National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-07-18
Russian Policy In Asia.
How Central Asia IL being GRADUALLY
eaten Up ny the Nussinns--Why Rus
sia 40 Eas,iy COnaWers this Territory.

Eaten Up ny the Nussinns--Why Nus-
sia 40 Ess,iy Conauers this Territory.
. Thos. Knox in n magazine article on
the encroachment of tho Russians into
Central Asia. says: Ii is the fato of the
Asiatics TO be in perpetual quarrels, and
that greatly favored the Russian schemes.
Now the Emir of Bokhara was ut war
with Khokan, next there would be
trouble between Khiva and Bokhara,
M 1 again Khokan and Khiva would be
. g. each others ears. Unruly sons made
unpleasant family jars, and subordinate
heads of tribes were constantly in re-
volt. Not year passed without expe-
ditions of some sort, and frequently
there might be dozen of them in rs
many months. The ruler lAight.go out
to chastise Il refractory neighbour leay-
ing his son or brother ms regent during
his absence. Every thing would he
serene at his departure, but on his re-
turn, especially if he came back defeat
ed, he would very likely find the gates
of his city closed against him, and the
regent converted into an actual ruler.
Sometimes commander would go over
to the enemy, and sometimes the enemy
would go over to him. Assassination
was not uncommon, and occasionally an
ambitious son, tired of waiting for his
father to die, would administer poison
to the old gentleman, or insert knife
into his jugular vein. Every occupant
of or heir to a throne was anxious to
achieve the fame of Gengis-Khan or Ii
mour, and become "World Con-
queror," and was rarely fastidlOus
about the means of achieving il. And
so it went on year after year, and the
willy Muscovite watched his opportuni-
ties, and never neglected to embrace
them too.
In 1896 there died at Bokhara Ccity)
Emir Su and Immediately after his
death his son Husein assembled the
throne, and became Khan. His younger
brother Nasrullah was ambitious OF
honor, and SO he caused Husein to be
poisoned, after reign of less than
three months. Another brother, Omar,
came into the field as a claimant, natu-
rally thinking that he had rs good a
right to steal q throne as any body else.
Nasrullah captured Samarcand, and
then marched upon Bokhara, which he
besieged and took. Omar fed to Kho-
kan, where he died of cholera soon
after. Nasrullah was determined to
have peace, and so he executed in cold
blood three of his younger brothers and
great number of the adherents of his
former rivals. This was sufficient TO
secure the quiet which he so much de-
sired, and he announced that he was de-
termined to follow i'll the footsteps of
his father-whom, by-the-way, he was
suspected of having poisoned-and make
the happiness of his subjects and the
strict supervision of religious observ-
anees the great object of his life. He
was pious old scoundrel, and while in
dulging in the greatest atrocities he
always prated about his love Of Islam
ism and his reverence for the Prophet
of God. He made his ministers faith
full to him by helping them to amass
fortunes but as soon as they had gained
a sufficient amount of this worlds goods
he ordered them to be beheaded, and
appropriated the property to himself
He was model family man, as he had
a facetious practice of numbering his
wives whenever he tired of them, and
consequently was not regarded rs a
"good catch" in the matrimonial line
He kept secret police 30 numerous
and so watchful that nobody dared say
any thing against him to his most init
mate friend, and it is said that Mt one
time man dared not even think any
thing except good of the emir. He had
all the vices that were ever possessed
by any ruler since the days of Adam in
any country on the face of the globe
and the story of his indulgences would
| 10, 10 &c
modern publication. Those who Of
Tended him were burned in ovens, fayed
alive, flung from towers, or otherwise
disposed of. One of his favorite enter
tainments was to bind victim hand
and foot, and then throw him into a
cell or box which contained many thou
sands of sheep-ticks. The sufferings Of
the poor wretch would be horrible be-
yond description. --
1t was while Nasrullah occupied the
throne that Russia, having absorbed the
wide region between Bokhara and the
valleys of the Obi and Yenisei. made
her appearance on the borders of his
territory. While occupied in the most
disgraceful profiigacy and tyranny,
Nasrullah had been constantly at war
now with Khiva, now with Khokan, and
now with various tribes and divisions OF
his own subjects. Though no man in
his reach dared breathe a word against
him, his power had been greatly weak
ened, and his subjects were discomfort
ed with his rule. He had sent several
expeditions against Khokan, and though
some of them were successful, the ma
jority were defeated or given up through
treachery.
While one of the expedi; 'ons was re-
turning defeated from Khokan, and
another from Khiva, Nasrullah heard
that the Russian outposts were on the
right bank of the Jaxartes, river form
ing the northern boundary of Bokhara,
and flowing into the Aral Sea. Russia
had several times attempted to negotiate
with him, and had sent ambassadors
with valuable presents, but in every
case he treated the ambassadors with
disrespect, and sometimes threw them
into prison. Two English ambassadors,
Colonel Stoddart and Captain Connolly,
went to Bokhara, and were murdered
by the emir, the fo1 mer after four years
Imprisonment, durin, which he was fire.
quently tortured, and the latter, more
fortunate, after an imprisonment of
about year. Stoddart was at one time
promised his freedom if he would ac-
cept Islamism, and to save his life he
consented. But the treacherous emir
continued to torture him, and on the
18th of June, 1S42, according to the ac-
count given by NJ. Arminius Vambery,
the two victims were ordered out for
execution in the open square of Bokhara.
First the head of Stoddart was struck
} off. Then the executioner paused be-
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