Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-12
DEFENSE OF HERAT.
Its Past Formidable Grandeur and Its
Present Day of Decay.


From he Philadelphia Eeios.
The state of Herat as fortress is as
unsatisfactory as that Of kusan, Bala
Murghab, where Sir Peter Lumsden was
recently encamped, or Penjdeh. There is
more dirt and Decay in aud about it, just
because it is bigger than the other places.
But in the opinion of the few Europeans
who have visited Herat in the course of
the present country 1T might be made
capable Of Offering the most stubborn re-
sistance even to European besiegers. 1t
has never yet been besieged by an Euro
pean army, though European officers have
assisted in its defense and its assault.
Russian officers We're pitied against an
Englishmau-the brave Eidred POttinger
in 1887. They ACCOMPANIED the Persian
army of 80 600 men, which besieged Herat
at that period, aud which, after ten
months, was forced to give up the at
tempt. The Persians pounded the town
with fifty pieces of artillery. The sue
cess of the resistance was entirely owing
to the genius and the extraordinary per-
sOnal influence OF the young English sol
der. II ever there is to be another siege
of Herat, the assailants will be much
more formidable than the raw levies of the
in 1887. Pottinger found the Qualifications
of Herat in ruinOus condition, and little
or nothing has been done since his day to
repair them. Herat is fortified by ''out-
works and wall around the town." The
OutwOrks, however, are very few.
The main line of fOrtitcatiOns may be
described as a wall about % feet high,
built ON huge earthwoTks and surrounded
by ditch 40 feet wide and is deep. Tie
Ill, ,Tnf ARot aof gufgq
or rather OblOng-about l,600 yards long
by 800 Yards wide. The ditch is, or may
be, flooded from the Herni-Rud river which
flows westward to Kusan, and thence
northward past Sarakhs, and onward to
the TurcOman desert. But though strongly
built, the quadrangular earthwOTks, with
their peTincumhent wall, are, in mill
tary sense, extremely weak. An enemy
in possession of the surrounding country
would soon starve out the garrison, and,
by lntercepting the Henri-Rud, render the
vast bitches useless. In the centre of the
town there are vast cisterns, in which it
has been alleged water may be stored up
in sufficient quantity to supply the civil
population and the garrison for twelve
months. But it appears, too, that the
water stores might be destroyed with the
greatest ease by cannonade from the
elevated ground on the northern side of
the city.
The population of Herat is supposed to
be about $4,000 or 30,000-the merest
fraction of its population in the days of
its prosperity. Christie, who visited the
city in 1909, estimated its population at
100 600. Connolly, who saw the town in
1925 said it had $4,000. In POttinger's
time it was believed TO have 10000. Al
ter the siege the number dwindled down
to less than 10000. Gen. Terrier, who was
in Herat in 1915, thought there was $4,000
inhabitants. These remarkable fluctua-
tons indicate the troublOus character Of
the times and the lawlessness of the tribes
inhabiting the surrounding regions Since
the days of GhenghIz Khan and TImour
to 90 no further back-Herat has per-
haps been assailed and sacked more often
than any other city in the world. The
Herat of modern history is but the paltri-
est ruin of the "Arian" city-the Aria
metrOpols-ot the olden time.
There is no reason to doubt the state
ments OF old historians that Herat con-
tanned 100000 of inhabitants, and
that its architecture was the won.
der and the pride of the Eastern
world. One of two bu" 'ings, which { in a
crumbling condition since the time
of TimOur, are still AMONG the best speci-
mems of Mohammedan architecture. The
ruins of Herat, like the ruins of Delhi,
| cover the country for many miles around.
There has, perhaps, been a slight improve.
ment in the state of Herat since its last
conquest by the Afghans, but the only
reason for the supposition is the slight in
crease of its population. Since the year
1913 up to 1868 Herat was necessarily
fought for by Afghans, by the SuddOZye
princess of Herat itself; by the Persians,
who always claimed suZerani rights over
it.. In the earlier years of English inter-
ventiOn in Central Asia the fixed policy of
the English Government was the MAIN
tenance of Herat Independence, not only
as against Persia. but as against Cabul.
But in 1863 DOst Mahomed, the ablest of
all the Afghan Ameers, conquered and
annexed the principality, since which
time England has regarded Herat as an
integral part of the dOminions of the rul-
ers of Cabul.
The surrounding country is a succession
of bold, rocky mountain ridges, attaining
their highest elevation in the peak OF
Mount Kitu, which looks down on RObat
pass from the east. According to latest
reports, $1,000 Russian troops are already
in motion along the Pers0- Afghan border.
The English have 10000 men at Rawal-
Pindi a Sikh town and fortress in the
north of Puniab on the Lahore Peshawur
Railway; 81, 600 Of all arms are cOncen-
trated around Quota, at the northern en-
| trance to the BOlan pass, While Zt,OOO
more are stationed in successive detach-
ments along the route thence to Canda-
har. THIS makes force Of $4,000, but
then England has an immense recruiting
ground in India. The difficulties OF trans
port, however, are enormous, and in adj
ditiOn to moving the army over the cOun-
try that lies between Berat, supplies for
the men and forage for the beasts in the
train must also be taken.
HOW FRENCH WOMEN DRESS