On the morning of the 24th of July Sir Louis Cavagnari entered Cabul. He was received with every mark of honour, and the crowd through which he passed with his staff behaved in a respectful and orderly manner. The Embassy entered the city on elephants, with a cavalry escort, and outside the city was saluted by a military force, said to consist of two batteries of artillery, some cavalry, and nine in. fantry regiments, the bands playing the national anthem. Even those who have most zealously and poreistently opposed the Afghan policy of Lord Lytton, admit that no better man than Major Cavagnari could have been selected to fill the difficult post of Resident, and the Friend of India, a journal conspicuous as we need scarcely remind our readers for its bitter hostility to the Government, declared "that there was good ground for hoping that he would be able to overcome the invetorate dislike of the Cabulese to the presence of the Feringheo stranger and to cold act with success, and with honour to himself, the delicate and im. portant business committed to his charge." In less than two months from the day of the triumphal entry into the city, the new Resident has been attacked and possibly killed in a mutiny, which, for some unexplained reason, has broken out amongst the excitable population of Cabul. As far as we can judge from the brief notes farnished us by the telegram, Yakoob Khan has been loyal to us, and has exerted himself to resist the mutineers, but all his efforts have been in vain, and at last, after a stubborn resistance, the Residence was stormedand captured. "Rolinble natives report that they have seen the bodies of British officers at Cabul." This is all we know.
Though the objects of the campaign appeared a few weeks ago to have been achieved, it was clear that some uncertainty existed in the minds of the authorities as to the trustworthiness of the tribes; for though directly the Treaty of Gandamak was signed, orders for the return of the expeditionary force were issued, very strong brigades were left at suitable points within the new frontier line. Sir Donald Stewart's division was left at Candabar, and it was not intended that it should commence its retrograde move. ment until October. Three British regiments of Infantry and a strong native force were left in the Kuram Valley. Lundi Kotal, our western. most post on the Khyber line, was garrisoned by two line corps, with an equal number of native battalions and three batteries of artillery. Thus the Government has not burried away the army, and left the newly acquired territory over confidently without troops to guard it. All the arrangements indicate that we were not over certain as to the temper of the natives—a fact which seems confirmed by the harried return of General Roberts from Simla. The name of Afghanistan, has been associated with nothing but disaster to Englishmen. On the present occasion we have had not only to contend against
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.