The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-18
PERSIA.
The Russian Landing i'm Balkan Bay-MmscO.
vlte March TO the Caspian and Influence 81
the Gar ON the Oxuy.
From the Calcutta Englishman.

From the Calcutta Englishmanl
however Wiling we may be TO accepC the assn.
ST. Petersburg that no intention desire existed
the part OF Russia TO extend her Influence beyond
the Oxus-at least for the present-it would be the
height OF political FOLLY 10 close eyes TO the fact
that she IS making powerful and persistent efforts TO
strengthen her position within the limits she has for
the moment, set To her ambition Some time In No
venber lat expedition, supported by four guns,
and varlously estimated at from 1890 TO 5000
men, was despatched from Petrofski port on the
Caspian, ninety hundred miles To the north OF
Derbend to Balkan bay the southeastern shore OF
that sea- The little force landed without any oppO-
sition from the Turkoman tribes the neghbor-
hood, and Immediately set about the constrc Ion Of
q fort as II in an eneny's country. As matter OF
act kizisuar or kIzisoo AS the place IL var1ously
called, appears TO be situated In debatable land.
The Persian government, while admitting that ne
the Attreks Is rather nominal than real, neverthe.
less insists that the entire tract OF land lying be.
subject TO its sovereignty, ana That conse-
qnently the Russian fort Is al encroacbment
,ho thI n ,,rsr 70 n,one
stoutly denied that the establishment AT kzisuar Ia
anything more than commercial sottement-some-
thing IN Short alter the manner OF the factories esq
tablished IN olen times by the East India Company
On the coasts aud rivers Of Hindostan. In order,
however, to protect the peaceful traders against the
ATTACKS OF TurkOInan marauders 1t has been
found necessary to throw up some banks
Of earth and mount gun at each
angle Such a purely defensive measure cannot
surely give oUence To friendly government
Petersburg than the Idea that 1t did not fully and
reverenty respect the frontiers an ally. me sole
object OF this expedition Is SIMPLY to develop the
trade with Central Asia, and afford security TO cara
vans travelling TO ana from the Caspian and the
Oxus. TINS new route, indeed, has become indis.
pensabe since the revolt OF the Kirghiz tribes has
cut OH the Old line or communication across the
steppes from Orenberg to KhOKan, and from Ming.
ishlak 10 kGiya, The only means OF opening up
this new country was by securing n sa g basis Cd
the shores OF the Caspian and by encouraging
traders to venture across In firm reliance on
the protection they would receive from the russian
Factory. Beyond this the Persian government asst,
would have had no right TO complain even mad the
Russian expedition been despatched for the avOwed
purpose OF reducing to subsection the barbarous
tribes that dwell between the Balkans ana The Attrek.
Those tribes neither pay nor acknowledge allegiance
TO Persia whose boundary line IN thst direction II
the river Just named and therefore II Is not to the
Court OF Teheran that the Russian government Ii
bound to ofer any explanations except u matter
OF courtesy 10 friendly Power, that has quite
necessarily taken umbrage at step which IN no
way c0pcerned 1t. fta
The Persian claim to the territory In question Ia
PROBABLY unfoundel. 1t Is prObicmatlca II in her
pam,cSt days she ever exercised any direct control
over the rurKomans ana II is well known that three
centuries ago Shah Abbass the Great constrained
10 quart khorasan against their predatory raids ~
peopllng the mountain passes with Kurds, thus en-
ployng one vol 10 protect his flock from another.
At the present day there can be little doubt that the
country between the Caspian anu The OXus II vir-
tually independent, IS nomnally an appa1age CT the
Khanate OF Khiva The real frontier OF Per-
STA to the north Is the lofty range that
extends from the Elburz mountains to the
Hindu Kush and were there any wisdom In
and concentrate her force within her natural limits
than waste her strength In vafnglorlous expeditions
into Selstan, or provoke her TOO powerful neighbOr
by idle and pcuaHt protests. Even her Caspian
provinces OF Talish, Gillian and Mazanderan have
become source OF weakness through the incapacity
aud avarice OF the Governors who have been placed
Them, and many OF the inhabitaots are leaving
their homes to place themselves under The tutelary
shield of Russia The true purport OF the RUSSIAN
expedition Is OBVIOUS enough Under the pretext
OF opening "a new route from the Caspian TO the
Oxus, "a line o fortified ts--caravanserais
they viii probably be caed-wil be established
across the desert. with The result OF curbing the
TurkOman population aud bringing 1t under subjec-
ton. The scarcity OF water aud the terrific heat IN
summer on those ard plains will IN all
other In MS place. The Russians already
possess naval station In the Bay OF Asterabad, IN
the southeast corner OF the Caspian nj the mouth Of
the Curkan. BY ascending the Attrek ana sklrting
tho foot Of the nils TO the north OF Booln0ord and
kOOchan, they would traverse a well watered, fer
lille and tolerably populous country, and without
any particular fatigue or danger find themselves at
the ancient city OF Nerve, or barely four marchea
from the OXus. Now 1t may be asked IN what
practicable route to the banks OF the classic
river which Is henceforth TO bound her In
1uence In Central Asiay IL can hardly be denied
that. however selfish may be her motives, she Is
really comforting benefit upon mankind In general
by introducing the wants and usages OF civilized life
among these Wild turbulent tribes, little superior 10
the beasts that perish, except In the power OF inlct.
Ing pain ana misery. The task Is not an easy one.
and generations viii probably come and depart
before Central Asia Will be I'm any consdera-
bic degree Russianized. Before that comes tn
pass however, the Caspian Provinces OF this
Persian Kingdom are certainly IN some danger or
being 0n1tered 10 The Russian empire, from
which they were recovered by Nidlr Shah In the mid
die OF the last century. The Caspian would thus
sn Rssa a. ws a. wonS a aa
direct unbroken line from the Black Sea to the
Hindu kush. from Anapa to Nerve, aud Nerve ID
only ten easy stages, or barely I'VE days march from