That concurrence of circumstance with policy which we call good-luck
begins to attend this Government. Ayoub Khan, the Afghan Pretender, has at length been totally defeated, has lost Herat, and has fled for refuge into Persia. A. telegram from Quetta of October 13th announces the facts, adding that the immediate cause of flight was -the defeat of .-Sirdar Abdes Salem, Ayoub's father-in-law, followed by the submission of, Luinab, the Governor of Herat, who risked a battle outside the city, and on his defeat made terms. Abdurrahman is, therefore, master of the whole Dourani Empire ; and Afghanistan, in con- sequence of British retirement, is "united, strong, and friendly," —the professed object of the Tory policy of invasion and bloodshed. Another telegram, speedily we hope to be confirmed, announces that Lord Ripon has withdrawn all British troops, leaving a brigade only at Quetta, which is not Afghan, but belongs to the Khan of Khelat, the ruling chief in Beloochistan. That is a useful position, because it enables us to support the Khan, whose authority over the turbulent Belooch tribes is beneficial ; but it is the only position which ought to be held, beyond the frontier, and that should be abandoned, if the Khan ever deems himself strong enough to stand alone. Our business is in India, not in Central Asia.
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