The New York herald., 1879-07-14
Tn. Future or Central Asia.

The Future OF Central Asles
1t is more than a century and half since
the project of leading the Oxus River away
from the Aral Sea, along its ancient channel
to the Caspian, first engaged the attention
of Peter the Great. But, although the en-
terprise has slumbered, it has not been
abandoned or forgotten, and at this very
hour large party of Russian engineers are
at work detecting the stream into the ''great
gully" which yambery and Major Wood
describe as crossing the entire desert, from
the neighborhood of Khiva to Krasno-
vodsk Bay, on the Caspian. Central Asia,
despite all that Russian civilization has
done for it, is a land of desolation.
Every man encountered must be met
with arms. Travelling, west of the Oxus, is
only possible with strong detachment
of troops. The Turkoman, child OF the
desert pure and simple, is, without using
hard names, the cutthroat and robber Of
the world. He is an especial enemy to
that Western civilization which is gradu-
ally encroaching upon him from the Cas-
plan and the northward. His the
primal right to Central Asia; he dis
putes the territory foot by foot. Who
is the Turkoman? He of the south is of
the Caucasian race; he of the north, the
Kipchaks, are Mongols; the Tadjiks are
hybrids. Heartlessly. mercilessly it may
be said by those who do not understand
the desperate character of the resistance
encountered, Russia has pushed her way
across the Kizil-Kum sands, around the
Aral Sea, up the Sir Darya to Tashkend
and Khokand eastward to Kuldja,
southwark to the Oxus-almost within
sight of the Hindoo Koosh. Over
this great territory, known to the world by
the familiar name of Turkestan, Russia has
set Governor General whose rule is neces-
sarily arbitrary because of his distance
from the centre of power. Familiar with
the dangers, he is best acquainted with how
they are to be met. In extent the ill-defned
province of 1urkestan is fully as large as
France and Germany together. This Rus
sia has created and managed so we'll as to
serve as guarantee of what may be ex-
pected in the future. She had to reduce
to subjection the region lying between the
Caspian and the Oxus before her supremacy
in Central Asia became complete. How
does she now propose 10 do this? BY feat
of civil engineering, to which armed force
will be cooperative, but secondary. 1t is
civil conquest. The details OF the entire
project, from it's inception to the present
moment of realization, will be found in
an article on another page. Here it is
only necessary, in conclusion. to hint
at few of the physical and commercial re-
suits that may be expected to flow from the
successful completion of the work. The
Lake OF Aral is 15S feet above the mean sea
level, and it will readily drain into the Cas-
plan, which is 81 feet lower than the Black
Sea. The ultimate result of this will be to
make the Aral and its great river, the Sir
Darya, feeders to the new stream, for it
will be essentially another river below
Bend to the Caspian. If boats can as
cend to Khiva they can likewise enter
the Aral and penetrate by the Sir Darya
almost to the confines of China This is
nearly as important to Russia as the ability
to navigate the waters Of the Upper Oxus.
In time, also, the ship canal from the Cas-
plan to the Black Sea will become posi-
bility. The whole scheme is bold stroke,
and promises to be productive Of most re-
markable results. If entirely successful it
will stand as the greatest exploit of the
century.