AFGHANISTAN—THE WAR. (Hansard, 21 May 1880)

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON

With the permission of the House, I will answer the two latter Questions of my hon. Friend first. He asks me what number of troops, British and Native, are now engaged in the war? It would be evidently undesirable that I should give any detailed account of the distribution of the Forces now employed in 223 Afghanistan; but I do not think there can be any harm in stating, generally, that the force, including the reserves, now employed in warlike operations in Afghanistan, including also the garrison at Peshawur, which usually amounts to 5,000 men, numbers altogether nearly 60,000 British and Native troops. As to the expense down to the present time, I am afraid if I were to give the House any information of any value I should have to enter into longer details than is usual in answer to a Question. However, it may be convenient that the House should know at the earliest possible moment what is, according to our present information, the approximate cost of the war down to the present time. The cost of the whole military operations in 1878-9, according to the actual accounts, was £676,380; in 1879-80, according to the regular Estimate prepared in February last, the cost was —in India, £3,033,400; in England, £174,480, making a total of £3,207,880. In 1880-81, according to information we have received in a telegram dated 20th April, it is estimated the cost this year will be as follows: — In India, for February and March, for sums not brought into the account until the present year, £750,000 per month, that would be £1,500,000; for April and May, £500,000 per month. That brings it up to the present time as a total of £2,500,000, and adding £20,000 spent in England, the whole cost up to the present time for the present year would be £2,520,000. The total cost, therefore, from 1878 down to the present time amounts to £6,404,260. The telegram of April 20 does not, however, state whether the expenditure before February will fall into the New Year's accounts. In a private letter the arrears have been estimated at £2,250,000, which would involve an addition of £750,000, making a total cost for the whole war of £7,154,260, of which that of the present campaign would be £4,477,880. This is exclusive of the outlay on the frontier railways, determined upon after the outbreak of September, 1879, which is estimated for 1879-80 at £1,324,426, and for 1880-81 at £2,040,000—total, £3,364,426. As to the measures Her Majesty's Government intend to adopt to bring the war in Afghanistan to a termination, that is a question to which it would be impossible fur mo to give a 224 complete answer within the limits usually allowed to answers in this House. I can only state that Lord Ripon has gone out with full instructions and full knowledge of the intentions and wishes of Her Majesty's Government. It is the intention and anxious desire of Her Majesty's Government to bring the warlike operations in Afghanistan and the occupation of any part of Afghanistan to a close at the earliest possible moment. Negotiations are and have for some time been in progress with the object of inducing the Sirdars and people of Afghanistan to elect for themselves a Ruler at Cabul, whose authority may have some prospect of permanence and continuance. It is hoped that if such a Ruler can be found, the evacuation of Afghanistan and the termination of military operations may commence very speedily; and it is, I need not assure the House, the most anxious desire of the Government and of the Governor General that these proceedings should be brought to a close with as little delay as possible.