The news from Afghanistan, such as there is, is still
un- favourable. The India Office questions whether the Ameer is in any danger, and denies peremptorily that an intention exists of making any agreement with Russia ; but native intelligence still runs all one way. The Ghilzaie rebellion is spreading, Khelat-i-Ghilzaie has fallen, Ghnznee is invested, and Candahar is threatened,—that is the substance of the latest telegrams. There are rumours also that the tribes of the North are in insurrection, and that Herat is in need of reinforcements which are not sent. None of these stories would matter much, but that there are none on the other side, and that the Russian Government have arrested negotiations about the Afghan frontier to await the outcome of events. It has, more- over, welcomed rather ostentatiously that extremely foolish person, Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, who is in St. Petersburg, intending to enter India by the Central Asian route. He is not of much importance; but the Russian Government, misled by the absurd rank allowed him at the British Court, probably think he is, and in allowing him to travel without a passport intend to show themselves as little amicable as they can. The Maharajah, Russians say, ie to be protected like the Battenberg. Well, we shall not kidnap him.
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