ABDURRAHMAN KHAN ON HIMSELF.
1NY autobiography is interesting, and especially the autobiography of any King, because one uncon- sciously expects him to see things from a separate standpoint ; but the present writer cannot say that he has found the autobiographical sketch of .A.bdurrahman Khan as published in Mr. Murray's new Monthly Review quite as delightful on closer acquaintance as it seemed at first sight. The Ameer tells us so little of what he thinks. He is really a man of strong character in a very remarkable position, an independent Mussulman Prince who is Lord of the Marches between Russia and the British Empire in India. He is quite conscious of that position, too, and frankly suspicious about it, saying plainly that Afghanistan is a "goat at which a lion from one side and a terrible bear from the other side are staring, ready to swallow at the first opportunity offered them" ; but beyond that suggestive remark he lets out even incidentally but few of his inner thoughts. He gives no hint of his true wishes or apprehensions, but proceeds immediately to write, as a European Sovereign would, in a rather conventional way about his love for his country, and his desire to see it entered on the path of progress, by which he clearly understands, like most other Kings, perfect obedience to himself. It is rebellion which is to him as the sin of witchcraft, and about it he grows once almost poetical. Afghans are probably the most unruly folk on the planet, and their ruler, who possesses, and exercises freely, the power of life and death, has to remind himself now and again that "the pains of a lover are the luxuries of his love." Sometimes even this thought is in- sufficient, and he fairly loses both his temper and his spirits :— " On many occasions I get quite discouraged on account of the misbehaviour of my people, who keep on rebelling, quarrelling, and intriguing against each other, and making false reports of each other to me. I have then to make in- quiries to find out the truth, and this wastes more than half of my valuable time; so that as I try to walk in the steps of progress they keep on pulling me back. I get very weary, and sometimes think that their position is unchangeable and their intrigues incurable, and that it is impossible to raise them to that standard which would make them equal to their neighbours in strength and character. I feel that it would be well for me to retire from this life of everlasting anxiety and struggle, and take a quiet, peaceful life somewhere else, leaving my people to fight amongst themselves until they are ruined. But this would be a cowardly action and a refusal to fulfil the duties ordained by the real Almighty Master and Sovereign, for which He has created me." That last sentence, it should be added, is probably honest, every Mussulman sincerely believing that the position he occupies is the one to which he is "called," in the old Prayer- book sense, though that does not prevent him from trying to improve it, as, for example, by trying to conquer Kafiristan. The disposition to reflect does not, however, last with the Ameer, or he deems it unsafe to indulge it, for he wanders away into a description of his work and surroundings exactly like a schoolboy's letter home to his father. He tells us how hard he works at his lessons, which consist chiefly of appeals sent up from his provinces, in letters not to be opened by anybody else—one wonders if they ever are, or if the certainty of impalement on detection acts as an effective registration—of the way in which he sleeps and eats, or does not eat, of the amusements of his Court, and of the people of whom that Court is composed. The study and the refectory, the playground and the games, are all brought before us in schoolboy style, accurately, we do not doubt, and therefore interestingly to those who are inter- ested, but in the baldest schoolboy fashion, made peculiar only by a very naive self-appreciation. The Ameer works, it appears, very hard, because he likes work ; he is never alone, not even at night in bed, for a reader keeps on reading to him when he is asleep—just imagine that reader and his thoughts with the Sovereign's life in his hands—and he amuses himself when he has time by looking on at chess and backgammon, played by professional players Musicians keep on playing and singing for the pleasure of those who are present, and some- times I also steal a minute or two to listen to them. I love music, and_the best pianos, guitars, violins, bagpipes, and other musical instruments are always to be found in my palaces. I know music myself well, and can play the violin and ru:Ab. [A musical ]nstrument, something like a banjo.] It must therefore be a luxury and pleasure for my officials to be in my presence to enjoy all the various pleasures that I provide for them, and those who serve me sincerely and honestly are treated as my personal friends, sometimes being playfully teased by me, and sometimes teasing and joking with me; there is always laughing and joking going on, but with those who are insincere and hypocritical I am very severe and harsh." One wonders if all Kings are equally innocent of perceiving that such occupations are not neces- sarily " luxury and pleasure" to their courtiers, or of recog- nising that the torment of Courts is never-ending ennui.
There is nothing specially Oriental in all this, or indeed specially characteristic at all, except two things. One is the existence of Mamelukes at the Court, that is, slaves, sons of prisoners taken in war, or of poverty-stricken officers who are bred up carefully in the Palace, and being utterly dependent, are often more trusted than great nobles:— " For instance, Faramurz Khan, a Chitrali slave, is my most trusted Commander-in-Chief at Herat. Nazir Mahomed Safes Khan, another Chitrali slave, is the most trusted official of my Court; he keeps my seal in his hands to put to any docu- ment, and to my food and diet,—in short, he has the full con- fidenCe of my. life as well as of my kingdom in his hands. Parwanah Khan, the late Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Jan Mahomed Khan, the late Lord of the Treasury, two of the highest officials in the kingdom, in their lifetime were both of them my slaves." Another is the Araeer's idea of religious liberty. He says, with pride, that he is perfectly tolerant, for that, although a Sunni himself, he employs Shiahs, and even Ifindoos, in his service; but then, he adds with an inimitable simplicity and directness, there is a leader of the prayers (Imam) appointed for the courtiers, who gives the prayers five times a day ; and the Muhtasib (directors) are appointed throughout the whole country, who first advise the people to attend the mosque five times a day for their prayers and to keep fasts in the month of Ramadan, and then, if people will not listen to their advice, they administer a certain number of lashes, because a nation which is not religious becomes demoralised, and falls into ruin and decay, and misbehaviour makes people unhappy in this worId'and the nett."
We have often wondered in reading the history of Oriental States whether there is much difference between a working Oriental Sovereign and a Western King, and suspect that it is not as great as is imagined. The Asiatic potentate hears more flattery, and of a more fulsome character, and his power of judgment is more warped by the peculiar Asiatic wilful- ness, which sometimes appears to be wholly uncontrolled by reason, like the motions of a little child, and by the poisonous effect of absolutism, from which even a man like Akbar could not escape; -but allowance being made for those differences, we fancy there is much similarity. The Oriental despot who works, as a good many of them do, practises the business of governing like any other profession, and issues orders, as, for instance, a great squire would, according to his judgment or his temperament. If he is cruel, for example, he issues cruel sentences, unless indeed he is a monster, as part of his busi- ness, and in order to do that business easily and quickly, and net from any delight in cruelty. The rebellious must be ruined, ,and the inconvenient, and, of course, a servant who questions orders, had better go,—in- Europe out of the house, in Afghanistan out of this life altogether. He has, therefore, no_siing of conscience at all, but looks upon himself as Ahdur- rahman obviously does, not as a bloodthirsty tyrant, but as a hardworking official, very much plagued by resistances, and re- fractorinesses, and intrigues, and human stupidities generally, but determined to put them down. Abdurrahmau Khan is really one of the most terrible of rulers, . so terrible that his own Governor of Herat, a brave soldier, was on one occasion unable to open a letter from him on account of the trembling of his hands; yet he writes of himself, with obvious intention to be frank, as if he were rather a genial person, who was never harsh er..-cept towards an insincere appearance of friend- ship tor himself. The power of self-deception in the human mind is endless, and we can quite believe that the terrible rulerof the Afghans, whom even they regard with abject dread, looks upon himself as a reasonably good fellow, and wonders why any subject should harbour evil thoughts of him. Does he not live laborious days to make Afghanistan strong, and keep her from the hag of the bear and the spring of the lion? Has he not "always loved beautiful scenery, flowers, green- grass, music, 'pietures, and every kind of natural beauties" ? Verily he prefers good to evil and as to that end he must have obedience and good service, what wonder that the disaffected or the negligent should for their offences pass to the next world. "I am tolerant," says the Ameer, and therefore if any one will not repeat the five prayers he is lashed till he does. For, you see, "a nation which is not religions becomes demoralised, and misbehaviour makes people unhappy in this world [swish] and the next." Those, we do not doubt, were Dr. Busby's principles as well as those of Abdurraliman Khan, the difference being mainly that the Latter strikes with the axe instead of the birch, and has for subjects men and not unruly boys. We were wrong in saying that the autobiography was not as delightful as it ought to be. It is delightful, especially to cynics, to see how a successful tyrant can misread himself, and how pleasant to him would be a little approbation.
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