The Ministry has broken silence upon the Afghan news. The
Daily News of Wednesday published a synopsis, telegraphed from Lahore, of the warnings which had been forwarded to that city by Persian " news-writers iu Cabal." They were sent, of course, before the catastrophe, and show that as early as the 16th August the Ameer advised the Envoy not to ride about, as he might be assassinated, and that Major Cavagnari replied "if he were killed, there were many more in India ready to act as his successors ; " that the Ameer had gradually made all interviews
formal; and that for weeks before 3rd September, " disturbances between Yakoob's troops and the Envoy's escort had been of frequent occurrence." Lord Cranbrook is evidently annoyed. at. those statements, and has forwarded a list of telegrams sent in August by Lord Lytton, in which he asserts, week by week, on the authority of Major Cavagnari himself, that all is well at Cabul. Lord Cranbrook seems to think this disposes of the news-writers, but he might just as well declare Mr. Russell's letters from the Crimea false because they were not at first confirmed by Lord Raglan's despatches. Nd Persian letter-writer ever invented that reply of Cavagnari's. The Envoy, who is the authority for the telegrams, knew perfectly well that he had been sent on a risky mission ; that to retire would be to discredit the Afghan policy; and that he had been selected because he was a man who would face it out, and not whine. And being a perfectly brave and very ambitious man, he did it.
