A telegram from Simla of October 17th, which may be
taken to be official, announces that Ishak Khan's troops, beaten in a battle at Tashkurgan by the Ameer's General, -have surrendered. Ishak Khan himself is believed to have fled to Bokhara, where he has family connections, and where, like Abdurrahman himself, he will be protected by the Russians, partly as a guest and partly as a possible tool. The Ameer will now appoint new agents throughout Ishak Khan's command, and execute the leaders in the recent insurrection with his accustomed mercilessness. He will also renew his, requests to the British Government to guarantee the succession of his son, his own seat being too secure to be again shaken. The request is a most inconvenient one to the Government of India, which wants only order and friendliness in Afghanistan, and may find itself in the position of being compelled to defend the wrong candidate. It is, however, impossible to reject a request so strongly urged without negotiation; and we may imagine that the project of sending a special Mission to Cabul will be revived. If it comes back without having to defend itself, we may be sure that Abdurrah- man's authority, at least in the capital, is beyond attack.
