Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-05-28
RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA.
Her Progress Across the Desert and
Over the Great Gases of Turkestan.

over the Great Gases of TurkestaD.
New York Sun.
a little east OF the narrow tract
now in dispute between Russia ana
Afghanistan is that extensive pro
tuberancs called by the natives The
Pamir or Roof of the World TINS
wonderful plateau, furrowed by
deep valleys, through which flow the
head streams of great rivers, is the
Hottest in the world, and stretches
away for some hundreds of miles from
coo to $1,000 feet above the sea 1t
is an elevated isthmus connecting
thosg almost impossible mountain
systems of Asia, the Than Shan and
Altai on the north, with the Hindoo
koosh and Himalayas on the south.
Here history places the cradle of the
European races. Here lived ourAryan
foreiathers, who, leaving the Pamir
slopes, followed great rivers vest
ward, and finally pastured their herds
1 in Europe Hitler are returning now
their descendants, the Saws and
/ Anglo Saxons, sooner or later to CON
tend for the supremacy of Asia upon
the historic ground from which
their primitive progenitors are be-
lieved to have migrated.
The Pamir sent its waters west to
fertihze the Turkestan desert, gave the
nations a passage way through noun
tain barriers, along its streams that
poured eastward into the Tarim and
southwark into tho Gauges and the
Indus, nmtured the civilization that
Genghis Khan and Tamerland found
ed in Turkestan and made possible
| the advance of Russia into Central
Asia.
Though Peter the Great dreamed OF
extending Russia's power far beyond
the Caspian, it was not greed of con
quest or commerce, but the need of
defending herself against barbarouS
neighbors across the Ural that first
turned Russia toward Central Asia.
Ivan III. put an end 10 the terrible
Tartar invasions that for centuries
wasted halt of Russia and laid its
chief cities in ashes. But his success
sor did not free Russia from the pest
Of pillaging Kirghiz and Turkoman
tribes until they establishe. the Mus
covite power in the large territory be
tween the Ural river and the Aral
Sea. They sank wells IN the Ust Urt
plateu to facilitate the opertions oil
their army, marched againt the turbu
lent Kirghiz, and after several hard
campaigns they subdted these 2 GEO,
coo nomads, who, for over twenty
years, have paid their conquerers with
out q marmur their annual tax of
roubles tent.
Beyond the Kirghiz steppes tina
bordered Russia stretched far east
ward across the desert two belts 0t
verdure, through which flow twc
great rivers, the ancient Oxus anC
the Jaxartes, now known as the ANU
} Daria and the Syr Daria, The ont
rising on the southern and the othel
on the northern slopes of the Pamil
had for ages distributed over thci
banks alluvium borne on rapid tide
!; from their headwaters, creating lonj
: aud continuous Gases in the midst @
the most desolate desert Of the world
, Here were rich lands and populou
! and half-civilized nations. Here wer
Z the routes to inner Asia, caravan
! y
, over which great camel trains from
z Bokhara had for many years borne t
: Orenburg and Astrakhan their load
, of cotton, silk, skins, and shagreel
leather TO exchange for Russian hard
, wsra, chintz, and guns. Here was
chance for vast expansion of MuSco
} vite power and commerce. Russia
5 motive was no longer self-protection
but the subjugation OF the khanate
/ of Turkestan and the extension o
trade
Her expedition against Khiva il
1889 was disastrous. The bitter coll
of the Ust Urt plateau ruined Perow
skis army. Russia, repulsed in he
attempt, 10 acquire the Oxus, turn @
, to the Syr Darla. After she plante
her foot upon that river, her forwar
march was slow, steady and persist
ent. Her line of forts along the LEI
bank OF the river heightened year b.
year. She made the river her ally il
her warfare upon the khanates
Twelve years after the first RUSSIA
gun was Ieveled at the walls OF tn
first town OF Khokand, this rich khan
ate including It's metropolis, Tashken
2 became the Russian province of FerG
| hama. Then Bokhara, after bite
J struggle, lost its independence. Tw
of the three khanates Of Turkestal
+: were now gained, the Syr-Daria, iron
r its mouth TO its sources, was Russ
, ian stream, and the Muscov:te arm
7 were once more turned toward To
D Oxus. General Kaufmann's attac
! was crowned with success. Tn
Khanate was added to the Russia
9 conc uests in Turkestan, and the Oxu
passed into RIssia's control.
What are the countries and the pee
pies whom Russia has conquered, 9
terrible cost and after many years c
D bitter warfare2 The three khauate
are estimated to contain from 5000,
/ 600 TO 5000, 900 people. Vanber
r. saws that in the richness Of their so
Y and IN the variety Of their production
+. il would be difficult to find in EuroE
: a territory that would surpass ia