’The Afghan official, Mirza Mahomed Hassan Khan, generally known as the “Dabir-ul-Mulk,” who had travelled with Colonel Stolietoff from the Oxus to Kabul, accompanied him on his return journey to Tashkent.  Here the Mirza was detained under pretence that orders would shortly be received from the Emperor, until the news of my father’s flight from Kabul reached General Kauffmann.  He was then permitted to leave.  Two Aides-de-Camp were sent with him, one a European, the other a Native of Bokhara.

’My father was strongly urged by General Kauffmann not to leave Kabul.  At the same time the members of the Embassy were ordered to return to Tashkent, the Doctor being permitted to remain with my father if his services were required.

‘Throughout, the Russian Embassy was treated with great honour,’ and at all stations between Mazar-i-Shariff and Kabul, orders were given for the troops to turn out, and for a salute to be fired on their arrival and departure.’

4.  I cannot, of course, vouch for the exact words used by Yakub Khan, but I am confident that the foregoing paragraph, which is written from notes taken at the time, contains a substantially accurate record of the conversation.

5.  It would be superfluous for me to advance any proof of the fact that for one reason or another Sher Ali did during the latter part of his reign fall away from us and incline towards an alliance with Russia.  But I think the closeness of the connection between Russia and Kabul, and the extent of the Amir’s hostility towards ourselves, has not hitherto been fully recognized.  Yakub Khan’s statements throw some light upon this question, and they are confirmed by various circumstances which have lately come to my knowledge.  The prevalence of Russian coin and wares in Kabul, and the extensive military preparations made by Sher Ali of late years, appear to me to afford an instructive comment upon Yakub Khan’s assertions.  Our recent rupture with Sher Ali has, in fact, been the means of unmasking and checking a very serious conspiracy against the peace and security of our Indian Empire.

6.  The magnitude of Sher Ali’s military preparations is, in my opinion, a fact of peculiar significance.  I have already touched upon this point in a former letter, but I shall perhaps be excused for noticing it again.  Before the outbreak of hostilities last year the Amir had raised and equipped with arms of precision 68 regiments of Infantry and 16 of Cavalry.  The Afghan Artillery amounted to nearly 300 guns.  Numbers of skilled artizans were constantly employed in the manufacture of rifled cannon and breach-loading small arms.  More than a million pounds of powder, and I believe several million rounds of home-made Snider ammunition, were in the Bala Hissar at the time of the late explosion.  Swords, helmets, uniforms, and other articles of military equipment