The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-07-04
TIE AMIR AeouRRHAMAN
A Sketch of the Lite and Character of the
Afghan Ruler.

A Sketch of the Lite and Character of the
Afghan Ruler.
The present ruler of Cabul is AmI-
Abdurrhaman. The .'Slave of tho
Merciful One" Qor so his name inn
plies) is at present one of the worlds
celebrities. Received with imperial
grandeur, entertained with princely
hospital lity. and honored with gener-
Gus gifts. Amir Abdurrhaman. the
present ruler of Cabul. virtually holds
in his hands the future destiny of two
rival empires n the East Tne eldest
son of the eldest son of Amir Dost
Mohammed Khan. he certa nly by
right OF rimogeniture Ga right never
recognized in Mohammedan law has
the first ella m to the throne of Cabul.
FROM our English standpoint he has at
last oh.oned his lawful inheritance.
About the year 1868, when Shere Al
regained his kingdom. Abdurrhaman
fled to Russ an Turkestan. aud for hf-
teen years he was a guest in the Rus
tan camp. After the m tss tcre of
Cavagnari and is tile band aud
when the Indian Government was n
search of an Am r : bdnrrhaman
was the trump card. The selec-
ton lay between the restora-
ton OF Yakoob. or the nom :
nation of Ayub, or the somewhat dan
gerous game of taking the man who
had beer for many years kept by the
Russians W tn the expectation of some
thing turning up. II was bold step;
and it is still secret. treasured up in
the breast of Abdurrhamen alone, as to
why he left the protection Of Russ a
and sought the friendship OF its Engl sh
rival. As soon as the English retired
from the country. Abdurrhaman set
about vigorously to murder by poison
or secret assas sination every possible
rival. Nearly all the leading chiefs Of
his family fled either to Ind or Persia.
Only one man of note sought his
patronage Ii was Mohammed Jan,
the great Afghan General. who so near
ly defeated Roberts at Sherepur. Abb
durrhaman made HIM Governor of
Balkh. obta ned his signet ring, and
for months issued orders IN the Cen
erals name, when subsequent events
proved that Mohammed Jan had died
by the assassin S knife in Balkh. Alb
durrhaman is popular with the village
chiefs, but hated by the trading COM
munity. But he has succeeded in max
ing his power felt through the length
and breadth of Afghanistan. When
he was the guest of Russia he
married three Turkestani ladies, by
whom he has children. Since he came
to the throne he has married an Afghan,
the daughter of the chief mulvie. or
priest. of Cabul. His visit to Rawul-
pindi was his first visit to Ind a. In
deed, he knows nothing of the English.
In his first durbars in Cabul he always
praised the power and intelligence OF
the Russians, and he has endeav-
ored to organize his army on Rus
sian lines. Still, our own impress
sion, as well as that of other Euro
durrhamaE is to be trusted. He is
about fifty years of age, well built.
and has countenance expressive OF
considerable yigor. When he first
came to Cabul the Liberal Govern
ment gave him but most uncertain
assurances of support but he soon
proved himself a diplomatist of no
ordinary character. 1t is Abdurrhaman
who has made the Prime Minister of
England repudiate his Midlothian
utterances on the Cabul question by
acts as vigorous and as forward as
any of those by which our great
Conservative statesman, in his dealings
with the late Shere Ali Khan, sought
although in van) to rect fly the mis-
takes made by the mastery inactivity
of the Lawrence School. London
Globe