New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-19

l1m al OF tncD, Noud LaFc oct uttie chsnce -
success. The various columns, once march ns q, 20
Herst, would have scarcely any chance Of comas.
nicaton with each other, and could, BY 81 sosi's
general q. Herat, be fallen upon and defeated oss
after the other. Still, in such q csse, columns
coming from Candahar, Csboul and BA'kh. would
certainly have better chance than an attack eos-
centrssng from the starting points Of Astrsbsd,
Khiva snd Bokhars; for the attack from the side 4
Afghsnistan would descend from the mountains
into the plain, and completely avoid the desset.
while the attack from the side Of the Caspian and
Araxes would have only one column Chat from
Astrabsd) avoiding the desert, while all the remain
der would have to pass il, and thereby sltogetag
lose their communications one with the others.
The three cen.ers Of civilization which have their
common center in Herat form three distinct groups
OF States. On the west is Persis which the Treaty
Of Turkmsntcha has converted into q vsssal u
Russia. On the East are the States Of afghan
istan and Belooehstan the most important Of which.
Csbou, and Candahar, We may class for the pres-
ent with the yassal States Of the Angio-Iadsa
Empire On the north are the Khsnats Of Tacaa.
Khiya and Bokbars, States nominslly neutrsl, but
almost sure, in the case Of conaict, TO 90 with
the csnquering party. The actual dependence cf
Persia on Russia, and of Afghanstau on tho En-
glisb is proved by the fact that the Russians have
already sent troops into Persia, and the English
into Csboul.
The Russians hold the whole Of the western aal
northern shores of the Gasp an. Baku, go miles,
and Astrakhan, $50 miles from Astrabad, offer tive
capital points fr the establishment Of magazines
and the concentration of reserves. With tho Rus
sian feet on the Caspian in command of that lake,
the necessary stores and reenforcements can, with
great facility, be brought down to Astrabad. Tho
points on the eastern shore of the Caspian whence
start the roads to Lake Ars, are occupied by Rus
sian forts Further north and east, the lice Of
Russian forts marking the line Of the Ural Cossscks
had been advanced, a. far back as lS47, from tho
river Ural to the rivers Emba and Ulu TurgM,
some $50 or 200 miles into the territory of tho trb-
utary Kirghiz hordes, and in the direction Of ths
Lake Aral Since then forts have actually been
established on the shores Of that lake, which, a.
we'll as the river Jsxartes, is at this moment plowe&
BY Russian steamers. There have been runners
even of an occupation of Khiys by Russian troops.
but they are at least premature.
The line of operations the Russians have to fol-
low, in any serious attack on Central or Southern
Asia, is pointed out BY nature. land march from
the Caucasus around the southwestern corner Of
the Caspian would find great natural obstacles
in the hills of Northern Persia, and would take tho
invading army over 100 miles of ground before
the chief object, Herat was reached. lana
march from Orenburg toward Herat would havo -
pass not only the desert in which Perowskls army.
on its expedition TO Khiva, was lost but two more
deserts quite as inhosptabIe. The distance from
Orenburg to Herat is $500 miles as the crow hies.
and Orenburg is the nearest place which the Rus
slams, advancing from that direction, could take ~
base of operations. Now, both Russian Armenia
and Orenburg are places all but cut OF from the
center of Russian pOwer-tho first BY tho eau
causus, the second by the steppes. To concentrate
in either of them the material and men necessary
for the conquest of Central ASIA is entirely ont d
the question. There is but one line remsining-
that by the Caspian, with Astrakhan and Baku fox
bases, with Astrabad, on the southeastern border
of the Caspian, for the point Of observation. and
with march to Herat Of but 500 miles. As4
this line combines all the advantages that Russia
can wish for. Astrakhsn is to the VolgA what
New. Orleans is TO the Mississippi Situsted at the
mouth of the greatest river Of Russia, the upper
basin of which actually forms Great Russia, the
center of the Empire, Astrakhsn possesses every
facility for the transmission Of men and stores 70
organize a grand expedition. In four days By
steam in eight Gays by sailing vessels, tho opposite
extremity of the Caspian at Astrabad can be
reached. The Caspian itself is undisPutedly
Persian Shah at the disposal Of Russia, Is situated
at the starting point Of that only road from the
west to Herst which, by passing through the Kho-
rassan bills, totally avoids the desert.
The Russian Government acts accordingly.
The main column, destined in the case Of further
complications to act against erat, is concentrating
at Astrabad. Then there are two flank columns.
the cooperation Of which with the main body Is at
best but probematicsl, and each Of which has,
therefore, definite object Of its own. The Light
column concentrating at Tabreez is destined to cover
the western frontier Of Persia against any hostile
movements of the Turks and eventually TO march
toward Hamadan and Shuster, where it covers the
capital, Tehersn, both against Turkey and the
English troops larding in tho Persian Gulf at
Busbire. The left column, starting from Orsu-
burg and very likely intended to receive reinforce
ments sent from Astrakhsn 10 the western shore II
the Caspian, will have to the Aral country, -
march On khiva, Bokhara and Samarcand, 70 70
cure either the passvty or the assistance Of these
States, and if possible, by march up the OIus to
Balkh. menace the flank and rear of the English at