Yakoob Khan has agreed to meet Major Cavagnari at Gunda-
muck, and carry on negotiations with him there, and arrived in the camp on Wednesday, the 7th inst. This visit suggests an early peace, more especially as General Roberts has explained, in a speech to the chiefs in the Kurum, that the British Govern- ment will not retain any city in Afghanistan, not even Canda- har or Jellalabad. Nevertheless, there are difficulties in the way, the principal one, probably, being Yakoob Khan's view of his own position. If he is to cede the Passes, and thereby lose the assistance of the Hill tribes, who will never forgive him, he will want British assistance to restore him to his ascendancy in his kingdom ; and the question is, what form this assistance is to take ? If he wants money, or moral support, the British Government is so eager to be out of its scrape, and meet the electors with some appearance of victory, that it will accede ; but if he wants troops, or a formal guarantee against in- surrection, even Lord Beaconsfield may hesitate. The negotia- tions may still, therefore, be broken off, though we think they will succeed, as Yakoob Khan would hardly have ridden into the British camp unless he intended they should. He thinks he can plunge us into a campaign on his side.
