New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-01
THE AMEER'S HEIR.
4 SLAVE WIFE'S STANNlER1NG son MADE
CO-RFGENT OVER AFGUANISTAN.

That the Amecr of Afshanistan has determined
TO proclaim his heir co-regent j. the most inter
| esting and significant news that has cone from
Central Asia for a long time. 1t is probable that
| il will soon be followed oy an announcement that
the Ameer is about to fulfil his loHg-chcrisncd
plan OF visiting Europe, and especially England
The making his son cO-regcnt, to rule with plcnary
power in his absence, would Re, Of course the
| most natural preliminary to snch an undertaking.
For to leave the Afghan throne without an oc.
cupant even for short time, would be fatal
| There are too many wodld-bc psurpers only wait.
| ing for a chance to seize it. And the occupant
must be strong one As Abdurrlhman himself
has said lone must lie lion if he has TO
govern wolves This prince, 1ablbdllah Man.
we'll answers that description. Not Abdurralman,
| nor old Shere ALI. nor even the illustrious Dost
| Mohammed himself, ever showed greater strength
| in government than he has already done. For he
actually occupied the throne as Amer OF Cabul
for fully two years, while his father was in other
parts of the Empire suppressng the rebellion OF
| Isak Khan.
IIabibullah Khan was married five or six years
| ago to the daughter of Mohammed Amin. great
officer of the Cabul Court and army, and shortly
| afterward was formally declared by the Amecr 10
be the heir TO the throne. Such declaration was
necessary. because in Afghanistan strict rule Of
primogeniture does not prevail The Ameer Ab-
durrahman has five legal wives. The first Of them Is
woman of very high rank grandneice, indeed,
Of Dost Mohammed She had only one son, who
would probably have been the heir had he not died
| in boyhood The second wife is childess, and
is the fifth The fourth wife is a royal princess,
and is now the head of the harcm, but her only
| son also died years ago. The only legitimate liV-
ing sons Of the Ameer, therefore, are the two born
| TO him by his third wife, Habibullah and Mas
rullah This third wife, however though legally
| married. has always been looked upon with dis
favor and some contempt, for tie reason that she
was formerly nothing but slave, and MAS brought
TO Cabul in the retnue Of the Amccrs first wife,
| who was her owner. Although her two sons are
the only legitimate sons OF the Ameer, they have
shared tile odium resting upon her, aud various
relatives Of the Ameer have not hesitated to de-
clare that il would be my for either or them
to succeed to the throne. and IN order TO prevent
such succession they long ago attempted TO murder
the two princes. This purpose they did not ac-
complish But tho poisons they administered TO
| the elder Habibullah 30 Affected his nerves az 10
| make him an lncurable stammerer. He has for
this reason been regarded with additional scorn,
| being nicknamed " the sammerer' Had Aodur-
| rahlnan therefore, died without placing HIM IN
power during his lifetime. it would have been most
difficult for Prince IIabibullah 10 make good his
claim TO the throne. The Ameer knew this, ana
partly from love for his eldest son, partly for
State reasons this ruler, who is SO great in the
eyes of Asatics, decided TO establish his declared
heir in power during his own lifetime, aud thus
| to keep away the herd OF pretcndcrs. Vi the
| latter Ishalx Khan, Islander Khan and AyouD
| Khan are the best known in Europe, but they are
| by no means the only ones, or those who have the
best chances outside the present Ameers SONS.
/ +lo will Dba
perform the unprecedented act OF visiting Western
! Europe. should probably be reckoned decidedly
the greatest of all the Amecrs OF Cabul who have
borne sovereignty over Afghanistan There have,
indeed been only six OF them, all Of the Bartkzic
DYNASTY Their predecessors Of the Durani dy-
nasty were called shals, or kings, the last OF
whom fell in 1888. The present title is in accord
with Mohammedan principles namely that Tire
world should be ruled by one Caliph, with Amccrs
as his lieutenants The first Amer was the IA
nous Dost Mohamlned, one Of the greatest men OF
Asia, who aimed 10 make Of the Afghan tribes a
nation that should restore the elories OF those
days when Afghans were the conquerors of all
India He was for a time detnoned and i'm
prisoned by the British but was restored, and in
stead of feeling resentment and seeking revenge,
was ever thereafter stanch friend Of England.
This great sovereign left, however, "A legacy or
trouble TO his people For lie had several wives
and MANY sons His first wife was always his
favorite but for years she childless while his
second wife bore him Afzul and Aim, who Were
therefore his eldest and considered TO be his
rightful heirs After. some years, however the
first and favorite wife bore him three sons. Akbar
Gholam Hyder and Shere Ali; and Dost Mohammed
determined to put these before the others IN the
line of succession. Hence, all the intestine wars
that since have convulsed the Empire. Akbar was
q brilliant soldier, and during his fathers reign
led the army in war with England, and annhi-
lated the forces Of the latter at Jugdulluk Pass.
But he also assassinated the British Ambassador
with his own hand. For this deed his father
never forgavc him, and ultimately put him TO
death with poison. The second of the three IA
vored sons, Golam llyder, died and so Shere Ali
succeeded TO the throne on the death Of Dost
Mohammed Slere Ali hostile to England and
soon became embroed in war and de-
posed. His elder brothers. Afzul, the virtgous
and Aim, the dissolute," then held sway for a
time The former soon died. and the latter was
compelled TO flee az the return of Shere Ali.
Afzul :" the virtrous" left one son, Abdurrahman,
the present Amer, and Aim the dissolutc"
whose wife was an Armenian Christian, left one,
Ishak Khan, who has for years been one Of the
foremost prctcnders 10 the throne. Indeed il was
in his interest that the attempt was made to get
rid of Abdurrahmans sons. il being rcckOned that
he was better entitled TO the throne than liabi |
bullah, the son Of slave. Shere Ali had three
sons. The eldest, Mohammed ALL was KILLED in a
fight with his uncle whercupon Shere Ali, passing |
over the second, Yakoob. made the third. Abdul |
lah Jan. his heir and threw Yakoob into prison.
where the prince was almost killed by cruel treat
ment But when British army invaded the |
country the Amer was glad to release this young
lion and send him to lead the army. Prison life |
had, however wrecked the princes spirit. He |
could no longer control his troops, and the |
massacre of Cayagnari and his comrades occurred |
For this Yakoob was not responsible, but he was