The telegrams from St. Petersburg still contain ominous references to
the state of affairs in Afghanistan, which greatly irritates the neighbouring Russian officials, and especially General Komaroff, Governor of Eastern Turkestan. It is, however, at the same time, becoming still more clear that the cause of quarrel is what we described it to be a fortnight ago. The Ameer, who is still in Afghan Turkestan, is slaughtering all who favoured Ishak Khan with a relentless vigour not diminished by a recent attempt to assassinate him. The cruelty, which he thinks justice, greatly increases the readiness of his subjects to think him a heaven-sent ruler ; but it so irritates his victims' kinsfolk beyond the frontier, that there would, but for the Russian regulars, be danger of a collision. Society in St. Petersburg calls upon us to check Abd.urrahman Khan, and we do not doubt that Lord Lansdowne is trying to do it; but not to mention that the Ameer is most jealous of his internal authority, it is difficult, far removed as he is from his capital, even to communicate British wishes. They are sincere not only on the ground of humanity, but because the Ameer is running serious risk of a stroke from an Usbeg knife, which would cause a terrible commotion.
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