Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-14
CHITRAL CAMPAIGN,
rxcLayp.s FOES on THE NORTH
ERx FRONTIER OF INDIA.
only N Leader Needed TO Unite 1sO,-
600 Fighting Men-Russia Watch
,r~ Exent.-rhe Expedition Eng
lnud Has Sent to Punish the Tribes
Ct. F. Hughes. in New York SUM

IT. F. Hughes. in New York SUM-
Tho news received that Colonel Battye,
J the commander OF the Guide Corps mas
| fallen In action when on the military eA-
| nodit,on 10 Chitral, is u remarkable cir
| cun,stauce and coincidence. Ii was on
| Apr,l 2. 1872 that l buried this dstin-
| guished officers brother on the plains OF
| Jallalabad. where he had fallen leading
| a cavalry charge at the battle OF Fatte-
| babsd. Since my return from the re-
| shawar frontier another brother. Colonei
| pirbrond Battye. was killed in action
| in a mountain expedition when command
1 ing the Fifth Goorkhas. An eiuer
| brother. whose name do not remem-
her fell at the siege OF Delhi, and died
| with the words, PRO Dec ct Patria,' on
| his lips. There is another brother,
| Colonel Battye. who was Postmaster
| General In India, and who. having served
| his country for thirty years or more in
| a foreign cline, retired upon a pension.
| Whether he Is living at the present
| time cannot say. These five distin-
| guished officers are sons of gentleman
| residing I'm Brighton. England, whom
| met not very long after l had buried his
| son Wigram. who then said. having at
| that time lost two sons on the battle
field. that il was his greatest pride 10
have sons live and die in his countrys
service This is the stun OF which
Britishers are made, and we cannot Won
der that Great Britain is proud OF her
military sons.
| As | resided for twenty years within
a few miles Of the Chitral frontier 1t
NAV be of interest to the readers Of the
sun II I give some Information regard
ing the people and country into which
the British Government has found II
necessary to send an expedition of noun
tain artillery and 1900 soldiers.
IMPORTANCE OF THE EXPEDITION.
The Importance Of one OF these expedi-
tons can scarcely be estimated by those
who are not acquainted with the condi-
tiOns OF the Afghan-British frontier
Whenever the Government OF India
moves its troops across the Pershawar
frontier II is confronted with several
| political considerations and anxieties.
| First, there is the overwhelming Wies-
| ton as to what will be the effect on the
| Central Asia policy of Russia in the
L
| equally important question as to what
| will be the attitude of the Amer. of
| Afghanistan under such conditions, for
| the people of Chtral are all Afghans,
| speaking Pushtu. the Afghan language,
| ard connected with the Afghans within
| the British frontier. as well as within
| the Ameer's territory by knship and in
| termarriage. These two points have been
| dwelt upon by a writer in the London
| Spectator, who says:
| THANKS TO the enlightenment of the
present ruler Of Afghanstan. England's
| relations with that country are becoming
| more satisfactory than they have ever
| yet been; but II is just as essential that
1 she should be on satisfactory terms with
| the warllke tribes who inhabit the noun
| famous districts between Afghanistan
| and India. II will not do to leave them
| 10 themselves until the time arrives when
| England shall need their assistance. or
| at all events their neutrality. Before
| that time comes they should have learn
ed 10 look upon the English as friends
| and TO appreciate the benefit which civ
ilized intercourse will confer upon them
| Moreover. it is all important that the
| English should be able TO pass through
| their territory. and make roads to those
| points which they would have to occupy
In the event OF India being threatened
| by foreign power
This writer places before his readers.
| in a few words, the great importance Of
| the present military expedition so far as
ii affects the Central Asian policy Of the
| British Government. But there is another
| contingency which has also TO be con-
| sidered In n frontier war among the
| Afghan tribes. And that Is the crcum-
stance that the northwest frontier Of
British India. extending from the River
indus TO the Indian Ocean, is encrcled
by a range OF country occupied by UNI
civilized fighting tribes. who are domi-
| mated by neither the Ameer Of Kabul
nor the Indian Government. Taking those
tribes between the frontier of the Pun
jab and the slopes of the Hndoo Koosh
as far az the Pamirs, II is estimated I'm
a table drawn up by Sir Lepel Griffin.
| who, as Foreign Secretary 10 the Gov
| eminent Of India, must be regarded as a
| high authority, that there pre- 10000
| fighting men. North of Dera Ghazi
| Khan, which Is nearly three hundred
| miles south Of Peshawar. they are of
Afghan blood and Afghan speech. To
| the south they are of Belooch extraction.
Now. in the event of jihad. or Mos
lem religious war. being proclaimed. II
| Is very evident that the British army
| may he brought face TO face with an
| enemy numbering 200000 fighting men
And in the event Of defeat II is probable
that a revolution i'm Afghanlstan would
take place. and thus the very safety of
the British empire in India would be
| threatened.
II is well known that It is upon such
a contingency that Russia, Britain's
| great rival in Asia. keeps an eye. No one
acquainted with Central Asian politics
doubts the possibility of such con-
tingency. All that these Afghan tribes
need is leader. In the absence of such
| Il leader they are divided force
AS TO THE COUNTRY.
The region into which the British troops
have marched is known as Kashgar or
Chitral. and lies north OF the mill
| tary station OF Peshawar and west
of the Swat Valley, in which for pc
|, Rod OF fifty years the celebrated Ak
hound Of Swat swayed great
| spiritual influence over the minds of the
| Mohammedans of the world. Ii Is east
| OF katiristan, an interesting mountain
| region occupied by people regarding
| whose origin much has been written
for il is thought that the Kafrs are
| descended from the camp followers Of the
| armies Of Alexander the Great when he
made his celebrated march into India
as far as the banks OF the Hydaspes.
| Vt TIE iuputfn river Jntetutu. lHltTdi,
| the principal town OF the territory bear
Ing the same name, Is situated about
500 feet above the level of the sea on
the southern slopes Of that grand and
| almost impossible frontier of India known
as the Hindu Koosh mountains. The
| Dora Pass is the highway through which
a Russian army would move on to India
| should an invasion be attempted other
wise than through the Kingdom OF At
| glianistan. and 1t is on this account that
so much importance has been attached
to the present expedition. The stronghold
OF Chtral must be about POO miles due
| north Of the advanced British post, Pes
| hawar, where there are stationed lin
GLIDING tls troops at Nowshera and
| HotD three English regiments. three bat
teries of artillery, five native infantry
regiments. and three regiments OF native
| cavalry, making force OF 1900 men.
| Hot is the headquarters OF the historic
| Guide Corps. founded by Colonel Lumd-
sen. and which, in the present expedition.
was commanded by the lamented Colonel
Battye. The independent tribes-o OF Bajaor.
| numbering 5000 fighting men. occupy
the country between the British frontier
and Chitral Jalalabad Is within the ter
| ritory Of the Ameer OF Afghanistan, and
is one Of the most important military
stations of the Afghan ruler. The