The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-15 00:00:00

the Czars ; and it has besides a strong material
interest in the. friendship of so powerful a State.
The Kaissaks are rich in cattle, and believed that
the protection, or at all events the amity, of the
Russsians isi of great advantage to them. Thanks
to their alliance with these populations, the Russians
under General Endokimoff were able to traverse
large extent of country, and even to obtain posses-
sion of some important places without striking 3
blow. On the side of Lake Aral, for instance, they
got possession of Akmedjid, a place of great strategic
importance at the mouth of the Sir-Daria, without
any trouble at all. This fortress they claimed as
having been sold to them by the ex-Khan of Khokan,
who is at present an exile in Bokhara. On the side of
Turkestan, a march of 21 days brought the Russians
without meeting any opposition, to a point within
three or four days march from their objective pollit,;
the fortress of Tachkend. But here, what hau
resembled a triumphant progress, thanks to the
friendly tribe of the Russianised Kaissaks, was d,es:
tined to terminate in disaster and retreat. The
tilted town of Tchimkett, otherwise known
Toumkat, is the key to Tachkend, as this is to tne
Khanats of Bokhara and Khokan, and Gen. Endc-
kimoff appears to have expected that he should be
allowed to march into the place with as much fani(
. ii
Ity as he had marched through the country ar°llll,,
; but he was labouring under a delusion, for 11-•
found the Regent of Khokan, the .Emir Mera
Khanli, posted in the neighbourhood with a fore
which was so strong as to render any attempt te
capture the place impracticable. The town was in
an efficient state of defence, and the Russian ge,ne-
ral, finding that an assault was out of the question,
determined to attack the army of the Regent.
desperate battle ensued, which ended in the Ens,
sians being defeated and driven away. Gen. En,,clo,i.
kimoff was compelled to fall back to a place call'
Hodja Ahmed, and his retreat was so precipitate a$
to resemble a flight. The Russians appear to hal
lost 4,000 men, and the Khokanese only a fourth et
that number. Considering the numerical force,
the Russian army, which is described as consistng
of 50,000 men, exclusive of cavalry and artillery,
this is ave serious reverse. It was no mere skir-
mish unde disadvantageous circumstances. On gie
contrary, the Russians seem to have had everything
in their favour. They had the advantage of thefriendship of the populations through whose count"
they had marched, and they had a numerous,
appointed army. The Khokanese force, which ic,as
able to defeat that army and compel it to rets,.°
with a celerity approaching to a precipitate
must not only have been very large but very ably
commanded. Indeed, as we have said, it aPPeI
that the Regent of Khokan, the Emir Mera
Khanli, has at his disposal no less than 150,000 a:
cellent troops, while the Khan of Bokhara, virlic.s°o
country is equally threatened by the aggreissl:o
Before
army of Russia, is also at the head of b
army of observation on the frontier. ,-"bo
Tachkend can be occupied, Tchimkett runs!' in
i
taken ; and, as we have seen, this fortress 153
an excellent state of defence. The sprit
of the inhabitants is now thoroughly 0111,8,e•cii
and there are 150,000 good troops 1"1,,,r
must be reckoned with by the Russians before tn'i
can attempt to take the town. From the fact
the Khan of Bokhara having not only set hisr
in _
motion, but having also sent a sum of moneY,,,,t
the use of the Khokanese, it is to be inferred l';11` 0
to
of
there is a thorough understanding not only as
designs of Russia, but as to the necessary tnean!iiit
defence. The Kaissaks, who appear to have thonen4
it their interest to ally themselves with the R 115513,;
will now cease to have faith in them. Rude pereil
lations of this sort are vividly impressed by
.6ff.
events as the defeat sustained by Gen. Endoklnivii
Such a defeat, involving the loss of 4,000 men, wer
not in itself be of much consequence to a In;
which counts its soldiers by the hundred thous
but if the populations of Central Asia are, as theyco
well may be, suddenly roused to combined resistan,ts
or converted from respectful friends or depentich
into contemptuous enemies, all the work wmo
Russia has been so laboriously prosecuting fer
hap
past will have to be begun over again, or pellqd
even abandoned altogether. Even if sueeessl
attended the scheme with the execution of w.„'l"
,1,,,0
General Endokimoff was entrusted, it would
been but a barren conquest. If Tchimkett
Tachkend had fallen without a blow, the se
ado
tion of those places, though it might have n'oio
Russia more dangerous to her neighbours, Iv
oru
certainly not have made her stronger or richell,,so
more respected among the nations. A Power wuoot
hand is against so many races of men must ,„°ies,
upon having to deal with a multitude of enerac,
That Russia will profit by the lesson which o°,oll
feat and the circumstances attending it are 0° 001
adapted to teach is not very probable. The .1% of
which history is ever pressing upon the attentio
the powerful and aggressive is proverbially l'ara
heeded. To consolidate the 'power of the Ci at
over such races and such regions as she ailli,sbet
brirging within her dominion seems altoge' net
Utopian. The best part of a century has .6.
sufficed to reconcile the Poles to the political sJo,
tem into which they have been coerced. The. qieg
graphical position of Circassia presented facilijo
for dealing with its inhabitants which do ist.ete"is.
in the case of other populations which Russia. Is the
tent upon subjugating. If she would give, c've-rtv the
work of aggression, and direct her energies
reconciliation of the races who strain at the peke
she has imposed upon them, it would be better
well for herself as for the world.