The Barakzai tribe, under the leadership of Fateh Khan, deposed Shah Shujah, who fled from Peshawar to seek protection at Lahore, where the Sikh ruler Runjit Singh extracted from him the famous koh-i-nur diamond, which .eventually became the property of the English sovereign. In 1826 Dost Muhammad became Amir of Afghanistan, founding the present dy nasty of Afghan rulers. Dost Muhammad ob tained supreme power, and establishing himself as Amir, entered into negotiations with Russia. This led to the invasion of Afghanistan by a large British force in 1838 and the establish ment of Shah Shujah as king. Dost Muham mad was sent to India a prisoner of the British government. In November 1841 Sir Alexander Burns and his suite were assassinated and a few days later Sir William MacNaghten shared the same fate. In January 1842 the British army retreated to India and was completely anni hilated, with the exception of Dr. Bryden, who was brought in half dead to Jalalabad on 13 Jan. 1842, the sale survivor of an army of 5,000 men and 12,000 camp followers. In April two British forces were sent to avenge the massacre, a column under General Pol lock by way of the Khybar Pass and another column under General Nott by way of the Bolan Pass. The British evacuated Afghanis tan in October 1842 leaving Shah Shujah ruler of the country. Shah Shujah was assassinated, and the British having released Dost Muham mad from he was restored to the throne. During the mutiny of the native army in In dia in 1857 Amir Dost Muhammad proved a valuable ally to the British. The British gov ernment engaged in war with Persia in behalf of the ruler of Afghanistan and eventually re stored the province of Herat to Afghan rule.
• Dost Muhammad died June 1863 and was succeeded by his son Shir Ali. Consequent on the nomination of Shir Ali, who was not the eldest son of the deceased Amir, a rebellion broke out and for a time Afzal Khan and Azim Khan, the elder sons of the Dost, reigned conjointly as Amirs. Eventually Shir Ali be came firmly established on the Afghan throne and in March 1869 visited Lord Mayo, viceroy of India, at Umballa.
Amir Shir All Khan being suspected of in trigues with Russia a British force command ed by Gen. Donald Stewart invaded Af ghanistan in 1878. On the death of Shir Ali February 1879 he was succeeded by his eldest son, Yakub Khan. A treaty with Amir Yakub Khan and the British government was signed at Gandamak by Colonel Cavagnari represent ing the English government and the Amir in May 1879. By this treaty an extension of the British frontier was secured and the residence of a British envoy in the city of Kabul was sanctioned. In accordance with this treaty Sir Louis Cavagnari proceeded to Kabul accom panied by his secretary, Mr. Jenkins, Dr. Am brose Kelly and Lieutenant Hamilton. On 4
September the troops of the Amir demanded payment and attacked the British embassy, killing Cavagnari and his three companions.
As a result of this outrage a third Afghan war began on 6 Sept. 1879 and an expedition under the command of General Roberts marched to Kabul arriving 28 September. The murderers of the British embassy were executed and Amir Yakub Khan was deported to India. Afghanistan for a few months was under British military rule, but in July 1880 Abdur Rahman Khan, the eldest son of Afzal Khan, who was the eldest son of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan, was recognized as Amir at a durbar in which the British government was represented by Sir Lepel Griffin. On 27 July 1880 occurred the '
Bellew, H. W.,