Show ENGLAND englard aub TAN TJ N again AGAIN there are rumors of war the dispatches from europe indicate a serious rupture between the ameer of afghanistan and the british government the ameer has haa been for some years in receipt of a subsidy from england the object of the payment being to secure bla good feelings and prevent an alliance between him and the czar of russia great britaina Brit ains natural enemy in the east quite recently the british government ern ment fearing that russia was extending its indu influence ence into afghanistan hani stan sent a special embassy to the ameer but to the astonish ment of the ambassadors and the indignation of the government from which they were accredited their journey to cabool was intercepted at keyber khyber pass by an afghanistan hani hanl stan officer with his retinue lie ho was informed that the ameer would bo be held responsible for his doings and that they would be e regarded as the acts of his monarch bud but the passage was held against the english officials and they retired to namrood Jam rood the latest newa news Is that england is forwarding troops towards the frontier and that they will be concentrated at lahore the probability ia Is that war will be the result in which the ameer will receive secret if not open support from the czar it is biot not at atall hii bil unlikely however that beacon afield is seeking a pretext for the enlargement of the possessions sess bess lons ions of his sovereign as em p press ress of india anda and will j jump u mp a at t the chance chadde of bf invading afghanistan and adding tho province of cabool to the already immense territory known as british Bri tiati india it ft is well known that russia has been pushing towards this point having secured khiva aud and Taah weah kend and aiming at complete military rinea lines from the obus to the indus success in inthia this thia direction would enable the ambitious muscovite to draw together an asiatic army outnumbering the indian troops of great britain this would be a i standing menace against england and would necessitate the increase of her indian army at I 1 immense cose cost which means increased taxa tion tj on with this view of the matter it ignot is not unlikely likely that there ia is du the report which appeared in the I mondon jondon times that the ameer had had bad endeavored to induce the dorte porte to conclude an alliance with russia an envoy of the czar cezaris Is located at cabool and although it ds not at all probable that turkey being under treaty obligations to Mn england gland giand will listen for a moment to such a proposition propositions there tap sap appears pears to be real grounds for fort immediate and decisive action on the ithe part of the british government afghanistan lies to the northeast of tot and adjoining british india its area Is neary neaily nearly square miles eort Tort porticos fons lons of it are desert and some of its mountains reach a height of oooo feet but its valleys are very mery very fruitful and the country La abounds bounds in rich mine raia rala it is in habit edby a number of warlike tribes who have shown great capacity d tv t v for fighting in former conflicts with england in 1839 the british government espoused the cause of chah who had bad been expelled from the kingdom and succeeded in penetrating into afghanistan and capturing cabool but this expedition cost the indian U U J i s I 1 treasury over bix six million dollars and was followed by insurrections which nearly resulted in the des truc tion of the british forces who had to be withdrawn but some portions odthe of the army being in possession besta Besia lion jion of and Can dahar where they were harassed by the afghans the british under general pollock forced the keyber khyber pass and again took cabool shah soo boo jah jab however had been murdered and the british finally marched back to india and left the afghans to themselves keyber khyber pass casais is situated in the northeast cotner coiner of afghanistan and la Is the only northern pass from into that country which la Is available for artillery its slate cliffs arise to nights bights of from to 1000 feet and the road is narrow and dangerous lahore where the british troops are now I 1 pre preparing parin 9 for their headquarters la Is the capital of the aub and is nearly miles from the khyber fass pats it has a population ot about and sad Is walled and arel artl nied fied england will not invade afghanistan without a terrible struggle and will have to watch bussian russian L intrigue U in her established indian possession possessions Q while waging war with the ameer for there are other rulers in the east who are far from friendly at heart with the great power which rules over BO so vast a territory and would not be slow if a fair opportunity offered to join with the afghan king and the czar of russia it if he should have the temerity to show himself in the struggle in an attempt to drive from the peninsula of hindostan hindustan Hind the forces which have dominated that valuable country during the greatest portion of the nineteenth century |