The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-12
On tho ROAD 20 Khiva-Thc Approach
to Central Altman Interesting ana
Important Report.

Important Report.
We publish this morning welcome and i'm
portant letter dated Easter Sunday LAST from
o special HERALD correspondent, detailed to
report the movements of the Russian military
expedition against Khiva. 1t relates to the
desert regions of the Kirgheez Tartars, the
frontier of Turkestan, and Fort No. l, Kaza-
linsk. on the Sir-Daria, or Jaxartes River,
forty miles from the Aral Sea-" This letter
will be found exceedingly interesting from
the passing observations Of the writer upon
the country traversed and the various races
and colonies inhabiting it, and from the
incidents and accidents on the way, and
the difficulties experienced by our traveller
in securing the needful relays Of horses or
camels from point to point To most Of
our readers this journey from European
into Asiatic Russia, will recall our CORE
spondence of past years from the Euphrates
and the Tgris, from Babylon and Bagdad, and
from the Nile and tAe lofty table lands Of
Abyssinia to Unyaayembe and Lake Tangan-
yika in the heart of Equatorial Africa.
Our commissioner to Khiva, starting
from ST. Petersburg as his base of opera
tons. says there he ''met troop of CORE
spondents, hurrying like vu.tures to the battle
field, all of them bearing letters from the
highest and most distinguished personages to
others equally lofty and well considered and
all OF them DESTROYS of being conducted to
culnstance of war, and all Of them being
| politely but firmly refused" Finding that
permission to accompany the army was in
variably denied them, our correspondent as
| Stunning the responsibility and trusting to his
lucky star as an American, made his prepare
tons and set out on his long, difficult and
hazardous journey upon his own account.
Fifty hours by rail and he vas at Saratof, on
the Lower Volga; but from that point
| journey over wild mountains and wilder
deserts of fifteen hundred miles, to be
travelled by post or by such means OF trans
portation as he could command en- route, lay
between him and his destination.
How this journey was accomplished as far as
the immediate basin of the Sea of Aral, or Salt
Lake, our correspondent pleasantly tells us in
his cheerful report. His journey was interest
ing alike from its pleasures and its
dangers. On the railway to Saratof he
made the acquaintance Of Prince Genghis,
lineal descendant of that terrible
Tartar warrior, Genghis Khan. He in
spected the prosperous German colonies
planted on the volga by Catherine the Second.
Among the Ural Mountains he was caught in
one Of those whirlwinds of snow, Of the terrors
Of which our people in the Rocky Mountains
know something from their rough experience.
There will also be found something new in
our correspondents testimony in favor OF the
Cossacks hitherto supposed to be hardly above
the standard in barbarism Of our Comanche
Indians. But mark what our disinterested
witness says Of the Cossacks on reaching the
first Cossack station on his journey: -"What
q change it was from the Bashkirs and the
peasants, and how l luxuriated in the fresh
white bread and cream of the kind-hearted old
Cossack, who set before me the best he had
How clean and neat everything was !" And
again. .Russia can boast no better, Drawer,
kinder and nobler race than these same Cos
sacks" the bugbear of Western Europe.
wherever there was Cossack woman the
station was neat and orderly The men s'are
intelligent and great majority Of them can
read and write" ''They are the Americans Of
Russia-the pioneers Of civilization. We see
from this how even little actual observation
will serve to dispel the prejudices and errors
Of centuries of cultivation.
The next agreeable surprise Of our pilgrim
for Khiva was the inevitable Yankee, at Oren-
burg on the Ural, the dividing river be-
tween Europe and ASIA Mr.. Groves,
from Boston, a musician in the service
of Russia as Military Musical Director
Of the Orenburg District. At the same station
Mr.. Schuyler, late Secretary and Charge
dAffaires of the American Legation at St.
Petersburg, was found, intent upon journey
Of exploration through Central ASIA and
whom thenceforward our fortunate adventurer
secured as welcome, intelligent and agreeable
travelling companion. In all these and in
many other incidents, by the way, this letter
from the basin Of Lake Aral is very interest
ing. But touching the country between Oren-
burg and Lake Aral, or the Aral Sea, in refer
ence to the construction Of railway, the OBJ
servations of our correspondent give to this
enterprise the highest Importance in demon
strating, We may say, the feasibility Of the
route and the work and the advantages which
will result to Russia and to civilization from
the completion Of the road even to the Aral.
In this connection it appears that at Orenburg
this Russian campaign against the barbarous
Khan of Khiva is regarded much in the same
light as we in New York regard the news of a
fresh expedition against the Apaches in Ari-
IONA.