, 1874-10-25
THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST KHtVA.

|
| THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST KHtVA-
| CAMPAIGNING ON THE oxUs, AND THE FALL
ths New York Heraui. With Map and Numerous
Illustrations svo., pp- &3a New York: Harper
| Bto;Aers-
Khiv. is Khanats or Principality Of Turkes-
tan, in Central Asia. It lies between tho Sea ol
Aral and thu Russian territory on tho north, the
Kahnates OF Ehakan and Bokhara On the ezst,
| Persia on tho south, and the Caspian Sea on tue
wost and covers an area Of about l95, 600 square
mllea. large portion OF tho territory is bar
| rem waste OF eand; but khiva, the capital
city. is situatcd in great oasis that e1-
tends 200 milsd along the Amu-Darla OF
| Oxus River, and stretches back distance
that is var1ousy estimated at from q 600 to 009
miles. Tho population. consisting Of Uzbecs,
! q Turkish race. and Turcomans is estimated at
| 500, 600. Exclusive Of these races arc tho Eir-
ghiz, no,nadic peopls iu.aaoitins the Desert OF
| kyzilkum, and nominaiy subject 70 Khiva. The
| Uzbegs. who are the dominant, although not the
| most numerous, race in Khiva subsis: BY agri-
culture, which. by e1llful till2ge and by irriga-
! tlon, they have brought to high state OF per-
t fection. They cultivate the fruits common to
the Tropics, the cereals, rice, potatoes, cotton,
fax and madder, aad manufacture WOODEN, cot
| ton. and silk goods for use and export. They
carry on large trade, By means OF CARAVANS,
NTH Orenburz, Russia; Astr1kan, C2bul, and
DokhAra-
-Hcstlties between the Cossacks and Khivans,
! provoked by mutual deeds Of plunder aud mur-
der, have been carried On for sew
eral centuries but history has taken
little mole Of this desultory warfare be-
tween nearly savage t1ibes. In the year ITO.
however, Shah -Niaz. the Khan of khiva, being
troubled to maintain his authority over bis re-
bellious subjects: aent an Envoy to st. Petezs-
burg to SOLICIT the assistance Of Peter the Great,
and to offer that monarch the submission OF tbs
Ehanate. Czar Peter, conscious OF the ad-
vantage which this overture gave, accepted the
submission OF Khivs, but Was too busy With
manifold European projects to attempt to estab-
hsh his power ut that timo in Central Asia In
TIT, iured by the prospect Of finding gold in
the sands Of the oxus, ho dispatched an e1pedi-
tion to Khiva, TO make good the claim he based
on the submission OF SEah-Niaz. Tho Russian
force Of ,010 troops, under Gen. Beckovitch,
t1ayersed the 800 miles OF w2terless des-
ert lying between the Russian frontier and
Ehiva, 10 tha hottest season Of the year, endu1-
ing indescababls suNeringa. aad losing one
fourth Of their number from the heat and the
n2rdshipB encountered. But another Khan had
succeeded to tho throne Of Shah-Niaz, and tho
new potentate had no idea OF yielding the sub
mission which his predecessor had promised.
By fair worda be beguiled the Russian troops
into his dorninions. and then came down upon
them with his hordes aud cut them TO pieces.
Only forty men, after having been long tins
imprisoned escaped back to Russia to zslats tho
fatal disaster that befel the expedition
For 120 years After this event, tho warfare be-
tween the Cossacks and KhiTans continued,-tho
CossackB proving generally ths chief suHerer4-
Caravans on their way to trsde in Central Asia
wero liable to constant 8tt&ok, md thousands
Of Cossacks Ar,d Russian subjects were captured
bY the Khivana and sold into slavery. Exasperat-
ed beyond endurance By these repeated outTsges,
tho Emperor Nicholas organized N expedition
against khiva, which Was placed under the COM
mand of Gen. Perovski. Altar years prepara-
ton an army Of 5000 men, with 10000 eamels,
sot out from Orenburg. Dec. !, 1889. As the
su1nner-heat had proved 10 destructive to the
former expedition. it wss determined thas this !
should brave tho pesiEs OF passage OF ths des- |
ert in midvinter. The seasou turned out to b |
exceptionally seyare, and, py tho time the troops
had accomplished half the distance to khiva, |
the camels uers dying It the ratio Of 100 per day,
and the effective force OF men Was reduced to
about 1000. In this condition Of things, tho
Russian General doomed It wiss to turn about, !
and get his army back 10 Russia - quickly ~
possible.
In 1865 Russia succeeded in establishing !
= urovlnca in Tarkeatan, bordering On
KhivE; and now, with something Like .
secure base upon which to sand out meo
and supplies, the Government resolved TO pnn- |
ish the Khan Of khiva for bis lawless aggres- |
siops, and bring him to decsnt terms. Toward |
the last OF December. 1872, Car Alexander dis |
patched four expeditions, By IA many different
routes. agninst tbs small, but placky and def
ant, PriucipAEity Of Khiva. One started from |
the Caucasus, under Gen. Narkoso6; another |
from Oreuburg, under Gen Verevkin; third !
from Kimberly Bay, under Col. LomAkln and = I
fourth from Taahkert, in tho Russian Province
in Turkestan, under Gen. Kaufman. The ex-
podition under Gen. Narkoaon succumbed |
to the tremendous difficulties encompassins !
the routs chosen, and WAS compelled to |
rotreAt Tho other th1oe dosachments, after
encountering incredible diAtrsases and losses
from heat thirst, hunger, fatigue. and privations
OF every sort, rods up undaE ths walls at Khiva.
from three different directions, within day 8nd |
= half OF each other.
The author OF the Volume before us, narrat1oH |
the fal! OF Khiva eft b. Petersburg early in 1875
under engagement with the New York Herdld to
Join the detachment commanded By Gan. KAuf-
man, It Kazola, and report its after proceedings.
Tue 1900 miles between 6amArs, on the Volga,
and Kazola, was accomplished by him and his
hr. Edward Bchuyler. Chatgs DAT
faizes OF the United States At St. Petersburg. in
\ long, Low vohicls drawn BY horses, and called
tara,ldxs~ In this conveyance the tavelsEs
moved on, day and night for a weary term Of
weeks, ,-pAusing only 70 change horses At tbs Sta
lions, and avalon cups Of hot tea to than Ont
their frozen blood Ths deso}ate s.eppss over
which thoY veza passing usra daepiy covered
Nth snow, and the ioy Winds from tho
north eaxeered e7sr than in Ao uninterrupted
.xeop Of thousands OF uoiles: Day Altar day.
hight after night. week after reet, Ends u Oh
'hs road. gliding silently foruard; eh2agins
ao1aes st stations 10 much like tbs. ~ ssena 70
- Arriving 1t the sans pIaes ovaF and oreF
gain; shs sa.ns endless plain, ths Msoa svez-
'scodns hor,2on, until tia stspps becomes to cur
tmAgstnAtonA hnd Of aeAstzouz
- FnnA !