Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-09-04

as factor il the Iudia question:; today
she stands it very different position as
anyone who has read the works Of Schuy-
ler McGahan, O'Donovan and Burnaby
clearly. understands Her railroads, mainly
built by the government for military pur-
poses, extend from Moscow to Merry,
which is within easy striking Of Hera5
usually called the gateway to India. Ac-
CESS to the vast regions through which
this great road extends can only be had
by permission of and under the direction
of the Russian government, and SO secret
ly are all military movements guarded
that large army can be concentrated
near Merry unknown to the outside world.
On the other hand England lies at the
other side of the world from India and
even by using the Suez canal could not
begin to compete with her Russian an
tagonist in pushing reinforcemsnts to
the front; thus she would have to rely
largely on her Indian levies and with the
recollection of the Sikh and Sepoy
mutnies fresh in her memory, implicit
reliance could not be placed on them. In
Russian invasion of India, Afghanistan
standing Ms we recently pointed out di-
rectly between the Russian and English
at a,Yyn
point of the greatest Importance. Onee
firmly held by Russia she could hurl her
troops with ease from Herat down on H.
dia, this England could not permit with
out immense loss of prestige and couse-
quently every effort'has been made by
both parties to enlist the good will of the
Emir, and he like his brother Mahomet-
an, on the Bosphorus, plays his game
with great skill. Whatever is the cause
of the present insurrection there can be
no doubt that Russia will be the gamer.
The seizure Of the English forts in the
Khyber Pass is matter of the greatest
Importance as through it is the only road
to Afghanistan. AS it will be often re-
ferred to in the near future the following
description will be interesting:
1.-THE Khyber Pass, down which the
Afridis are pouring, on their way to jam
rood, ia defile 20 miles long, running
from Jamrood to Dakka. The entrance
to the pass at Jamrood is between two
cliffs about 1000 feet in height, and the
road is fanked by misunderstanding
rocks, without sign of vegetation.
Eight miles from the eastern entrance
to the pass stands the picturesque little
fort of Ali Musjid. At this point the de-
file is only $50 feet wide. The fort stands
on q conical hill which overlooks the val
ley. For two and o half miles beyond
Ali Musjid the detile retains it's difficult
character, the width of the gorge varying
from 200 to 400 feet, and the hills on
either side, about 1,500 feet in height, be-
ing to all appearances inaccessible.
beyond this section comes the Lala
Beg valley, six miles in length and mile
and half in breadth. At the western
end of the valley the road contracts again
till there is scarcely room for two meet
ing camels to pass.
"The traveller then enters the section
shown as the Lundi Khana Pass, in which
is situated the village of the same name,
which the British now hold, brs, accord
ing to dispatches, will be obliged to
abandon temporarily.
"The assent is over such narrow and
rugged path thst guns can be drawn up
-only by two men, and by them only after
the road has been carefully prepared"
This from a recent London dispatch
tells who the Afridis are:
"The most welcome news to the patri-
otto Hindoos in the present uprising lies
in the fact that the Afridis have Joined
the revolt. They are the most powerful
tribe on the border of the Punjab, and
can muster $4,000 fighting men.
The other tribes, most of whom are in
revolt, are the Jordans and Bonerwa,s.
numbering 5000 fighting men; the Svatis,
5000; the Utman Khels, 5000; the Mob
munds, 10000"
The emir of Afghanistan has been called
on by the English government to prevent
his Afridis and other Afghan tribes from
joining the hostiles in and around the
khyber pess, he replies that he has re-
called them but it would seem as If the
call was not loud enough to reach them as
they have not returned. In the meantime
the car winks the other eye, hobnobs
with President Faure, drinks to the
French Russian alliance and holds mys-
terions conferences with the said president
which the diplomatic quid nuncs Of Eug-
land would give their ears to understand.
We do not wish to see the great powers
at war, but if they will fight, we must be
ne'ghborly and supply them with all the
bread stuffs they can buy. "It's an ill
wind that blows nobody good"