The New York herald., 1879-07-14

part of the way by vambery and by nearly all cara
vans can traversed on horseback in ten to eleven
days. 1t follows quite closely for portion OF the
way the ancient Oxus bed. The stages are
follows:-1.-Balkan Bay. on the Caspian around
the base of the Great Balkan hill to the southwark
to salt lake. which is the terminus Of the ancient
river bed. Through the deep valley between the
Great and Little Balkan hills toward the north
east, finally leaving the dry channel Tor OGDEN,
vambery calls it at Djenak). 3.--Yeti Siri. 4-Koy
mat Alta. 5.-Kahriman Alta. 6-Dehli Alta.
7.--Kaftankir. s.-Shor Crol "a lake in the
ancient bed of the Oxus, twelve miles in
circumference). 9.-Medimn Ito the eastward
leaving the great gully and striking straight for
the main stream of the great river). 10.--Akyap.
1l.-Khiva There is great scarcity Of water along
the entire route. that making the jour-
ney often suffer dreadfuly for want Of water. The
ancient channel Of the Oxus across the Turkoman
desert to the Caspian Sea is indicated the SUBJ
joined map bx heavy black line.
ITS ANCIENT COURSE
Sir Henry Rawlinson asserts that from B. C. 600 to
A. D. 500 the Oxus with the Jaxartes, empted itself
into the Caspian, and the Ara inland sea- did
not exist. Even in A. ID. $40 the Aral only
reedv marsh, and it not till thirty years later
that the influx of tho Oxus caused it to swell out in
the hollow in which it now lies. In 1924 the Oxus
again forced its into the Caspian and the Ara dried
up more, exposing the ruins Of cities that had
been swallowed up during its previous expansion. In
1880 the river described by Eastern traveller
flowing into the Caspian, close to the mouth of
the Atrek and the accuracy this is attesed by the
remains of the bed, which General Abbott saw in
1910. During the whole of tho fourteenth century
the Oxus poured itself into the Caspian while its
fellow stream. the Jaxartes swallowed up in the
sands. In the fifteenth century Ruy Gonzalez de
Clavgo describes it q noble river, "three miles in
breadth, very deep. and traversing with
wonderful force fat country before falling
into the Caspian" In 1870 Dutch gcographer
speaks of the river having two branches, one
flowing into the Caspian and the other into the Aral
There are also innumerable other authorities trav-
oilers like Anthony Jenkenson. English officers en-
ployed during the last century in Persia. and.
valuable of all, the Russian exploration ordered by
Peter the Great. This is the first authentic record
which be found of official investigation and
n careful summary OF this report will be given
further on. One and all Of these traditions and
reports agree that the Anu Darya, within a period
ranging from two to four hundred years, flowed
into the Caspian Sea- The most interesting narra-
tive about Russian ambition associated with this
river is coupled with the name OF Peter the Great
and we now turn to it,
PErER HOPED TO
Peter the Great was i66 years ago, made acquainted
with the fact that the oxus had been diverted from
its old channel Prior to the year 1713 however, the
Russians appear not to have known of the fact The
inhabitants of Astrakhan at the mouth Of the volga
Russian well Tartar appear to have been in the
habit of crossing the northern end of the Cas-
plan aud of trading there with the Chaudor Turk
omans. In 1873 prominent Turkoman sirdar
accompanied party of Russian merchants their
return voyage TO Astrakhan. fThc outline of this
sirdars secret mission is followed from voluminous
papers in the blue books of the British Indian
oficcl At Astrakhan, Hodia-Nefes waited upon
Prince Michael Simonof. Persian settled In Russia,
whom he informed that he had "a matter OF great
State importance to disclose to the Russian En-
pcror." Prince Simonof sent Nefes to st. Peters
burg with letter to Prince Alexander Bekovitch
Cherkaski Prince Bekovitch, who was an officer
in the Imperial Guard, and high in the
Cars favor. presented Nefes and another
Turkoman to Peter the Great. when the
secret that the srdsr wished to uncate proved
to be that ',he Anu Darya (Oxus), which formerly
flowed into the Caspian, and which from the fear of
the Russians had been diverted by the Uzbegs
CKhvans) into the Aral. might. by destroying the
DAM be made to run in its old channel" a work in
which Hodja a-Nefes announced that he was author
ICED TO ..pledgc tho assistance of the Turkomans
The sirdar's statements were to some extent con.
Armed by Ashur-Bek. Khivan envoy at the
Russian court. who asserted that the stream
had been diverted from its old channel by the Xiii.
vans. who. he added would not interfere with the
work of turning waters into their ancient bed
should the Russians determine to perform it,
IarRIsoSISa AN AMBASSADOR
Peter gave The subject careful consideration He