Weston weekly leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 1878-189?, 1885-05-08

Sooner or later it must be deter
mined, by skillful diplomacy or
much lighting, whether Russia or
England shall hold Herat, that |
time honored key to Central Asia. |
Meastime all readers Of telegraph
ic news from that quarter are ask
ing for information touching the
present condition Of the city and its
surroundings, and the reasons fer
its apparent Importance from COM
mercial and military points of view.
The geographical situation of He
rat "a 20 N. latitude, 62' g E.
longitude, with it's elevation of
about 2500 feet above the SEQ, gives
it charming climate. The valley
in which it lies is the granary Of
Afghanistan, and its surrounding
gardens yield fruits corresponding
with those Of Southern Europe.
Central New Mexico has about the
same latitude and similar climate,
though less temperate and some
what drier. The plain Of Herat is
well watered hy canals from the
Herr river, and is said to contain
fully 400 square miles of arabic
land. The upper valley of the He
ri is described as beautiful rolling
country furnishing the finest of pas
| Lar dc Thran
south of Herat the river is crossed
by magnificent bridge Of twenty
three arches.
The territory tributary to Herat
extends east and west from near
the sources of the Heri to the Per-
sian frontier. Formerly it extended
north and south 200 miles from the
Merv boundary TO the northern
limit of Ssistan. The Russian con-
quest of Merv has cost Herat all
its territory on the plain north OF
the Parapomisus Mountains, and
has pushed the disputed boundary
to within 40 miles Of the city to the
nerth, as the Russians claim, or
about twice that distance accordip &
to the English and Afghan authori
ties.
r The city is in the form of a quad
: rangle, nearly lnils on each side
!, On the western, southern and east.
ern faces the lines Of defense are al
most straight, and are broken only
by the great gates and their de
;. fenses. The northern line is brek
: en- by two gigantic earthworks, the
old citadel and the new citadel
built of sun-dried bricks. The city
e wall rests on the summit Of huge
!, embankmsnt averaging 250 feet
wide at the base and fifty feet high
J. The wall proper, which crowns this
a vast earthwork, is 25 feet high ane
It IA feet thick at the base. 1t is sur
q rounded by ditch 46 feet wide ant
= l6 feet deep, and is supported b.
!" $50 semicircular towers.
lt The colossal character of thes
earthworks leads Sir Henry Raw
linson to infer that the city, as
n stronghold, must date frea prehis
as toric times-from that period 9
!" Central Asian history which pre-
% ceded the rise of the Achamenia
power, and which in Greek rs
% nance is illustrated by the name
be of Bscchus, Hercules and Semirs
al mis. Its dominant position wit
er reference to Central Asian an
:. Indian affairs is proved by a mil
tary history unequaled by any othe
% city-a record of more than fift
n sieges, undertaken, as Vambery ha
n. pointed out, not SO much for tn
sake of the rich soil which SUI
ill rounds Herat, IS on account of th
&c desire for conquest with which
he has inspired sometimes India, SOM
times Central Asia.
VI The population of the city und.
he these great vicissitudes of fortur
OIL has naturally varied greatly.
It's times of great prosperity and pea'
;, it has numbered q million or NOR
at other times it has dwindled to
ey few thousand; now, it is various
ed estimated from $4,000 to 5000
he 1t is believed that the present ci
.r comprises only the citadel of Il
city that once covered the ST
rounding plain for many miles.