junction with the Bombay force of 5,000 men advancing from Bombay by way of Sinde, under Sir John Keane. Movements of the Bombay 1orce. Conduct of the Ameers. Subsidiary treaty Intimidadation. When the Bombay army landed at Vikhur, on the south coast of Sinde, there seemed every probability of its having to fight its way through the country. As long as the fate of Herát was doubtful, the Ameers, it was alleged, had intrigued deeply with Persia. Persian envoys had been received at their capital, and the British agent, Captain Eastwick, had been insulted, and even threatened with assassination. The Ameers had most reluctantly submitted to the treaty of 1832, which precluded that military stores or troops should pass along the line of the Indus, by land or by water; but they were now informed by the governorgeneral, that in the present emergency, the provisions of this article must be suspended. Before two British armies, one on the north and one on the south, the Ameers were, however, perfectly helpless. They were obliged to pay a proportion of arrears of tribute, which had not been demanded for thirty years, and for which they held Shah Soojah's solemn acquittance, in consideration of a sum of three lacs of executed. rupees, paid to him in 1833; and on the arrival of Sir John Keane's force at Hyderabad, they executed a subsidiary treaty, on February 5, 1839, which had already been prepared, binding them to pay three lacs a year for the support of troops to be stationed in Sinde. It was their only alternative, as Colonel Pottinger informed them, against complete subjection, if not annihilation; and the important fort of Bukkur was obtained from the Ameers of Northern Sinde by Sir Alexander Burnes under similar intimidation. There was no doubt, as Lord Auckland wrote to the Secret Committee, that 'our political and military ascendency in that country (Sinde) is now finally declared and confirmed; but the means employed, and in particular the exaction of the obsolete tribute from the Ameers, and the imposition of a subsidiary treaty, have left these transactions under a stigma which they will never recover. The Bengal and Bombay armies, now united under the command of Sir John Keane, advanced from Sinde into Afghanistan, by the Bolán and Khójuk passes-tremendous narrow defiles between precipices several thousands of feet high. At Quettah, between the Bolán and Khojuk passes, the army halted for a few days, already much straitened for want of provisions; and on the 25th of the same month, Shah Soojah, at the head of his own troops, enthroned at entered Kandahar without opposition, where, on the Kandahar. arrival of the rest of the army, he was formally eathroned on May 8, 1839. Advance by the Bolau pass. Shah Soojah CHAPTER XIV. -THE AFGHAN LORD AUCKLAND'S ADMINISTRATION (continued) — advances on MR. KAYE'S 'Afghan War,' Havelock's narrative, Eyre's narrative of military operations, and other publications, independently of the official documents, give so complete and vivid an account of the progress of events, that varied and interesting as those in Afghanistan were, it is only possible here to give a brief detail of the most important. On June 27, the British army was in a condition to recommence its march from Kandahar upon Kabool; The British and proceeded by way of Ghuzny, the ancient capital ar of Mahmood, the conqueror of India, where it arrived Ghuzny. on July 20. This fortress was found to be much stronger than had been anticipated. The battering guns had been left at Kandahar, and to call them up would have delayed the army for an indefinite period. Ghuzny was strongly garrisoned and well provisioned, and the only hope of reducing it was by a coup de main, directed against one of the gates; the wet ditch, the high escarpment of the eminence on which the walls were built, and the lofty rampart, rendering escalade impossible. On the 21st a reconnaissance was made, and information received from a nephew of Dost The storm Mahomed, of the interior defences. The northern or of Ghuzny. Kabool gate was selected as the point of attack, and during the darkness and stormy condition of the night, 300 pounds of gunpowder, sewed into bags, was placed against the gates without being perceived by the enemy, by Captain Peat of the Bombay Engineers, assisted by Lieutenants Durand and Macleod of the Bengal Engineers, who fixed and lighted the fuse and retired The effect of the explosion was tremendous; the gate was blown in, and Colonel Dennie, at the head of H.M.'s 13th Light Infantry, rushed in. It was still dark, and though the Afghans rallied, and opposed the stormers with much resolution, they were driven back with heavy loss, and at daylight the British flag was hoisted on the citadel. Colonel Sale, who had followed with the main body of attack, was informed by a wounded officer that the advance party had failed, and a retreat was even sounded; but the error was retrieved as soon as made, and all opposition was quickly overcome. Brigadier Sale was, however, severely wounded, and his combat, hand to hand, with a brave adversary, whom he slew, is spiritedly described by Havelock. More than 500 of the enemy had fallen, and 1,600 were taken prisoners, with the governor, Hyder Khan, the brother of Dost Mahomed. The loss of the British army was 180 in killed and wounded, of whom eighteen were officers; and the renown of the victory was enhanced by the moderation and good conduct of the soldiers by whom it was won. Colonel advance by Dost Maho After a halt for a week, the army resumed its progress without opposition; and at the same time Colonel Wade was advancing with the king's forces and the Sikh contingent through the Khyber pass, which was ill defended. These combined operations induced Dost Mahomed to send his brother, Jubbur Khan, to the envoy, Mr. Macnaghten, med treats to negotiate terms of peace. The Ameer proposed to acknowledge Shah Soojah as king, and required that he should be nominated prime minister. These terms were rejected; but the Ameer was promised an honourable residence in India, an alternative which he refused, and unable to rally any force for the defence of Kabool, he left the city on August 2, on his way towards the mountains of Bámian. He was pursued, for peace. The army enters Kabool. though in vain, by Captain Outram. On August 7, the army reached Kabool, and Shah Soojah made a triumphal entry into his capital, after an absence of thirty years in exile. Honours Profuse honours were showered upon many concerned in the expedition. The thanks of the Houses of Parliament conferred by and the Court of Directors were accompanied by the l'arliament. presentation of an earldom to Lord Auckland. Sir John Keane was raised to the peerage; Mr. Macnaghten and Colonel Pottinger were made baronets, and some of the superior officers received the order of the Bath in different degrees. Shah Soojah also established the Dooránee order, in three classes, which was conferred on officers named by him, and struck a medal to be given to all officers and soldiers present at the capture of Ghuzny. The main object of the expedition having been accomplished, the Bombay column was directed to return to India: but the greater part of the Bengal troops remained at Kabool. Tranquillity was not yet assured. Kamrán of Herát was busy with intrigues with Persia and Russia, and the Ghilzyes of the mountains were turbulent and disaffected. On its way back, a force from the Bombay column, under General Willshire, was dispatched against Khelát, which was captured by him, in a spirited assault, on November 13. Mehráb Khan, its chief, was killed in its defence, with 400 of his adherents, and 2,000 were taken prisoners. Other operations Khelát captured. Other achieve ments. |