The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-07-31
RUSsEA.S ACQUISITIONS.
Review of the Startling Rapidity I
muscOFite Prog ess.

I
MUscOvite Prog ess.
The extent of the Russian acquisi
tions of territory in Central Asia is a
] little understood as the curious chap
! ter, half of deliberate policy and hal
! of accident, which contains the history
| of the acquisitions. The general state
ment that in q quarter of a century
/ Russia has advanced her frontier zoe
mile to the south and 900 miles to the
| south east, gives but a vague impress
ion of the startling rapidity of Mus
covite progress. Russia is an empire
of magnificent distances" and the
mention OF its advancing frontier sug-
gests the acquisition of barren steppes
or frozen deserts. But it must be re-
membered that the parallel of latitude
under which we live would but pass
through the center of the Russian ter
ritory in Western Turkestan. The
three great Khanites-Bokhara, KhO-
kand, and Khiva-which Russia has
virtually absorbed during the present
generation, have been the seats of
highly civilized empires, and have
formed the subject of the contest be-
tween dynasties whose names are among
the foremost of Asiatic potentates.
Genghiz Khan, the modern Attill, once
ruled a vast dominion from S Samarcand,
which has now become a Russian mu
nicipality, and a successor Of Timour,
the Turcoman, founded the Empire of
the Great MOgul in India.
Territories both wealthy and pros
porous had, however, sunk into that
peculiarly hopeless style of barbarism
characteristic of the effete of Mussul-
man rule, long before Russia crossed
KT-rr1,sz oEa hnpoT1 fn
tinue her Siberian forts southwark to-
wards the Jaxartes. At every stage of
her advance she has replaced the most
debased forms of tyranny with sys-
tenn of administration which, if tainted
with the vices of military arrogance and
civilian rapacity, is at least guaranty
of social security, and an immense
stride toward civilization. The ambi-
ton of her generals, operating at I'M
mense distances from the central au-
thOrity, and nenessaTily invested with
very ample discretion in dealing with
semi barbarous foes, has had rather
more to do with Russia advances in
Asia than any steadfast line of policy
traced at st. Petersburg. Nothing is
more striking than the ridiculous small
ness of the armies with which Russia
has subiugated Turkestan. Tashkend
was taken with less than two thousand
of an assaulting force, though the town
containe so, 600 inhabitants and gar
rison of 10, 900 to Is, 900 men, and so on
with other celebrated actions of the
last twenty years. The late expedition
against Khiva was planned with more
deIiberation and carried out with a
greater display of strength than any
previous advance against the other
Khanates. The causes which led to
that expedition are, however, fair
sample of the reasons that have COM
PEELED the conquest of the surrounding
States. AS the civilized nation ad-
vanced it's protectOrate, the tribes which
it cowed became less fitted than before
to resist the attacks of their independ-
ent neighbors, aud in sheer self-defense
the Russian outposts had to be pushed
further and further into territories
which were used chiefly for the conceal
ment of organized bands of armed rob
bers. Or, the envoys, the merchants,
the soldiers of the advancing power
were taken prisoners by some of the
tribes beyond the line of conquest, and
expeditions for their rescue and the
punishment of their captors, led, by a
natural enough series Of event, to per
manent occupation.