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Show A FUHAiN ISTAH,. Great Britaiu line cenaiil threatening threaten-ing the monarch ol Afghanistan, finding that menaces were of no avail, and has fairly inaugurnted what promises to become r lerriblo war id Shere AU'a country. As a rule it ia bad policy for iuclividunU or governments to tliro.it en, m resistance or uon-complianco involves, of necessity, neces-sity, tho exoroise of force, or a rotrao j lion, nii weakeaing ibat cannot be ', otherwiE? tiiau. humiliating. England" Eng-land" biia twice told tho Aiyhan ruler what it would do in case he refused to apologize for Ufa 1 insult ' in turning back au envoy visiting hid country Bathe Ba-the representative of a friendly power; aud-trrice has the yacer treated theee threats with defiunt scorn. Now that diplomacy has failed war baa b?cn substituted, and a considerable army ia advancing toward Cabul, Iho , Afghan capital, for tho purpose of carrying into effect tho British promises prom-ises in tho premise;,' . Notwithstanding Notwithstand-ing England's bolcl front and prompt action, that powor baa no atomacb for the work it baa undertaken. It cortainly must havo in mind tho :tornble yenra from lbov to Ibid, when euch frightful scenes were enacted under circumstances not unlike those that have led to tho present conflict. Suspected Russian intrigue was at the bottom of the previous" war as it hrof . the present. To counteract the dangerous dan-gerous inflaonce of tbo northern empire the British Indian government advanced through the Kbyber pass, U3 it-baa done "now,- and proceeding to conquer the country, put a prince upon tho throne of Afnanistan who was favorable to British interests. A finely .equipped army of 8,000 men was left -to maintain in hie position this newly installed monarch (Shah' Shugi) but the re,mlt was not as anticipate:!. Little more than two yera bad passed when the people revolted almost to u man, and with savage cruelty put to death ib-j Brit- 'ieh authorities. Tue garrison, which hid been increased to 10,000 men, and uugmcnted by a many more camp followers, was reduced to a helpless condition and obliged to capitulate, first surrendering its artillery, ar-tillery, paying a luro sum of money, and leaving as hostage the married men of the army with their families. Perhaps the military history of, threat Britain contains no mora humiliating account than the fatory ol this affair, filled as it ia with tho bloody defeat. The troops were foiced to undertake the march of evacuation in midwinter, mid-winter, and dispite the cruel terms of tho capitulation the Bavage Algl an hordes attacked tbo retiring army in the mountain passes, killing and capturing without limit or mercy. It iB related ttiat of one detachment numbering 4,500 soldiers when it marched out of Cabul, only one per-aon, per-aon, Dr. Bryden, reached British India. In-dia. The other detachments were lc33 unfortunate, but ooly a emill percentage of the 26,000 soula who began the march got out ol the country. Britain could not afford to sutler euch a humiliating stain upon her mil.tiry record, and afterward inflicted in-flicted a terrible reeuge, once more taking poeaestnon of Afghanistan. Not being able to bold it, tiie English army auu retired, in better order, however, than on the previous occasion. Wi'.h the recollecinn of these events freub in the English mind, it may well be imagined that Britain was free to give toe ameer ample opportunity to rttire frjm his offensive position before resorting to extreme meaeures. Afghanistan is a powerful nation, more from the geographical position of the country and i a "formation," as the minera would ay, than from the number of its people. The population popu-lation doee not exceed 8,000,000 and the 6tati ia about ono half larger than Utah tirritory. It lies between Persia and India, and south of Turkestan, and occupies a position that ia highly important to Russia and British India. Neither can with safety lit the other have it without Bufleriog a constant menace to its own A-i .tic possessions. The people are in large prt mountaineers, and, like ail inhabitants of mountainous countries are hardy, brave, and to a large decree independent and liberty -loving. They are martial in their nature aud cus'oms, and are not a race that would readily submit to conquest. con-quest. AlghanirUn h rich in agriculture, agri-culture, yielding bounteously of grai as, vegetabl 'a and Iruits, tho products of the soil embracing almost everything that can be fuund in the temperate and tropical zones. The A'ghanB are eminently a eelf-austaining race, and in their primitive way, carry on an citeusive and profitable export trade with tho eurrounding countries of Persia, Hiudostan and Tarlary. The face of the country makea it a natural ttronghold, tbo mountains furnishing eflictive protection against an iuva.iing army. Willi' euch a people aud in auch a country it would be root difficult to c mquer and re tain possession of the territory, as an army that no power would cre to maintain would be oeeessary to protect itajlf and .ne town-, aud cities against pndatory assaults from the mountain triUs. O! course, Eugluotr must necessarily beeuuce?aful in its present undertaking of forcing an apology from the ameer. Britain has gone too fa: ti recede, short of success or the I js.t of itj prcs'.igo aud all that ib valu it!c in India. At what cost Shero A i'a humiliation can be brought about depends upon the desperation des-peration and degree of nerve that he manifests, and tho assistance rendered rend-ered him by Russia. Whether, after puuiflhing the ameer for his insolence and unfriendly manifestation in turning turn-ing his back upon the British envoy, England will conclude to make the war ono of conquest, at the risk of encountering the armed opposition of Russia, as well as sustaining a con titan t and expensive warfare at the hands of unconquerable and aemi-barbaroua aemi-barbaroua tribes, remains to be seen. It ia hardly 10 be presumed that she will, provided the ameer can be coerced co-erced through fear into manifesting a show of friendship. |