Chapter II: Preface

Since 1871, when Sir Charles MacGregor drew up a very exhaustive _précis_ of information on Afghanistan for the use of the Government of India, no book dealing with our buffer state in a general manner has been issued. The thirty-five years which have intervened have not been without important contributions to our knowledge of Afghanistan, but those works which have appeared cannot altogether be described as presenting a single comprehensive study of contemporary conditions in the country. In 1886 Lieutenant A. C. Yate, and in 1888 Major C. E. Yate, C.S.I., C.M.G., described in two very interesting volumes the proceedings of the Afghan Boundary Commission. Ten years elapsed before anything of importance appeared, when, by a rare coincidence, two books dealing with Afghanistan saw the light in 1895: Mr. Stephen Wheeler’s admirable account of _The Amir Abdur Rahman_, and that most entertaining and graphic volume, _My Residence at the Court of the Amir_, by the late Amir’s private physician, Dr. A. J. Gray. In 1900 Sultan Mahomed Khan, Mir Munshi to Abdur Rahman, presented to the public his remarkable production, _The Life of Abdur Rahman_, as well as a treatise on _The Constitution and Laws of Afghanistan_. In the following year, 1901, Colonel Sir Thomas Holdich embodied in _The Indian Borderland_ many graceful descriptions of scenery and various centres in Afghanistan while, in 1905, in a series of articles in the _Wide World Magazine_, Mrs. Kate Daly, physician to Habib Ullah’s harem and the Government of Afghanistan, illustrated with many delightful touches a sojourn of _Eight Years Among the Afghans_. These few works practically exhaust contemporary literature on Afghanistan, and it is in an endeavour to provide a more complete record of the subject than has hitherto existed that the author of _Korea_ has compiled this little book. Mistakes are those of his own making; reflections and criticisms arise from his own opinions; but, in hoping that his critics may find something of value in the results of two years’ toil, the author wishes to say that if good qualities exist in it, they are attributable to the encouragement and gracious assistance which he has received and here wishes to acknowledge.

With a view to the careful preparation of this volume the author, after returning to London from the war in Manchuria, visited Central Asia, his travels terminating abruptly in an attack of small-pox contracted from the natives, while he was wandering in the region of the Pamirs. Descending _viâ_ Gilgit to India from the Taghdumbash, twelve months have been spent in the labour of writing, in the examination of a number of works, and in reference to those authorities who are so justly distinguished for their knowledge of the heart of Mid-Asia. In this direction it is perhaps of interest to point out that in order to establish a standard of accuracy, certain chapters have been submitted in page proof to the criticism of this little group of Central Asian experts, and their corrections embodied in its final form. The author very warmly appreciates the help which has in this way been given him, and to Colonel de la Poer Beresford and Captain Charles Bancroft in connection with chaps. i., ii., iii.; to Colonel Sir Thomas Holdich, K.C.I.E., K.C.M.G., C.B., in chap. iv.; to Colonel C. E. Yate, C.S.I., C.M.G., in chaps. v. and vi.; to Colonel Sir Henry McMahon, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., in chap. ix.; to Dr. A. J. Gray, Mrs. Kate Daly, and Major Cleveland, I.M.S., in chaps. xiv. and xv. he is very much indebted, as the indulgent manner in which his inquiries have been received has materially assisted the conclusion of his task.

In other quarters similar help has been given, and the author desires to express his deep obligation to the Secretary of State for India, Mr. Morley, to Mr. John E. Ellis, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for India, to Sir William Lee-Warner, and to Mr. Thomas, of the Political Department, India Office, for the considerate way in which services have been rendered him. The very pleasant hospitality bestowed upon the author by Mr. George Macartney, C.S.I., the representative of the Government of India in Kashgar, Chinese Turkestan; by Mr. L. G. Fraser, the editor of _The Times of India_; by Mr. C. F. Meyer, Standard Oil Company’s Agent in Bombay; by Major Cleveland, in Poona; and by Mr. Ivor Heron-Maxwell, late of Baku in that centre, has provided him with many haunting memories which, in a later volume, will be more suitably described. To Dr. Chalmers Mitchell, Secretary of the Zoological Society of London, and to Mr. J. Bryant Sowerby, Secretary of the Royal Botanic Society, the author is indebted for assistance in compiling the tables of species which illustrate chap. xii.; while to the Librarian of the India Office, and to the Librarian of the Royal Geographical Society, he would express his grateful thanks.

As correspondent to _The Pall Mall Gazette_, and to _The Times of India_ from Central Asia, it is the pleasant duty of the author to acknowledge the permission of Sir Douglas Straight and Mr. L. G. Fraser to make use of certain articles which, although entirely altered and greatly amplified since their original appearance, were first presented in the respective columns of these organs. These extracts, a few brief paragraphs on various pages, are confined solely to the first six chapters of the book. Acknowledgments are also due to the proprietors of that esteemed Indian journal _The Pioneer_, whose London staff permitted the files of their well-known paper to be inspected; to the proprietors of _The Daily Graphic_ for permission to reproduce the block of the Amir’s proclamation, and accompanying translation, appearing on pages 370, 371; to Messrs. Macmillan for the right to reproduce their copper engraving of Dr. A. J. Gray’s painting of the Amir Abdur Rahman; to Baron Herbert de Reuter, Managing Director of Reuter’s Telegram Company, for courteous assistance; to Mr. J. D. Holmes, an Indian photographer of renown, whose unique photographs of the Khyber Pass illustrate chaps. xvi. and xvii.; to Lieutenant Stewart, whose photographs appear in chap. ix.; to Lieutenant Olufsen for the right to reproduce certain interesting photographs from that informative work _Through the Unknown Pamirs_; to Colonel Sir Thomas Holdich for authority to base upon his original sketches enlarged drawings of Herat and Kandahar, by Mr. Percy Home; to Major Cleveland, I.M.S., to whose great credit very many of the illustrations in this volume must be placed; to Major Molesworth Sykes, H.B.M. Consul at Meshed, for photographs appearing in chap. vii.; to Professor Victor Marsden, of Moscow University, for general courtesies; to Captain Charles Bancroft for assistance in translating extracts from papers placed at the author’s disposal by his Excellency Prince Khilkoff, Russian Minister of Railways; to that well-known military novelist, Mr. Horace Wyndham, who has been good enough to assist the author in the revision of his proofs; and to Mr. Thomas Bumpus, of Messrs. J. and E. Bumpus, Limited.

The final, but by no means the least gratifying, duty now remains to be fulfilled. It is concerned with the dedication of this volume which, by special permission, is inscribed:

TO HIM

WHO,

BY THE SPLENDOUR OF HIS GIFTS

AND

THE WISDOM OF HIS RULE,

HAS LEFT

AN INDELIBLE AND MEMORABLE

IMPRESSION

UPON INDIA:

LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON,

G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., P.C.

ETC. ETC. ETC.

AUTHORITIES CONSULTED

The works consulted in the preparation of this volume, including references to the _Encyclopædia Britannica_, embrace most of the well-known writers on Asiatic Russia, Persia, Afghanistan, and the Indian Frontier. Among those of less recent date are the books of Bellew, Connelly, Elphinstone, Ferrier, Lansdell, MacGregor, Marvin, Pottinger, Rawlinson, Vambéry, Wood and Yule.

Contemporary authorities, to which the author is more especially indebted, are as follows:

BRUCE, R. I. _The Forward Policy and its Results_.
CHIROL, VALENTINE _The Middle Eastern Question_.
CURZON, LORD _Russia in Central Asia_.
” ” _Persia and the Persian Question_.
” ” _The Pamirs and the Source of the
Oxus_.
DALY, MRS. KATE _Eight Years among the Afghans_.
GRAY, DR. A. J. _My Residence at the Court of the
Amir_.
HOLDICH, COLONEL SIR T. H. _The Indian Borderland_.
KEANE, A. H. _Asia_.
LANSDELL, H. _Russia in Central Asia_.
OLUFSEN, O. _Through the Unknown Pamirs_.
ROBERTS, FIELD MARSHAL LORD _Forty-one Years in India_.
RONALDSHAY, EARL OF _Sport and Politics under an Eastern
Sky_.
” ” ” _On the Outskirts of Empire in Asia_.
SHOEMAKER, M. M. _The Heart of the Orient_.
SKRINE, F. H., and ROSS, E. D. _The Heart of Asia_.
SULTAN MAHOMED KHAN _Laws and Constitution of Afghanistan_.
” ” ” _The Life of Abdur Rahman, Amir of
Afghanistan_.
THORBURN, S. S. _The Punjab in Peace and War_.
YATE, A. C. _England and Russia Face to Face_.
YATE, C. E. _Kurasan and Seistan_.
” ” _Northern Afghanistan_.

Together with scientific papers, lectures and articles by:

COLONEL DE LA POER BERESFORD.
MAJOR CLEVELAND.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR EDWIN COLLEN.
MRS. KATE DALY.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR EDMOND ELLES.
SIR LEPEL GRIFFIN.
MISS LILLIAS HAMILTON.
COLONEL SIR THOMAS HOLDICH.
COLONEL SIR HENRY MACMAHON.

And including all Parliamentary, Consular, and other official publications, the files of _The Times_, _Morning Post_, _Standard_, _Daily Chronicle_ in England; and _The Pioneer_, _Times of India_, and _Indian Daily News_ in India; besides the more prominent Continental organs.

ROYAL SOCIETIES CLUB, ST. JAMES’S
_June 1, 1906_.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. THE ORENBURG-TASHKENT RAILWAY 1

II. THE KHANATE OF BOKHARA, THE PROVINCE OF SAMARKAND,
THE DISTRICTS OF TASHKENT AND MERV 25

III. FROM TASHKENT TO MERV 58

IV. THE NORTHERN BORDER AND THE OXUS RIVER: ITS
CHARACTER, TRIBUTARIES AND FORDS 81

V. THE MURGHAB VALLEY RAILWAY 110

VI. THE MURGHAB VALLEY 131

VII. HERAT AND THE WESTERN BORDER 147

VIII. KANDAHAR 178

IX. SEISTAN AND THE MCMAHON MISSION 211

X. PROVINCES AND DISTRICT CENTRES, ETHNOGRAPHICAL
AND OROLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION 242

XI. ADMINISTRATION, LAWS AND REVENUE 269

XII. TRADE: INDUSTRIES AND PRODUCTS 288

XIII. ARMY, FORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 308

XIV. KABUL: ITS PALACES AND COURT LIFE 342

XV. KABUL AND ITS BAZAARS 376

XVI. ANGLO-AFGHAN RELATIONS 400

XVII. ANGLO-AFGHAN RELATIONS (_continued_) 427

APPENDICES

I. NAMES OF STATIONS ON THE ORENBURG-TASHKENT
RAILWAY 461

II. (A) LIST OF STATIONS FROM TASHKENT TO MERV, WITH
DISTANCES FROM KRASNOVODSK AND TASHKENT 463

II. (B) MURGHAB VALLEY RAILWAY: LIST OF STATIONS
FROM MERV TO KUSHKINSKI POST, WITH DISTANCES
FROM KRASNOVODSK AND MERV 464

III. TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS 465

IV. THE TREATY OF GANDAMAK, ETC. ETC. 466

V. TIME TABLES OF THE OXUS FLOTILLA 519

VI. RETURN OF ARTICLES EXPORTED FROM RUSSIA TO
KHORASSAN DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 21, 1903, TO
MARCH 20, 1904, COMPARED WITH 1900-03 522

VII. RETURN OF ARTICLES EXPORTED FROM KHORASSAN
TO RUSSIA DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 21, 1903, TO
MARCH 20, 1904, COMPARED WITH 1900-03 526

VIII. RETURN OF ARTICLES EXPORTED FROM AFGHANISTAN TO
KHORASSAN AND SEISTAN DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 21,
1903, TO MARCH 20, 1904, COMPARED WITH 1900-03 529

IX. RETURN OF ARTICLES EXPORTED FROM KHORASSAN AND
SEISTAN TO AFGHANISTAN DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 21,
1903, TO MARCH 20, 1904, COMPARED WITH 1900-03 531

X. RETURN OF ARTICLES EXPORTED FROM INDIA TO KHORASSAN
_viâ_ THE SEISTAN ROUTE DURING THE PERIOD
MARCH 21, 1903, TO MARCH 20, 1904 534

XI. RETURN OF ARTICLES EXPORTED FROM KHORASSAN TO
INDIA _viâ_ THE SEISTAN ROUTE DURING THE PERIOD
MARCH 21, 1903, TO MARCH 20, 1904 535

XII. TRADE VALUE OF THE SEISTAN ROUTE COMPARED WITH
COMPETING ROUTES 536

XIII. AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND JAPAN 537

XIV. CHRONOLOGICAL SKETCH OF AFGHAN HISTORY 540

INDEX 547

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Lord Curzon of Kedleston _Frontispiece_

Market-cart, Orenburg 1

Tomb in the Market-place, Samarkand 3

Palace of the Governor, Baku 5

The Picturesque Camel 6

The Shir Dar Medresse, Samarkand 7

On the Road in Asia 9

Kirghiz Elders 17

Kirghiz Women 19

Native Quarter, Tashkent 21

Shir Dar, Samarkand 25

The Amir of Bokhara on Palace Steps 27

The Gates of Bokhara 31

The Prison, Bokhara 35

The Minar Kalan, Bokhara 36

The Ark, Bokhara 37

The Tomb of Tamerlane, Samarkand 41

Samarkand--the Hour of Prayer 44

Samarkand--a Bird’s-eye View 45

Sobornaya Boulevard in Tashkent 47

Bazaar Scene 51

Breaking Camp on Manœuvres, Tashkent 53

Native Quarter, Tashkent 58

Koran Stand, Samarkand 58

Peasants from the Golodnaya Steppe 60

The Column of Tamerlane, Samarkand 63

The Registan, Samarkand 65

Throne-Room--Palace of the Amir of Bokhara 68

Amir’s Palace, Bokhara 70

The Dervishes of Bokhara 72

The Kara Kum--Black Sands 76

Mosque at Bairam Ali 77

The Gur Amir 78

The Military Quarter, Merv 80

The Amu Daria Bridge 81

Near the Source of the Oxus 83

The Valley of the Oxus 83

Beside the Oxus 87

The Wakhan Valley 87

Type from Wakhan 89

Bridge over the Upper Oxus 90

Difficult Going 92

Village on the Lower Oxus 95

Petro Alexandrovsk 99

Native Church at Khiva 101

Temple on the Banks of the Oxus 103

The Shrine of Hazrat Ali 105

Village on the Middle Oxus 107

Street Scene, Andijan 110

A Notable Gathering 113

On the Central Asian Railway 115

School Children 118

Hindu Traders at Pendjeh 120

Native Water-Sellers 123

Khorassan Dervish 125

The Murghab Valley Railway 127

Native School 130

The Russian Cossack on the Afghan Border 131

Tamarisk Scrub in the River Valley 133

Bokharan Traders at Pendjeh 139

The Russo-Afghan Boundary 141

Meshed Traders at Pendjeh 143

Gandamak Bridge, where the Famous Treaty was signed 151

Plan of Herat 153

A Street Shrine 155

The Irak Gate 159

Herat Citadel 163

Kitchen in Native House 165

Household Utensils 167

A Caravansary Compound 170

Religious Festival on the Perso-Afghan Border 171

Afghan Post at Kala Panja 175

A Water Seller 177

Typical Street Scene 180

Crossing the Helmund River 183

Constructing the Quetta-Nushki Line 188

Plan of Kandahar 191

The Walls of Kandahar 195

Always a popular and central Meeting-place 199

Typical Street Scenes 207

Carrying Cotton to Market 210

Camel Bazaar, Nasratabad 212

Lakeside Dwellers 214

The Native Staff attached to the Mission 215

Officers of the McMahon Mission 217

Baluchistan Camel Corps 220

Baluchi Chiefs who accompanied Colonel McMahon 221

Gates at Nasratabad 224

The Walls at Nasratabad 225

Bazaar Scene, Nasratabad 227

Dâk Bungalow on the Nushki Route 236

Infantry with the Persian Commissioner 238

The Persian Commissioner 240

A Caravan of Pack-Ponies 242

Women pounding Grain 245

A Baluchi Shepherd 248

Elders from Wakhan 251

Kasi Khoda da of Ishkashim 261

Children from the Upper Oxus 265

A Mountain Village 268

Entrance to Amir’s Pavilion at Jelalabad 269

Tomb of the Emperor Baber near Kabul 272

Spinning Cotton 275

A Customs Station in the Plains 285

Abdur Rahman’s Memorial to the Soldiers who fell in
the War of 1878-1880 287

Caravan of Wool and Cotton 288

Cotton Fields under Irrigation from the Amu Daria 299

Across the Passes 307

Typical Afghan Fortress 310

Picket of the Household Troops 313

Troop of Cavalry 315

Men of the Amir’s Bodyguard 317

Infantry in Parade State 319

Patrols of Household Troops 322

Infantry on the March 325

Miss Brown, Physician to the Amir’s Harem 342

Winter Palace of the Amir 348

Amir’s Summer Residence--Indikki Palace 351

Major Cleveland, I.M.S. Physician to the Amir of
Afghanistan 354

Mrs. Cleveland 355

His Highness Prince Nasr Ulla Khan 361

The Amir’s Bodyguard 363

His Highness Habib Ullah, Amir of Afghanistan 367

A Proclamation 370

Major Cleveland’s Residence at Kabul 375

The famous Cage on the Summit of the Lataband Pass 376

Weighing Wood in the Bazaar 377

Playground of Amir’s School, Kabul 381

Afghan Women 383

A Saint’s Tomb 385

The Bala Hissar Kabul 389

Remains of the Roberts Bastion at Shirpur 393

Bazaar Children 398

In the Khyber Pass 400

Abdur Rahman’s Palace at Jelalabad 404

The Road to Lundi Khana, Khyber Pass 412

Ali Masjid Fort 420

Jamrud Fort 426

Jamrud Fort 428

Caravansary at Dakka 430

Grounds of Palace occupied by the Dane Mission 437

Takht-i-Rawan 447

Festival in Honour of the Dane Mission 453

Scene of the Audiences between Habib Ullah and
Sir Louis Dane 455

Escort outside the Gate of the Quarters occupied by
the Dane Mission 457

The Walls of Bokhara 458

Map of Afghanistan _At end_