afghanistanhim the real purpose of his journey. He also lured Burnes into discussing
the war with the Sikhs, suggested Britain join forces with him to destroy
Ranjit Singh, and offered Burnes command of the army. Burnes then had a
clandestine meeting with Hajji Khan Kakar, who gave him letters of recom-
mendation for his onward journey. After three weeks in Kabul, Burnes
came to the dramatic conclusion that:
the restoration of either Shooja ool Moolk, or Kamran, is an event
of the most improbable nature. The dynasty of the Sudozyes has
passed away, unless it be propped up by foreign aid; and it would
be impossible to reclaim the lost provinces of the empire, without
a continuation of the same assistance. 16He then gave a favourable account of Dost Muhammad Khan and his
government, and advocated that Britain pursue relations with him rather
than seek to restore the Saddozais. This was not what the Indian govern-
ment wanted to hear, given the state of war that existed between the Sikhs,
Britain’s ally, and the Muhammadzai ruler.
When it came to the Uzbek rulers north of the Hindu Kush, Burnes
was far less sympathetic. He knew about the deaths of Moorcroft and
his party, who were rumoured to have been poisoned by Ishan Urak, the
Bukharan governor of Aqcha (though in fact they had died of natural
causes), and had listened to Wolff ’s account of his terrifying experiences.
Burnes’s contempt for these petty rulers was barely concealed. After his
meeting with the insomniac, slave-trading Mir Muhammad ‘Ali of Saighan,
Burnes wrote that he would like to ‘administer a sleeping draught’ to him,
and declared he was ‘nowise famed for justice’. His description of Murad
Beg of Qataghan was a caricature of the oriental despot: ‘his eyes are small
to deformity; his forehead broad and frowning; and the whole aspect of
his countenance is most repulsive’. 17 However, Burnes, who had an eye for
the ladies, praised the beauty of the ‘Torkee girls’. 18
As Burnes and his party crossed into Bukharan territory, he noted
that the Amu Darya was said to be navigable from its confluence with the
Kokcha, a report that led to speculation in London about the possibility
of this river, rather than the Indus, becoming a conduit for British goods.
When he reached Bukhara, Burnes was obliged to reside in the citadel
but was denied an audience with Nasr Allah Khan Manghit. Instead, all
communication with the Khan was through his kush begi, the chief minis-
ter of state. Overall Burnes gave a favourable account of a city ruled solely
by shari‘a law, noting that security was so good that shopkeepers were