THE SECOND AFGHAN WAR. 1878, 1879, 1880.

Dost Mohammed, our antagonist in the war of 1842, died Ameer of Afghanistan in 1863, and was succeeded by his third son, Shere Ali. His authority was disputed by his brother, but, after a series of bloody conflicts, he, being aided by Sir John Lawrence with arms and money, overcame his rivals, and in 1869 259was sole ruler of Afghanistan. In March of the same year he had an interview at Umballa with Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India, and was granted another subsidy; but not meeting with the succour he desired, Shere Ali returned home in a very suspicious and dissatisfied state of mind. Lord Northbrook, during his Vice-royalty, met the prime minister of Shere Ali at Simla in 1873, who, failing to obtain any positive assurance of support in case of an attack by Russia, his master concluded that his best policy would be to make friends with that power, and he accordingly entered into correspondence with General Kauffman, the Russian commander in Central Asia. In 1877 he refused to allow a British Resident at Cabul, and broke off all communications with the Indian Government, the result being that his annual subsidy was withheld. In June, 1878, a Russian envoy, Stoletoff, with a military escort, was received with honour at Cabul, and a treaty signed, constituting Russia the guardian of the Ameer. Upon this, Lord Lytton sent as envoy to Cabul, Gholam Hussein Khan, with letters to the Ameer informing him of the intention of the Indian Government to send to Cabul an English mission, but the envoy was dismissed with presents, and intercourse with the English declined. A special mission was despatched from Peshawur under Sir Neville B. Chamberlain, commander of the Madras Army, with whom was Major Cavagnari, which proceeded to the fort of Ali Musjid at the entrance of the Khyber Pass, but was there stopped, and threatened with attack if it proceeded further, September 22nd. As the escort with the mission was not strong enough to force a passage, Sir Neville returned to Peshawur. As it was impossible that the Indian Government could submit to see a Russian Envoy received with honour at Cabul, and its own officers refused admission into the country, an ultimatum was sent to Shere Ali, to the effect that if a British Resident was not received at Cabul war would be declared. No answer to this having been received within the time prescribed, November 20th, on the next day war was formally proclaimed. It was decided to invade Afghanistan in three columns, operating by the Khyber and Bolan Passes, and the Kuram Valley. A fourth column, called the Thal-Chotiali Field Force, was placed under the orders of General Donald Stewart in Southern Afghanistan, and a reserve column was formed at Jumrood. The column commanded by General Sir S. Browne, V.C., known as the First Division of the Peshawur Field Force, crossed the frontier the day war was proclaimed, and marched direct upon

260