The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-27
THE OUTLOOK FROM THE CONQUEST.
White Men Sold into Khivan Slavery at
500 Rubles q Head.
The ROMANTIC STORY OF BURN ASHEFF
Unwilling Debtors and Dunning Creditors
Hanged in Khiva.
THE PRICE OF INCONSISTENCY
- FORT No. !, NEAR THE
MOUTH OF THE SIR-DARIA OR JAxARTEs RIVER,
DrS TRIP ~ M

MOUTH OF THE SIR-DARIA OR JAxARTEs RIVER,
RUSSIAN TURKEsTAN, April II, 1879 }
The fortress where am now writing was the en-
tering wedge of Russia into Central ASIA 1t was
first constructed by General Peroirsky in 1s47 forty
miles lower down, at the very mouth Of the JAZZ
artes and called Fort Araskoe. Fort No. $50 miles
further up, soon followed and finally, when q
steamer or two had been launched on the river, an
attack was made on the Khokandian fortress of
Ak-Metchet, which was taken in 1853, and Fort
No. 8 was erected on its ruins which rendered the
Russian position unassaable from the South and
erectualy protected the steppe. In the course Of
time the position Of Fort Aralskoe was found I'M
suitable on account OF the surrounding marshes,
and it was moved up the river TO its present
position. Here is now q large, regularly con-
structeo fortress, built OF mud bricks, overlad
with earth, situated the very bank of the river,
but leaving sufficient space for the navy yard.
The fortress is surrounded by deep and wide moats
and well armed with heavy brass rined guns OF
Russian make. The number OF guns leave the
enemy to find out, but believe the usual garrison
Is about one thousand men. which is quite enough
against any possible force that ever attack 1t.
On the land side of the fort there has grown up
THE FLoURIsHING TOWN OF KAZALA,
or Kazalinsk. as 1t is often called, which numbers
in all about five thousand inhabitants. These are
in small part Russian, but chiefly Sarts, as all the
natives OF Russian Turkestan are called, with the
exception OF the Kirgheezes. am told that Sarts
are merely people who are settled down and civil
lied, as distinguished from the nomads, and that
this name has nothing to do with the division into
Turkish or Aryan race. Certainly at Kazaa
one sees both. Here are men with pure,
handsome Aryan features, fair skins, light
har and eyes and we-developed bodies; and
here are also men of unmIstakable Turkish and
Monaghan descent. But they all speak one Ian
Sguage-a dialect Of Tartar. The first sight OF
'Kazala showed me that was in Central Asia, In
spite OF the fact that 1t is laid out the Russian
plan, with broad streets But the low mud houses
with fiat roofs often with no windows on the
street; the attempts at gardens In front OF the
houses-as not leaf is visible In spite OF the
extreme heat, it is hard to say how much OF gar
dens they are--the large bazaar with its rows OF
little shops or stalls, where ong-bearded men, clad
IN gay. particoored robes, gravely sit among their
wares, taking tea or reading some huge book; the
strings OF laden camels, the kibitkas and water
skins, are what have read OF In all the books OF
travels in Bokhara and Khlva.
In my walks about the town
THE ARAL PLoTILLA
was one OF the first things that arrested my atten-
,fion, and through the kindness OF the Commandment
j was able TO visit all OF the vessels which have
been collected here during the Winter and are now
about to start OF for their Summer work. There
are three good-sized side-wileel steamers--the
-6amarcand, Peronsky and Tashkent, two stern
,wheelers-the Aral and Sir Daria, steam launch,
the obrutchef and many barges, Of which three
are schooner rugged. There are besides two new
barges OF which is just launched and the other
still on the stocks Two or three Of these vessels
were built In sweden but the rest were all
CONSTRUCTED IN LIVERPOOL OR LONDON,
They are all OF iron, and were brought here In
pieces and put together here. When think OF the
steppe that have lust crossed see the dinlculty