Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1879-10-04 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

TROOPS.  A letter from the Kuram Valley force, dated Aug. ~19, to the Cakedla Englishnwn, says: I regret to have to state that cholera has at length made its appearance amongst the troops iis the Kuram Valley. The ' artillery have had a very sharp attack of it, sixteen cases and eight deaths up to the end of last week. F. A., R. H. A., has gone for a change towards Kuram. The 12th Bengal Cavalry has suffered too, and other corps have not escaped scatheless. It is believed that the disease will not be likely to spread ,to the troops at the Hotel or Aliklusyl. The filth have been suffering from a very severe out, break of typhoid fever ; they have left Blank' he'd and gone into camp at Gundi Wandi, near the Hots!. At Alikheyl the troops have been rejoicing in the varied descriptions of their ailments. Erysipelas, scarlatina, diphtheria, have shown themselves. The cases have not been numerous or of a grave type. The general health of the force, judged by the number of sick in hospital and attending, can hardly be said to be good. With some regiments, the exposure they endured last winter may be assigned as a cause. Exposure in single fly tents, and the neglect of sanitary precautions when we first came up, is perhaps the more likely one. I wished to send a telegram the other day informing you that the Ghilzais, on the road between here and Cabul, were robbing the travellers on it, but was prevented. There being no likelihood of a similar occurrence in future, I will not enter more fully into the matter. The matter I wished to telegraph about has bven noted by Captain Connolly and Mr. Christie, our politicals, and I presume has also been reported to Sir Louis Cavagnun. There is shad feeling against the English shown even here, where the force is no overwhelming no one is safe out of camp without an escort. Men cutting wood, herding cattle, ke., have to be guarded. Knives have bees drawn on officers when walking in the immediate vicinity of the camp. An unfortunate dooly bearer, though with an escort, was shot and mutilated a few hundred yards from the outlying picket; his head was nearly severed from the body, and he was otherwise mutilated. Captain Connolly went in search of the murderers and arrested two men, one with a bloody knife and the other a recently discharged gun. They are now in durance vile in the guardroom. Last night nine shots were fired into camp—a mere point of etiquette to let the prisoners know that they were not forgotten. " Every bullet has its billet," no they say; luckily none of them had been told off for a habitat in any of our vilia corpora. At Karatiga the Mangals threaten to come down and attack the new semi we are building; they vow not a atone shall be left on a stone. Twentyfive Gurkhas hare been sent off for the protection of the building and the workmen engaged on it. The walls are now about seven feet high. We all know of what good stuff the Ghurka is made; yet twenty-five men, at such a distance from supports, do appear tempting the Mangals, if not Providence, as the post is commanded from the hills all around. In article 39 of the report of the treaty it is stated that the Treaty of Gandamak had provided for the immediate construction of the telegraph line to Cabul. It would appear that that is the only pro. vision made, and a few months hence King Snow will make provision to the contrary, not to speak of the Ghilsam, who treat travellers in the style of the fine old Afghan gentleman of not many months ago. Padishah Khan stops the way; of overt acts he will not be guilty yet; but if Yakub has promised to keep the roadopen, let him do so, as the Ghilsais don't declare to the contrary. Other chiefs are taking the same attitude, and in the north Rebellion—if such it can be called where fealty has not been acknowledged—is raising its gory head to avoid the counsel. of Yakoob and Sir Louis Cavagnari. Alliance with the English, with all its advantages, be. its drawbacks. Fanaticism leagues with each discOnted chief to band the rabble against Yakoob. He isle the position in which a single disaster might lead to his overthrow.