Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-02
RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA.
Her Progress Across the Deserts and
Over the & reat Gases Of TURK estan.
From the New York Sun.

Her Progress Across the Deserts and
Over the 6 reat Gases 0fTurk estan.
From the New York Sun.
A little east of the narrow tract now in dis
pute between Russia and Afghanistan is that
extensive protuberance called by the natives
The Pamir, or The Roof of the World. This
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 10000
to 10, 900 feet above the sea. 1t is an elevated
isthmus connecting those 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
our Aryan foreiathers, who, leaving the Pamir
slopes, followed great rivers westward, and
finally pastured their herds in Europe. Hither
are returning now their descendants, the Slavs
and Anglo-Saxons, sooner or later to contend
for the supremacy of Asia upon the historic
ground from which their primitive progenitors
are believed to have migrated.
The Pamir sent its waters west to fertiliZe
the TurkeStan desert, gave the nations a pas
sageway through mountain barriers along it's
streams that poured eastward into the Tarim
and southwark into the Ganges and the Indus,
nurtured the civilization that Genghis Khan
and Tamerlane founded in Turkestan and
made possible the advance of Russia into Cen
Though Peter the Great dreamed of extend
ing Russias power far beyond the Caspian, it
was not greed OF conquest or commerce, but the
need of defending herself against barbarous
neighbors across the Ural, that first turned
Russia toward Central Asia. Ivan Ill put an
centuries wasted half of Russia aud laid its
chief cities in ashes. But his Successors did not
free Russia from the pest of pillaging Kirghiz
and Turkoman tribes until they established the
Muscovite power in the large territory between
the Ural river and the Aral sea. They sank
wells in the Ust Urt plateau to facilitate the
operations OF their army, marched against the
turbulent kirghiZ and after several nard cam
paigns they subdued these 1900, 900 nomads,
who for over twenty years have paid their con-
querors without murmur their annual tax of
three rOubleS tent
Beyond the kirghiz steppes that bordered
Russia stretched tar eastward across the desert
two belts OF verdure, through which flow two
great rivers, the ancient OXus and the JaXartes
now known as the Amu-Daria and the Syr-
Daria. The one rising on the southern and the
other on the northern slopes OF the Pamir had
for ages distributed over their banks alluVium
borne on rapid tides from their headwaters,
creating long and continuous GASES in the midst
of the most desolate desert of the world. Here
were rich lands and populous and half civilized
nations. Here We're the routes to inner Asia,
caravan roads that led to China, the highways
over which great camel trains from Bokara had
for many years borne to Orenburg and Astra-
khan their loads of cotton, silk, skins, and sha-
green leather, to exchange Tor Russian hard
ware, chintz and guns. Here was chance for
vast expansion OF muscovite power and COM
but the subjugation of the klanates
OF Iurkestan and the extension OF trade.
Her expedition against khiva In 1889 was
disastrous. The bitter cold of the Ust Urt pI;.-
tcau ruined Perowski' army. Russia repuised
In her attempt to acquire the OXus, turned to
the Syr-Daria. After she planted her foot upon
that river her forward march was slow, steady
and persistent. Her line Of forts along the left
bank OF the river heightened year by year. She
made the river her ally in her warfare upon the
khanateS. Twelve years after the first Russian
gun was levelied at the walls OF the first town
in khokand, this rich khanate, including it's
metropolis, Tashkend, became the Russian pro-
vince OF Eerghana. Then Bollhara, after a bit
ter struggle lost its independence. Two of the
three khanates OF Turkestan were now gained
the Syr-Daria, from its mouth to its sources,
was Russian stream, and the Muscovite arms
were once more turned toward the OXus. Gen
kauimann's attack upon khiva was crowned
with success. The khanate was added to the
Russian conquests in Turkestan, and the Oxus
passed into RuSSia'S control.
What are the countries and the peoples whom
Russia has conquered, at terrible cost and after
many years of bitter warfare? The three khan
ates are estimated to contain from 5000, 600 to
5000, 1000 people. Nambery says that in the
richness of their soil and in the variety of their
productions it would be difficult to find in
Europe a territory that would SurpasS the oasis
countries of Turkestan. Bokhara, ancient seat
sands OF students from India, Afghanistan,
Cashmere and China. The town has 175 mos
ques, and when Vambery visited it 5000 stu
dents were studying theology, logic and philos-
ophy in its eighty colleges. The chief cities Of
the Khokand oasis, Tashkend, Tchemkent
khodjend and others, are scattered along the
rich valley of the Syr-Daria. Several thousand
Russian and Cossack peasants have, with gov
ernmental assistance, become tllers of the soil
near Tashkend and samarcand. Tashkend
has 100000 population, thirteen inns, sixteen
colleges, and many mosques, and its exports
and imports in 1878 amounted to S2i,Ooo,UeO.
The Khivan oasis, though kept within narrow
limits by the surrounding desert, is large
about people S%pP Since E Spsace eo D
Syr-Daria fleet of steamers that ply up the
river for distance of 1900 miles from the
Aral Sea- sand bars in thelower Oxus impede
navigation, but Russian boats have assembled
the greater part OF its course as far as Choja
Saleh, now well known as the point on the
river where, the Afghans assert, their frontier
joins that Of Russia. Both these great rivers
are valuable arteries of trade, but the Oxus
though the fertile lands along its banks are not
SO extensive nor SO populous as those along the
Syr-Darla, is destined to he commercially the
more important stream. While the Syr-Daria
leads only toward the comparatively barbarous
countries of East Turkestan and Thibet
the Oxus will carry the freightage of Russia al,
most to the gates of India. 1t is evident to all
students OF her progress in Central Asia that
vast augmentation of her overland trade with
China, but the opening OF India to her products
as the reward of her long and, as yet, lily re-
Quilted sacrifices in Turkestan. The revenues
ron her new possessions as yet cover hardly q
third OF the annual expenditures.
The khanate of Khokand has been SO COM
pletely absorbed by the Russian military gov
eminent that its name has disappeared from
recent maps. BOkhara and khiVa are still
ruled by their old sovereigns but
they are merely dependencies of Russia and
pay a heavy tribute for the privilege of retain-
ing semblance Of autonomy. The khan of
khiva is not permitted to have an army, and
his subjects have been stripped of their Weap-
ons. lie is SO far a more completely subjected
prince than the ameer of Bokhara, who is per.
mtted TO maintain an army of 10000 men
which he has pledged himself to place at the
disposal Of the Russian commander and which,
to Mr.. BOalger, will prove a seryicea.
BILE auxiliary corps.
When Russia had conquered the khanates.
there was still hard work for her armies south
OF the OXus, where large tribes of wild Turko-
mans constantly menaced her enterprises and
blocked the way to Herat. Some wears after
khfva fell, Skobelef and his Cossacks scat
tered the Teke-Turkomans, the greatest slave
hunters and most lawless no1nads who roamed
S stronghold of this tribe was occupied by Rus
sian troops. 1t was the earth fort thew were
building in bend of the Murghat river at
Merv, when ODonovan visited them four
feet wide at the base, were speedily knocked to
pieces, and Merv now forms part of the Russian
Iranscaspian province Years before, Sir Henry
the greatest authority on Central
Asia, had told the British government that
" Herat is at the mercy of the general who oc-
cupies Merv.' But public opinion in England
did not keep pace with the. march Of events in
Asia, and 1t was not till the Russian forces had
left the Merv oasis and received the submission
OF the Turkomans south Of Sarachs that Great
Britain awoke to the belief that the car was
threatening Herat and menacing India
The New Senator.
Washington Letter to the Cleveland Plaindealer
Spooner, the new republican Senator from
Wisconsin, is considerably below mediuu stot