THE MILITARY POSITION IN AFGHANISTAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5649, 24 December 1879, Page 5

THE MILITARY POSITION IN AFGHANISTAN.

In' narrat'r. i the detiiisof the posit'onaocc.-.-j;ied by the l!r rsl: .ar.ny in Xt-rihcrn Affglianislu'), it w.-.s men'.iunul that General Itobtrts'.-i foi\e, located at K:.irpur, was in i'self s-.'j-.-.re, as the ground occupied v-\-.s strong; al.-.0, that l:u had ample means to ward off any at:ack. Sinco then, however, f:ie Indian Cles have a-rive-,1, giving a minute dcsjrii.,tioa of the Fcr: of Shirpur. Xhe formiiiablc- character of thts; works, which are p'aced Lefotc your r-aders, «ili of themselves ehow liow utterly hopeless any thrinf actickof tho ions; be, when the position U d<. femUd. l.y Siich troops aa the G ncial h.isiiDderliiscoiiiuiuU'.i. Thetpf.eiil eorre-poafient of the Piunter thus describes the fort: —"The fortilied camp of Shirpur is bu It at the bass of same low, stony hills running aboui two miles at a slight angle to the general direction of the plain. It has ouiy three eide3 fortilied, the ridge in rear beinj quite sufficient to shitld it from attack in that quarter, as the country be>ond is VL-ry hiily α-id inaccessible. The main wall is abDut a ti.ile and a-half long, with two or three strongly-guarded entrauce-gates, and from each extremity tho fortilieatiun is carried at right angle-! till it reaches the ridge in the rear. The plan that has been followed throughout is a thick raui wall, perhaps 2.3 feet high, with bastions for (inns, and a low parapet to shield troops mauning the outer wal). There is also an out-woik of some streagth. The entrance-gates are lofty structures, with comfortable quarters on either side for officer?, and are so wide thut four or five men could ride through them abreast. Inside is an opsn space quite clear of buildiug3, exactly answering to an English barrack square, and on this thousands of might be paraded with room to spare. At about 20 feet from the outer wall and parallel tc it, id built a range of room? extending along three tides of the camp. Each room would hold, at a pioch, 20 iucd, and there are some hundreds of them. Along the front ia a narrow ver.-ndah-like space, pncca built pillars and archts supporting tin flat roof, resting on strong beams and covered with a thick 1 :yer of mud. This arrangement ha 3 a very ple.isiug effect, giving the appearance of a long to'.onnavJe. Altogether this fortilied Ciiu:. cou'd, if pr -perlv vic-tua'led, aud Lanisoued, be deftnled for an iudetinito pi-riod ag.inst any forc-j without artillery." Knowing, therefore, tint Impo-ition wassecun-, an 1 the enamy's c ipital 1 iy at hU mirjy, let us ec-j what lutaus the General toi.k to place himself en rapport with the J-Jlalibad column, which was tljivJy weiidiou its wav to the front.

On tlw 2u-.l \oveuiber lie siarled, ace>:np.inud by some of his ttafT, fn.iu Hutkliak (12 miles from Cabul), at which placu Brigadier Macliertou's Brigade was encamped, prepared to reconnoitre the passes between Butkhak and There are three routes connecting these two places, not more tliau 35 milos apart as the crow Hies, but each route is iaterseated by two formidable passes. The Latabund route was first explored, being, as the natives aver, 2o miles shorter than the other two, which , both make a considerable detour to tbe south. The General with his escort r ached tho " Kotal," 8000 feet above the level of the sea, experiencing no great difficulties in the ascent, although the descent towards Jagdallak is stated to be much more abrupt-. The Cliiuar route was next explored and found to be impracticable. Tho reconnoitring party then turned into the KurJ-Cabul, aud worked their way through fciio jjjss. It was found exactly the same as d-.'pintul in the old works relating to General Pollock's advance in 1542. All the villagers seen were most friendly, and not an armed native was encountered. The force thtn returned to Cabul, leaving a small post at Butk'uak consisting of 4u men. Such ii a resume of the General's operations to connect his army with General Bright's corps. From the middle of October lo tho end of November communication between the two corp3 wai of nearly daily occurrence, the " Dak," or Indian post, taking but 4S hours between Butkhak aud Gandamak, consequently it may be stated that the columns did join bauds. Tho ejir stion therefore arises, lloiv is it that the Affjjhans have been enabled to iutsruosq themselves athwart the BiiUsh line, imperilling, as recent telegrams stated, the forces of Generals Uougk ami Nugeut ? Again, is the position of the British for.ca westward of tho Khyber so precarious that doubts may be entertained of its safety ?

Iu reply to the above queries, it must be remembered that, although communications were of nearly daily occurrence, y u t the force uuder General Bright had not been able to move up with sufficient celtrity to occupy them; therefore the communication was defective for the time being. However, the (ieucral was in advance ot his division, and was actively employed in recounoitii'g them, with Brigadier Gough, who commands the ilyiug column, consisting solely of the guides, a Punjaub infantry regiment, and some 300 Sowars. The Ghilzai?, apparently, were mustering in foroo on the mountains, seeing which, the column would have perforce to await the arrival of the mountain batteries and the Trausport Corps, as everything they may requite has to be packed on hordes or mules, no provisions of any kind being obtainable. The tract of couutry they would have to pass through is sterile and of a rocky nature, on which Lot even a blade of grass will grow, Agaiu, it was impossible to denude the highly important station of Jellalabad and the lorlitied cautonineut of Gamlamsk of troop.', until those hurrying up from the Khyber had arrived to replace them. These are the reasons of the delay caused by the sudden rising of the tribe 3, which have, for the moment, ball led the plans thought to be equal for auy emergency. The retardment of the column was, however, but of short duration. Nos:on?rhad the artMtry the foioe when it was iusfcrintiiiitiously despatched, covered by a brigade under Brigadier Norman ; and the telegrams <f this morning convey the iutrlliKencd of thuir safe arrival at Jagdallajk, time miles beyond the pass of the same name, without serious opposition. The altitude of thU pass is SOOO feet, Mid all know that the snow had already fallen, cons ([uci.t'.y the Cfhilzai tribe, wh eh did occupy it iict'.vccu the 1-lth and ISth of thig month, must have experienced the rigors of a winter not ai all iu accord with their feelings. Their provisions would have to be brought to them, as -veil as any fuel they might require. It wuuld have required a strong master-hand to keep them to their posts, such as is not to be found in Affghanistan ; !>o that it is not to be wondered at if they dispersed and left the ground vacant for our advance ; nor could our own troops continue to hold it without ample provision being made for th.-ir comfort. The entrenched cantuiiuieut of Gaudamak lies on a plateau some 17 miles to the eastward of tho Jagdullak Pass; the site was chos-n by General Sir Samuel Browne. It B.itish army were accumulate:! previous to their expected advance on Cabul last year. Its great superiority consists in being situated on a plain which extends to Jellalabad, offering no shelter to tho hillsinan who might be eager to commit depredations. The British cavalry stationed here are in sufficient strength to rout any body of them who might descend from their fastnesses for that purpose. Nor could any army that the Aflglun nation could bring against us drive ue

from our position us snnn as onr arrangementa are complete.!, wl.ic'i they will b; tre the present year is over. We may, therefore, di=rai-?3 fn>m our mind'' as puerile any doubts a≤ to the of oar army, i,r_.if tho preca-iousiiC-s nf th'ir pTii'.ions. 'i'h* , war was f-rced m- f;i i.lcnly upon a-. a-..l we find our Go ..-i.-iU -h\- t> with t':e tliffi.ulti-3 srrmur.iHur; t.-.tm in a masterly manner, ar.d t':.e forjei which .'ire no-.y mirehing 0:1 Ci''i:l have htc-n applied for by fir Frederick i:r>:.»<rts. on account of the many men to L':ard it, I;aving but an in-a-'.eejua'e li.rco for tUM '-peracions against the tribes surrounding Cabu!. As soon as these have α-rivcdjtkehandwhioh t-pared the city of Cabul on the 13:h of October, will not fail to punish and bring under siibjaction the triixs whivh have elared to resist bis authoritv. JxDrs.