A correspondent of the Times furnishes a vigorous sketch of
Abdarrahman Khan, the Ameer of Afghanistan, whom he describes as an active and physically strong man, though with the usual Asiatic dislike for objectless exercise. He lives splendidly, has revived the old etiquette of the Donrani 'Court, eating, for instance, always alone; and though he avoids alcohol, indulges daily in the far more dangerous practice of eating bhang, the intoxicating preparation of hemp. He plays chess, can sing to the guitar, and is something of a mechanic, and is very proud of all these accomplishments. He is as in- different to truth as all other Asiatics, looks in his policy to his own interest first, and is exceedingly cruel to opponents. He favours the soldiery above every class, and, though politically a bigoted Mussulman, is personally- at most a Deist, and perhaps believes nothing, In politics he has a personal liking for Russians, but he is quite aware how much he owes to the great Southern Empire, and probably also how bitterly his subjects detest both. He is, in fact, a strong, unscrupulous, selfish ruler, who is feared, and will, therefore, probably keep his throne while he lives, and perhaps transmit it to his son. His heir, Habeebullah Khan, is a boy of thirteen, dark, active, and bright, but the son of a mere slave-girl from Wakhan,—a fact which he may one day find against him.
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