence to defend a long line of
curtain but he adds, :" it was stroog
enough when held by a very weak g%arris-
son OF British troops on the goth OF March
1853. to resist the whole Afghan army OF
20, 900 men, The occasion of which he
speaks was probably when it was held by
General Mott, whose force Of Bombay
troops witbstood the insurgents and ulti-
mately defeated them,
General Ferrier states that in 1916 the
citadel of Csndahar was 10 good condition
- having been strengthened by the British
when they held it," What was its state
a few years before we can see by the mar
rative of the late General Sir Henry Have
lock, who, as Captain Havelock, aide-de-
camp to Major-G General Sir W%illougbby
Cotton, wrote "The wal 10 Afghanistan.
1s3S-39-' The young soldier wrote -
"CaDdabar Is situated on an extensive
level, which is bounded on the north and
west by picturesque mountains Of print
tive rock. The city is quadrangular. and
its defences uniform. They consist of a
wall of mud hardened by exposure to the
sun, 33ft. 10 height, without reUetoment OF
stone or brick. The eaciente is divided into
curtains and semi circular towers, is
strengthened by a low tausse-braye, and
defended by a ditch loft. in width. which
could in q few hours be w~ellsupplied from
the canal Of. the Argandab that intersect the
city. The southern side of this vast area
is 1.300ft.. the northern 1,1O0ft. the east
ern 1,6O0tt. and the west, which is, 10 fact,
W sides meeting in a large angle 1,900ft.
10 length. There are four great gates in
this extensive city wall (shahur pumoh).
The northern is entitled the Eedgah, the
southern the Sh~ikarpore, the eastern the
Cabul, the western the Herat. Besides
these, there are two less considerable por-
tails in the eastern and western fronts of the
fortification. denominated the Berdurani
and the Topkauee, or artillery. The para
pet is b%attlemented, loopholed and pierced
as is the custom in Asiatic fortresses, with
apertures for the purpose of throwing
vertical missiles into the ditch. The tow
ers, including those over the gates and at
the four grand angles of the place, are 60
in number. and on these guns might have
been mounted, as the rampant is wide.
and there are good embrasures 10 the para
pet !; but such has been the neglect of the
Barakzais that we found their artillery,
consisting of some 90 Indifferent pieces,
parked in the open space 10 front of their
citadel That defence consists of an inner
quadrangle of goo yards. retrenched inthe
centre Of the northern face. Within its
enclosure are the several courts aud apart
msnts OF the Royal palace, lately usurped,
together With the rule of their master, by
the brothers Of Futteh Khan. It's wall is
protected on three sides by q good fosse +;
there is q large bastion in its southern face,
and four small towers faux it's eastern. and
four more its western front, The principal
angles Of the outer wall of the city are
covered with circular co%unterguards.
Such as q place Of strength, is Candahar.
Even It gtreachsry and ~pusillanimity had
not opened its gates to US it is not proba-