CABOOL AND CENTRAL ASIA.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9, 30 January 1869, Page 4

CABOOL AND CENTRAL ASIA.

The following from the Calcutta Enrjlish1 man, of the 11th of November, furnishes a 1 pleasant picture of life in Central Asia : — Ncvr^s has arrived from Bokhara, (hat the Russian I General has forbidden the Poshawur and Bokhara merchants, who deal in English goods, to .sell such goods for tho future. They arc also forbidden to ? import them The merchants and others waited on tho Ameer of Bokhara, and declared that they would be ruined by such an order being carried into effect. They represented that they had a lack of rupees' worth of goods on hand, and that it would be hard ' indeed to prevent their selling these. They asked \ leave to return from Bokhara and Turkestan, where their trade was altogether stopped. On hearing this, the Ameer wrote to the Russian General, and sent a confidential officer, called Sad-haslii, with the letter, asking for counsel. The General replied, he would approve of whatever course the Ameer adopted. The Ameer, ou the advice of the Russians, however, I called tlie merchants, and told them that whereas up to that day he had taken one-fortieth of all mer- • chandize as duly, ho would in future take one-fifth * ou all Englibh goods, and one-fortieth on all other descriptions of merchandize. If the merchants agreed to remain on these terms, well ; if not, they , might leave the Khanate at once. In such a case, the Ameer informed them that their shops would be \ occupied by traders from Russia. Tho merchants have written to their principal* atCabool and Peshawur, for orders and counsel in this matter. They are suro to accept the terms given them. There is a large jungle this side of Bokhara, and that &ide of S.unarmmd, in which tho merchants had 700 packages of English goods. The- Russians got word of this, and gave information to the Ameer. The Ameer at once gave orders for 1,000 men to set fire to the ' four corners of tho jungle, so that the property might be destroyed. The Ameer argued it. would be better to destroy the goods by destroying the jungle, than to earn a bad name by confiscating so large and , valuable a stock of merchandize. The jungle was , set fire to and the goods burnt ; the merchants had nothing to say against such reasoning.