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AUTHOR: 
 
 EYRE 
 
 LIEUT.VINCENT 
 
 TITLE: 
 
 JOURNAL OF 
 
 IMPRISONMENT 
 
 PLACE: 
 
 LONDON 
 
 DA TE : 
 
 1843 
 
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 [^T^ Eyre, Lt. «.gen. Sir Vincent. 1811-81 
 ^1 Journal of imprisonment in Afghanistan (con- 
 
 tinued and concluded). 
 London 1843. D. I5y± p.31.V426. 
 
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 X 
 
 Q 
 
 JOURNAL 
 
 OF 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 (continued and concluded.) 
 
 BY 
 
 LIEUT. VINCENT EYEE, 
 
 BENGAIi ARTILLEEY; ' ' ' 
 
 LATE DEPUTY C03I3IISSABY AT CABUL. 
 
I 
 
 >\\ 
 

 f^tU.r^ 
 
 JOURNAL 
 
 OF 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 (continued and concluded.) 
 
 BT 
 
 LIEUT. VINCENT EYRE, 
 
 BENGAL ARTILLERY ; 
 LATE DEPUTY COMMISSARY OF ORDNANCE AT CABUL. 
 
 4 
 
 ^.^dtumMi/ 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 
 
 1843. 
 
 i* 
 
 f f* ■'*! 
 
1 
 
 'I 
 
 DIRECTIONS 
 
 FOR 
 
 BINDING LIEUT. EYRE'S AFFGHAN JOURNAL, 
 
 Edition 1st, 2d, or 3d. 
 
 The Binder will cancel from page 313. inclusive, in the 
 original Volume, to the End, and then add this Sup- 
 plementary Part, of which the first page is num- 
 bered 313. He may also cancel the *' Editor's Notice " 
 at page 237. 
 
 London : 
 
 Printed by A. Spottiswoode, 
 
 New-Street- Squara. 
 
 A 2 
 
 
ERRATA IN THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 Page XX., for « St/nd'' read " Syud;' a priest. 
 
 209., line 15., for a semicolon substitute a full stop after 
 Lieut. St. George, 37th N. I. 
 line 1 7., for a full stop substitute a comma after 
 " force." 
 213., note, for" Brigadier-Major" read " Brigade- Major." 
 317. Add to the list of prisoners released the following 
 names : — 
 
 Capt. Johnson. 
 Mrs. Trevor, 8 children. 
 Capt. Anderson. 
 Mrs. Anderson, 3 children. 
 Capt. Troup. 
 Capt. Bygrave, 
 Dr. Campbell. 
 325., note, for " pp. 95. 97." read " pp. 216. 220. 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 The manuscript of the following pages, forming 
 the conclusion of Lieut. Eyre's Journal, reached 
 me only a short time since, having been lost 
 — irretrievably as he thought — from his pocket, 
 on the march towards India. It is issued in the 
 present shape, as most considerate towards the 
 purchasers of the original volume ; who, by re- 
 moving the last eight pages — from 313 to 319 
 inclusive — and substituting this Supplement, may 
 have their book complete. 
 
 The communication by Capt. Mackenzie (re- 
 ferred to in pp. 25. and 44.), will now be found 
 in the Appendix) ; to which I have also added 
 Lieut. Crawford's account of the imprisonment 
 of himself and his brother-officers at Ghuz- 
 nee. They were eventually transferred to Ma- 
 homed Akber, and released with the prisoners 
 of Cabul. I should have hesitated thus to ap- 
 propriate what is so deserving of separate pub- 
 lication, but that, as it has appeared in an Indian 
 paper, it seems not to have been destined for an- 
 
 A 3 
 
 H 
 
 H 
 
i 
 
 w 
 
 VI 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 Other shape ; in which case, its adoption here may 
 afFord many friends of those officers a gratification, 
 which they might not otherwise obtain. 
 
 The other additions to the Appendix, and the 
 few notes, are such only as have been considered 
 strictly illustrative of the Journal. They might 
 even have been usefully increased, but for an un- 
 willingness to swell the work with matter not 
 original. Among these the despatch of Major- 
 Gen. Elphinstone, and some extracts from a me- 
 morandum of that officer, deserve attention. 
 
 The interest attached to the events, which are 
 the subject of this narrative, has drawn to it 
 much attention, and, of course, some criticism. 
 The author has, on the whole, very much to 
 gratify him in the result of such an ordeal : but 
 there have been a few qualifications of the ge- 
 neral praise, which, with this opportunity, should 
 perhaps be noticed. 
 
 On the question which has arisen, whether the 
 particulars narrated have been allowed publicity 
 too soon, there may be a fair difference of opinion. 
 For this, as has been before stated, the author is 
 not strictly answerable : but I may be allowed 
 also to say that / consulted, and had the sanction 
 of high military judgment on the point; and I 
 knew besides that the MS. had, in transitu, 
 been seen by individuals of professional discretion 
 
 i 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 vn 
 
 and experience, none of whom suggested that it 
 should be, even for a time, withheld. The only 
 doubt I ever entertained had respect to its publi- 
 cation in India, pending <* the Inquiry." This, 
 however, was to open soon after Christmas, at 
 Ferozepore, whither no copy of the book can 
 arrive before the middle of April. The danger, 
 then, of '* prejudicing the Inquiry" is but small. 
 ** But," say a few, ** is it nothing to prejudice 
 the minds of those at home ? The minds of those 
 at home had been, in reality, prejudiced, as much 
 as could be done, many months ago. Every one 
 at all interested in these events was possessed of the 
 outline, which Mr. Eyre's history fills up ; and both 
 the responsible personages and their acts had been 
 long since dealt with by those at home, in an undis- 
 criminating spirit of condemnation, which his work 
 tends rather to correct. An erroneous analogy, 
 as I think, is resorted to, when *' those at home" 
 are likened to a court or a jury, or the author to 
 " di juryman prematurely delivering his verdict." 
 He cannot be more than a witness; and those at 
 home will carefully compare his testimony with 
 that of others, and with the issue. If he be 
 correct, no one is injured; if not, it can only 
 recoil upon himself; but to state at any time what 
 he knows, though he may have to give it after- 
 wards in evidence, is no offence in a witness. 
 
 
 it 
 
Vlll 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 V 
 
 either morally or judicially ; while to suppose of 
 the real court and jury, who must investigate 
 the disasters of Cabul, looking at the constitution 
 of such a court, that their decision could be 
 influenced by this history, is quite impossible. 
 It is, however, very satisfactory to those who 
 have given it to the world, to see how every day 
 proves more and more, as the real truth creeps 
 out, that, had not Lieut. Eyre been restrained 
 by a spirit admitted by a distinguished reviewer 
 to be, " under the circumstances, indeed extraor- 
 dinary," he might have revealed much more, 
 which he has had the good taste and feeling to 
 withhold.* It is further satisfactory to see al- 
 ready so many of his statements confirmed, as 
 are so, both by the Papers just presented to 
 Parliament, and from private sources; among 
 these may be particularised the Journal of the 
 Retreat, by Capt. Johnson, another of the pri- 
 soners, which has appeared in the Bombay Times. 
 I should, too, in justice to my brother, state that, 
 on finding that his MS. had been sent to me, he 
 hastened to request that, as it had been *« written 
 under every sort of disadvantage," I would not 
 hesitate to omit any passage which might by 
 possibility give pain to others. This letter arrived 
 
 * See particularly a letter from Ferozepore, in the N. & 
 M. Gazette of 18th inst. 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 IX 
 
 * 
 
 s 
 
 * 
 
 I < 
 
 too late for the first edition ; but, though I had 
 myself kept this in view, it was quite impracticable 
 to omit all that any party might wish omitted ; 
 nor would it have been fair, either to the public 
 or the author, so to mutilate a work of so much 
 historic interest. In scenes too, in which all 
 the actors cannot be blameless, blame will often 
 appear to be imputed by the most meagre recital 
 of what was done or left undone; and so the 
 case is here ; the bare facts are the severest part 
 of all ; but they are such facts as, with the public 
 characters whom they implicate, have ever been 
 the legitime .e subjects both of history and cri- 
 ticism ; and the idea, that silence for any time 
 was incumbent on any actor in them, is as new 
 to me, as the circumstances are, happily, new and 
 unprecedented in British annals. 
 
 One apology, which is found for Lieut. Eyre's 
 ** partiality and prejudice," his friends must 
 needs deny him — the suggestion that he writes 
 under the influence of ^'frustrated hopes and 
 blighted prospects." These terms in no way 
 apply to him. He is in the same service as 
 before ; and nothing that occurred at Cabul can 
 have diminished, at any rate, his professional 
 hopes and prospects. 
 
 In the brief remarks which I have to add, I 
 shall confine myself to the few instances in which 
 
 ^i 
 
 r A, J 
 
X NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 Lieut. Eyre's veracity , or consistency , is called 
 in question. The following critique appears to 
 me unfair.* ** Asserting his correctness, the 
 author tells us — * In these notes I have been 
 careful to state only what I know to be unde- 
 niable facts. I have set down nothing on mere 
 hearsay evidence, nor any thing which cannot be 
 attested by living witnesses, or by existing docu- 
 mentary evidence.' Yet, in the face of this 
 declaration, he acknowledges hearsay evidence 
 (certainly of eminent men), from Major Pottinger, 
 Capts. Mackenzie, Lawrence, and Troup ; and, 
 after his departure from the retreating army as a 
 prisoner, describes all the motions and casualties 
 of the force with as much minuteness, as if he had 
 continued to be an eye-witness." This is surely 
 an unusual apprehension of what is mere hearsay 
 evidence — information, which he acknowledges 
 as '^ valuable aid," given by some of the '* living 
 witnesses," expressly for historical purposes. 
 Again ; — among these living witnesses were some, 
 his fellow prisoners, captured towards the end of 
 the retreat, Major Griffiths, Capts. Johnson and 
 Bygrave, &:c. — How can particulars supplied by 
 them be termed " mere hearsay evidence"? 
 On one other point the author's consistency 
 
 * Literary Gazette. 
 
 1 
 
 M 
 
 ' I 
 
 i( 
 
 (^: 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 XI 
 
 has been impugned, with no more reason, as I 
 humbly think. — Discrediting the existence of a 
 conspiracy throughout Affghanistan and at Cabul 
 against the British, the Edinburgh Review^con- 
 siders that Mr. Eyre on this point contradicts 
 himself. Now, first, as to the conspiracy:— the 
 reviewer does not account in any other way for 
 the simultaneous risings against, and massacres of, 
 our men and ofi5cers in widely distant provinces. 
 At Cabul, Charekar, and Ghuznee, no two of 
 which are less than 90 miles from each other, the 
 flame burst forth at the same time ; and, on the 
 26. of November, Sir A. Burnes was murdered, 
 the Ghoorka regiment assailed, and shortly anni- 
 hilated, Capt. Woodburn and his escort cut ofi; 
 and Ghuznee surrounded. The reviewer does 
 not dispose of the warnings of Major Pottinger, 
 nor attempt to get over that of Taj-Mahomed,' 
 nor notice (he may not have seen it) the con- 
 current testimony of Mohun Lall.* This 
 individual, to whom we owe so much, says, 
 *' In October last, the chiefs entered into the so- 
 lemn agreement with each other, and thus the 
 Eastern Giljyes stood up against our arms." But 
 he also agrees with Lieutenant Eyre, in saying 
 that the outbreak at Cabul commenced by an at- 
 
 * See his letter, App. E. 
 
 II 
 
 'J 
 
 t 
 ( 
 
 % 
 
:y - *j »« 
 
 imr "ii Am 
 
 N 
 
 *i 
 
 Xll 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 tack of an insignificant force on Sir A. Burnes's 
 house ; commenced, not originated, ** Yet," ob- 
 serves Mohun Lall, " not a battalion was sent to 
 our protection." — Mr. Eyre terras the same com- 
 mencement *'an insignificant ebullition, which mi- 
 litary energy and promptitude ought to have 
 crushed in the bud ;" — that is to say, — the train 
 being laid, a spark set fire to it, which spark might 
 and ought to have been trodden upon at once. 
 These statements are surely reconcilable. — Ano- 
 ther alleged inconsistency is the following : ** In 
 the whole AlFghan nation," it is said in one place, 
 ** we could not reckon on a single friend ; " in 
 another place, that some chiefs, especially the 
 Kuzzilbashes, '* remained neutral^ until our want 
 of energy, and the booty of the commissariat fort, 
 determined them to join in the general combina- 
 tion to drive us from the country." " This," ob- 
 serves the reviewer, ** proves that the other pas- 
 sage is idle talk ; we had friends in plenty." Now 
 the friendship of these friends is thus illustrated 
 by Mohun Lall : — ** Notwithstanding the Giljye, 
 Caboolee, Kohistanee, and the Persian (Kuzzil- 
 bash) chiefs made solemn oaths with us, — wrote 
 the agreement on the Holy Koran to take our 
 cause, — received abundant money from us, — but 
 every body cheated us like devils. Khan Shereen, 
 the Persian chief, promised to give every assist- 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 XUl 
 
 h 
 
 '.] 
 
 ance, which he never did," &c. These Kuzzil- 
 bashes, then, were scarcely friends who could be 
 ** reckoned on ; " — they may have been the best, 
 and better than none, in our distress : but, both 
 in our reverses and our late prosperity, they have 
 verified the poet's comment on the friendship of 
 the world : — 
 
 " Donee eris felix, multos numerabis amicos; 
 Tempora si fiierint nubila, solus eris. 
 
 » 
 
 Lieut. Eyre is consistent enough, but he does not 
 mean Ajfghan friendship. 
 
 Having attempted in these few observations to 
 show that he has not been either inconsiderate or 
 inconsistent, I have lastly to admit that on two or 
 three points he must have been misinformed. 
 They personally concern a distinguished indivi- 
 dual, who himself liberally allows that such slight 
 inaccuracies are quite reconcilable with a *' desire 
 to state the truth, and nothing but the truth."* 
 The reader will please to receive the following, 
 stated fi-om, of course, the only satisfactory autho- 
 rity, to be the more strictly correct version on the 
 points referred to : — 
 
 " P. 5. As to the alleged neglect to send a mi- 
 
 * A note to this effect was hastily annexed to the 2d and 
 3d Editions. It is now repeated here, to insure more general 
 circulation. 
 
 a 
 
 i 
 
 %n 
 
XIV 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 NOTICE BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 XV 
 
 litary force against the Nijrow chiefs, Lord 
 Auckland had nothing to do with it. The Envoy 
 pressed this measure upon Major-Gen. Elphin- 
 stone ; but he, for prudential reasons, partly on 
 account of the advanced season of the year, ob- 
 jected to this employment of the troops." 
 
 *^P. 16. As to the reduction of the payments 
 to the Giljye chiefs. — This measure did not ori- 
 ginate with Lord Auckland, but was one * to 
 which the narrowness of the king's finances led 
 him, under Sir William Macnaghten's advice, to 
 have recourse.'* Lord Auckland was not aware 
 of it, until after the outbreak at Cabul. Sir 
 William Macnaghtcn saysf , * the necessities of 
 his Majesty, and the frequent prohibitions I have 
 received against further reliance on the resources 
 of the British government, appeared to admit of 
 no alternative.'" 
 
 **P. 28. This passage relates to the supposed 
 delay in accepting the resignation by Major- 
 Gen. Elphinstone of his command. It was, in 
 fact, accepted by Lord Auckhmd as soon as it 
 was sent in officially. The poor General did, 
 however, indisputably ivish to resign before ; but 
 seems to have had doubts whether he could do 
 
 * Pari. Pap. on AfTghanistan. No. 1. 
 f Ibid. No. 2. 
 
 SO without discredit. The inaccuracy in the text 
 on such a point might easily have originated, and 
 most probably did, in some equivocal expressions 
 of his own." 
 
 E. Eyre. 
 
 Athenaeum Ckib, 
 
 1st March 1843. 
 
"— ' - '"' "" "«i I — —wmww— ^wwiiBw 
 
 ft 
 
 t.if 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 3\S 
 
 where they were going, Mahomed Akber replied, 
 '' I am going to slay all the Feringhee dogs, to be' 
 sure." Again: on the passage of our troops 
 through the Khoord-Cabul pass on the 8th, he 
 followed with some chiefs in the rear, and in 'the 
 same breath called to the Giljyes in Persian to 
 desist from, and in Pushtoo to continue, firing. 
 This explains the whole mystery of the massacre, 
 and clears up every doubt regarding Mahomed 
 Akber 's treachery. 
 
 June 26th. — We were somewhat surprised this 
 day by the arrival of the European soldiers, whom 
 we had left behind at the fort at Buddeeabad, and 
 of whom we had been told that they had been 
 ransomed by Gen. Pollock. They all looked 
 miserably thin and weak, and were delighted, 
 poor fellows, to join fortunes with us once more. 
 The tale of their treatment and sufferings after 
 our departure was a doleful one. It would seem 
 that we had scarcely left the place, ere Mrs. Wade, 
 wife of Sergeant Wade, declared her intention 
 to forsake her husband, and turn Mahomedan ! 
 Every argument was used to dissuade her from 
 carrying her disgraceful purpose into effect; but 
 the devil seemed to have established absolute 
 sway over her mind, and that same night she be- 
 took herself to Mahomed Shah Khan's nazir 
 (steward), who was in charge of the prisoners. 
 
 p 
 
 'I 
 
 
 n 
 

 > 
 
 314 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 Next morning she appeared in AfTghan costume, 
 and thenceforward took every opportunity to use 
 her newly acquired influence to destroy and per- 
 secute her unhappy countrymen, whom she ac- 
 cused of having entered into a conspiracy to seize 
 the fort and murder the guard. This was imme- 
 diately made a pretext for stripping them of the 
 few clothes and necessaries they possessed. 
 
 A few rupees, which the oflicers had sub- 
 scribed before starting, for their messing, they 
 were made to give up ; and Mrs. Wade having 
 informed the nazir of three gold pieces, which she 
 herself had sewn up some time previously in her 
 husband's boot, the poor man was obliged to pro- 
 duce them. Treachery worse than this has pro- 
 bably never been recorded of a woman ; English 
 ladies w^ill, therefore, learn with some satisfaction 
 that she was born of an Indian mother, and had 
 passed the years of her childhood almost entirely 
 among low-born natives, from whom she could 
 imbibe nothing but vice and cunning. Shortly 
 after this, about 1200 rupees were offered by Gen. 
 Pollock as a ransom, and would have been ac- 
 cepted, but for a mischievous hint from Mrs. 
 Wade, that a much larger sum would be given, 
 if demanded. The consequence was that. Gen. 
 Pollock refusing to raise his terms, the negoti- 
 ation was dropped ; and the poor soldiers, after 
 
 I 
 
 
 :| 
 
 % 
 
 \ 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 315 
 
 having had their hopes raised high of a speedy 
 deliverance, were again cast into the depth of 
 despondency. Their allowance of food was now 
 shamefully reduced, their lives were not unfre- 
 quently threatened, and, to crown their misery, a 
 virulent fever broke out, and would have proba- 
 bly proved fatal to them all, had not Mr. Blewit, 
 a quondam apothecary, administered a copious 
 bleeding, with a common pen-knife, to each pa- 
 tient on the first appearance of the symptoms. 
 This, and starvation, providentially did the work 
 of physic, and all gradually recovered. Mahomed 
 Akber's order arriving for their removal to Cabul 
 rescued them from the hands of the brutal nazir, 
 who, it was now discovered, had been defraudinsr 
 the prisoners of the greater part of the provi- 
 sions for which he had all the time been charg- 
 ing exorbitantly on their account. Mahomed 
 Akber either was, or professed to be, very much 
 astonished to hear of the shabby treatment they 
 had experienced; but w^e never heard that any 
 punishment was inflicted on the rascally nazir. 
 Mrs. W. having accompanied the latter to Cabul, 
 the story of her apostacy and profligacy became 
 notorious throughout the whole city, and was 
 spoken of in a tone of evident triumph by the 
 chiefs in Durbar. The effect was mischievous in 
 the extreme. Loose jests at the expense of 
 
 p 2 
 
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 X 
 
 i 
 
'm.Tv.^.flr»-.™rfW«»www?WW"WW«i 
 
 
 81(1 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 Englishwomen were sported with malicious intent 
 by men, who, from the intense hatred which they 
 bore us, would gladly have made all the prisoners 
 the victims of their brutality. 
 
 July 1st. About this time Capt. Mackenzie 
 was taken alarmingly ill, and Mahomed Akber, 
 now called the TFuzeer, made choice of Capt! 
 Troup as his agent to negotiate with Gen. Pol- 
 lock, warning him to be ready for a trip to 
 Jellalabad at an early date. 
 
 The advance of our army from that quarter 
 was now confidently expected; and it was be- 
 lieved that Mahomed Akber had actually made 
 every preparation for a flight to Toorkistan. It 
 was also privately intimated to Capt. Troup by 
 a friendly chief that, in the event of the Wuzeer 
 bending his course thither, he would not be per- 
 mitted to take us with him. 
 
 July 10th. We were agreeably surprised by 
 a visit from Capt. John Conoliy, who, as we now 
 learned for the first time, had, with the other five 
 hostages, been purchased by the fVuzeer from the 
 Meer Waiz for four hundred sequins. 
 
 In delivering them up for so paltry a sum, the 
 high priest of Cabul proved himself a fool as 
 well as a villain. On first receiving charge of 
 them from Newab Zeman Khan, he swore by all 
 that was holy that he would never give them up 
 
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 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 317 
 
 to their enemies. Had he been disposed to keep 
 his word, so great is the iniSuenee attached to his 
 sacred office, that not all the threats or attempts 
 of Akber could have wrested them from him ; and 
 he would have eventually secured for himself a 
 splendid reward from the British government. By 
 selling them to Akber he not only cast an inde- 
 lible stain of infamy on the faith of Islam, but 
 made a very wretched bargain for himself in 
 a mere mercenary view. The Wuzeer lost no time 
 in removing his new purchases to the Bala Hissar, 
 whither he was also obliged to betake himself a 
 few days ago, at the pressing solicitations of the 
 chiefs. There he allowed Futty Jung to retain 
 the empty title of king within the precincts of 
 his palace, whilst he himself, as Wuzeer, wielded 
 the power, and enjoyed all the solid advantages 
 of a real monarch. 
 
 Capt. Conoliy informed us that Akber lately 
 held a Council of Chiefs, when Major Pottinger, 
 who was (unknown to most of them) in an ad- 
 joining room, overheard a Kohistanee chief pro- 
 pose that all the English prisoners should be 
 slain, on hearing which Akber immediately got 
 up in a rage, and turned the man out of the 
 assembly. 
 
 July ISth, — Major Pottinger came in last night 
 from the Bala Hissar, and informed us that 
 
 p 3 
 
 i\ 
 
 i ,r 
 
*'*»ii. 1 iiiiiiM«B. --mn- Sfc*-.- 
 
 i 
 
 318 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 Capt. Troup, with Hajee Buktyar, started on a 
 mission to Jellalabad on the night of the 10th; 
 also that on the same date the Wuzeer had wed- 
 ded a daughter of Ameenoolah Khan. Within 
 the last few days sickness had increased to an 
 alarming extent amongst us. Capt. Mackenzie's 
 life was in imminent danger from typhus fever ; 
 and Capt. Waller, Dr. M'Grath, and several la- 
 dies, were attacked by the same disease in a 
 somewhat modified form : several of the private 
 soldiers also suflfered. 
 
 At our earnest request, the Wuzeer sent out 
 Dr. Campbell to afford us medical aid, but our 
 supply of medicines was lamentably scanty in 
 proportion to the extensive demand. The fever 
 probably originated in the malaria of the rice- 
 fields, which surrounded the fort up to the very 
 walls, and presented a wide surface of stagnant 
 water, sufficient to poison the air for miles around. 
 Our sedentary life, and confined space, and poor 
 diet, no doubt, had each its share in predisposing 
 us to disease. 
 
 Juli/ 15th, — Capt. Conolly again came to see 
 us, and brought with him a letter he had lately 
 received privately from Gen. Pollock, in which 
 the General stated that he had written to Ma- 
 homed Shah Khan, offering an exchange of pri- 
 soners without reserve (including of course the 
 
 I 
 
 ij 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 3 ID 
 
 Dost). He had also demanded that all our guns 
 should be restored. He added that his own force 
 at Jellalabad now amounted to 20,000 men ; that 
 of Gen. Nott, at Candahar, to 15,000; in ad- 
 dition to which an army of reserve, amounting to 
 25,000 men, were soon to assemble at Ferozepore, 
 and that 10,000 European troops were on their 
 way from England. 
 
 Jul?/ I8th. — To-day we were honoured by a 
 visit from the Wuzeer himself, accompanied by 
 Mahomed Shah Khan, Sultan Jan, and a few other 
 chiefs. His object seems to have been to make 
 us acquainted with the proposal of Gen. Pollock 
 for an exchange of prisoners, and to ascertain from 
 us what would be the probable result to himself 
 of his acceding to it. On this subject, however, 
 we could not enlighten him, and he left us in the 
 dark as to the course he intended to pursue ; but 
 we derived no small encouragement from Ma- 
 homed Shah Khan declaring his intention to 
 restore to Lady Macnaghten all her jewels. 
 
 lull/ 19^A. — Mahomed Shah Khan was as good 
 as his word, and actually brought back the jewels. 
 We had good reason to believe that he had several 
 times tried, without success, to raise money by 
 them in the city ; but finding nobody to appreciate 
 their value, and hoping to establish a claim to the 
 favourable consideration of our government, he 
 
 p 4 
 
- --".y-1?^^- - ■ "'■■;■■ 
 
 mm^mm 
 
 320 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 made a merit of their restitution to the right 
 owner. In a private conversation with Capt. 
 Conolly, he declared himself favourable to the 
 proposed exchange of prisoners. 
 
 Jul?/ 22d. — Dost Mahomed Khan, Giljye, came 
 to-day, and stated that we .should all be released 
 in twenty-six days, provided Gen. Pollock should 
 agree to evacuate the country. We derived very 
 little comfort from this, feeling persuaded that 
 our armies could not, with honour, return to 
 India, without first having redeemed the credit of 
 our arms by marching boldly up to Cabul, and 
 avenging the fate of their comrades. Our guard 
 was changed in the afternoon, and increased to 
 fifty men. A man named Ahmed Khan was at 
 the same time substituted as our keeper, in place 
 of Mahomed Ali Khan. The object of these fre- 
 quent changes was of course to prevent our form- 
 ing any plots to escape. 
 
 July 24th, — A note from Major Pottinger in- 
 formed us that Gen. Pollock had entered into 
 a truce with the AiFghans, until the reply of Lord 
 Ellenborough should be received regarding an 
 alliance with the existing AfTghan government, 
 and an exchange of prisoners. Major Pottinger 
 had likewise received an intimation from Jellala- 
 bad that, his political functions having ceased, he 
 was on no account to interfere with the future 
 
 • toj 
 
 IxMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 321 
 
 arrangements that might be entered into regard- 
 ing us. 
 
 Julf/ 27th, — Capt. Troup returned from Jella- 
 labad. His news was not very consolatory. It 
 seems that, just when Gen. Pollock was on the 
 very point of settling with the Cabul govern- 
 ment for our exchange, and the withdrawal of our 
 troops from this country, he received an order to 
 push on to Cabul simultaneously with the force 
 from Candahar under Gen. Nott. It would seem 
 that, previous to this, the intention had been that 
 our armies should return to India without strik- 
 ing a blow ! Gen. Pollock, although delighted at 
 the prospect of earning fresh laurels, found him- 
 self in an awkward predicament with regard to 
 the pending negotiations ; and Capt. Troup was 
 sent back without any definite reply. He was 
 evidently much puzzled as to what he should find 
 to say to the Wuzeer, who would expect a favour- 
 able result to his mission. We were much vexed 
 to learn that several boxes, filled with letters and 
 necessaries for the prisoners, had been plundered 
 on the road from Jellalabad. 
 
 After an hour's rest, Capt. Troup went on to 
 the Bala Hissar, having travelled forty-five miles 
 since morning. 
 
 July 28th, — Capt. Troup came in from the 
 Bala Hissar, to prepare Capt. Lawrence to accom- 
 
 p 5 
 
 i 
 
K i^WftHSKSr*'*''-'' 
 
 322 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 pany him on a second trip to Jellalabad. He told 
 us that Akber was, as might have been expected, 
 much disappointed at Gen. Pollock's refusal to 
 conclude the treaty in writing; and so anxious 
 was Akber to bring the matter to a favourable 
 close, that he offered to release us all at once, if 
 Capt. Troup would only guarantee that Gen. 
 Pollock should act up to his word, and forthwith 
 return to India. This offer Capt. Troup could 
 not, of course, accept, knowing, as he did full 
 well, the intention of the General to advance. 
 The sole object of this mission seemed to be, to 
 reiterate Akber's acceptance of the proffered 
 terms, and his desire that Gen. Pollock should 
 at once sign a written document, to prevent any 
 misunderstanding, immediately on receipt of which 
 the prisoners would be set at liberty.* 
 
 * Lord Ellenborough's views would appear to be explained 
 by the following extract from the letter of Gen. Pollock, 
 dated, 29th July 1842. Pari. Pap. No. 435. " These cir- 
 cumstances (the collecting of all the prisoners into Mahomed 
 Akber's individual keeping) afford better hopes of the ulti- 
 mate recovery of all the prisoners : but I must impress upon 
 you, that no trust whatever is to be placed in any Afghan ; and 
 tliat allmilitari/ operations must proceed as if no negotiation was 
 in progress. 
 
 " When every gun, and colour, and military trophy, and 
 every prisoner within the reach and power of the de facto 
 government of Cabool, has been surrendered to you, then, 
 and not till then, you may give orders suited to a state of re- 
 turning peace.'* 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 323 
 
 July 29th, — Capts. Lawrence and Troup had 
 an interview with Akber. He had just heard 
 that Gen. Nott was preparing to advance on 
 Cabul, and declared in great wrath before the 
 whole durbar that the first movement of either 
 army towards Cabul should be the signal for our 
 removal to Toorkistan, where he would distribute 
 us as slaves to the different chiefs. He was loud in 
 his condemnation of Gen. Pollock, whom he sus- 
 pected of deceiving him. To show, however, his 
 determination to leave the General no handle 
 against him, he released Mohun Lall, and restored 
 to him 18,000 rupees that had been taken from 
 him. This he did in consequence of Gen. Pol- 
 lock having expressed great displeasure at the 
 seizure of that individual. Having received their 
 final instructions, the two officers departed at 
 night for Jellalabad. 
 
 This negotiation, although commenced by Gen, 
 Pollock in the humane desire to accomplish our 
 liberation by peaceable means, seemed now, by 
 the sudden turn that had taken place, likely to 
 plunge us into a dangerous dilemma, — Mahomet 
 Akber being notorious for stopping at no atrocity, 
 when his angry passions were once aroused, as we 
 
 There seems to have been a mutual unwillingness to sign 
 and seal. For some interesting illustrations of this subject, 
 see App. C. — Editor. 
 
 p 6 
 
 h 
 
S22 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 323 
 
 pany him on a second trip to Jellalabad. He told 
 us that Akber was, as might have been expected, 
 much disappointed at Gen. Pollock's refusal to 
 conclude the treaty in writing; and so anxious 
 was Akber to bring the matter to a favourable 
 close, that he offered to release us all at once, if 
 Capt. Troup would only guarantee that Gen. 
 Pollock should act up to his word, and forthwith 
 return to India. This offer Capt. Troup could 
 not, of course, accept, knowing, as he did full 
 well, the intention of the General to advance. 
 The sole object of this mission seemed to be, to 
 reiterate Akber's acceptance of the proffered 
 terms, and his desire that Gen. Pollock should 
 at once sign a written document, to prevent any 
 misunderstanding, immediately on receipt of which 
 the prisoners would be set at liberty.* 
 
 ♦ Lord Ellenborough's views would appear to be explained 
 by the following extract from the letter of Gen. Pollock, 
 dated, 29th July 1842. Pari. Pap. No. 435. " These cir- 
 cumstances (the collecting of all the prisoners into Mahomed 
 Akber's individual keeping) afford better hopes of the ulti- 
 mate recovery of all the prisoners : but I must impress upon 
 you, that no trust whatever is to be placed in any Afghan ; and 
 that all military operations must proceed as if no negotiation teas 
 
 in progress. 
 
 *' When every gun, and colour, and military trophy, and 
 every prisoner within the reach and power of the de facto 
 government of Cabool, has been surrendered to you, then, 
 and not till then, you may give orders suited to a state of re- 
 turning peace.'* 
 
 
 Jult/ 29^/j. — Capts. Lawrence and Troup had 
 an interview with Akber. He had just heard 
 that Gen. Nott was preparing to advance on 
 Cabul, and declared in great wrath before the 
 whole durbar that the first movement of either 
 army towards Cabul should be the signal for our 
 removal to Toorkistan, where he would distribute 
 us as slaves to the different chiefs. He was loud in 
 his condemnation of Gen. Pollock, whom he sus- 
 pected of deceiving him. To show, however, his 
 determination to leave the General no handle 
 against him, he released Mohun Lall, and restored 
 to him 18,000 rupees that had been taken from 
 him. This he did in consequence of Gen. Pol- 
 lock having expressed great displeasure at the 
 seizure of that individual. Having received their 
 final instructions, the two officers departed at 
 night for Jellalabad. 
 
 This negotiation, although commenced by Gen. 
 Pollock in the humane desire to accomplish our 
 liberation by peaceable means, seemed now, by 
 the sudden turn that had taken place, likely to 
 plunge us into a dangerous dilemma,— Mahomet 
 Akber being notorious for stopping at no atrocity, 
 when his angry passions were once aroused, as we 
 
 There seems to have been a midual unwillingness to sign 
 and seal. For some interesting illustrations of this subject, 
 
 see App. C — Editor. 
 
 p 6 
 
y 
 
 324 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 knew they soon would be, when he should hear 
 of the advance of both generals, with their over- 
 whelming forces. 
 
 In fact, we now fully made up our minds that 
 death or slavery would soon be our probable lot, 
 unless Providence should interfere to prevent it ; 
 which, indeed, was our best and only spring of 
 
 hope. 
 
 August 2cZ. — A shock of earthquake at 3 P.M., 
 
 accompanied by a loud rumbling noise. The flies 
 by day and the musquitoes by night swarmed to 
 such a degree, as to banish all rest and enjoyment. 
 Capt. Conolly was this day taken seriously ill. 
 We were informed that Gen. Pollock had ad- 
 dressed a letter to Khan Shereen Khan, Kuzzil- 
 bash, and other chiefs, promising them a free 
 pardon on condition of their preventing our re- 
 moval from Cabul, and threatening, on the other 
 hand, to raze the city to the ground, in case of 
 our being carried off by Akber. 
 
 August ^ith, — Voox Conolly breathed his last 
 at half-past twelve this morning, sincerely la- 
 mented by us all. His amiable character had 
 speedily converted those, who formerly had only 
 been slight acquaintances, into warm friends ; 
 and his°merits as a public officer gave early 
 promise of a distinguished and useful career. By 
 the Affghans he was universally respected ; and. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 325 
 
 ( 
 
 with the abundant information he possessed on 
 all matters connected with the late deplorable 
 events, his death at this crisis may be deemed a 
 public loss. But for his influence and exertions, 
 the detachment of sick Europeans, left behind at 
 Cabul under Lieut. Evans, would long ago have 
 been starved to death, or destroyed by violence. 
 Large sums were advanced for their support and 
 protection by various individuals, on the security 
 of his bare word ; and both he and the other 
 hostages had refused to avail themselves of se- 
 veral opportunities to escape to India, out of 
 consideration to the above-mentioned detach- 
 ment, who would then have been exposed to the 
 cruelty of the merciless mob. Capt. John Co- 
 nolly, with his two elder brothers, Arthur and 
 Edward, accompanied Sir John Keane's army 
 into Affghanistan in 1839, and all three were 
 speedily advanced to political employment by 
 their distinguished relative. Sir WilHam Mac- 
 . naghten. A bright prospect of wealth and dis- 
 tinction lay before them. In the course of three 
 years, one was shot through the heart at the 
 assault of a fort in Kohistan-one died in an 
 Affghan prison-and the eldest, the celebrated 
 traveller, is supposed to have experienced a si- 
 milar fate in a prison at Bokhara, to which city 
 he had been enticed by the king, and, being 
 
 II 
 
S26 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 327 
 
 lured into the trap, was immediately shut up in a 
 loathsome dungeon, in company with Col. S tod- 
 dart. The latter officer, it will be remembered, 
 was sent on a mission to Bokhara, in 1838, by 
 the British Envoy at the court of Persia. Having 
 innocently excited the displeasure of the king, 
 than whom a more execrable tyrant never ex- 
 isted, he was shut up for several months in a 
 well, full of disgusting vermin and noxious rep- 
 tiles, and would eventually have been buried 
 alive, had he not at length so far given way to 
 human weakness, as to make an outward pro- 
 fession of Mahomedanism. After this he was 
 restored to liberty, and became a great favourite 
 at court, until the news of our fatal disasters at 
 Cabul reached the ears of the king, who, sup- 
 posing that God had given over all infidels to 
 destruction, again doomed poor Stoddart to be 
 immured in a dungeon, where he was soon joined, 
 as has been seen, by his countryman, Arthur 
 Conolly. In a letter, which the latter managed 
 soon afterwards to write to his brother John, it 
 was stated that himself and his fellow prisoner 
 had been without change of raiment for upwards 
 of eighty days, — that poor Stoddart was reduced 
 to a skeleton, and eaten up with vermin; and 
 that, unless they should be released soon, a mise- 
 rable death must be their inevitable fate. Au- 
 
 il 
 
 I «" 
 
 thentic intelligence has since been received of the 
 death of Conolly, but of his companion in misery 
 nothing has been heard.* It may not be ge- 
 nerally known that Col. Stoddart was one of the 
 most able, patriotic, and noble-minded soldiers 
 that the British army ever produced; an ornament 
 to his profession, and an honour to his country. 
 All who knew him will readily acknowledge the 
 justice of this encomium, and will join in lament- 
 ing that such a man should be sacrificed with 
 impunity to the savage whim of a petty Oriental 
 despot. 
 
 August 9th. — Mahomed Akber having pro- 
 mised to send Capt. Conolly 's body for burial to 
 Jellalabad, Major Pottinger sent to inquire this 
 morning when it was to start, and received for 
 answer from Akber that, ** until Pollock should 
 make peace, neither living nor dead should be 
 suffered to go." The body was, therefore, buried 
 this evening in the garden adjoining the fort. 
 Capts. Troup and Lawrence returned from Jel- 
 lalabad, and spent the night in the Bala Hissar. 
 
 August IQth, — The above-named ofiicers re- 
 joined us this morning, and informed us that their 
 mission had led to no useful result. Gen. Pol- 
 lock still demanded that all the prisoners should 
 
 ♦ The death of both these unfortunate officers is now 
 beyond reasonable doubt — Ed. 
 
328 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 be sent down immediately, which Akber as posi- 
 tively refused to do without a written agreement. 
 The crisis of our fate was consequently nigh at 
 hand. About this time Mahomed Akber, having 
 made several fruitless attempts to collect revenue 
 in the Zoormut valley, at last sent the Meer Waiz, 
 or high priest, thither for the purpose ; but '^ his 
 holiness" met with so little respect on this un- 
 popular mission, that his horse was stolen, and 
 he was obliged to return to Cabul on foot. Akber, 
 demanding that the animal should be restored, 
 was told that the owner must " come and fetch 
 him:' Such is royalty in Affghanistan. If Ak- 
 ber's merits as a ruler may be judged by the fol- 
 lowing anecdote, the future prospect of Affghan- 
 istan under his sway are poor indeed. Shortly 
 after his last assumption of power, under the title 
 of Wuzeer, some Lohannee merchants, whose 
 trade had been entirely stopped by the late anarchy, 
 ventured to Cabul with a few goods, to feel their 
 way. Akber no sooner heard of their arrival, 
 than he sent for them to his house, — bought up 
 all their stock-- paid them honestly— gave them 
 dresses of honour— and, having urged them to 
 return shortly with their richest wares, dismissed 
 them to their homes rejoicing. Of course they 
 gave out every where that such a first-rate fellow 
 as Akber had never before appeared in any age 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 329 
 
 or country. No time was lost in despatching a 
 valuable cafila from Dera Ishmael Khun to Cabul, 
 which was accompanied by many of the richest 
 Lohannees in person. Akber's eager eye was on 
 the look-out for their coming ; and scarcely had 
 they set foot within the city, before he pounced 
 upon them like a hawk upon his prey, despoiled 
 them of all their merchandize, and levied a heavy 
 fine upon the chiefs of the party. 
 
 August ll^A. — We were thrown into no slight 
 dismay this morning by the sudden stoppage of 
 our supplies. No time was lost in sending in- 
 formation to Akber, when it was discovered that 
 the nazir, or steward, employed to supply us, 
 being desirous to obtain payment for past ex- 
 penses, had adopted this method of reminding 
 Akber of his claims. The matter was soon set- 
 tled, and our minds, as well as bodies, relieved. 
 It was reported to us that an English officer had 
 been seized in the disguise of a butcher in the 
 Cabul bazar. This afterwards turned out to be 
 a hajee, whom a thirst for adventure had brought 
 from Arabia, via India, and being very fair, he 
 was mistaken for an European. Some would 
 have it that he was a Russian spy. This morning 
 Mahomed Akber placed the sacred person ^ of 
 Futty Jung, his royal master, in durance vile, 
 having intercepted a letter from him to Gen. 
 
330 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 Pollock, urging the latter to march up at once, 
 when all would be well ; but warning him that, if 
 he delayed much longer, an army would be col- 
 lected to oppose him. 
 
 August 12th, — Major Pottinger, together with 
 the five hostages, joined us, bag and baggage, 
 from the Bala Hissar, by command of Abker, 
 who rudely told his people to ** take those dogs 
 away" This we supposed to be preliminary to 
 our removal to Bameean or elsewhere. Mrs. An- 
 derson was pronounced in imminent danger to- 
 night. 
 
 August ISth. — Lawrence waited on Akber to 
 ask him to give us two days' warning before 
 taking us off ; but he was told that we must be 
 content with one hours notice. Akber also de- 
 clared that all further negotiation with Gen. 
 Pollock for our release being at an end, he should 
 permit no more correspondence to take place be- 
 tween us and our friends. He intended, however, 
 as a last resource, to write a letter to Lord Ellen- 
 borough direct. 
 
 He mentioned having heard that Gen, Nott 
 was positively en route from Candahar by the 
 road of Dera Ishmael Khan; but whether he 
 would turn off to Cabul, or pursue that road to 
 India, was at present a mysterj^ Should his 
 destination prove to be Cabul, we must be pre- 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 331 
 
 pared to be hurried off to some far distant country. 
 Such was the information brought^ us by Capt. 
 
 Lawrence. 
 
 August 16^A. — Futty Jung, of whose death by 
 violence we had been hourly expecting to hear, 
 was so fortunate as to effect his escape last night 
 from Mahomed Akber's clutches. The latter, 
 it was said, immediately despoiled the prince's 
 wife and sisters of all their jewels. 
 
 August n^A.-Mrs. Smith, a poor European 
 widow, servant to Mrs. Trevor, died of fever. 
 Scarcely a single lady, officer, soldier, or child, 
 had now escaped the disease, and we began to 
 resemble a company of ghosts on a visit from the 
 
 other world. 
 
 August mil.— Om stock of medicines being 
 
 by this time almost entirely exhausted, Capt. 
 Troup went to urge Akber to send a list of our 
 wants to Jellalabad, which, however, he positively 
 refused to do. so long as Gen. Pollock con- 
 tinued to treat him as an enemy ; but he pro- 
 mised that sufficient carriage should be provided 
 for us all, in case of a march. Our servants were 
 now strictly prohibited from going to the city, in 
 consequence of their spreading reports to Akber's 
 detriment, and there is no doubt that the inha- 
 bitants were by this time perfectly sick of their 
 
SS2 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 333 
 
 new ruler, and were longing for the re-establish- 
 ment of British influence. 
 
 At midnight there was a thunder-clap in the 
 hill above us, which so shook the house as to be 
 at first mistaken for an earthquake ; and the rain 
 fell so suddenly, that Captain Boyd, who happened 
 to be sleeping on the roof, had no time to escape, 
 and was drenched to the skin in his bed. 
 
 August 23d. — The report was prevalent of an 
 action having taken place near Gundamuck, from 
 which several Aflglums were said to have returned 
 to Cabul wounded. Mahomed Akber, we learned, 
 was at last preparing in earnest to meet Gen. 
 Pollock in the field. 
 
 Great was our surprise this morning, and un- 
 feigned our delight, at the unlooked-for arrival 
 amongst us of the nine officers taken prisoners at 
 Ghuznee on the capitulation of the garrison of 
 that fortress. They were. Col. Palmer, Capts. 
 Alston and Poett, Lieuts. Harris, Nicholson, 
 and Williams, of the 27th N. I., and Capt. 
 Burnet and Lieut. Crawford, of the Shah's ser- 
 vice. The joy of the meeting was mutual, as 
 they had heard most extravagant accounts of our 
 ill treatment, as had we of theirs ; and it was a 
 satisfaction to find that matters had not been 
 quite so bad as represented. On comparing notes, 
 however, we found that their treatment had been 
 
 I 
 
 much more harsh than our own, inasmuch as 
 they had been kept closely shut up in a small 
 room, without the advantage of air and exercise ; 
 Col. Palmer, too, had once been subjected to 
 torture, to force from him a disclosure as to the 
 treasure, which he was suspected to have buried 
 in the citadel. They were hurried off hither 
 on the 20th, during the absence of Shumshoodeen 
 Khan, the governor, who had marched towards 
 Candahar, to oppose Gen. Nott ; and it was 
 supposed that Mahomed Akber had taken advan- 
 tage of that chiefs absence, to carry them away 
 by stealth, through the agency of his own friends. 
 They arrived in the Bala Hissar last night, and 
 were received with great courtesy by Akber, who 
 inquired closely into the treatment which they 
 had experienced. Akber and Shumshoodeen 
 had not been on good terms for some time past. 
 It will be remembered that Ghuznee was in- 
 vested by the insurgents early in November, 1841. 
 The city was defended for several weeks with 
 great spirit, but the enemy gained admittance 
 through the treachery of the Aff*ghan inhabitants, 
 by a hole made through the wall of a house ad- 
 joining the rampart. The enemy once in the 
 town,°the garrison was obliged, after several in- 
 effectual endeavours to dislodge the overwhelming 
 
834 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 foe from the posts of vantage they occupied, to retire 
 within the citadel. There they held out bravely, 
 until their water failed ; when, being hemmed in 
 by snow, and with no possibility of retreating, 
 they had no other course left but to capitulate 
 or perish. Gen. Elphinstone had sent a written 
 order to Col. Palmer to evacuate the place, in 
 compliance with the treaty concluded at Cabul. 
 To this order Col. Palmer attended only when 
 he had no other course left, and by so doing he 
 saved the greater portion of his garrison. No blame 
 can possibly attach to him; and though, as a 
 matter of form, he must be tried, his honourable 
 acquittal is certain: Affghan treachery was as 
 conspicuous at Ghuznee as at Cabul. On an 
 appointed day the garrison marched out to a 
 quarter of the city allotted for their reception, 
 Shumshoodeen Khan standing pledged to regard 
 their lives and liberty. Lieut. Lumsden re- 
 mained behind the rest with the rear guard, and 
 v^as in a house with his wife awaiting the moment 
 to march, when the murderous mob burst into 
 the place and put the whole party to death. The 
 regiment, too, after being separated from its 
 officers, was called upon to surrender its arms, 
 which several sepoys refusing to do, they were 
 slaughtered and the rest made captives. Sucli 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 335 
 
 was the melancholy tale to which we now listened 
 
 for the first time.* 
 
 August ^!Sth. — lrv the morning we were told 
 that we should probably march at night. We 
 therefore packed up our few necessaries, and got 
 ready for a start. In vain we indulged in glim- 
 mering hopes of a rescue. Too well we knew 
 that no one had sufficient energy to attempt it. 
 In the evening Captain Troup came from Akber, 
 to see us off. Major Pottinger, being no favourite 
 with the Wuzeer, was sent back to us ; and Capt. 
 Bygrave w^as ordered to remain with him in the 
 Major s stead. 
 
 At dusk our cattle arrived, and kujawurs (ca- 
 mel-litters) for the sick. Mrs. Anderson and 
 Mrs. Trevor, being too seriously ill to undertake 
 a journey, without incurring certain death, were, 
 with the utmost difficulty, allowed to remain be- 
 hind with their families, and with Dr. Campbell 
 as their medical attendant. All the rest, sick and 
 otherwise, were forced to be on the alert ; and at 
 half-past ten p.m., the moon being well risen, we 
 started, — some in kujawurs, some on horseback. 
 Our escort consisted of between 300 and 400 men, 
 armed with muskets, and formed into a regiment, 
 under the command of one Saleh Mahomed Khan, 
 formerly a subadar in Capt. Hopkins's Affghan 
 
 * See Appendix for Lieut. Crawford's own account.— Ed. 
 
336 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 levy, who had rendered himself famous, or rather 
 infamous, by deserting with all his men to Dost 
 Mahomed at Bameean, in 1840. About half-a- 
 dozen Hindoostanees, with bugles, fifes, and drums, 
 formed a rude soit of band, and marched off in 
 state at the head of the regiment. At another 
 time we might have indulged in merriment at 
 their expense ; but now we were too sick in heart 
 and frame to exercise our sense of the ludicrous. 
 Passing through the Logur gorge we crossed the 
 Logur river by a bridge, and, pursuing a westerly 
 course, reached the rich valley of Chardeh. 
 
 August 2Gth. — At 9 a.m. we came to a halt at 
 KiUa Kazee on the Ghuznee road, after a journey 
 of about sixteen miles. Part of our way was 
 through narrow lanes, overhung by mulberry 
 trees, under which the camels could not find a 
 passage without subjecting the luckless inmates 
 of the kujawurs to very rough treatment from the 
 branches. Mrs. Main waring had the skin of her arm 
 rubbed off in this manner, and some of the other 
 ladies got severe knocks on the head ; the heed- 
 less surwan, or camel-driver, meanwhile pursuing 
 his course most philosophically, taking no notice 
 whatever of the accidents in his rear, except now 
 and then to give a malicious grin of satisfaction. 
 I should have mentioned that most of the ladies 
 now, for the first time, adopted in part the Affghan 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 337 
 
 dress, the outer garment of which consists of a 
 large and white sheet completely shrouding the 
 body, to which is attached the bourkha, or veil, of 
 white muslin, with only a small open space of net- 
 work opposite the eyes, to peep through. 
 
 Hitherto they had all preferred adhering to 
 their own costume, but now that they were going 
 into unknown regions, where it would be desirable 
 to attract as httle notice as possible, the adoption 
 of the national dress, when travelling, became a 
 matter of expediency. At Killa Kazee we found 
 Sultan Jan halting to breakfast, en route to Ghuz- 
 nee with about 50 followers, with full purpose to 
 annihilate Gen. Nott. He having possession of 
 the serai, our whole party were obliged to seek 
 shelter under the scanty shade of three or four 
 mulberry trees. Soon after Sultan Jan's depar- 
 ture one of the officers went to the serai to 
 beg 'for a room for the ladies and children, but 
 was repelled with scorn, and asked, " what he an 
 infidel, meant by entering the place with his shoes 
 on » " At noon we were joined by Dr. Berwick, 
 with about thirty European soldiers of the sick 
 deuchment, under Lieut. Evans, H. M. 44th 
 Foot That oflacer, with Lieut. Haughton of the 
 late Goorkha regiment, came up a few hours after- 
 wards, both in a very sickly state. It will be re- 
 membered that poor Haughton lost his right arm 
 
338 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN 
 
 339 
 
 from a wound received at Charekar, during the 
 gallant defence of that place, in November, 1841. 
 He had suffered the torture of a second amputa- 
 tion, the first having been too hastily performed, 
 and his subsequent sufferings had been severe. It 
 is to be sincerely hoped that his unfortunate case 
 will meet with the generous consideration of the 
 Indian government. Major Pottinger received a 
 letter to-day, by stealth, from Major Rawlinson, 
 political agent at Candahar, informing him of 
 Gen. Nott's advance on Cabul. 
 
 No provisions were served out the whole day 
 to man or beast. In the evening Saleh Maho- 
 med's band committed deliberate murder on some 
 old regimental tunes. 
 
 August 27th, — We set out again at about 2 a. m. 
 The road lay over the hill pass of Suffed KhaJc, 
 into the small but beautiful valley of Maidan. 
 We halted for a few minutes under a splendid 
 grove of spreading poplars. About a mile be- 
 yond this we encamped at Kat Jshroo, near the 
 banks of a clear crystal stream, shaded by lofty 
 poplars. Lower down the declivity, about the 
 middle of the valley (which was here about a mile 
 wide), there ran a small river carrying fertility 
 along its banks. Picturesque clumps of poplars 
 and willows here and there broke the view, the 
 intervening space being filled up with green and 
 
 yellow fields of cultivation. Bare and rugged 
 mountains every where bounded the landscape. 
 Here, as we reclined our wearied limbs, and 
 looked around on the smiling scene which every 
 where charmed the eye, we wondered that the 
 inhabitants of so favoured a spot should be in- 
 sensible to the blessings of peace ; — that the 
 loveliness of nature, and the quiet occupations 
 of husbandry, should have so little power to soften 
 the heart, and subdue the fierce passions of sa- 
 vage men, who here, as elsewhere throughout 
 Affghanistan, have, like the untameable descend- 
 ants of Esau, " their hand against every man, 
 and every man's hand against them." We were 
 told that the whole of this seemingly peaceful 
 valley was so distracted by blood feuds, that the 
 inhabitants scarcely dared to venture a few Imn- 
 dred yards from their own dwelling. 
 
 August 2StL — We moved on again at 2 a. m. 
 The road continued up the valley, which, if pos- 
 sible, improved in beauty as we proceeded. We 
 halted within 4 miles of Sur Chusma, at Tak 
 Khana, in a field bounded on one side by shady 
 poplars, and on the other by a fine clear stream. 
 This being the high road to Balk, we constantly 
 met groups of asses laden with merchandise for 
 the Cabul market, among which we could not 
 be unconscious of the presence of assafcEtida, 
 
 Q 2 
 
 \ 
 
340 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 311 
 
 which diiFused its powerful and oppressive odour 
 far and wide. Grapes, apples, pears, and apri- 
 cots, were brouglit to us in great plenty for sale 
 from the villages, and furnished a seasonable re- 
 freshment after our journey of about 14 miles. 
 No tents were pitched, and the fever patients 
 suffered greatly from the damp air at night. 
 
 August 29th, — We started at daybreak. A 
 short march of nine miles to Oonaiy within two 
 miles of which place we passed a well-built fort, 
 belonging to a Kuzzilbash chief, who, having 
 heard of our approach, had kindly prepared a 
 quantity of small cakes, which were distributed to 
 us as we passed along. The road had a gradual 
 ascent the whole way. We had now entered the 
 country of the Huzarehs, a hardy independent 
 race of people inhabiting the extensive mountain- 
 ous tracts, which extend from that spur of the 
 Hindoo Koosh which forms the western barrier 
 of Kohistan, to within a few miles of Herat. 
 They are divided into sects, one professing the 
 Soonee, the other the Sheeah tenets. The Kuz- 
 zilbashes of Cabul, being Sheeahs, exercise con- 
 siderable influence over the Huzarehs of that 
 persuasion, who hold the best parts of the Bameean 
 valley and its neighbourhood. The knowledge of 
 this fact gave us some hopes of a rise in our 
 favour, in the event of Akber sustaining any 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 signal defeat, the Kuzzilbashes having all along 
 been our secret friends. 
 
 August SOth* — We pursued our march at 3 
 A. M., and after the fii*st mile we commenced 
 ascending the Oonai pass, consisting of several 
 steep ascents and descents for ^ve miles. Here 
 we came in sight of the Koh-i-haha, a lofty snow- 
 clad mountain of the Indian Caucasus. The lattei 
 part of the road was more level, descending 
 gradually to the bed of the Helmund river, on the 
 right bank of which we encamped at Gurduii- 
 dewal. The Helmund was here about twenty-five 
 yards broad, at this season, and about two feet 
 deep. Some of the guard had a skirmish with a 
 few Huzareh thieves, one of whom was killed, 
 and two taken prisoners. The march to-day was 
 about twelve miles, but very tedious. A beautiful 
 species of Salvia was very abundant. 
 
 August Slst, — We started about 4 p. m. The 
 road lay for six miles up the stony bed of a large 
 stream, one of the tributaries of the Helmund. 
 Here we passed a chalybeate spring, the water of 
 which was greatly discoloured, and sparkled like 
 soda water, which it very much resembled in 
 taste. For the rest of the way we had gentle 
 ascents. We passed much barley cultivation stil 
 green in the ear, and encamped in the narrow 
 valley of Kar-zar^ where we found a fort in a 
 
 Q 3 
 
342 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 State of siege, and the hill-sides covered with 
 Huzarehs. It seems that the Chief of Gurdun- 
 dewal demanded the toll of the road as his right, 
 and was enforcing his claims with his armed 
 
 retainers. 
 
 September Ut. — We ascended the pass of 
 Hajeeguk, the summit of which is 12,400 feet 
 above the sea. The ascent was gradual and easy 
 enough, but the descent very steep and long. 
 About three miles led us into the valley of Kaloo, 
 studded with a few poor-looking forts, and toler- 
 ably well cultivated with wheat and barley ; but 
 the crops seemed very backward, being still green 
 in the ear. In these cold regions winter sometimes 
 treads on the heels of summer, pushing autumn 
 out of the way altogether ; and a severe frost will 
 destroy the fruits of the husbandman's industry, 
 before the grain is yet ripe for the sickle. We 
 crossed two broad and foaming torrents, the last 
 a tributary of the Oxus. Boulders of granite 
 were of frequent occurrence. The Koh-i-baba 
 was now within a few miles on our left, and is 
 probably composed of that rock. About the tenth 
 mile brought us to the foot of the Kaloo pass, 
 where the camp was pitched close to a small fort. 
 A Hindoo servant of Col. Palmer, having offended 
 some of our guard, was with difficulty rescued 
 from a violent death. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 343 
 
 September 2d. --M daybreak we commenced 
 the ascent of the Kaloo mountain, forming part 
 of the principal chain of the Indian Caucasus. 
 The road being unsafe for camels, all the Kujawurs 
 were filled with baggage, that the ladies and sick 
 might ride on the ponies. The length of the as- 
 cent was about two miles, and the road very 
 narrow and precipitous in many places. The 
 summit is 13,400 feet above the sea. The view 
 to the north presented a boundless chaos of barren 
 mountains, probably unequalled in wild terrific 
 
 grandeur. 
 
 Bameean and its caves were dimly discernible 
 in the distance. Some of the sick soldiers, who 
 were forced to walk, were quite exhausted; and 
 one poor fellow, who was too weak even to sit on 
 a horse, it was found necessary to bind on a camel. 
 The descent was very tedious and steep, and 
 almost four miles in length. At the foot of the 
 hill we enjoyed a few minutes' rest, under the 
 shade of some old willows by the side of a de- 
 licious stream. These willows had straight 
 spreading branches, and were totally unlike any 
 others I had ever seen. We now entered a small 
 cultivated valley with two small forts. En- 
 camped at Killa Topchee. 
 
 September Sd. — Saleh Mahomed Khan made his 
 appearance this morning in a European officer's 
 
 Q 4 
 
»i£4i«SSi4<xiA»-v •. — -^ 
 
 wT,. -— aasas^T!!. 
 
 ^1' 
 
 344 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 blue frock coat, with shoulder-scales; and his 
 second-in-command blazed forth in an infantry 
 officer's full-dress scarlet uniform. This display 
 of finery must have been intended to make a 
 favourable impression on the inhabitants of Ba- 
 
 meean. 
 
 Our route lay down a narrow cultivated valley 
 enclosed by low hills of red indurated clay, as- 
 suming occasionally the most fantastic forms, 
 until we reached the Bameean river, flowing 
 eastward, which we crossed by a bridge, and then 
 commenced to ascend the valley down which it 
 takes its course. The cultivation along its banks 
 was richer than we expected to see, and the Tir- 
 hiskh, or barberry, grew wild in great abundance, 
 in company with a species of Hippophae, bearing 
 a plentiful crop of small bright yellow berries. 
 Seven miles more took us to Bameean, the ap- 
 proach to which was very remarkable. The same 
 clay hills lined the valley on either side, alter- 
 nating in shade from deep red to bluish grey, and 
 forming here and there long lines of perpendicular 
 
 cliff. 
 
 The vast assemblage of caves, for which the 
 
 place is celebrated, became visible at a great dis- 
 
 ance, and the ancient citadel of Gulguleh, with 
 
 its lofty ruined towers, crowning an isolated 
 
 pyramidal hill, rising behind the scene, formed 
 
 I 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 345 
 
 I 
 
 a striking and imposing object. We passed 
 several small Affghan forts, and halted at one 
 somewhat better than the rest, where we had just 
 got our tents pitched and our breakfast in a state 
 of forwardness, when we were peremptorily or- 
 dered to remount and move a few miles higher 
 up the valley. We were very loth to obey ; but 
 neither sulky looks, nor open remonstrances, had 
 any effect 'on Saleh Mahomed, and onward we 
 travelled in that sort of temper peculiar to^ hungry 
 men disappointed of their morning's meal. On 
 our way we passed close by the famous colossal 
 images, sculptured in a cliff*, which was about 
 300 feet in height, and perforated with hundreds 
 of caves rising one above the other in irregular 
 stories. The first figure we passed was that of a 
 female, 120 feet high; the body covered with 
 a clever representation of thin drapery ; the po- 
 sition easy and natural. The upper part of the 
 face is entirely destroyed. 
 
 About 400 yards further on, in the same cliff, 
 stands the male figure, about 160 feet high, and 
 clothed in a similar fashion with a light drapery. 
 The mouth alone remains a perfect feature of the 
 face, and is well formed. Each figure is sculp- 
 tured in a deep recess, having an ornamented 
 ceiling, on which are painted what seem intended 
 to represent ancient kings and queens, and a 
 
 Q 5 
 
imn 
 
 ..,.;jSa*KBS.4»v 
 
 346 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 34^ 
 
 variet}^ of emblematic personages, whose mystery 
 it would be difficult, at this remote date, to clear 
 up to the satisfaction of the Society of Antiquaries. 
 There are openings at the head and feet of both 
 images, which are connected by galleries and 
 stairs cut inside the rock. The whole long line 
 of excavations forms a wonderful scene, and carries 
 the fancy back thousands of years, to a date at 
 which a widely different race peopled the country 
 from any now existing. 
 
 A few of the caves were still inhabited by the 
 lower orders. About a mile beyond this spot we 
 halted at a small fort, in which the ladies were 
 offered quarters, but of so unprepossessing an 
 appearance, that they earnestly requested per- 
 mission to remain in the tents, preferring solar 
 heat, with pure air, to the darkness and filth of a 
 mud hovel confined within close walls. The place 
 was therefore made over to the poor soldiers, to 
 whom it was really acceptable. 
 
 The soaring snow-clad peaks of Koh-i-haha have 
 a majestic aspect from this point of view ; although 
 from the south side they had somewhat disap- 
 pointed our expectations. 
 
 The ancient city of Gulguleh was destroyed by 
 Khenghis Khan in the thirteenth century. Its 
 ruins cover a considerable extent of ground. The 
 place then sunk into a state of insignificance, from 
 
 which it has never emerged; and the scanty popu- 
 lation is now dispersed over the valley, among a 
 few small forts belonging to Huzareh chiefs. 
 
 This evening Saleh Mahomed Khan boasted 
 aloud before his men, that Gen. Nott's force had 
 been entirely cut up at Ghuznee, by Shumshoo- 
 deen. This was probably intended to check de- 
 sertion, to which many of them seemed much 
 inclined, in consequence of irregular pay and 
 scanty food. 
 
 The only fuel here attainable is a small round 
 prickly plant, as impenetrable as a hedgehog, 
 called by the natives " Khola-i-Huzareh,^^ or the 
 Huzareh's Cap. It seemed a species of acantho- 
 phyllum. The portion served out to each mess 
 barelv sufficed to boil a kettle. 
 
 September 4tlh. — Saleh Mahomed took Capt. 
 Lawrence this morning to look at another fort, 
 which he proposed as a habitation for the ladies 
 and officers ; but Lawrence told him that, although 
 it might be fit for Affghans and cattle, It certainly 
 was not so for us, — being full of filth and vermin. 
 Saleh Mahomed, upon this, declared that, if any 
 of us should escape, he would kill the rest. He 
 was evidently anxious, for some reason or another, 
 to get us into a place of security, and much an- 
 noyed by our squeamishness on the subject. A 
 little rain foil during the night. 
 
 Q 6 
 
, a««r^'^.»iB.'S«f5K3Sf '■"""""" - 
 
 348 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 349 
 
 Sept, 5th, — I obtained leave to visit the ca es 
 and images, one of the guard accompanying me. 
 A walk of one mile brought me to the base of 
 the male figure, the size of which on a near ap- 
 proach seemed really stupendous. Along the 
 sides of the recess, in which it is carved, are 
 ranges of large circular chambers with vaulted 
 ceilings. The image has been greatly mutilated 
 by cannon shot, for which act of religious zeal 
 credit is given to Nadir Shah. One circumstance 
 struck me as remarkable, — which was, that in all 
 those parts where the limbs are deficient, there 
 are regular rows of small holes, in which pieces 
 of wood have been stuck, for the evident purpose 
 of making plaster adhere. From this it would 
 appear either that an attempt had been made to 
 restore the mutilated parts by these means, or 
 that the figure was originally only partially sculp- 
 tured in the rock, and the deficiencies made up 
 with plaster in the manner I have mentioned. 
 From the apparent facility with which, from the 
 softness of the rock, the image might have been 
 chiselled perfect at the first, I incline to the be- 
 lief that an attempt has been since made to repair 
 the work of destruction, during some temporary 
 success of the heathen inhabitants against their 
 Mahomedan invaders. The cliff is composed of 
 that species of conglomerate known by the name 
 
 of pudding-stone, consisting of very hard clay, 
 thickly studded with various kinds of rounded 
 pebbles. 
 
 I ascended to the top of the female image by a 
 series of stairs and galleries, the labour of exca- 
 vating which through the solid rock must have 
 been immense. From the main gallery others 
 branched off in all directions, communicating with 
 distant chambers. While sitting on the lady's 
 crown, enjoying a splendid view of the country, 
 I was joined by some of the inhabitants, who 
 were very inquisitive to know what was written 
 in our books concerning the place. I told them 
 it was generally supposed that Alexander the 
 Great founded a city there. His fame is diffused 
 so generally among all classes in Affghanistan, 
 that I was pretty certain my information would 
 prove satisfactory. After a long chat on late 
 events, these men assured me that the whole po- 
 pulation of the valley were favourable to the 
 English, whose rule they preferred to any other, 
 and that all the chiefs were most anxious we 
 should be released and peace be restored. On my 
 return I found Saleh Mahomed's band hammer- 
 ing away at their only tune, with extraordinary 
 zeal and perseverance, to an admiring crowd of 
 strangers, who seemed perfectly entranced by the 
 brilliant performance. The Affgbans have a de- 
 

 
 350 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 cided taste for music, and quickly discern the 
 beauties of a tune to which a Hindoo would 
 listen with utter indifference. At Cabul the 
 band-stand of Her Majesty s 13th was a favourite 
 resort with the respectable classes, and their own 
 national melodies, when chaunted in the open air, 
 are by no means displeasing to an European ear. 
 — Gunner M^Crae, of the Artillery, was buried 
 this evening. 
 
 September 6th. — I accompanied Lady Sale on 
 a second trip to the caves. Her Ladyship, who is 
 well skilled in numismatics, at the first glance 
 pronounced the figures painted on the ceiling 
 over the images to be identical with those on 
 many Sassanian coins. This, if really the case, 
 may throw considerable light on the history of 
 these curious relics of antiquity. After our re- 
 turn to camp, SL feu-de-joie was fired by the guard 
 for the evacuation of Candahar by our troops. 
 
 September 8th, — Several desertions took place 
 from among the men of our guard, and Saleh Ma- 
 homed at last insisted on our moving into a fort 
 for better security. One of his subordinate offi- 
 cers, having spoken insolently on parade, was 
 condemned to part with his long black beard, 
 and the barber was summoned to carry the sen- 
 tence into effect before the men. This is the 
 greatest indignity which a Mahomedan can suffer, 
 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 351 
 
 and the fellow looked not a little disgusted, but 
 was forced to submit amidst the jeers of his 
 
 comrades. 
 
 Sept. 9th. — A fort being reported ready for 
 our reception, we moved into it. The interior 
 space was crowded with low and filthy mud ho- 
 vels, lately the abode of sheep and oxen. On 
 entering our new apartments, we found ourselves 
 for a few minutes in total darkness, until, our 
 eyes becoming reconciled to the gloom, w^e dis- 
 cerned small holes in the roof, intended to repre- 
 sent windows, through which a few questionable 
 rays of light struggled for admittance. In Aff- 
 ghanistan air and light are considered superfluous 
 luxuries in a dwelling-house : but, to make up 
 for these deficiencies, our olfactory nerves w^ere 
 brought into active exercise. 
 
 Although very much disgusted in heart, we 
 had no alternative but to grin and bear it. Five 
 respectable Lohanee merchants, who happened to 
 be strolling near the walls of the fort, were seized 
 by Saleh Mahomed, on pretence of having been 
 discovered holding secret communication with us, 
 but in reality for the purpose of extorting money 
 
 from them. 
 
 Sept. IOj^^. — Zoolficar Khan, the governor of 
 Bameean, came early in the morning to demand 
 the release of the Lohanee merchants. Saleh 
 
 .1 
 
 
 I 
 
352 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 353 
 
 '^1 
 
 Maliomed, however, assumed very consequential 
 airs, and said he would imprison the Governor 
 himself should he be convicted of a similar of- 
 fence. After much bravado of this kind, he 
 released the men, and Zoolficar Khan took his 
 departure, not over-pleased at his uncourteous 
 rece23tion. 
 
 Sept, llth, — The crisis, which we had so long 
 been anticipating with dread, at length arrived. 
 A decisive order was received by Saleh Mahomed, 
 from Mahomed Akber Khan, for our instant 
 march to Kooloom. All hope of deliverance 
 seemed now at an end, and we endeavoured 
 calmJy to resign ourselves to a fate that seemed 
 inevitable. But Providence had mercifully or- 
 dained otherwise. — At 10 a.m., to our unbounded 
 astonishment. Major Pottinger came to inform 
 us that Saleh Mahomed Khan had offered to 
 make us over to the British General, on condition 
 of our securing to him the payment of 20,000 
 rupees in ready cash, and 1000 rs. per mensem 
 for life. Major Pottinger, together with Capts. 
 Lawrence and Johnson, had immediately closed 
 with his offer, and had signed their names to a 
 document, whereby they guaranteed the payment 
 of the above reward. To this Capt. Mackenzie, 
 on becoming acquainted with the circumstances, 
 became likewise a party ; and the rest of us (with 
 
 II 
 
 the exception of one, who refused to co-operate, 
 on the ground of the measure heiug precipitate *, 
 but who did, I believe, afterwards join in it,) 
 signed another paper, in which we stood pledged 
 to save those four officers from loss, in case the 
 government should refuse to sanction the expen- 
 diture. We afterwards learned that we were in 
 a great measure indebted for this sudden turn of 
 affairs in our favour to Ali Kuzul Khan, and 
 other Kuzzilbash chiefs, in concert with Mohun 
 Lall (late Moonshee to Sir Alexander Burnes), who 
 sent Syud Moorteezzer to Bameean to negotiate 
 with Saleh Mahomed for our release, Mohun 
 Lall promising a liberal reward in the name of 
 the British government. -j- Saleh Maliomed*s 
 offer to Major Pottinger was the result of the 
 Syud's mission, which the news of Gen. Pollock's 
 triumphant advance on Cabul tended, without 
 doubt, to facilitate. It also fortunately happened 
 that Saleh Mahomed's family at this time in- 
 habited the Chundoul, and the Kuzzilbaslies 
 threatened to visit on them any injury he should 
 suffer to befall us, the fear of which had induced 
 
 * Major Pottinger says, that Major General Shelton and 
 Colonel Palmer declined affixing their signatures to any such 
 paper, lest they should implicate themselves with Mahomed 
 Akber. See his letter to General Pollock, Pari. Pap. No. 
 512. — Editor. 
 
 f See Mohun LalFs letter, Appendix E. — Editor. 
 
 ,x 
 
 ; 1 1 
 
354 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN 
 
 S55 
 
 one of his brothers to come out to Bameean, for 
 the purpose of prevailing on him to accede to the 
 terms proffered for our release. The bait proved, 
 as has been seen, irresistible, and we were all 
 now, with him at our head, fairly embarked in 
 the dangerous vortex of an AfFghan conspiracy. 
 The first point to be settled was, how to deal with 
 a man called the Meer Akhor, who had accom- 
 panied our party from Cabul, as a sort of po- 
 litical colleague to Saleh Mahomed Klian. He 
 was well known to be one of Mahomed Akber's 
 most faithful and confidential adherents ; of his 
 co-operation we could, therefore, entertain no 
 hope, and of his continued presence, as he com- 
 manded a party of 100 Ghiljie horse, it was 
 desirable to get rid as soon as possible. It was 
 accordingly contemplated to seize his person on 
 the first fair occasion that might offer. In the 
 evening Saleh Mahomed paraded his men, when 
 they were very clamorous for pay, and declared 
 their intention to proceed no further, unless their 
 wants were supplied. This little scene was pro- 
 bably got up as a blind for the Meer Jkhor, 
 
 Sept, I2th. — At an early hour Saleh Ma- 
 homed's flag of defiance was displayed on one of 
 the towers of our fort. A supply of money being 
 much wanted, to keep the troops in good humour, 
 a cafila was intercepted from Bokhara, and about 
 
 
 1 
 
 400 rupees extorted by way of tax. Major Pot- 
 tinger next adopted the bold step of appointing a 
 new governor of the province, in the name of the 
 British government. Presents and promises were 
 at the same time liberally dispensed to the neigh- 
 bouring Huzareh chiefs, who almost unanimously 
 declared in our favour. 
 
 In the evening Zoolficar Khan himself (the old 
 governor) thought it advisable to send and tender 
 his submission. Major Pottinger, in reply, re- 
 minded him that he owed his advancement origi- 
 nally to the English, and now had an opportunity 
 to prove himself a friend, in which case^is reward 
 should be proportionate to his services. At night 
 we were assured that the whole Huzareh popu- 
 lation of the valley were on our side, and ready 
 to take up arms against Akber, even should he 
 appear with a thousand horse to back him. 
 
 Altogether the plot prospered beyond our most 
 sanguine expectations. 
 
 Sept. 13th. — The two small forts at this time 
 occupied by ourselves and the European soldiers, 
 and which were only one hundred yards apart, 
 being deemed by Saleh Mahomed ill-adapted for 
 defence, he proposed removing us to another fort 
 about two miles lower down the valley, which 
 prevented our making immediate preparations for 
 a siege. 
 
356 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 357 
 
 As Mahomed Akber's arrival was to be hourly 
 expected (in flight from Gen. Pollock's army), 
 we were impatient to get every thing in proper 
 trim against a surprise ; and it seemed to us that 
 Saleh Mahomed was much too dilatory in taking 
 the necessary precautions. We now learned, for 
 the first time, that he had yesterday received a 
 second letter from Mahomed Akber, urging him 
 to hurry us off to Kooloom without delay, and in- 
 structing him to put to death all who, from sick- 
 ness or the want of a conveyance, might be unable 
 to travel. It is but fair to add that none of our 
 party actu&lly saw this letter, and that we have 
 since liad reason to doubt whether Saleh Mahomed 
 really received any such murderous order. The 
 story was most probably an invention of his own, 
 to enhance the value of his services. 
 
 The Meer Akhor had meanwhile become aware 
 of what was passing, and wisely took himself off 
 to the fort of Zoolficar Khan. In the course of 
 the day he sent to assure Major Pottinger that 
 he was his very dutiful servant. Saleh Mahomed, 
 distrusting his professions and those of Zoolficar 
 Khan, kept the troops under arms all the morning, 
 and paraded them about for two or three hours, 
 with drums beating and colours flying, hoping by 
 this display of strength to intimidate his adver- 
 saries. 
 
 Some members of the Meer Waizs family, 
 amongst whom were several females, passing along 
 the road en route from Cabul to Toorkistan, Saleh 
 Mahomed ordered them to halt. Two men of the 
 party, upon this, rode up to remonstrate. One 
 grave, conceited Moollah was instantly pulled from 
 his horse to the ground, where he lay for some 
 minutes looking most ludicrously astounded ; the 
 soldiers meanwhile venting their abuse at the pi- 
 tiful scoundrels, who, as they declared, " having 
 been foremost in exciting their countrymen to 
 rebel, were now sneaking ofi" with their families 
 to a place of safety, leaving their deluded fol- 
 lowers to be destroyed." 
 
 After a short detention they were permitted to 
 proceed on their way ; Saleh Mahomed probably 
 thinking it impolitic to offer any further indignity 
 to relations of so powerful a personage as the 
 High-Priest of Cabul. Saleh Mahomed, in the 
 course of conversation with some of the oflicers 
 to-day, said that he supposed we should no sooner 
 find ourselves fairly out of his clutches, in the Bri- 
 tish camp, than we should turn round upon him 
 and exclaim, " You be d— d ! " (using the English 
 words). Major Pottinger both to-day and yes- 
 terday wrote to communicate our situation to 
 Gen. Pollock, of whose arrival at Cabul we now 
 daily expected to hear. 
 
358 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 3 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 359 
 
 Sept, 14^^. — It being at length settled that we 
 should remain in our present position, we lost no 
 time in preparing the two forts for a siege. Our 
 first step towards this was to raise a subscription 
 amongst ourselves of 500 rupees, as a common 
 fund for provisioning the two garrisons. Saleh 
 Mahomed likewise busied himself in laying in 
 supplies for his men. The water was turned into 
 the ditches, and a promise was made of arms for 
 officers and men, if procurable. Meanwhile we 
 received ample encouragement from all quarters, 
 and were assured that the whole country from 
 Sir-i-chushm to Syghari was friendly to our cause. 
 This evening several chiefs had a conference with 
 Saleh Mahomed and Major Pottinger, when they 
 solemnly commenced their proceedings by repeat- 
 ing the Futtiah, — a prayer used by the faithful 
 on all important occasions, — and they concluded 
 with an oath of fidelity to us throughout the pre- 
 sent undertaking. Towards midnight we were 
 all aroused from sleep by the drums beating to 
 arms, and we rushed out in haste, making sure 
 that Akber was in sight. 
 
 We were told that 100 horsemen had been 
 discerned, in the direction of the caves, by Saleh 
 Mahomed's brother, and that, on being chal- 
 lenged, they had returned no answer. All were 
 soon on the alert, and skirmishing parties were 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 sent out in all directions to reconnoitre. We 
 spent an anxious hour, expecting every instant to 
 be attacked, but all remained quiet ; and, as the 
 scouts reported the coast clear, we resumed our 
 broken slumbers. 
 
 Sept, 5th. — This evening we heard that Gen. 
 Nott had taken and destroyed Ghuznee; that 
 Gen. Pollock's army was fast drawing near to 
 Cabul ; and that M. Akber was a fugitive in 
 Kohistan. Saleh Mahomed, conceiving that the 
 time had at length arrived when we might com- 
 mence our retrograde movements with tolerable 
 safety, gave us notice to be prepared for a march 
 on the following morning. In the afternoon 
 the Huzarehs brought us horses for sale, though 
 at most exorbitant prices, and a few swords 
 and muskets were distributed among the ofiicers 
 
 and men. 
 
 Sept. 16M.— With hearts fluttering between 
 hope and anxiety, we issued forth from our com- 
 fortless prison, and at sunrise commenced our 
 flight. The inhabitants of the several forts lined 
 the road to witness our departure, and to express 
 their good wishes for our success. Several of our 
 party were still suflering from relapses of fever, 
 and, sad to relate, a poor private of H. M. 44th 
 expired on the journey. Retracing our steps 
 down the Bameean valley, we reached our former 
 
360 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 encampment at Killa Topchee, Here a Persian 
 letter to Major Pottinger's address was received, 
 giving a confused and imperfect, but still very 
 acceptable, detail of Gen. Pollock's victory at 
 Tezeen. At night we were still further elated by 
 the arrival of a note from Sir R. Shakespear, 
 military secretary to Gen. Pollock, dated at Sir-i- 
 chashm, and stating that he had advanced thus far 
 on liis road to our relief, with a party of 600 
 Kuzzilbash horsemen. 
 
 Sej)t. 17 th, — Recrossing the Kaloo mountain, 
 we encamped near a fort about three miles from 
 its base, where we had rested only a couple of 
 hours, when a body of horse were descried de- 
 scending into the valley down the distant pass of 
 Hajeejuk. In an instant all were on the alert, 
 straining our eyes to catch a glimpse of (as we 
 fondly believed) our expected liberators ; nor were 
 our hopes disappointed. 
 
 The nearer approach of the party, as they 
 crossed the valley, enabled us to recognise the 
 friendly banner of the Kuzzilbash streaming in 
 the air. Saleh Mahomed had by this time formed 
 lip his men in martial array, ready to receive 
 friend or foe, as the case might be. A few mi- 
 nutes more of eager suspense elapsed, when Sir 
 Ricnmond Shakespear, galloping up to where we 
 
 i 
 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 361 
 
 stood, bade us rejoice at our accomplished de- 
 livery, and dissipated every doubt. 
 
 At length we felt the blessed assurance of free- 
 dom ; the heavy burden which had oppressed our 
 hearts for nine tedious months was removed; 
 and from that moment we were altered beings. 
 Our gallant countryman was greeted on our side 
 with no boisterous cheers of triumph, for all 
 seemed alike conscious that the utterance of such 
 sounds would but inaptly express the deep feel- 
 ings of gratitude, that agitated our inmost hearts. 
 Our joy was too great, too overwhelming, for the 
 tongue to utter, as it is for my feeble pen to de- 
 scribe. That we should have escaped unhurt, 
 with so many delicate women, young children, and 
 tender infants, through such numerous perils, fa- 
 tigues, and privations, and above all, from^ the 
 hands of such merciless enemies as Akbar Khan 
 and his Giljye confederates, seemed at first too 
 much for the senses to realize ; nor could even 
 the most thoughtless among us fail to recognize 
 and acknowledge, in all that had befallen us, the 
 distinguishing grace and protecting providence of 
 a forbearing and merciful God. We now for the 
 first time learned that Gen. Pollock had reached 
 Cabul on the 1 5th instant, where one of his first 
 acts had been to hasten the departure of the 
 Kuzzilbashes to our aid, by a donation of 10,000 
 
 R 
 
362 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 I 
 
 rupees. To pay this sum, Sir R. Shakespear had 
 been despatched to the Chandoul, the KuzziU 
 bash quarter of Cabul, where finding a party in 
 readiness to start for Bameean, and rightly judg- 
 ing that the presence among them of an English 
 officer would quicken their energies and accele- 
 rate the completion of their designs, he forthwith 
 determined to act on his own responsibility ; and 
 exchanging his English uniform for a respectable 
 Aff*ghan costume, he joined them in quest of his 
 captive countrymen. Saleh Mahomed Khan, 
 although at first somewhat jealous that the Kuz- 
 zilbashes should have deprived him of the sole 
 credit of our release, was speedily reassured by the 
 lavish praises of Sir Richmond, who, as a mark 
 of the highest honour that a superior can pay to an 
 inferior, lifted the turban from off* his own head, 
 and placed it on that of the Affghan.* 
 
 Sept, ISth, — Mahomed Akber and many of 
 his most powerful adherents being still at large, 
 it seemed highly probable that they would yet 
 make a desperate effort to recover their lost prey, 
 and that all their remaining influence would be 
 exerted to intercept our flight. 
 
 Sir R. Shakespear consequently lost no time 
 in forwarding to Gen. Pollock an earnest request 
 that troops might be instantaneously sent out 
 
 * See Appendix F. for a letter from the liberated captives 
 to Sir II. Shakespear, and his reply. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 363 
 
 to our support, especially as the pass of Suffed 
 Khak, through which we must pass, wa^ reported 
 to be occupied by a band of hostile marauders. 
 It was at the same time determined that we 
 should hasten forward by forced marches, for 
 which every facility was liberally afforded by the 
 Kuzzilbash chiefs, in supplying us with fresh 
 horses, our own animals being too ill-conditioned 
 for rapid progress. 
 
 At dawn we accordingly resumed our march, 
 and recrossing the Hajeejuk Pass, the summit of 
 which was now intensely cold, we descended to the 
 banks of the Helmund, stopping to refresh our- 
 selves on the way with draughts of the mineral 
 spring, which I Eave before mentioned. Some of 
 our Kuzzilbash friends, being told that the water 
 was medicinal, and seeing us drink it with so 
 much apparent zest, immediately fancied it must 
 be a sort of elixir vitae, or sovereign specific for 
 every human ailment, and tossed it down most 
 greedily. One old fellow in particular, who de- 
 clared himself to have been a martyr to rheuma- 
 tism for several years, was in a perfect ecstacy 
 of delight, and, having swallowed as much as 
 would have slaked the thirst of an elephant, 
 trotted on in the full belief that he had at length 
 got rid of his enemy. It would have been cruel 
 to undeceive him. 
 
 R 2 
 
 \ 
 
361 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 Sept, \dth, — Our next march was to Tak- 
 khana, a distance of thirty miles. On the way 
 some of us stopped for a few minutes to partake 
 of some sour curds and sweet cakes, which a Kuz- 
 zilbash chief had prepared for us by the side of 
 one of those small gushing rivulets, the glad- 
 denino- murmur of whose crystal waters so con- 
 stantly greets the traveller's ear throughout 
 Affghanistan. After recrossing the Oonai Pass, 
 we found the hospitable old chief, whose fort 
 stands at the base (and whose attention to us on 
 our journey up to Bameean, under far different 
 circumstances, I have already recorded), awaiting 
 our arrival under the shade of some poplars by 
 the road-side, where carpets were spread for our 
 reception, and some excellent tea was served out 
 to us in small china cups, quite in the European 
 
 fashion. 
 
 Here my friend Capt. Mackenzie being taken 
 ill, I remained with him until evening, when our 
 worthy old host insisted on escorting us to camp 
 in person, the road being too unsafe to admit of 
 our travelling alone. On the way we passed a 
 peasant with some tempting-looking fish, on 
 which the old gentleman having seen us cast a 
 longing eye, immediately commenced bargaining 
 for them ; but, having no money on his person, 
 he was obliged to pawn his snuff-box for the 
 
 % 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. o(S5 
 
 price. On our arrival in camp, he insisted on 
 our accepting his purchase, and, as he was an 
 inveterate snuff-taker, this little act of kindness 
 must have cost him no small self-denial, and may 
 not be deemed altogether unworthy of record. 
 At night we obtained information that some 
 hostile chief, with a thousand followers, had 
 reached Kaloo, to intercept our flight a few hours 
 after our departure, and would probably make an 
 effort to overtake us. The Kuzzilbashes, appre- 
 hending a night attack, were desirous to remove 
 the ladies into a fort, but we were overruled in 
 this by Sir R. Shakespear, who seemed to think 
 it not unlikely that his fair friends might turn 
 rebellious at the bare idea of being again im- 
 mured in an Affghan fort, even for one night. 
 Fortunately, no foe appeared to disturb our 
 
 repose. 
 
 Sept. 20th, — At early dawn we started for 
 Argundee, distant twenty-five miles, where we 
 had every hope of finding a British force on their 
 route to our assistance. Once more we traversed 
 the lovely valley of Maidan, and halted about 
 half way, to refresh ourselves by the shady banks 
 of a delicious stream, where we again did ample 
 justice to the rude fare prepared for us by the 
 Kuzzilbashes. Resuming our journey, we pre- 
 sently encountered an English ofiicer, who gave 
 
 R 3 
 
SG6 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 US the welcome information that Gen. Sale's 
 brigade was only a few miles distant on the road 
 to meet us, and, on our shortly afterwards reach- 
 ino- the town of Kot-Ashroo, a body of H. M. 
 3d Dragoons, with a squadron of the 1st Bengal 
 Cavalry, burst suddenly upon our view, picketed 
 in some adjacent fields. To describe what fol- 
 lowed I borrow a passage from one of my own 
 letters to a friend : — *' All doubt was now at an 
 end ; we were once more under the safeguard of 
 British troops : Gen. Sale was there in person ; 
 and his happiness at regaining his long lost wife 
 and daughter can be imagined; the gallant vete- 
 ran's countenance w^as an index of his feelings, 
 and apathetic indeed must have been the heart 
 that failed to sympathize with his holy joy. The 
 camp was still a few miles further on, and we 
 formed a procession of glad spirits as we moved 
 along towards the pass of Suffed-Kak, whose 
 heights we could discern crowned with British 
 bayonets. These we found to be a part of the 
 brave 13th Light Infantry, who, as the ladies 
 successively ascended the hill, raised three hearty 
 cheers to each of them, — sounds never to be 
 forgotten, producing a thrill of ecstasy through 
 the whole frame. The Mountain guns, under 
 Capt. Backhouse, wound up the scene with a 
 royal salute." Fervent were our aspirations of 
 praise to Heaven at this happy, and of late un- 
 
 1\ 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 367 
 
 looked for, termination of all our hardships and 
 anxieties. Surely never has the hand of Pro- 
 vidence been more clearly discernible, than in the 
 wonderful preservation of so many ladies and 
 children, through scenes of a nature to quail the 
 stoutest heart and injure the strongest constitu- 
 tion ; but more particularly in restraining the 
 wrath of savage men, whose intense hatred of us 
 was only equalled by their unscrupulous cruelty, 
 and who longed to wreak their revenge upon us 
 for the wrongs, whether real or fancied, that they 
 had sulfered at the hands of our nation. 
 
 Our friends in camp at Argundee received us 
 with overflowing kindness, and we soon found 
 ourselves in circumstances far more favourable 
 than we had known for nine tedious months of 
 suffering and sorrow. 
 
 Sept, 21s^.— We marched on with the brigade 
 to Killa-Kazee, where we had only a few days 
 before been received with insult and abuse. The 
 very house, that then refused us a shelter, was now 
 in flames ; so that vengeance did not, in this in- 
 stance, tarry long. At 2 P. m. we started for 
 Gen. Pollock's camp, on the plain east of Cabul. 
 Near the tomb of the Emperor Baber we passed 
 Gen. Nott's camp. Our road lay thence through 
 the city. The streets were almost empty, and an 
 unnatural silence prevailed. What a contrast to 
 
 ji 4 
 
 I 
 
 i: 
 
368 
 
 ROUGH NOTES DURING 
 
 IMPRISONMENT IN AFFGHANISTAN. 
 
 369 
 
 the noise and bustle of former days ! We passed 
 the spot where Sir Alexander Burnes's house had 
 stood. — It was now a heap of rubbish. — The 
 garden, in which he took so much interest and 
 pride, was a desolate waste. It was here that I 
 had last enjoyed his fascinating society, as he 
 pointed out to me the successful results of his 
 labours and experiments, and looked forward 
 with enthusiasm to the rapid amelioration of the 
 country, through the agency of British enterprise 
 and skill. 
 
 What an instructive lesson was now before me 
 of the fallacy of human hopes, and the insuffi- 
 ciency of earthly honours, or the objects of even a 
 lawful ambition, to satisfy the soul of man ! 
 
 We entered Gen. Pollock's camp at sunset. 
 Again the artillery uttered its boisterous notes of 
 welcome, and old friends crowded around us with 
 warm congratulations. For the present our cup 
 of joy was full. Our fellow-captives, whom we 
 had left behind at Sheivukkee, were likewise in 
 safety, having been liberated shortly after Akber's 
 defeat by a party of Kuzzilbashes, headed by 
 Jan Fishau Klian, a man whose invariable fidelity 
 to the English has rendered him houseless, child- 
 less, and penniless, and who richly deserves the 
 highest honours and rewards that a grateful go- 
 vernment can bestow. Capt. Bygrave, who had 
 left us on our departure from Shewukkee to join 
 
 ( 
 
 1 
 
 Akber, alone was wanting, having been made the 
 unwilling companion of that chiefs flight to 
 Goorbund. Knowing him to be a favourite with 
 Akber, we felt no doubt of his personal safety, 
 though we knew by experience that his situation 
 must°be sufficiently miserable. On the 27th we 
 were relieved from all further suspense and 
 anxiety on his account by his actual arrival in 
 camp, accompanied by our old friend and keeper 
 Mahomed Rufeek. He had been suffering greatly 
 from fever, but had experienced most kind treats 
 ment from Akber and the Giljye chiefs who 
 still adhered to him. The wily Akber had be- 
 trayed no signs of discomposure at our escape, 
 whatever he may have felt, and even professed 
 himself well pleased to hear of our safety.* 
 
 At all events he had the good sense to perceive 
 that the further detention of his sole remaining 
 prisoner could serve no good purpose, while by 
 restoring him to liberty he might found a claim 
 to credit for magnanimity, and perhaps in some 
 degree conciHate the British government. Nor 
 is the act altogether devoid of grace, when it is 
 remembered that clemency to an unbelieving foe 
 is neither a principle of the Mahomedan creed, 
 nor a characteristic of the AfFghan people. 
 
 * For a complete list of prisoners recovered, see Appendix 
 H.-ED. 
 
 R 5 
 
370 ROUGH NOTES DURING IMPRISONMENT, &C. 
 
 It is impossible to take leave of Mahomed 
 Akber Klian without regretting that a man so 
 highly endowed by nature with talents and quali- 
 ties, which, properly improved and cultivated, 
 might have rendered him both an ornament and a 
 blessing to his country, should, by blindly follow- 
 ing the wild impulse of his passions, have perpe- 
 trated enormities, which have placed him beyond 
 the pale of even Christian forgiveness, and en- 
 tailed an incalculable amount of misery on his 
 unhappy country. 
 
 By me little more remains to be said. It has 
 been my task to record a tale of unparalleled dis- 
 aster to the British arms, which had hitherto 
 been identified only with triumph and renown 
 throughout the Eastern world. — The past could 
 not be recalled; but in one short year our 
 wounded honour has been healed, and our martial 
 reputation vindicated. The victorious armies of 
 Pollock and Nott have satisfactorily proved that 
 our soldiers, both European and native, are still 
 invincible. It will be the pleasing task of abler 
 writers to detail the heroic achievements, which 
 terminated in the re-conquest of Ghuznee and 
 Cabul, the recovery of British captives, and the 
 restoration of the deposed Ameer, Dost Ma- 
 homed Khan, 
 
 \ ii 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 R 6 
 
CONTENTS OF THE APPENDIX, 
 
 A. Letter from Capt. Colin Mackenzie to Lieut. Eyre, 
 
 giving an Account of his Defence of Brigadier An- 
 quetil's Fort - - - - Page 375 
 
 B. No. 1. Despatch of Major- Gen. Elphinstone to the 
 
 Secretary to the Government - - - 386 
 
 No. 2. and 3. Extracts from Memorandum of Major- 
 Gen. Elphinstone - - - - 388 
 
 C. Parliamentary Papers. 
 
 No. 1. Translation of a Communication from Mahomed 
 Akber to Gen. Pollock - - - 391 
 
 No. 2. Conversation between Sirdar Mahomed Akber 
 Khan, Major Pottinger, and Capt. Troup - 393 
 
 No 3. Gen. Pollock to the Secretary to Government 
 
 39-i 
 
 D Lieut. Crawford's Account of the Loss of Ghuznee, &c. 
 
 396 
 
 E. Letter from Mohun Lall - - - - 412 
 
 F. Letter from the released Prisoners to Sir Richmond 
 
 Shakespear, and his Reply - - - 417 
 
 List of Civil and Military Officers killed at and near 
 Cabul ; and also those saved of the Cabul Force 419 
 
 - 424 
 
 G. 
 
 H. List of Prisoners released 
 
 V 
 
( 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 
 A. 
 
 The following is the communication from Captain 
 Colin Mackenzie referred to in the Author's preface, 
 and at pp.25. 44., which did not arrive with the first 
 MS. — Editor. 
 
 Letter from Capt. Colin Mackenzie to 
 
 Lieut. V. Eyre. 
 
 My dear Eyre, 
 
 As you wish for an account of the manner in 
 which I was besieged in the Kela-i-Nishan Khan, in 
 the breaking out of the Cabul insurrection, I comply, 
 although unwilling to appear so often in the first per- 
 son, as I necessarily must, in order to give you a clear 
 idea of the fatal nature of the blunder committed, in 
 not sending me assistance from cantonments. I have 
 by me a copy of some notes, which I made at the request 
 of the late Major Thain, then Aide-de-Camp to our 
 lamented chief, General Elphinstone. You are aware 
 that the fort, in which I chanced to be living, con- 
 tained the godowns of the Shah's commissariat ; and 
 that in one part the quarters of Brigadier Anquetil 
 were situated. For the defence of these, a guard of 
 
S76 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 one havildar, two iiaicks, and eighteen sepoys had been 
 assigned. The fort itself lies between that quarter of 
 Cabul called the Moorad Khanah and its most western 
 suburb, the Deh-i-Affghan. The Cabul river flows 
 between the fort and the Kuzzilbash quarter (the 
 Chundoul), to the south. Close to it, to the north, 
 divided by a narrow road and a high wall, is a large 
 grove of mulberry trees, known by the name of the 
 Yaboo Khanah, in which the Yaboos of the Shah's 
 commissariat used to be kept; but from which, to- 
 wards the end of October, 1841, they had fortunately 
 been removed into camp at Seeah Sung. In this Yaboo 
 Khanah was a guard of six suwars; and, by chance, a 
 detachment of a jemadar, and ninety-five men of Cap- 
 tain Ferris's Juzailchees ; as also another of the Shah's 
 sappers, consisting of one jemadar and fifty-nine men, 
 including havildars and naicks. These last were en- 
 cumbered with a host of women and children, brought 
 up from their native country with them by the express 
 orders of the Supreme Government. The house of 
 Captain Troup, late Brigade-Major of the Shah's force, 
 built so as to be capable of a tolerable defence, is 
 about forty yards to the east of the fort, across a nar- 
 row canal ; and the large tower, occupied by the late 
 Captain Trevor and his family, lies across the river to 
 the south-east, distant about 700 yards. This also, at 
 the time, was perfectly defensible. You will easily 
 perceive that, with these posts in our possession, and 
 commanding, as we did, the open space between us, it 
 was a point of importance to maintain our ground 
 until the arrival of what we hourly expected, a regi- 
 ment from the cantonment, whose presence would 
 have immediately decided the wavering Kuzzilbashes 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 377 
 
 in our favour, and would have cut off all communica- 
 tion between the insurgent population of Deh-i-Aff- 
 ghan and their rascally brethren in the Moorad 
 Khanah. Spreading far beyond the Yaboo Khanah, 
 in the direction of cantonments, and circling round the 
 west of the fort down to the river's edge, are walled 
 gardens and groves, which afford excellent cover to a 
 lurking enemy, who were enabled to come, without 
 much danger, to within a few yards of my defences. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 2d of November, 184-1, 
 as I was preparing to go into cantonments with my 
 baggage, intending to accompany the Envoy on the 
 following day down to Peshawur, it was reported to 
 me that an alarming riot had taken place in the town. 
 Brigadier Anquetil and Captain Troup had gone out 
 on their usual morning ride, not supposing the dis- 
 turbance was of the importance it has since proved to 
 be. I waited for the return of the above two officers 
 for about an hour, previous to adopting decided mea- 
 sures, either for defence or retreat, — at the same time 
 causing all the guards to stand to their arms. Sud- 
 denly a naked man stood before me, covered with 
 blood, from two deep sabre cuts in the head, and five 
 musquet-shots in the arm and body. He proved to be 
 a suwar of Sir W. Macnaghten, who had been sent 
 with a message to Captain Trevor, but who had been 
 intercepted by the insurgents. This being rather a 
 strong hint as to how matters were going on, I imme- 
 diately gave orders for all the gates to be secured, and 
 personally superintended the removal of the detach- 
 ments in the Yaboo Khanah, with their wives and 
 families, into the fort. At the same time I caused 
 loopholes to be bored in the upper walls of Captain 
 
 ( 
 
I 
 
 378 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Troup's house, in which were a naick and ten sepoys. 
 Whilst so employed, the armed population of Deh-i- 
 Affghan came pouring down through the gardens, and 
 commenced firing on us. I threw out skirmishers ; but, 
 in order to save the helpless followers, we were 
 obliged to abandon the tents and baggage. In cover- 
 ing the retreat, one of my men was killed, and one 
 badly wounded ; while about five of the enemy were 
 killed. The whole of the gardens were then occupied 
 by the Affghans, from which, in spite of repeated sallies 
 made during the day, we were unable to dislodge 
 them; on the contrary, whenever we returned into 
 the fort, they approached so near as to be able, them- 
 selves unseen, to kill and wound my men through the 
 loopholes of my own defences. The canal was during 
 the day cut off, and so closely watched, that one of 
 my followers was shot, while trying to fetch some 
 water ; but we fortunately found an old well in Briga- 
 dier Anquetil's quarters, the water of which was drink- 
 able. Towards the afternoon, having no ammunition, 
 but what was contained in the soldiers' pouches, I 
 communicated with Captain Trevor, who still held his 
 tower, apparently unmolested. Even then, Khan 
 Shereen Khan, the chief of the Kuzzilbashes, and four 
 or five other Khans of consequence, among them the 
 leaders of the Hazirbash regiments, were with poor 
 Trevor, earnestly expecting that some decided measures 
 on the part of the British would justify them in openly 
 taking our part. * 
 
 * During the expedition into Kohistan, under General Mac- 
 caskill, I accompanied it, having been placed by General Pol- 
 lock in charge of Shahzadee Shapoor and the Kuzzilbash camp. 
 In my frequent communications with Khan Shereen Khan, some 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 379 
 
 I 
 
 Trevor despatched my requisition, for ammunition at 
 hasty if not for more effectual assistance, into canton- 
 ments, where it arrived safely, the distance not being 
 more than one mile and a half. Shortly after, our spirits 
 were raised by the apparent approach of a heavy can- 
 nonade, and volleys of musquetry from the direction 
 of the Moorad Khanah, and by the flight through the 
 gardens of the multitudes who were assailing me, 
 towards Deh-i-Affghan, from which quarter crowds 
 of women and children began to ascend the hill, evi- 
 dently in expectation of an assault from our soldiery. 
 But these cheering sounds died away, and it was in 
 vain that we strained our eyes, looking for the glitter- 
 ing bayonets through the trees, and round the corners 
 of the principal street leading from cantonments. My 
 besiegers swarmed back with shouts, and it required 
 much exertion on my part to prevent despondency 
 amongst my people, which feeling had been strongly 
 excited by the confirmation of the rumour of the 
 murder of Sir Alexander Barnes, his brother, and 
 Captain Broadfoot ; by the sight of the smoke from 
 his burning house; and by the intelligence that the 
 treasury of Captain Johnson, also in the town, had 
 been sacked, and the guard slain. In the evening I 
 
 of the late Kuzzilbash leaders, and with other chiefs of the 
 Kuzzilbash faction, all the circumstances of the late msurrection 
 were over and over again recapitulated, one and all declaring 
 positively that the slightest exhibition of energy on our part m 
 the first instance, more especially in reinforcing my post and 
 that of Trevor, would at once have decided the Kuzzilbashes, 
 and all over whom thev possessed any influence, in our favour. 
 Khan Shereen also confirmed the idea, that an offensive move- 
 ment on the opposite side of the town by Brigadier Shelton, 
 had it been made in the early part of the fatal 2d of November, 
 would at once have crushed the insurrection. 
 
 y 
 
380 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 served out provisions from the government stores. The 
 attacks continued at intervals during the night, and we 
 had most disagreeable suspicions that the enemy were 
 undermining our north-west tower, or bastion. At 
 earlv dawn we sallied out to ascertain this, but were 
 driven in again, after finding our apprehensions too 
 well verified. There is much dead ground about all 
 Affghan forts, on which it is impossible to bring nius- 
 nuetry to bear ; and the towers can always be under- 
 mined, in the absence of hand-grenades on the part of 
 the besieged. To meet this attempt, we sunk a shaft 
 inside the ground-floor of the tower, and I placed four 
 resolute men on the brink, ready to shoot the first man 
 who should enter. The extent of the fort required all 
 my men to be on duty at the same time, and some now 
 began to wax weary. The cheerfulness of the re- 
 mainder was not improved by the incessant howling of 
 the women over the dead and dying. As a trait indi- 
 cative of the character of the Affghan juzailchees, 1 
 must mention, that whenever they could snatch five 
 minutes to refresh themselves with a pipe, one or other 
 of them would twang a sort of rude guitar, as an ac- 
 companiment to some martial song, which, mingling 
 with the above notes of war, sounded very strangely. 
 
 In the middle of this day (3d November), to my 
 great grief, I saw the enemy enter Captain Trevor s 
 tower ; and a report was brought to us by two of Ins 
 servants, who escaped across the river, that he and his 
 family had all been killed, which, though it afterwards 
 proved to be untrue, had a bad effect on my men, 
 whose ammunition had now become very scarce, in 
 spite of my having husbanded it with the greatest care. 
 The scene of plunder now going on in Trevor s house 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 881 
 
 was evident from our ramparts ; and the enemy, taking 
 possession of the top, which overlooked my defences, 
 pitched their balls from their large juzails with such 
 accuracv, as to clear my western face of defenders ; 
 and it was only by crawling on my hands and knees 
 up a small flight of steps, and whisking suddenly 
 through the door, that I could ever visit the tower 
 that had been undermined. The guard from Captain 
 Troup's house now clamoured for admittance into the 
 fort; and as Mr. Ballon, that gentleman's writer, called 
 out to me that they were ready to abandon their post, 
 I let them in, barricading my own door with sacks of 
 flour Against the door and small wicket, on Brigadier 
 Anquetil's side, 1 had already piled heaps of stones 
 
 and large timbers. 
 
 In the afternoon the enemy brought down a large 
 wall-piece against us, the balls from which shook the 
 upper walls of one of our towers, alarming the juzail- 
 chees much, who dread the effect of any species of 
 ordnance. This disposition to despair was increased by 
 the utter failure of ammunition, and by the Affghans 
 bringing down quantities of fire-wood and long poles 
 with combustible matter at the ends, which they de- 
 posited under the walls of the Yaboo Khanah, in 
 readiness to burn down my door. Some suwars who 
 were stationed on Brigadier Anquetil's side of the fort, 
 now broke into a sort of half-mutiny, and began pul- 
 ling down the barricade against his gate, to endeavour 
 to save themselves by the speed of their horses. This 
 I quelled, by going down amongst them with a double- 
 barrelled gun, and threatening to shoot the first man 
 who should disobey my orders. In the evening I was 
 quite exhausted, as were my iieople ; having by that 
 
382 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 383 
 
 time been fighting and working for nearly forty hours 
 without rest. Indeed, on my part, it had been with- 
 out refreshment, as eating was impossible from excite- 
 ment and weariness ; and my absence for five minutes 
 at a time from any part of the works disheartened the 
 fighting men. Added to this, my wounded were dying 
 for want of medical aid. I therefore yielded to the re- 
 presentations of my juzailchee jemadar, and of Mr. 
 Ballon, from both of whom I received valuable assist- 
 ance during the whole affair, and prepared for a retreat 
 to cantonments. This we determined should take place 
 during the early part of the night, at which time, it 
 being then the fast of the Ramazan, we calculated the 
 enemy would be at their principal meal. I ordered the 
 juzailchees to lead, and to answer all questions, in case 
 of encountering a post of the enemy. The wounded 
 were placed on what yaboos I possessed, abandoning 
 every thing in the shape of baggage ; these, with the 
 women and children, followed next in order ; and I 
 myself proposed to bring up the rear with my few 
 regulars, who, I fondly imagined, would stick by me 
 in case of a hot pursuit. We were to avoid the town, 
 and to follow the course of the small canal above-men- 
 tioned, and afterwards to strike off by lanes, and 
 through some fields, in the direction of cantonments. 
 A night retreat is generally disastrous, and this proved 
 no exception to the general rule ; but, notwithstanding 
 my strict order that all baggage should be left behind, 
 it being very dark, many of the poor women contrived 
 to slip out, with loads of their little property on tiieir 
 shoulders, making their children walk, whose cries 
 added to the confusion, and to the danger of dis- 
 covery. 
 
 Before we had proceeded half a mile, the rear 
 missed the advance, upon whom a post of the enemy 
 had begun to fire. All my regulars had crept a-head 
 with the juzailchees, and I found myself alone with a 
 chuprassee and two suwars, in the midst of a helpless 
 and wailing crowd of women and children. Riding on 
 by myself along a narrow lane, to try and pick out the 
 road, I found myself suddenly surrounded by a party 
 of Affghans, whom at first I took to be my own juzail- 
 chees, and spoke to them as such. They quickly un- 
 deceived me, however, by crying out - Feringhee 
 bust," " Here is an European," and attacking me with 
 swords and knives. Spurring my horse violently, I 
 wheeled round, cutting from right to left, for I, for- 
 tunately, had my own sword drawn previous to the 
 surprise. My blows, by God's mercy, parried the 
 greater part of theirs, and I was lucky enough to cut 
 off the hand of my most outrageous assailant. In 
 short, after a desperate struggle, during which I re- 
 ceived two slight sabre cuts, and a blow on the back 
 of my head from a fellow, whose sword turned in his 
 hand, which knocked me half off my horse, I escaped 
 out of the crush, passing unhurt through two volleys 
 of musquetry from the whole picket, which, by that 
 time, had become alarmed, and had turned out. They 
 pursued me; but I soon distanced them, crossing 
 several fields at speed, and gaining a road, which I 
 perceived led round the western end of the Shah's 
 garden. Proceeding cautiously along, to my horror, 
 I perceived my path again blocked up by a dense 
 body of Affghans. Retreat was impossible ; so, put- 
 ting my trust in God, I charged into the midst of 
 them, hoping that the weight of my horse would clear 
 
 M 
 
 V 
 
384 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 385 
 
 my way for me, and reserving my sword-cut for the 
 last struggle. It was well that I did so, for by the 
 time I had knocked over some twenty fellows, I found 
 that they were my own juzailchees. If you ever ex- 
 perienced sudden relief from a hideous nightmare, 
 you may imagine my feelings for tlie moment. With 
 these worthies, after wandering about for some time, 
 and passing unchallenged by a sleepy post of the 
 enemy, I reached the cantonments. During the night 
 many stragglers of my party, principally followers, 
 dropped in. During the whole business, from first to 
 last, including the retreat, I had under a dozen killed, 
 and about half that amount wounded, nearly half the 
 former being followers ; whereas about thirty of the 
 enemy had bitten the dust, and gone to their place. 
 
 I cannot close this letter to you without remarking 
 that, amongst other lamentable errors which led to our 
 heavy downfall, that of omitting in the first instance 
 to strengthen my post was, next to Shelton's refusal 
 to pour his brigade into the town, while the rioters 
 yet amounted to barely 200 men, the greatest. But 
 the whole blame cannot, in this particular instance, be 
 attributed to our poor friend General Elphinstone. 
 He had not been sufficiently informed as to the im- 
 portance of my position, nor as to the facility with 
 which a strong reinforcement could have reached me. 
 That he was specially anxious personally as to my 
 safety there could be no doubt, as was shown by the 
 warmth of his reception of me. 
 
 I need not remind you of the devoted heroism dis- 
 played throughout the siege by Hussain Khan, the 
 juzailchee jemadar, and the handful of brave men 
 who accompanied him, and who personally attaching 
 
 ;.'] 
 
 themselves to me remained under my command to 
 the last. Numbers of them fell ; others were disabled ; 
 a few departed to their own homes, on the day when I 
 was taken prisoner, and Sir W. Macnaghten was 
 murdered ; and, I believe, nearly the sole survivors 
 are some ten or fifteen men, who, with their brave 
 leader, Hussain Khan, are now with us in camp. 
 These proceed with the rest of the juzailchee corps 
 under Captain Ferris to Ferozepore, where we hear 
 they are to be disbanded, and sent back to their own 
 country, to be destroyed by their bloodthirsty coun- 
 trymen as a reward for their fidelity to us ; and yet 
 these were the men, who, during the period I was be- 
 leaguered in the fort of Nishan Khan, at a time when 
 I was quite unknown to them, not only refused to 
 listen to the repeated propositions of the AfFghans out- 
 side to deliver me up to their vengeance, their own 
 safety being thereby insured ; but who, during the 
 siege of cantonments, laughed to scorn the most 
 tempting offers on the part of Ameenoollah Khan, 
 Mahomed Akbar, and other Affghan chiefs, to induce 
 them to join the general cause of Islam against the 
 Kaffirs, invariably bringing the letters, in which they 
 were conveyed, for my inspection and perusal. * 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 C. Mackenzie. 
 
 Camp Rawul Pindee, 
 En route to Ferozepore, Nov. 19. 1842. 
 
 * They -were disbanded at Jelum, in the Punjab, each of the 
 old soldiers receiving a donation of twelve months' pay, and the 
 rest a gratuity in proportion to the length of their services, with 
 •which they all seemed very well satisfied. — V. E. 
 
 S 
 
 ; 
 
 \ 
 
386 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 B. No. 1. 
 
 Despatch from Major-Gen. Elphinstone, ad- 
 dressed TO the Secretary to the Govern- 
 
 Buddeeabad. 
 
 ^IR —With the deepest regret, I have the honour to 
 forward, for the information of the Right Hon. the 
 Governor-General in Council, the annexed memoran- 
 dum of occurrences preceding and during the msur- 
 rection at Cabul, up to this date. 
 
 The state of my health and mental sufferings previous 
 to and consequent on, the unfortunate occurrences, 
 render me little competent to furnish such complete 
 information as I might have done, had it not been for 
 the total destruction of my entire staff and all official 
 documents and memoranda ; and I have only been able 
 to remedy the deficiency through the kind assistance 
 of Major Pottinger and Capt. Lawrence, who having 
 aided me with facts and dates, I trust, however meagre 
 the account may be, that its tenor is, upon the whole, 
 
 perfectly correct. 
 
 I beg to be allowed to express my sense ot the 
 gallant manner, in which the various detachments sent 
 out were led by Brigadier Shelton, and of the m- 
 variably noble conduct of the officers on those occa- 
 sions, particularly of those who fell leading their m..; 
 viz. Col. Mackrell, Capts. Swayne, Robinson, M Ciea, 
 and Lieut. Raban, H. M.'s 44th Foot; Col. Oliver and 
 Capt. Macintosh, 5th N. L ; Capt. Westmacott and 
 Lieut. Gordon, 37th N.L; Capt. Walker, 4th Local 
 Horse, and Lieut. Laing, 27th N.L 
 
 appendix. 
 
 387 
 
 I hope I may also be permitted to record my sense 
 of the zeal and exertions of my lamented Aide-de-Camp 
 Major Thain> and my acting Quarter-Master-General 
 Capt. Paton. both of whom were severely wounded, as 
 also Capt. Grant, Assist.- Adj.-Gen., and my Aide-de- 
 Camp Capt. Airey. I had inadvertently omitted Capt. 
 Bellew, Assist-Quarter-Master-General, who, at the 
 storm of the Rika-bashee and Mahomed Sherreef's 
 fort, evinced the greatest gallantry, and volunteered to 
 carry the powder-bags. 
 
 From Brigadier Anquetil, commanding the Shah's 
 force, and Col. Chambers, commanding the cavalry, I 
 on all occasions received the most cordial assistance ; 
 • and I take this opportunity to record the ever-ready 
 zeal and gallant conduct of Capt. Troup, Major of 
 Brigade, Shah Shooja's force. 
 
 Throughout the whole siege the utmost zeal was 
 manifested by Lieut. Sturt, Engineers, and by Lieut. 
 V. Eyre, Commissary of Ordnance, who, in conse- 
 quence of the paucity of artillery officers, on all occa- 
 sions volunteered his services, and was unfortunately 
 
 wounded. 
 
 Capt. Colin M'Kenzie, Assist. Political Agent, Pe- 
 shawur, volunteered to take charge of a body of Ju- 
 zailchees, and was engaged in every affair, his and their 
 conduct being most conspicuous. 
 
 The manner in which the soldiers, European and 
 Native, bore up without a murmur against all privations 
 and very harassing duty, at a most inclement season, 
 was highly creditable to them, and more particularly 
 the horse-artillery, who on all occasions upheld the 
 character of that distinguished corps. 
 
 Among the many valuable and promising officers 
 
 s 2 
 
388 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 who have fallen in the recent retreat, I would espe- 
 cially mention Captains Skinner and Hay, 61st and 
 35th N. I. ; Lieut. Le Geyt, Shah's 2d Cavalry ; and 
 Lieut. Bird, Shah's 6th Infantry ; the latter officer dis- 
 tinguished himself in the assault and capture of the 
 Rika-bashee Fort. 
 
 Of the surviving officers, my thanks are due to 
 Major Eldred Pottinger, C.B., Political Agent, and 
 Capt. George St. P. Lawrence, Military Secretary 
 to the late Envoy and Minister, for their cordial assist- 
 ance and co-operation till the death of their lamented 
 chief; and to Capt. Anderson, Shah's 2d Cavalry, and 
 Capt. Bygrave, Paymaster, for their zeal and alacrity 
 in the performance of their duty, amid trials and diffi- 
 culties almost unprecedented. 
 
 I have the honour, &c. 
 
 W. K. Elphinstone. 
 
 To the Secretary to Government. 
 
 B. No. 2. 
 
 The following extracts from a memorandum of 
 Major-Gen. Elphinstone deserve attention, both as 
 supporting some of the Author's statements, and ex- 
 hibiting in some degree the unfortunate General's dis- 
 advantages, as enumerated by himself. — Editor. 
 # * # # * 
 
 " I was unlucky in the state of my health ; as, during 
 the whole siege, I was not able to move without diffi- 
 culty, except on horseback, and then not easily. On 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 389 
 
 the evening of the 2d, going round the guards, I had 
 a very severe fall, the horse falling on me. I was 
 obliged to return home therefore. I then asked Cap- 
 tains Paton and Grant if they thought all had been 
 done, and told them to see that Brigadier Anquetil 
 made the arrangements in the mission compound ; and 
 it was a great loss to me that, shortly after his coming 
 into cantonments, he was taken ill, by which I was de- 
 prived of his assistance, which he would cordially have 
 afforded me. The extent of the cantonment — the 
 unfinished state of every thing in it — its indefensible 
 position, commanded as it was on every side — par- 
 ticularly the facilities afforded for the approach of 
 matchlocks — added much to our difficulties* The 
 troops were on half rations, and the whole of them on 
 duty every night, and often all day, from threatened 
 attacks. The want of artillery officers, notwithstand- 
 ing Capt. (Lieut.) Eyre's volunteering, Capt. Waller 
 being wounded early in the business.— On the 9th, not 
 finding myself equal to the duties, particularly at night, 
 when I could not get about on horseback, I recalled 
 Brigadier Shelton from the Bala Hissar. * * * * 
 I was unlucky, also, in not understanding the state of 
 things, and being wholly dependent on the Envoy and 
 others for information." * * * * 
 
 B. No. 3. 
 The passage next quoted clearly shows that it was 
 in obedience to the General's order that the married 
 
 s 3 
 
390 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 officers, as well as their wives and children, resigned 
 themselves to Mahomed Akbar. This is, of course, a 
 point of peculiar interest to those officers, especially 
 as misrepresentation upon it has gone forth. — 
 Editor. 
 
 Extract from a Memorandum by Mojor-General 
 W. K, Elphinstone, C, B., of the Events preceding 
 and during the Insurrection at Cahul, 
 
 " On the 9th (January) the march was ordered at 
 10 A. M., but, consequent on a message from the Sir- 
 dar, requesting us to halt till he could organize an 
 escort for us, and promising supplies and firewood, it 
 was countermanded. But a similar scene of confusion 
 to that of the day before had taken place, and it was 
 past mid-day before any thing like order was restored. 
 
 " Captain Skinner returned to the Sirdar, by whom 
 he was again sent back with a proposal that the married 
 people and their families should be made over to him, 
 promising honourable treatment to the ladies. / com- 
 plied with his wish, being desirous to remove the ladies 
 and children, after the horrors they had already wit- 
 nessed, from the further dangers of a camp, and hoping 
 that, as from the very commencement of negotiations 
 the Sirdar had shoivn the greatest anxiety to have the 
 quarried people as hostages, this mark of trust might 
 elicit a corresponding feeling in him. 
 
 *« (Signed) W. K. Elphinstone, 
 Major-General." 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 391 
 
 C. No. 1. 
 Parliamentary Papers, No. 322. 
 Translation of a Paper from Mahomed Akbar Khan, 
 received by Gen, Pollock on the 8th of May, 1842, 
 by the hands of Capt. Mackenzie. 
 My Friend, — In the letter for Pottinger Saheb, 
 which Mackenzie has brought, there is nothing to give 
 me confidence. I have, therefore, thought it necessary 
 to send Mackenzie Saheb to you a second time. 
 
 When first Secunder Burnes came, I did all in my 
 power that the wishes of the English Government 
 might be realized ; but the English Government would 
 not agree to give assistance, if a foreign enemy invaded 
 this country, and nothing was settled. After that, 
 when an English army entered my country, I was 
 compelled to be your enemy, and was three years a 
 wanderer, and returned at the end of the confusion 
 (Cabul insurrection). In the time when Pottinger, 
 Lawrence, and Mackenzie Sahebs came, at the stage of 
 Bootkak, I agreed to their wishes, and did all in my 
 power to protect the army, as is well known to the 
 above-mentioned Sahebs : but I could not save them 
 from the hands of the multitude*, as all the army was 
 disorganized, and the British soldiers could not protect 
 themselves on account of the frost, and, moreover, the 
 gentlemen did not attend to my advice. 
 
 2dly. If I allow the English, who are my guests, to 
 depart according to your suggestion, or, according to 
 Pottinger Saheb's advice, if I allow the English ladies 
 
 * The xvord alludes to the mob of Affghans, whom the Sirdar 
 means to say he coiild not govern. 
 
 s 4 
 
392 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 to depart before the gentlemen, in either case all Ma- 
 homedans will look upon me as their enemy, and the 
 whole multitude will be opposed to me. Under these 
 circumstances, I beg you to reflect that, not having 
 come to an understanding with you, and having made 
 enemies of them (Mahomedans), how can I exist ? At 
 present my friends and allies have possessed them- 
 selves of the government of Cabul, and all of them 
 send daily to me three or four men with oaths and 
 protestations, requesting me to come and be their 
 king, and Mahomed Zeeman, Wuzeer. All the Ghd- 
 zies are my friends ; and I, from the friendship I bear 
 you, do not consent to be King of Cabul, since to be 
 so must involve the necessity of being your enemy. 
 I prefer your friendship to the throne (of Cabul), 
 because, if I was to go to Cabul now, the men of Ca- 
 bul would push me forward, and then it would be dif- 
 ficult to release my guests, and to be on friendly terms 
 with you. On this account I have written, to show 
 my friendship to your government. Please God, my 
 services shall exceed the injuries I have done you. 
 On condition that we are friends, let the terms of 
 friendship between me and my friends, such as Ma- 
 homed Shah Khan and others, be written out, and be 
 sent before the receipt of my guests in your camp, that 
 I may feel confidence. The other matters have been 
 explained to Capt. Mackenzie verbally, and he will 
 make them known to you. I hope you will write down 
 every article in a treaty signed * and sealed. 
 
 (There is no seal f to this document.) 
 
 * « The Sirdar has not signed it, as he fears it may be used 
 against him, in case of your not closing with his terms. —Major 
 Fott'mqer to Gen. Pollock, Pari Papers, 320. 
 
 \ "The circumstance of receiving a Persian memorandum 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 393 
 
 C. No. 2. 
 From the Papers presented to Parliament on 
 THE Military Operations in Affghanistan. 
 No. 461. 
 Conversation between Sirdar Mahomed Ahbar Khan, 
 Major Pottinger, and Capt, Troup, on the Morning 
 of the 29th of July, 1842. 
 
 Mahomed Akbar opened the conversation by stating 
 that it was recommended that great men should ask 
 advice of each other, and related the fable of the 
 besieged king. He then told us he wanted advice as 
 to what he should do ; and, in answer to the question 
 what his own wishes were, declared he required only 
 our promise of friendship. Major Pottinger then — 
 premising that he must bear in mind that, though the 
 Vizier had his own authority in full, we were servants, 
 and could, therefore, not give advice if our opmions 
 were contrary to our kings interests— said, however, 
 that, as far as did not clash with our duty, we would 
 be happy to do so, and therefore advised that the 
 prisoners should be at once sent down ; for if a delay 
 took place, it would come within the declaration of 
 Gen Pollock, " that the business was off, if any delay 
 took place;" however, as the Chief stated he agreed 
 to the General's proposition, it might pass, if he wrote 
 down " that he agreed to the proposition ; but, as the 
 Affghans considered the statement confused and a 
 little doubtful, he sent a memorandum of what they 
 
 without seal or signature does not evince that confidence and 
 loodfa th thLhT^^^^^^^ be shown when a good understandmg 
 between Vrties is^desired." - Gen. Pollock to Major Pottrnger, 
 Pari. Papers, 323. 
 
 S 5 
 
394 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 thought was the meaning, and begged, if it were 
 correct, that the General would kindly inform him of 
 it, by affixing his seal to such a writing." Under these 
 circumstances, the General might not consider the 
 stipulation broken ; but, as it would virtually be so, 
 we thought it most advisable for him at once to send 
 down the prisoners, if he really wished to make terms. 
 The Vizier said that he would not give up the 
 prisoners without a written promise, and that the 
 people were all determined to support him ; that we 
 must put it out of our thoughts that we could release 
 the prisoners by force ; that, as soon as he heard that 
 our troops had reached Charbagh, he would send the 
 ladies, &c. off to Toorkistan, and fight here so long as 
 he could ; and that, if obliged to flee, he would take 
 care not one of the prisoners should return to the 
 English, for he would scatter them by twos and threes 
 through Toorkistan with all the chiefs. 
 
 C. No. 3. 
 Parliamentary Papers, No. 460. 
 Major- Gen. Pollock to Mr. Maddock. 
 
 Jellalabad, August 6. 1842. 
 SiRj — * * * I take this opportunity of stating that 
 it is my opinion that Mahomed Akbar's chief object 
 in desiring me to give a sealed paper, specifying that 
 I will withdraw all troops from Affghanistan, is to 
 strengthen himself by the publication of such a docu- 
 
 appendix. 
 
 395 
 
 ment at Cabul, the effect of which would be to 
 thoroughly dishearten such chiefs as look to cur assist- 
 ance for the means of freeing themselves from his 
 tyranny. Were I to say that I should leave this valley 
 in October, the reply would be that the prisoners 
 would be sent then ; but such a promise would so 
 strengthen Mahomed Akbar, that I think it pro- 
 bable that he, when the time arrived, finding that our 
 advance on Cabul was impossible for the next seven 
 months, might be tempted to procrastinate, under the 
 idea that we had determined to withdraw our troops, 
 and that, after our departure, he might obtain a large 
 sum as ransom for the prisoners. Apart from this, it 
 is impossible for me to pledge myself to withdraw on 
 a certain date ; and I, of course, could not take upon 
 myself to issue any order to General Nott. 
 
 The advance of a brigade to Futteeabad will tend 
 
 to alarm Mahomed Akbar, and make him the more 
 
 anxious to induce us to quit the country. Capt. Troup 
 
 has expressed a doubt on this subject, and fears that 
 
 this step may induce Mahomed Akbar to send the 
 
 prisoners to Toorkistan ; but I cannot think this will 
 
 occur, as I have reason to suppose there is a strong 
 
 party at Cabul, which has determined not to allow the 
 
 removal of our prisoners ; and I also believe that the 
 
 Wallee of Khooloom has written refusing to receive 
 
 Mahomed Akbar if accompanied by the prisoners. 
 
 I have, &c. 
 
 G. Pollock. 
 
 s 6 
 
G96 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 D. 
 
 The following account by Lieut. Crawford, of 
 the 3d Bombay N. I., of the loss of Ghuznee, and the 
 imprisonment of himself and his brother officers, is 
 taken from the Bombay Courier. — Editor. 
 
 " In my letter of the 8th instant, I promised that at 
 my earliest convenience I would send you a full, true, 
 and particular account of all my adventures during the 
 past year, and I now take up my pen to fulfil my promise, 
 and, without further preamble, commence my narra- 
 tive at once from the period of my quitting Candahar. 
 
 " I left that city on the SOth October last year, hav- 
 ing under my charge three state prisoners and seven 
 hostages to be escorted to Cabool ; and, for the safe- 
 guard of the same, I was accompanied by a troop 
 from my own corps, and about forty Affghan horse 
 under a chief called Guddoo Khan. It was on the 
 7th November we reached Oha ; we had marched 
 rapidly, but in perfect peace, and as little expected to 
 be attacked on the road as I do at this moment. You 
 may imagine, therefore, how thunderstruck I was, 
 when Guddoo Khan entered my tent, bringing with 
 him a native official of that part of the country, styled 
 the Urz Beggie, who gave me an account of the dis- 
 asters in Cabool on the second of the month, and, as 
 I afterwards found, bad as matters really were at the 
 capital, he made them out to be much more so. He 
 strongly pressed my returning to Khelat-i-Ghilzie, 
 saying that there were 20,000 men round Ghuznee, 
 and to go on would be to certain death. I considered, 
 however, it would never do for an officer to turn back 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 397 
 
 on a mere rumour of danger, and that, should the 
 man's story really be true, still I had a better chance 
 of reaching Ghuznee, which was only fifty-four mdes 
 off than Khelat, which was ninety. Tired though my 
 horses were, they might make Ghuznee in one forced 
 march, but they would not be able to get to the other 
 station under a couple of days ; the road lay through 
 the barren and hostile country of the Ghiljies, and, as 
 I subsequently discovered, it proved that Urz Beggie 
 was a traitor; he wished to get me back through the 
 Ghiliie districts, as he himself was a man of that 
 tribe, and would have raised the whole country about 
 my ears ; not a man of us would have escaped to tell 
 the tale. After duly considering all the pros and cons 
 of the case, I mounted my detachment at 8 p. m. and 
 moved on toward Ghuznee. We marched rapidly the 
 whole night, and by daylight had reached Nanee, 
 about thirteen miles from Ghuznee ; but the first 
 streak of dawn showed us that the people were on the 
 alert ; there were videttes on every hill ; and m a very 
 short time word was passed from fort to fort, and 
 their inhabitants turned out, hanging on my flanks and 
 rear, and firing with their rifies at us. Their horse- 
 men were bolder ; they swarmed round us like wasps, 
 riding up, firing their pieces into our troop, and gai- 
 loping off to re-load. We were nearly helpless aganist 
 such a foe ; twice we charged and cut up a few, 
 but the rascals always sought shelter near the nu- 
 merous forts that covered the plain, and then laughed 
 at us In addition to not being able to catch the 
 villains, we found that every time we charged or 
 halted to show a front, it only gave the enemy 1.me 
 to circle round our flanks and head us ; and their 
 
398 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 footmen also came up from the rear. Accordingly we 
 left the high road altogether, and turned out into the 
 plain, where the foot would scarcely dare to follow us ; 
 and indeed by proceeding at the trot we pretty well 
 shook off these gentry, but the horsemen still fol- 
 lowed ; and, to add to our troubles, I found that the 
 ponies, on which the prisoners were mounted, were 
 exhausted, and could proceed no further. As they 
 knocked up, I doubled the riders on the other animals ; 
 but, one after another, they gave in. One prisoner was 
 cut down by a horseman of the enemy (plainly show- 
 ing there was no collusion between them); two 
 others rolled over in a ditch, where, with their horse 
 a-top of them, and their legs chained under his belly, 
 I left them ; indeed, I now found it was impossible I 
 could ever get my charge into Ghuznee alive, and I had 
 only to decide on putting them to death or setting 
 them at liberty. My instructions would have justified 
 my pursuing the former course, but the poor wretches 
 had clearly made no attempt to escape; they were 
 in no manner answerable for the attack made on 
 my party, as was evident from one of their number 
 falling by the sword of our adversaries ; and I con- 
 ceived then, and do now conceive, that, in letting these 
 men go with their lives, I was not only acting accord- 
 ing to the strict letter of my instructions, but that 
 justice and humanity required I should not slay them 
 in cold blood. Had I put them to death, then Shum- 
 soodeen or Mahomed Akbar would have been equally 
 justified in taking our lives (the lives of all their pri- 
 soners) on the advance of Pollock and Nott on Cabul. 
 I may add, that the court of inquiry, which I called for, 
 after investigating all the circumstances, decided that 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 399 
 
 I had acted perfectly right. But to return to my 
 story. After following and harassing us for miles, the 
 enemy drew off when we got near Ghuznee, and I 
 reached that place about 10 a.m. on the 8th, with the 
 loss of all my baggage and prisoners, and fifteen men 
 and twenty horses killed, and several wounded, out of 
 my little party. Every day now brought us bad ac- 
 counts from Cabul ; and the infatuation, that appears 
 to have seized the chief authorities there, not only 
 hurried them on to ruin at the capital, but also para- 
 lysed us at Ghuznee. Can you imagine that the ne- 
 cessary repairs and alterations in the citadel were not 
 sanctioned, nor was Palmer permitted to lay in pro- 
 visions? At the eleventh hour, the Colonel took the 
 responsibility upon himself, and set to work ; but most 
 invaluable time had been suffered to pass unimproved, 
 and, when the enemy made their appearance under 
 our walls, they found us but ill prepared for a siege, 
 especially when it was not man alone we had to com- 
 bat with, but the rigours of a winter as intense as that 
 of Canada. The enemy and the snow made their 
 appearance together: on the 20th of November the 
 town was surrounded with the one, and the ground 
 covered with the other; but in a week afterwards the 
 insurgents broke up their investment of the place, on 
 report of M'Laren's brigade advancing to our rehef. 
 This permitted our destroying the villages and build- 
 ings within musket shot of the walls, and also afforded 
 us a week's skating on the ditch ; but on the 7th of 
 December the enemy returned in increased numbers, 
 and we were then closely confined to the walls. The 
 necessity and advantage of turning the inhabitants 
 out of the town was not lost sight of; but, unfortu- 
 
400 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 nately for us, an idea had got abroad that the towns- 
 people were strongly attached to us, and that the 
 sending out so many poor people to perish in the 
 snow was an act of cruelty too great to be dreamt of. 
 The consequence was, that the townsmen entered into 
 a correspondence with their countrymen on the out- 
 side; and on the night of the 16th of December, having 
 dug a hole through the town, they admitted their 
 friends, who poured in by thousands, and compelled 
 us, after fighting all that night and the next day, to 
 retire into the citadel. It so happened that from this 
 day the winter set in with increased severity, and 
 its effects soon told fearfully upon the men. The 
 whole garrison, officers and men, were told off into 
 three watches, one of which was constantly on duty ; 
 so that every one in the place was eight hours on duty 
 out of the twenty-four, and you may imagine that 
 such constant work and exposure to the intense cold 
 very soon rendered the sepoys useless. The snow lay 
 deep, very deep, and often in the course of a single 
 night would fall to the depth of a couple of feet ! 
 The thermometer sunk to ten, twelve^ and even four- 
 teen degrees below zero I and to such weather were the 
 natives of India exposed day and night, with no pros- 
 pect of relief, and with no comforts to enable them 
 to support their sufferings ! We were reduced to half 
 rations of bad flour and raw grain on alternate days, 
 and a seer of wood per man each day was all that 
 could be allowed either for cooking or warmth. The 
 sepoys, constantly soaked and unable to dry themselves, 
 got sickly, and the hospital was crowded with men, 
 whose feet had ulcerated from frost bites. I do think, 
 that if the enemy had had pluck enough to have made 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 401 
 
 a rush upon us, they could at any time, after Christ- 
 mas-day, have carried the works with very little diffi- 
 culty ; as it was, however, they contented themselves 
 with keeping up a smart fire with their rifles, and not 
 a man could show his head above the walls for a mo- 
 ment. Up to the 1 5th of January this work continued, 
 and we lost three or four men daily from the fire of 
 their marksmen ; but on the day mentioned some sort 
 of a truce was entered into, and active hostilities 
 ceased, it being understood we were to evacuate the 
 place on the arrival of Shumsoodeen Khan. This 
 worthy did not arrive till the middle of the following 
 month, and even then the Colonel managed to keep 
 him in play till the beginning of March ; but at last he 
 and his chiefs would stand it no longer, and said that, 
 if we did not give up the place immediately, they 
 would recommence hostilities ; and we, being utterly 
 helpless, having no water in the citadel, and the snow 
 (on which we had depended for a supply) having all 
 vanished, our provisions being exhausted, and there 
 being no prospect of the arrival of succour, had no 
 resource but to make the best terms we could, and 
 trust to Providence that the enemy would abide by 
 them. On the 6th of March we marched out from the 
 citadel, under a treaty signed and solemnly sworn to 
 by all the chiefs, that we should be escorted in safety 
 and honour to Peshawur, with our colours, arms, and 
 baggage, and fifty rounds of ammunition per man. 
 There was still some snow in the passes between 
 Ghuznee and Cabul ; and till that should melt, and 
 the necessary carriage could be procured for us, we 
 were quartered in a portion of the town immediately 
 below the citadel. Scarcely had we entered our new 
 
402 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 abode, when our enemies flung off the mask, and 
 showed how much they valued oaths made to infidels. 
 At noon on the 7th, whilst nearly every man of ours 
 was cooking, and we were totally unprepared for an 
 outbreak, the Ghazees rushed upon our lines, and suc- 
 ceeded in carrying the houses in which my squadron 
 had been placed. I was in the next house, with 
 Burnett of the 51rth, and Nicholson of the 27th, 
 there being no decent room for me in my own proper 
 quarters. On hearing the uproar, I ran to the roof 
 to see what was the matter; and finding what had 
 taken place among my men, and that balls were flying 
 thick, I called up Burnett. He had scarcely joined 
 me, when he was struck down by a rifle ball, which 
 knocked his eye out ; and, as he was then rendered 
 hors de combat, I assumed command of the two com- 
 panies of the 27th that had been under him, and 
 Nicholson and myself proceeded to defend ourselves as 
 well as circumstances would permit. We were on the 
 left of the mass of houses occupied by our troops, and 
 the first and sharpest attacks were directed at us: the 
 enemy fired our house, and gradually, as room after 
 room caught fire, we were forced to retreat to the 
 others, till at last by midnight of the 9th our house 
 was nearly burnt in halves. We were exhausted with 
 hunger and thirst, having had nothing to eat or drink 
 since the morning of the 7th. Our ammunition was 
 expended, the place was filled with dead and dying 
 men, and our position was no longer tenable ; but the 
 only entrance, in front of the house, was surrounded 
 by the enemy, and we scarcely knew how to get out, 
 and endeavour to join Col. Palmer. At last we dug 
 a hole through the wall of the back of the house : we 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 403 
 
 had only bayonets' to work with, and it cost us much 
 labour to make a hole sufficiently large to admit of one 
 man at a time dropping from it into the street below ; 
 but we were fortunate enough to get clear out of our 
 ruined quarters in this way, and join the Colonel un- 
 perceived by the savages round us. As soon as day 
 broke on the 9th, they occupied our abandoned post, 
 and shortly afterwards attacked and carried the next 
 house, in which were poor Lumsden and his wife, and 
 thirty sepoys, every one of whom, and their servants, 
 were put to death. On the morning of the 10th, 
 Poett and Davis were obliged to retire from their 
 posts, and the survivors here now assembled in the two 
 houses, held by Col. Palmer and the head-quarters of 
 the corps. You cannot picture to yourself the scene 
 these two houses presented ; every room was crammed, 
 not only with sepoys, but camp followers, men, women, 
 and children; and it is astonishing the slaughter 
 among them was not greater, seeing that the guns of 
 the citadel sent round-shot crashing through and 
 through the walls. I saw high-caste men groping in 
 the mud, endeavouring to discover pieces of unmelted 
 ice, that, by sucking them, they might relieve the 
 thirst that tormented them I Certainly, when that 
 morning dawned, I thought it was the last I should 
 see on this earth ; and so did we all, and proceeded to 
 make a few little arrangements, ere the final attack on 
 us took place. The regimental colours were burnt, 
 to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy, 
 and I destroyed my watch, and flung it, and what 
 money I had, over the wall into the ditch. I also burnt 
 my poor wife's miniature, first cramming the gold 
 frame of it into a musket, being determined that one 
 
404 
 
 APPENDI?t. 
 
 of the Ghazees should have his belly full of gold ere 
 I died. Hour after hour passed on, and still we sat 
 expecting every minute to hear the shout of the final 
 attack ; but it came not. From our loopholes we saw 
 the enemy swarming all around us in every lane and 
 house, and on the hill of the citadel. The place was 
 black with their masses ; and, as they themselves after- 
 wards told us, there were not less than 10,000 men there 
 thirsting for our blood. But it appears that Shum- 
 soodeen had been affected with some qualms of con- 
 science, and had held a council of his chiefs on the sub- 
 ject of admitting us to quarter. I should tell you that 
 during the three previous days' fighting, Shumsoodeeq 
 had repeatedly offered us terms, but they were such 
 as we could not accede to ; inasmuch as they com- 
 menced by desiring we would surrender ourselves to 
 him, and abandon the sepoys to the fury of the 
 Ghazees. The sepoys, it appears, had held a con- 
 sultation among themselves, and, believing they had no 
 chance of their lives, determined on forcing their way 
 out of the town, and endeavouring to get to Peshawur. 
 When we first heard of this mad design, and spoke to 
 the men about it, they denied it; but on the 10th two 
 native officers came forward, and told us they had 
 made up their minds to go off that night ; that, if we 
 chose to accompany them, they would be exceedingly 
 glad, but if otherwise, they would go alone. It was in 
 vain we pointed out the utter impracticability of their 
 plan ; they had got an idea among them, that Pe- 
 shawur was not above fifty or sixty miles off across 
 country, and that there was a short cut to it, through 
 the mountains : they immediately commenced digging 
 a hole through the outer wall of the town, by which, 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 405 
 
 as soon as it got dark, they might march out into the 
 
 country. 
 
 Seeing that our men had now flung off all authority, 
 and were about to desert us, we had nothing further 
 to do but to make the best bargain we could for our 
 lives. Shumsoodeen and all the Ghazee chiefs again 
 swore by all that was holy, that if we laid down our 
 arms we should be honourably treated, and sent to 
 Cabul to the Shah as soon as possible. At 10 p. m. we 
 surrendered. The chief sent and begged the officers 
 to come into the citadel immediately, as the Ghazees 
 were yelling for the blood of the Feringee Kaffirs, 
 and he could not answer for our safety, if we delayed 
 till daylight ; and accordingly we went up to the cita- 
 del and gave up our swords, the chief placing bodies 
 of his men round our late quarters, to keep the Gha- 
 zees from molesting the sepoys. A large party of these 
 latter, however, during the night, endeavoured to put 
 their ridiculous plan of flight into execution, and made 
 their way about two or three miles from the town: it 
 came on to snow heavily ; they got bewildered in the 
 fields, and in the morning were all cut to pieces or 
 made prisoners. For the first few days after we had 
 surrendered, we were treated pretty tolerably; the 
 chief and his brother used to visit and condole with 
 us on the change of fortune we had experienced, and 
 expressed their sorrow at the violence of their fanati- 
 cal followers not having permitted their strict observ- 
 ance of the treaty, on which we had yielded up the 
 citadel to them ; but gradually they discontinued their 
 visits ; every little thing we had managed to secure, 
 such as watches, penknives, money, &c., was taken 
 from us, and we were strictly confined to a small 
 
406 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 407 
 
 room eighteen feet by thirteen. In it there were ten 
 of us, so you may imagine we had not much room to 
 spare ; indeed, when we lay down at night we exactly 
 occupied the whole floor, and when we wanted to 
 take a little exercise we were obliged to walk up and 
 down (six paces) in turns. Few of us had a change of 
 linen, and the consequence was we were soon swarm- 
 in'g with vermin, the catching of which afforded an 
 hour's employment every morning. I wore my soli- 
 tary shirt for five weeks, till it became literally black 
 and rotten ; and I am really surprised none of us con- 
 tracted any loathsome disease, from the state of filth 
 we were compelled to live in. On the 7th April we 
 heard of Shah Soojah's murder, and from that date 
 the severities of our confinement were redoubled ; 
 they shut and darkened the solitary window from 
 which we had hitherto derived light and air; and they 
 also kept the door of our room constantly closed, so 
 that the air we breathed became perfectly pestiferous. 
 On the 21st of the month they tortured Col. Palmer 
 with a tent-peg and rope, in such a manner that it is 
 wonderful he ever recovered the use of his foot. I 
 cannot, in a letter, explain the process of the torture, 
 but we all witnessed it, and it was something on the 
 principle of the Scotch boot described in " Old Mor- 
 tality." We were told we should each be tortured in 
 our turn, unless we gave up four lacs of rupees, which 
 the rascals swore we had buried ; and, in case we con- 
 tinued obstinate, they told us we should be blown 
 from guns, beginning M'ith the junior. This was a 
 pleasant sort of a life to lead, never being certain of 
 that life for twenty-four hours together. I think a 
 little similar experience would do some of the news- 
 
 .n 
 
 paper editors a deal of good, and render them not 
 quite so prone to lavish their criticisms on the con- 
 duct of unfortunates like ourselves. They sit under 
 their punkahs, drink lall shrub, and write leading arti- 
 cles, laying down the law and talking as familiarly on 
 military matters " as maids " do '' of puppy dogs," — 
 the self-elected, self-constituted judges of mankind. 
 In the end of April, our guards suddenly became par- 
 ticularly civil to us for a few days, and we found out 
 they had a report of the advance of our troops : in- 
 deed, on to the period of our actual release, we could 
 always form a pretty shrewd guess of what our troops 
 were about by the treatment we experienced at the 
 hands of our captors : if there was any forward move- 
 ment among our people, any arrival of reinforcements 
 at Jellalabad or Candahar, &c., then we were treated 
 well for a few days, and we got better food ; but if our 
 people appeared to be idle, and things remained in 
 statu quo for a week, then our guards taunted us on 
 the unwarlike spirit of Feringee armies, and boasted 
 how they would exterminate them, if they advanced. 
 Gool Mahomed Khan, the brother of Shumshoodeen, 
 who had always behaved more civilly towards us than 
 the big chief, was, unfortunately for us, despatched to 
 Cabul on business about the middle of April ; but I 
 believe it was owing to the receipt of a letter from 
 him, that on the 12th May we were permitted to quit 
 our prison room, and walk on the terrace of the citadel 
 for one hour, and we were told that similar kindness 
 would be shown us once a week ! ! ! — namely, on 
 Friday, when Shumshoodeen was wont to make a kind 
 of religious nic nic to a neighbouring shrine. Even 
 this we thought a great blessing, and used to count the 
 
408 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 409 
 
 days and hours to each succeeding Friday, anxiously 
 expecting the moment when our guard would tell us 
 we might breathe God's fresh air, and look out on 
 the green fields for the allotted period. I thought 
 I had always been an admirer of the beauties of 
 nature, but I had never imagined that the time would 
 have come, when the sight of a few ordinary fields of 
 clover and wheat would have caused me such delight 
 in their contemplation ! 
 
 On the 15th of June, Gool Mahomed returned from 
 Cabul, bringing with him some of the ladies of his 
 brothers family. On their account we were told we 
 Bhould be removed to other quarters, and of course 
 we expected a change for the worse ; but, as it 
 eventually proved, we were agreeably disappointed. 
 Just at this period one of our number, Lieut. Davies, 
 27th N. I., had sickened with typhus fever ; we had 
 no medicines, no comforts for him, and he lay on the 
 ground delirious, raving about home and his family, 
 and every hour proving worse, till, on the 19th, death 
 put an end to his sufferings. We read the burial ser- 
 vice over him, and then made his body over to the 
 guard to bury; but I am afraid they merely flung the 
 poor fellow into a ditch outside the gate. It was a 
 melancholy ceremony that burial service: few among 
 us, I imagine, but thought it might be his turn next, 
 especially now that sickness had broken out in such a 
 shape ; however, on the following day, we were re- 
 moved to another building, where we had three or 
 four rooms to ourselves, and a court-yard to walk 
 about in, and our guard was replaced by a more civil 
 set. This was a delightful change ; and being greedy of 
 fresh air after so long a deprivation of it, we made the 
 
 most of our new berth by always sleeping in the open 
 air in the court-yard. It is true, it was utterly impos- 
 sible to get a minute's rest in any of the rooms 
 allotted to us, as they were swarming with the foulest 
 vermin, so we thought it no hardship to have the stars 
 for a canopy, and for three months we never slept 
 under a roof, or with any other covering beyond our 
 sheepskin cloaks. From this date the conduct of 
 Shumshoodeen towards us improved greatly ; he came 
 to see us frequently, and chatted in a kind manner, 
 always telling us we should shortly be set at liberty 
 in exchange for Dost Mahomed, who was returning to 
 Cabul, having been freed by our Government. This 
 gave us renewed hopes of soon again becoming free 
 agents ; and, as our circumstances were improved, and 
 our guards more friendly toward us, our captivity was 
 more easily borne ; but still as time wore on, and no- 
 thing definite was learnt regarding our release, we 
 again began to despair, especially when the middle of 
 August arrived, and we seemed as far as ever from 
 the attainment of our wishes. It was on the 19th of 
 August we had, as usual, wrapped ourselves up in our 
 cloaks, and taken lodgings on the cold ground for the 
 night, when the chief suddenly entered the yard, and 
 told us we were to march immediately for Cabul ; and, 
 sure enough, in half an hour afterwards we found our- 
 selves slung in pairs in kujawurs, on each side of 
 camels, and moving towards the capital. How de- 
 lighted we were to bid adieu to the walls of Ghuznee ! 
 I do believe, if we had known we were going to exe- 
 cution, the change would nevertheless have gladdened 
 us. We reached Cabul in three days, without meeting 
 any adventure on the road ; but we were abused most 
 
 111 
 
410 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 411 
 
 grossly by the populace as we proceeded through the 
 streets of the city : fortunately it was in the dusk of 
 the evening, and but few people witnessed our arrival ; 
 otherwise they might not have confined their ill treat- 
 ment to words. We were taken direct to Mahomed 
 Akbar's quarters in the Bala Hissar, and from him 
 we met with the kindest reception. I could not bring 
 myself to believe that the stout, good-humoured, 
 open-hearted-looking young man, who was making 
 such kind inquiries after our health, and how we had 
 borne the fatigues of the journey, could be the mur- 
 derer of M'Naghten, and the leader of the massacre 
 of our troops. He told us we had come most un- 
 expectedly ; that, though he had written repeatedly to 
 have us sent to him (as he had heard we were ill 
 treated by Shumshoodeen), yet no attention had been 
 paid to his orders ; and now that we had come, it was 
 without any intimation of our approach : he bade us be 
 of good cheer, as our future comfort would be his care, 
 and we should find ourselves treated like officers and 
 gentlemen. After many similarly civil speeches, he 
 ordered dinner, and sent for Troup and Pottinger to 
 see us. When they arrived, the whole of us, Mahomed 
 Akbar, his chiefs, and ourselves, all sat down to the 
 best meal I had had for many a month. The Wuzeer 
 (3,8 he always styled himself) chatted and joked away 
 on indifferent subjects during the meal, and shortly 
 after its conclusion dismissed us, saying he would 
 make us over to the care of Pottinger and Troup for 
 the night, and we might go and have a chat with 
 them in private, as doubtless we were anxious to do 
 so. On the following morning the archfiend sent us 
 an excellent breakfast, and horses to carry us out a 
 
 / 
 
 few miles to the fort where the other British prisoners 
 were living, and he desired a list of our wants re- 
 garding clothes, &c. might be made out, and they 
 should be furnished. We found our countrymen 
 living in what appeared to us a small paradise ; they 
 had comfortable quarters, servants, money, and no 
 little baggage, and a beautiful garden to walk about in. 
 To our great regret, we had only been four or five days 
 in this Elysium, when we were sent off to Bameean. 
 Being thus away from the immediate care of Mahomed 
 Akbar, we soon found ourselves called on to rousrh 
 it once more. Tents had been sent for the use of the 
 ladies, but our guards would only pitch them when it 
 suited their convenience, and consequently the poor 
 women and children had frequently to bivouac with 
 us men, and that, too, in the nipping night air of the 
 mountains; none of them, however, I am happy to 
 say, suffered in the least, and they one and all bore 
 their privations most admirably. I see that Johnson 
 and one or two others have already given very good 
 accounts in the public prints of our doings at Ba- 
 meean, and our return from thence to the blessings of 
 freedom, so I will not inflict a second edition of the 
 tale upon you. The public papers will also, long ere 
 this reaches you, have given you some information 
 about our doings at Istaliff", and our retrogade march 
 from Cabul, during which there was a good deal more 
 fighting than on the advance," 
 
 T S 
 
4)2 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 413 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 E. 
 
 Letter from Mohun Lal. 
 (Prom the Calcutta Englishman.) 
 
 Having been favoured with the perusal of a late 
 letter from Mohun Lal to a friend in Calcutta, and 
 been permitted to give the substance of it to the 
 public, we have decided that it will do best in the 
 writer's own language, as he expresses himself with 
 perfect clearness and intelligibility in English, though 
 not with very idiomatic correctness. His summary 
 account of the events from the 2d of November 1841 
 down to the liberation of the prisoners, cannot be ex- 
 pected to contain much that is actually new to our 
 readers ; but still it is both interesting and historically 
 valuable. Mohun LaFs brief and unassuming ac- 
 count of his own exertions, intrepidity, risks, and 
 sufferings, is very little calculated to do him full 
 justice ; but his great merits are well known to, and 
 will be amply appreciated and rewarded by, the Go- 
 vernment of India. But now let Mohun Lal speak : — 
 
 " Since the year of 1838, I have been in regular 
 correspondence with my patron, Mr. Trevelyan, in 
 London, and had repeatedly written to him, that if we 
 do not rectify our conduct in the policy of Aifghan- 
 istan, we will excite the whole country against us. 
 These communications I believe have always been 
 shown to the chairman of the Court of Directors, and 
 it is great pity notwithstanding the late lamented Sir 
 William M'Naghten and Sir Alexander Burnes were 
 aware of the impendijig dangers which threatened the 
 
 I 
 
 British authority, hut they 7iever took steps either to 
 prepare to meet the evils or to conciliate the chiefs. 
 Their pay was reduced, and the manner of our pro- 
 ceedings had convinced them that they shall be all 
 banished. In October last the chiefs entered into 
 the solemn agreement with each other, and thus the 
 Eastern Ghiljies stood up against our arms. General 
 Sale bravely defeated the enemy, and forced his 
 road through the different passes down to Jellal- 
 abad. While these discontented chiefs were intriguing, 
 we bore every thing silently till the fatal day of the 2d 
 of November arrived, and the houses of Sir Alexander 
 Burnes and myself were surrounded by the rebels. 
 They were not accompanied with more than fifty men, 
 but not a battalion was sent to our protection. After 
 poor Sir Alexander Burnes was murdered and his house 
 set on fire, I made a hole through the neighbouring 
 house and was nearly cut to pieces, had I not been 
 protected by the good-natured Nuwab Mohammed 
 Zeman Khan,, and kept secretly a whole day in his 
 house. All my property saved during the last twelve 
 years was plundered, one of my servants murdered, 
 and the house destroyed. For three days not many 
 people had assembled under the flag of the rebels, and 
 the Persians were not joined the enemy. 
 
 ** From the house of Nuwab Mohammed Zeman 
 Khan, I was conducted by our old friend Nayab Mah- 
 med Sherif Khan to the house of the Persian chief, 
 named Khan Shereen Khan, where I lived most clan- 
 destinely. Agreeably to the request of the late Envoy, 
 I was daily in correspondence with him, and dis- 
 charged my duties at the risk of my life- Nayab 
 Shereef was employed by the Envoy and myself in 
 
 T 3 
 
414 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 several negotiations with the Ghiljies and the Persians. 
 Every thing bid fair of our success formerly, and not- 
 withstanding the Ghiljie, Cabulee, Kohistanee, and 
 the Persian chiefs made solemn oaths with us, wrote 
 the agreements on the Holy Koran to take our cause, 
 received abundant money from us, but every body 
 cheated us like a devil. Khan Shereen, the Persian 
 chief, promised to give every assistance, which he 
 never did. In short, every one of us was deceived. 
 
 " Mahomed Akbar Khan opened the negotiation 
 with the Envoy, and promised to be useful to us, if we 
 were to appoint him as a minister in AfFghanistan ; but 
 I always cautioned the Envoy against Akbar, though 
 I wrote him at the request of Nayab Shereef on part 
 of Mahomed Shah Khan, that the latter will persuade 
 Akbar to attach himself to the British Government. 
 On the 23d of December, about 6 a. m., ivroie to the 
 Envoy not to meet Akbar so often, as he will catch 
 and bring him into the city ; but that gentleman, consi- 
 dering the treacherous Akbar as honest as himself, 
 trusted him in every thing, while he became a victim to 
 the pistol of that villain, 
 
 "Before the departure of General Elphinstone's 
 force from Cabul^ I wrote to Major Pottinger, that if 
 any of us were to move from the cantonment, he will 
 either be murdered or taken prisoner by Akbar ; and 
 so it happened : all the force was destroyed, the ladies 
 and the officers taken prisoners. I was brought again 
 by a friend in the house of Khan Shereen Khan, 
 where I lived all the time corresponding with General 
 Pollock, and was a channel of his communications 
 with the Prince Futeh Jung and the chiefs, under a 
 very great personal risk. 
 
 APPENDIX* 
 
 415 
 
 " When Mahomed Akbar gained an ascendancy, / 
 was caught, closely confined, ill-treated, bastinadoed, 
 threatened to be murdered, and forced to raise and 
 pay him the money. While I was under such suffer- 
 ing, I neither left writing to Gen. Pollock nor relaxed 
 in my exertions to cause the liberty of the pri- 
 soners. Finding that my endeavours to induce the 
 chiefs in the city, as well as the letters of Gen, Pollock 
 to their address, availed nothing in behalf of the 
 prisoners, I took the most dangerous step with the 
 full belief either to lose my life or gain my object. 
 To effect this cau^e I supplicated, and asked Mahomed 
 Akbar Khan to allow me to remain in the house near 
 himself, under the pretence that my visiting him occa- 
 sionally will show his kindness to me in future. It was 
 agreed, and I was placed under a guard as before, but 
 not sent out of the city ; after this I sent for my ac- 
 quaintance Moortza Shah in the confinement, on the 
 pretence of selling some cloth to me, and told him if 
 he goes to Damoean and speak to Saleh Mahomed on 
 my part to restore the prisoners, I shall give the latter 
 a reward of 20,000 rupees, and to himself of 5000, and 
 besides this they will have some pension from Go- 
 vernment for life. Saleh Mahomed was an officer of 
 infantry under Mahomed Akbar, and then proceeding 
 with our prisoners to Toorkistan. Moortza Shah 
 reached Bameean, an d Saleh Mahomed happily accepted 
 my offers. In the mean time I stole my escape from 
 confinement, and induced the Persian chiefs to desert 
 Mahomed Akbar Khan. I was joined with about 
 2000 horsemen in the Afshar Fort; and as soon as 
 Mahomed Akbar was defeated by General Pollock, I 
 forced a party of them to go and meet the prisoners, 
 
 T 4 
 
416 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 who, in charge of Saleh Mahomed and my agent 
 Moortza Shah, were returning from Bameean. Sir R. 
 Shakespear also accompanied this party. 
 
 <' If I would fear [had feared for] my life, there was 
 not a single man to send intelligence to Government 
 at such a crisis; and it is the most wonderful thing 
 that I managed the despatch of letters so regularly 
 and safely, that none of them was ever intercepted by 
 the enemy, while the roads to Jellalabad were watched 
 on every step. If I were not to run the personal risk 
 while myself in confinement^ and not induce Saleh 
 Mahomed to restore our prisoners, they would never 
 be released until we were to meet the wishes of Maho- 
 med Akbar Khan, and would by this time be wan- 
 dering and suffering on the deserts of Toorkistan. If 
 Government take these my humble services into their 
 just, impartial, and favourable view, I hope I shall be 
 highly rewarded, because I have saved the British 
 name, which, if the English ladies and officers were 
 taken into Toorkistan, would deeply suffer. I have 
 not only done this, but spent not the fourth of the 
 money which was offered by General Pollock for re- 
 covering the prisoners, and thus saved the Company's 
 cash. I am very proud indeed of what I have done." 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 417 
 
 F. 
 
 Letter from the released Prisoners to Sir 
 Richard Shakespear, and his Reply. 
 
 Sir Richard Shakespear, Military Secretary, H^c. 
 
 Dear Sir, •— Rescued as we have so lately been 
 from a state of prolonged and cheerless captivity, 
 which threatened soon to terminate in hopeless slavery, 
 in a land where the laws of humanity are unknown or 
 unacknowledged ; restored by a wonderful interposi- 
 tion of Providence to country, friends, and all that 
 renders life desirable ; it would ill become us, in the 
 midst of our rejoicings, to forget those friends, through 
 whose agency this happy change in our prospects has 
 
 been effected. 
 
 To you we are bound to express our heartfelt 
 thanks, for the promptitude, with which you led a 
 body of Kuzzilbash horsemen to our assistance at a 
 most critical period, to whose timely arrival amongst 
 us at Kaloo it may be chiefly attributed that our 
 flight from Bameean was not intercepted. 
 
 To thank you adequately in words for so signal a 
 service would be impossible, but we trust you will 
 accept of this, as a token of the gratitude we feel, 
 and, with every good wish for your happiness and 
 prosperity, we subscribe ourselves. 
 
 Yours very faithfully, 
 
 Fanny Macnaghtenj 
 Florentia Sale, 
 Alexandrina Sturt, 
 Jean Boyd, 
 F. Boyd, 
 
 T 5 
 
 A. Waller, 
 R. Waller, 
 G. Mein, 
 Emily Eyre, 
 Vincent Eyre, 
 
418 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 419 
 
 C. Mackenzie, 
 Eldred Pottinger, 
 Edward Webb, 
 
 B. Melville, 
 
 Georgiana Mainwaring, 
 H. Johnson, 
 
 G. St. P. Lawrence, 
 
 C. Harris, 
 C. Griffiths, 
 T. Palmer, 
 J. S. Alston, 
 T. Thomson, 
 J. M'Grath, 
 
 Camp Cabul, Sept. 24. 1842. 
 
 J. Nicholson, 
 
 — Airey, 
 
 — Souter, 
 John Shelton, 
 
 — Evans, 
 T. P. Walsh, 
 II. Warburton, 
 H. Drummond, 
 R. L. Burnett, 
 H. M. Williams, 
 A. Crawford, 
 
 — Haughton. 
 
 Answer. 
 
 To Lady 3Iacnaghten, Lady Sale, S^c. 
 General Shelton and Major Pottinger, 
 
 Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, — I was this 
 morning greatly gratified by receiving a very kind 
 and flattering letter, signed by the ladies and officers, 
 who were lately prisoners at Bameean, and I hasten to 
 request that you will express to them my sincere 
 thanks for the very handsome terms, in which they 
 have spoken of my poor services. 
 
 I shall ever consider it one of the happiest events of 
 my life, that I should have had the good fortune to 
 have been in any way instrumental in eft'ecting your 
 escape from AfFghanistan. 
 
 I remain, dear Ladies and Gentlemen, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 R. C. Shakespear. 
 Camp Jellalabad, Oct. 26. 1842. 
 
 G. 
 
 List of Civil and Military Officers killed during 
 THE Rebellion, at and near Cabul, 
 
 Between \2th October 1841, and 6th January 1842, the 
 
 day of leaving Cabul, 
 
 Political. 
 Sir W. H. Macnaghten, Bart. Murdered at a conference on 23d Dec. 
 Sir Alexander Burnes Ditto in his own house m the 
 
 city on . - 2d Nov. 
 
 Capt.Broadfoot,lst Eng. Regt. Ditto in Sir A. B.'s house in ^^ 
 
 the city on - - Ja 
 
 Lieut. Burnes, Bombay Infty. Ditto in Sir A. B.'s house in ^^ 
 
 the city on - - JQ. 
 
 Lieut. Rattray - - Ditto at a conference at ^^ 
 
 Lughmanee m Kohistan - 3a 
 
 H. M. 44th. 
 
 Lieut Col. Mackrell - 
 
 Capt. Swayne - 
 
 Capt. M'Crea 
 
 Capt. Robinson - ^ 
 
 Lieut. Raban - 
 
 5th N. I. 
 
 Lieut. Col. Oliver 
 Capt. Mackintosh 
 
 37 th N. /. 
 
 Capt. Westmacott 
 Ensign Gordon 
 
 35th N. I. 
 
 Lieut. Jenkins 
 Capt. Wyndham 
 
 H. M. \Sth Light Infantry. 
 
 Lieut. King - 
 
 Local Horse. 
 
 Capt. Walker, 1st N. I. 
 
 Killed in 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 action at Cabul 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 - lOth Nov. 
 
 - 4th " 
 
 - lOth " 
 
 - 4th " 
 
 - 6th " 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 - 23d Nov. 
 
 - 23d " 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 - loth Nov. 
 
 - 4th " 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 at Khoord- Cabul 
 at Jugdulluk 
 
 - 12th Oct. 
 
 - 12th " 
 
 Killed at Tezeen 
 
 - 1 2th Oct. 
 
 Ditto at Cabul - 
 
 23d Nov. 
 
r 
 
 m 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 f 
 
 27th N. I. 
 Lieut. Laing - 
 
 Shah's i^ervice. 
 
 Capt. Woodburn, 44th N. I. • 
 Capt. Codrington, 49th N. I. 
 Ensign Salisbury, 1st V. Rcgt. 
 Ensign Rose, 54th N. I. 
 Doctor Grant, Bombay Estab. 
 Lieut. Maule, Artillery 
 
 Capt. Trevor, 3d Light Cav. 
 Local Lieut. Wheeler 
 
 Killed at Cabul 
 
 . 2Sd Nov. 
 
 Ditto Ditto - 23d Nov. 
 
 Ditto at Chareeker - 23d " 
 
 Ditto Ditto - 23d " 
 
 Ditto Ditto - 23d " 
 
 Ditto Ditto - 23d " 
 
 Ditto in his camp at Kah- 
 
 darrah - - 3d 
 
 Ditto at a conference - 23d Dec. 
 Ditto in his camp at Kah- 
 
 darrah - - 3d Nov. 
 
 From 6th January up to the \2th January 1842 
 
 on the retreat. 
 
 Staff. 
 
 inclusive 
 
 Dr. Duff, Superin. -Surgeon 
 
 Capt. Skinner, 61st N. I. 
 Capt. Paton •, 58th N. I. 
 Lieut. Sturt *, Engineers 
 
 Horse Artillery. 
 Dr. Bryce 
 
 5th Light Cavalnj. 
 Lieut. Hardyman 
 
 H. M. 44th. 
 
 Major Scott 
 Capt. Leigh ton 
 Lieut. White 
 Lieut. Fortye* 
 
 5th N. I. 
 
 Major Swayne* 
 Capt. Miles - 
 Lieut. Deas • 
 Lieut. Alexander 
 Lieut. Warren 
 
 Killed between Tezeen and 
 
 Sell Baba 
 Ditto at Jugdulluk 
 Ditto Khoord- Cabul pass 
 Ditto Ditto 
 
 1 0th Jan. 
 12th " 
 8th " 
 8th " 
 
 Ditto on march to Tezeen 10th Jan. 
 
 Ditto outside the canton- 
 ment 
 
 Ditto on march to Tezeen 
 Ditto Ditto 
 
 Ditto Junga Fareekee 
 Ditto Jugdulluk 
 
 6th Jan. 
 
 10th Jan. 
 10th " 
 10th " 
 10th " 
 
 Killed at Junga Fareekee - 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 Ditto 
 
 10th Jan. 
 10th " 
 10th " 
 10th " 
 10th " 
 
 * These officers had been previously wounded at Cabul. Captain 
 Faton's left arm had been amputated. 
 
 I 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 421 
 
 54th N. I. 
 
 Major Ewart 
 Capt. Shaw* 
 Lieut. Kiiby 
 
 37 ^A N. I. 
 Lieut. St. George 
 
 //. M. 44th. 
 Lieut. Wade 
 
 21th N. L 
 Dr. Cardew* 
 
 Killed on march to Tezeen 10th Jan. 
 Ditto Ditto - 10th " 
 
 Ditto Ditto - 10th 
 
 Ditto Khoord- Cabul pass 8th Jan. 
 
 Ditto Jugdulluk 
 
 Ditto Tezeen 
 
 12th Jan. 
 
 10th Jan. 
 
 After leaving Jugdulluk on the \2th to the final massacre. 
 
 Staff. 
 
 Major Thain* H. M. 21st Ft.A.D.c. Jugdulluk Pass 
 Capt. Bellew, 56th N. L - Futtehabad 
 
 Capt. Grant, 27th N. I. - ^^""^^^f^ 
 
 Capt. Mackay, Assist. P. M.f - Doubtful. 
 
 Horse Artillery. 
 
 Capt. Nicholl 
 Lieut. Stewart 
 
 5th Light Cavalry. 
 
 Lieut. -Col. Chambers - 
 
 Capt. Blair 
 
 Capt. Bott 
 
 Capt. Hamilton 
 
 Capt. Collyer 
 
 Lieut. Bazett - 
 
 Dr. Harpur - 7 
 
 Veterinary Surgeon Willis 
 
 H. M, 44th. 
 
 CaptDodgin - 
 Capt. Collins - 
 Lieut. Hogg - 
 Lieut. Cumberland 
 
 - Jugdulluk Pass 
 
 - Gundamuk 
 
 Jugdulluk Pass 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 Gundamuk 
 near Jellalabad 
 Jugdulluk Pass 
 near Jellalabad 
 Doubtful. 
 
 Jugdulluk pass 
 Gundamuk 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 
 12th Jan. 
 
 13th " 
 
 13th " 
 
 12th Jan. 
 
 13th " 
 
 12th Jan. 
 
 12th ", 
 
 12th " 
 
 13th " 
 
 14th " 
 
 12th " 
 
 14th " 
 
 . 12th Jan 
 
 . 13th » 
 
 . 13th " 
 
 . 13th " 
 
 . These officers had ^^YtttLr^'^-t^^-^^--' '" "•« 
 list. — Editor. 
 
422 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 Lieut Cadett - - - 
 
 Lieut. Swinton 
 
 Ensign Gray - - " 
 
 Paymaster Bourke 
 
 Qr. -Master Ualahan* - 
 
 Surgeon Harcourt 
 
 Assist. Surgeon Balfour 
 
 Assist. Surgeon Primrose 
 
 5th N. I. 
 
 Capt. Haig - - " 
 
 Lieut. Horsbrough 
 
 Lieut. Tombs - - - 
 
 Ensign Potenger 
 
 Lieut. Burkinyoung - 
 
 Dr. Metcalfe - 
 
 37/A N. I. 
 
 Capt. Rind 
 Lieut. Steer 
 Lieut. Vanrcnen 
 Lieut. Hawtrey 
 Lieut. Carlyon 
 
 5Ath N. I. 
 
 Capt. Anstruther 
 Capt. Corrie - 
 Capt. Palmer - 
 Lieut. Weaver - 
 Lieut. Cunningham 
 Lieut. Pottinger 
 Lieut. Morrison 
 
 H. M. I3th Lt. Inf. 
 
 Major Kershaw 
 Lieut. Hobhouse 
 
 Shah's Service. 
 
 Brigadier Anquetil 
 Capt. Hay, 35th N. I. - 
 Capt. Hopkins, 27th N. I. 
 Capt. Marshall, 61st N. I. 
 Lieut. Le Geyt, Bombay Cav. 
 Lieut. Green,' Artillery 
 Lieut. Bird, Madras Estab. 
 Lieut. Macartney 
 
 Soorkab 
 Gundamuk 
 Doubtful. 
 Jugdulluk - 
 JuiiduUuk pass 
 
 Ditto 
 Doubtful. 
 Gundamuk 
 
 Doubtful. 
 
 Gundamuk 
 
 Doubtful. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 Gundamuk 
 
 Gundamuk 
 Jugdulluk pass 
 near Soorkab 
 Gundamuk 
 Doubtful. 
 
 Doubtful. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 Gundamuk 
 
 Ditto 
 Neemla 
 Gundamuk 
 
 Doubtful. 
 Gundamuk 
 
 - Jugdulluk pass 
 
 - Gundamuk 
 
 - near Jellalabad 
 
 - Jugdulluk pass 
 Neemla 
 
 - Gundamuk 
 Futtehabad 
 
 - Gundamuk 
 
 12th Jan. 
 13th " 
 
 12th " 
 12th " 
 12th •• 
 
 13th " 
 
 13th Jan. 
 
 13th Jan. 
 
 13th Jan. 
 12th " 
 12th " 
 13th " 
 
 13th Jan. 
 13th '• 
 13th " 
 13th ' 
 
 13th Jan. 
 
 12th Jan. 
 13th " 
 13th " 
 12th Jan. 
 13th " 
 13th " 
 13th " 
 13th 
 
 >» 
 
 This officer had been previously wounded at Cabul. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 423 
 
 List of Officers saved of the Cabul Force. 
 In imprisonment in Afghanistan, 
 
 Tolitical. 
 
 Major Pottinger, C.B. 
 
 Capt. Lawrence. 
 
 Capt. Mackenzie, Madras Estab. 
 
 Staff. 
 Major- Gen. Elphinstone, C.B. 
 
 Brigadier Shelton. 
 Capt. Boyd, At. Cy. Gl. 
 Lieut. Eyre, Arty. D. C. O. 
 
 Horse Artillery. 
 Lieut. Waller 
 
 H. M. 44th. 
 Capt. Souter - 
 
 H.M. 13M. 
 Lieut. ]Mein - 
 
 S7th N. I. 
 ISIajor Griffiths 
 
 Dr. Magrath. 
 
 Shah's Service. 
 Capt. Troup - 
 
 Capt. Johnson. 
 Capt. Anderson. 
 
 Wounded at Charekar on - 6th Nov. 
 Ditto in action at Cabul on 23d 
 
 Ditto on retreat at Jugdulluk 12th Jan. 
 (Died atTezeen on April 
 23d.) 
 
 Wounded in action at Cabul 22d Nov. 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 
 4th " 
 
 Ditto on retreat at Gundamuk 13th Jan. 
 
 - Ditto in action under Gen. 
 
 Sale at Khoord- Cabul pass Oct. 
 
 Ditto on retreat in Khoord- 
 Cabul pass 
 
 Ditto on retreat in Khoord- 
 Cabul pass 
 
 8 th Jan. 
 
 8th 
 
 Paymaster. 
 Capt. Bygrave 
 
 . The toes of one foot nipped 
 off by frost on retreat. 
 Mr. Ryley, conductor of Ordnance. 
 
424 
 
 54th N. 1. 
 Lieut. Melville 
 
 Shah's Service. 
 Dr. Brydon 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Wounded on retreat near 
 
 Huft Kotul - - 10th Jan. 
 
 425 
 
 Escaped to Jellalabad. 
 
 H. 
 
 List of Prisoners released on the arrival 
 OF Generals Pollock and Nott at Cabul 
 IN September 1842. 
 
 Major-Gen. Shelton, Her Majesty's 44th foot. 
 Lieut. -Col. Palmer*, 27th Bengal native infantry. 
 Major Griffiths, 37th Bengal native infantry. 
 Capt. Troup, Shah's service. 
 
 — Anderson, ditto. 
 
 — Bygrave, paymaster. 
 
 — Boyd, commissariat. 
 
 — Johnson, ditto S. S. F., 26th native infantry. 
 
 — Burnett, 54th native infantry. 
 
 — Souter, Her Majesty's 44th foot. 
 
 — Waller, Bengal horse artillery. 
 
 — Alston*, 27th native infantry. 
 
 — Poett*, ditto. 
 
 — Walsh, 52d Madras native infantry. 
 
 — Drummond, 3d Bengal light cavalry. 
 Lieut. Eyre, Bengal artillery. 
 
 — Airey, Her Majesty's 3d buffs. 
 
 — Warburton, Bengal artillery, S. S.F. 
 
 — Webb, 38th Madras native infantry, S. S.F. 
 
 — Crawford, Bengal 3d native infantry, S. S.F. 
 
 — Mein, Her Majesty's 13th light infantry. 
 
 ♦ Those marked thus • were of the Ghuznee garrison. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Lieut. Harris*, 27th Bengal native infantry. 
 
 — Melville, 54th Bengal native infantry. 
 
 — Evans, Her Majesty's 44th foot. 
 Ensign Haughton, 31st Bengal native infantry. 
 
 — ° Williams, 37th Bengal native infantry. 
 
 Nicholson, ditto. 
 
 Conductor Ryley, ordnance commissariat. 
 Doctor Campbell. 
 Surgeon Magrath. 
 
 Assistant-Surgeon Berwick, left in charge. 
 Thomson. 
 
 Ladies. 
 
 Lady Macnaghten. 
 
 — Sale. 
 
 Mrs. Trevor, 8 children. 
 
 — Anderson, 3 ditto. 
 
 — Sturt and 1 child. 
 
 — Mainvvaring, ditto. 
 
 — Boyd, 3 children. 
 
 — Eyre, 1 child. 
 
 Waller, 2 children. 
 
 Conductor Ryley's wife, Mrs. Ryley, 3 children. 
 Private Bourne's (13th light infantry) wife, Mrs. Bourne. 
 Mrs. Wade, wife of Sergeant Wade. 
 
 Major Pottinger, Bombay artillery. 
 Captain Lawrence, 11th light cavalry. 
 Mackenzie, 48th Madras native infantry. 
 
 Mr. Fallon, clerk "j^ ^^^^^ ^^ie service. 
 — Blewitt, 
 
 , clerk "I 
 t, do. J 
 
 Sergeant Wedlock 
 
 — Weir. 
 
 — Fair. 
 Corporal Sumpter 
 
 Her Majesty's 44tii Foot. 
 
 1 Corporal Bevan. 
 Drummer Higgins. 
 — Lovell. 
 
 — Branagan. 
 
/»-' 
 
 ^26 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 
 Private 
 
 ; Burns. 
 
 Private Tongue. 
 
 ... 
 
 Cresliam, 
 
 — 
 
 Wilson. 
 
 .1. 
 
 Cronin. 
 
 — 
 
 Durant. 
 
 mmm 
 
 Driscoll. 
 
 — 
 
 Arch. 
 
 — 
 
 Deroney. 
 
 — 
 
 Stott. 
 
 — 
 
 Duffy. 
 
 
 Moore. 
 
 _i_ 
 
 Matthews. 
 
 
 Miller. 
 
 — 
 
 M'Dade. 
 
 — 
 
 Murphy. 
 
 >— 
 
 Marron. 
 
 
 ISIarshall. 
 
 -— 
 
 McCarthy. 
 
 — 
 
 Cox. 
 
 .. 
 
 M'Cabe.* 
 
 
 Robinson. 
 
 
 
 Nowlan. 
 
 — 
 
 Brady. 
 
 .— 
 
 Robson. 
 
 
 M'Glyn. 
 
 — 
 
 Seyburne. 
 
 Boys 
 
 Grier. 
 
 
 
 Shean. 
 
 
 Milwood. 
 
 
 Her Majesty's 13th Light Infantry. 
 
 Private Binding. 
 
 Private Maccullar 
 
 — 
 
 Murray. 
 
 — 
 
 M'Connell. 
 
 — 
 
 Magary. 
 
 — 
 
 Cuir. 
 
 — 
 
 Monks. 
 
 
 
 
 Bengal Hor 
 
 SE Arti 
 
 LLERY. 
 
 Sergeant M*Nee. 
 
 Gunner Dalton. 
 
 — 
 
 Cleland. 
 
 Sergeant Wade, baggage-ser- 
 
 Gunner A. Hearn. 
 
 geant to the Cabul mis- 
 
 
 Keane. 
 
 sion 
 
 . 
 
 MK. MURRAY 
 
 HAS JUST READY THE FOLLOWING WORKS. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 London : 
 
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 New- Ptrect-Square. 
 
 I. 
 THE CAMPAIGN of 1812 in RUSSIA. Translated from 
 the German of General Carl Von Clausewitz. With a Map. 8vo., 
 105. ed. (^ReaJy.) 
 
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 ANNUAL ARMY LIST FOR 1843 ; Compiled from 
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 Hart, 49th Regt. With an Index. One Volume, 8vo., 20*. 
 
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 MEMOIRS and CORRESPONDENCE of the late FRAN- 
 CIS HORNER, M. P. Edited by his Brother, Leonard 
 Horner. Esq. With a Portrait. 2 vols. 8vo. {Readij.) 
 
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 LIFE and MANNERS in INDIA, described during a Three 
 Years ' Residence in the Neighbourhood of Madras. By a Lady. 
 Post 8vo. 
 
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 LIFE of SIR DAVID WILKIE. His Journals, Letters, 
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 SECOND VISIT to the RUINED CITIES of CENTRAL 
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 DAYS and NIGHTS of SALMON FISHING. By Wil- 
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 liam SiMsoN, and Edward Cooke, &c. Royal 8vo. Uniform 
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WORKS JUST READY. 
 
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 B^leSciiety in Spain. New Edition. 2 vols. Post 8vo. i^ext 
 
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 Manag^g the Dairy and Piggery ; .^nd useful Hints on Rural 
 Economy By the Author of " British Husbandry. Fcap. Svo. 
 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 
 
 
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