The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-10 00:00:00

THE RUSSIANS IN KHIVA.

Extract from a Letter from an Officer on the Russian
Ex aedition to Khiva ( Ausland).
130 Worsts beyond the Emba, Feb. 7, 1840.
You are already informed that our expedition is on its
way, and, by the time this reaches you, you will have
learned its termination. Some particulars respecting it
may, however, be of interest. I sin writing over a char-
coal fire (outside the thermometer marks 30 deg. below
freezing), and my position is not the most comfortable.
With 10,400 camels and 40,000 horses, harnessed to
12,000 waggons of the Bashkirs, we started on the 17th
of November, 1839, from Orenburg, the three leading co-
lumns having left on the 14th, 15th, and 16th, and on the
sth of December we all met at Bishtarnar. On the march
we often had 28 deg., 29deg., and once 13 deg. to 34 deg. of
cold. The mean temperature during this period ni;glit be
reckoned at 20deg.
Between Bishtamar and the Emba, near the mouth of
the Aty lakschi river, the snow increased in depth ; but
on the Lek and up the Emba as far as the Ressaga,
we found wood, underwood, and here arid there tolerable
grazing for the cattle. On the 19th of December we
reached our first resting place on the Emba, after having
suffered great fatigue in passing the last snow-covered
tract of country. We had been surprised to find that the
camels grew lazy, and were unwilling to rise in the morn-
ing when the drurhs beat to arms. We perceived, too. that
the hope of being able to feed those animals with oileakes
in the event of our having no other forage, was totally un-
founded ; still all went smoothly enough, because, although
but a few of the great number which were accustomed to
them eat the cakes, we were at no loss for forage. :At this
spot our orders were to replace what had been consumed.
Packing up bales, chests, baskets, mats, and all kinds of
receptacles, thousands of cords to prepare, and of wrap-
pers to fit, then the furnishing up an hospital, this dragtail
of all military expeditions, took up three weeks' time. At
last we were set in motion once more. The frost was still
terrible ; it would take an hour to copy the table of ther-
mometrical measurements, and that would be too long for
us both at the present moment. Up to this day the highest
Mark was 10 deg., but usually the instrument showed 16
deg , 18 deg., 20 deg., 26 deg., and even 29 deg., and
30 deg. below the freezing point, The snow storms were
tearful, as you have yourself enperienced. At the Emba
we found the snow a foot deep, and heard that beyond the
river it lay still deeper.
Our camels at last made their appearance once more
(they had been driven to graze about twenty wersts dis-
tance) in the first week of January. They came in to us
in columns, as they got ready, but looked more like skele-
tons in camels' hides than Camels, and instead of 10,400,
there were no more than 8,900 alive. The Kirghisis put
on long faces, and prophesied that this winter would de-
stroy the greater part of the cattle in the Steppes, conse-
quently that our camels, for which burdens calculated for
the strongest beasts were allotted, had but little chance
of escaping. The burden for each was reckoned at 16
pud (6401b5), which is the load of the strong caravan
camels. Instead, therefore, of provisions for four
mouths, we were trot able to load half the quantity
which we had brought with us and prepared here.
The poor General was in a pitiable state of mind.
It was on the 21 of February before the last column
reached Akbulak. And in what condition did it ar-
rive ? Whole files of Cossacks rode in lines like wild
geese, in order to tread out a kind of path. The camels
tottered after them, and uttered piercing cries when they
drew their heavy matted feet out of the frozen snow.
Those which fell could nut be got tip again, and more than
1,200 were lost upon this march ; the remainder were in
a deplorable condition. We could ourselves but look for-
ward to a similar fate, and here, just half way between
Orenburg)) and Khiva, we scarcely ventured to express
either our fears or our chances of comfort. The possi-
bility of retreating occurred to nobody. Every one
thought we must advance, at whatever price. I contri-
buted myself, I must confess, to deceive the General,
and make things appear better than they were, by inventing
all kinds of resources, in which I had no faith. But what
was to be done? As far as Akbulak we were
obliged to go ; of what use then would it be to drag
a millstone of care about one's neck through the snowy
the mustering of the camels.
their will be the time, I
da,thecos.eu,rgthm?t,usOttontca
start or not ? So
it turned out. Not 5,000 camels were on their legs when
we reached the station, and consequently we could only
load provisions for thirty days, place,and
Supposing the beasts able
to stand the fatigue, we had seventy to eighty days' march
before us ; there was, consequently,
little prospect that we
ekearrived
the there,qnetion__whether
should reach our destination. After a long and hard
struggle with himself, at length the General determined to
give up and return.
We are now the third day on our march homewards from
Akbulak, and shall with the greatest difficulty reach the
Emba, as we can but carry provisions for fourteen days
with us, and arc obliged to leave everthing else behind us
as we go along. We have already left 1,500 chetwerts
of provisions on the road, and shall not pick up a great
deal that falls on the route ; in our column alone forty
to sixty camels drop down daily, and, altogether, the
daily loss is 150 to 200 beasts, Of what use are pre-
cautionary preparations in such cases ? Never did an
army take the field more fully provided with every ne-
cessary ; to this I can most conscientiously attest. The
Cossacks of the Ural mountains make superhuman efforts,
but the infantry is in a pitiable state, for it had previously
never endured want and hardships, or made a march of
this description. As far as the Emba, the men rode alter-
nately one-third and sometimes one-half at once upon the
camels ; from thence they had to march on foot.
A great number do not know how to make a free
even when they have wood, whereas the Cossacks dig
up the roots of the salt plants from under frozen snow two
feet thick, as they get no firewood; and whenever he halts,
the Cossack gets up his little fire. They have all the work
in this intolerable cold—the infantry is like a sick child,
that lets itself be nursed. Of the 1,500 cavalry, in-
cluding the artillery reserve and the division of the first
Orenburg
Cossack regiment, there are but sixty
sick ; whereas, of the 2,750 rnen, infantry, more than
600 are on the sick list. The garrison of Akbulak is suf-
fering from scurvy ; that on the Emba from typhus fever.
We had fewer men frozen to death than between Orenbur g
and Sakmarsk, where three are said to have died of cold,
whereas upon our retreat we had but one frozen. Several
instances have, however, occurred among the soldiers from
intemperance and suffocation, probably occasioned by the
blood being forced into the body from the extremities by
the intense cold.
None but the iron-natured Cossacks of
the Ural ride merrily, and sing as they go along. What
do you think, for instance, of such work as loading camels
standing, because the beasts will not get up again if' they
once lie down ? Flour sacks and biscuit bags have to be
lifted up to the height of the camel, and they often weigh
from three to three and a half cwt. All this is the work
of the Cossacks of the Ural.
If we had started a month sooner we should have got
through before the deep snow fell. But who could tell
that ? The enemy we fortunately never saw, so that our
retreat cannot be ascribed to their bravery, but I must not
omit a kind of miniature skirmish with theirs. The Khan
had sent out a couple of thousand Uebecks and Turcomer,
well dressed, mounted, and armed, who had orders to take
our two fortresses of Akbulak and the Emba, and to rare
them. The corps arrived there in December, and found
a garrison of 160 men and two pieces of cannon, with 150
sick. Two immense hay-stacks stood within a couple
of dozen of fathoms from the fort, whose trenches were
filled with snow up to the level of the walls. The
siege lasted twenty-four hours, during which our
men had only an opportunity of firing nine can-
non-shots, as the besiegers kept at far too modest
a distance. Kawalufski and Gerngross got wind, for-
tunately, of the affair, and that the Kivans were on the
watch to take them. They left, therefore, everything be-
hind them in the caravan, and quitting it by night, made
the best of their way to Akbulak where they directed the
artillery during the siege, end they are now with us On
their way back. The horsemen who attacked the fort
rude singly from time to time up to the wall, crying out,
abusing us, and lamenting ; then demanding the surrender
of the tort. They were every time driven back by four
Cossacks, for there was no more cavalry in the place. The
Khivans, therefore, raised the siege, as they saw that they
were only knocking their heads against a wall. That they
suffered some loss I was convinced by the sight of four
bodies, which were afterwards dug up by accident. They
took the direction of the escort which, as I before said, left
the Emba to proceed to Akbulak, and which bad no sus-
picion of an attack. The escort consisted of 120 men,
infantry, and 100 Cossacks, of whom but forty were
mounted, the others having given their horses to draw
the sick waggons. Fifteen wersts distant from the
fortress they were attacked by the enemy, on a
sudden, just as they had let their horses and
camels loose to graze, and were preparing to take
some rest. This small detachment could naturally
have easily been cut down to a man by the very superior
fAce of the Khivans; but the latter, eager for the booty,

fell upon the camels, horses, and baggago, and gave the
Cossacks time to get into order, and jGin the other sol-
diers, after whic,, heg,n ft t F,.r this t 1 h`
were not prepared, and when three or four of their num-
ber fell from their horses, the rest turned to the right
about. The party had, however, to stand akind of siege,
which lasted neatly 24 hours, and which was carried on
by the Kilivans with their usual energy. They must have
suffered severe loss, as their graves afterwards showed;
for in one of them, 19 dead bodies were found. Our loss
wa.: fire killed and eleven wounded. Having displayed
sufficient heroism, the Khivans went off, and let the de-
tachment quietly proceed to the fortress, which was 15
worsts distant, without once attempting to molest: them.
This was the end of the affair. The head of a Khivan I
carried with me, and have added it to the collection of
skulls, consisting of a Bashkir, Kirghise, and Meshleken
skull, which I intend presenting to the Academy.