Friction between the amir Amanullah and a large part of his subjects is one of the outstanding features of the year, and the other is the straining of Afghan-British relations which takes place towards its close.

In interfering with the local hakims, who though notoriously corrupt have maintained some semblance of law and order in their respective districts, the amir tries to introduce more civilized methods for which the population is not yet ripe, and consequently lawlessness and unrest increase considerably, culminating in the revolt of the formidable Alizai tribe.

The amir thanks the king for the services rendered by British officials in the progress of the work, and expresses a hope for the continuance of good relations between the two nations, at the same time appealing to Britain for fair dealing with the Muslim world.

The amir's passion for justice is shown by his passing a sentence of imprisonment on the stepfather of his own mother, Shah Ghazi Mohammad Sarwar Khan, for misappropriation of public funds.

The amir having given to France exclusive rights of archaeological research in Afghanistan, excavations near Kabul are commenced by Alfred Foucher, a professor at the Sorbonne, and a leading authority on Buddhism.

For one reason or other, however, the invitation is not extended, and in December Foucher, instead of commencing excavations near Jalalabad, as was his original intention, leaves, under instructions from Paris, for Balkh, 350 miles north of Kabul in the neighbourhood of the Hindu Kush, which has been regarded as the special archaeological province of Sir Aurel Stein.