The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-14

country intervening between the TWO ends
is noun taiDous and difficult; but 200 miles
Is not long span for telegraph line,
and. If the news be authentic, 1t IS pos
sble tn at telegraphic communication may
be established between the Pacific and the
Mediterranean and the Baltic sooner by
this route than by the Siberian route.
Travel always follows the wires. and il
the latter have really invaded Turkestan,
new and most interesting region will
Invite the enterprising explorer. IL en-
braces the vast plateau of Central Asia.
which was probably the first densely
peopled country in the world. 1t is now
region Of Alpine ranges with snow-clad
mountains four or five miles high. rich
pIairieS and lOwlands sweeping around
their base, and lower down deserts, often
below the level of the sea, with tenn
perature of sheol. At some ancient period.
as sea-Shells tell us. these lOwlands and
bellows were covered by water. and their
borders were the sites Of dourishing cities
and a teemiDg agricultural population
They were the seat Of the Turanian civil
iZation, and it was from them that the
barbaIians came who overran Europe just
after the Christian era. We can see the
reason why they left in the still active
process of desiccation which is going or,
and which is drying up river after river
and lake after lake.
When the Chinese began their career OF
conquest, about the time of Christ, they
conquered Ksshgar and. with intervals,
have held it ever since. But 1t has Ire
Quently been wrested from the hands OF
the conquerors by Kalmucks. Thibetans
and mountaineers of various races. A
recent traveller describes its people as
curious mixture of flat-nosed kalmucks.
tall Afghans, oily HindOos, Opium-smoking
Cinnamon and handsome representatives
of the true Aryan type-like Damascan
1t is different from most ancient cities in
that many uments of the past are pre-
served side by side with modern struc-
lures. The m0ney-ChaDger, who converts
a gold mOhur into rupees, has for sale in
his window ancient Byzantine coins side
by side with Roman coins Of the time of
Trajan.
Over against this city of the past three
powerful modern nations stand face to
face. The Russians are at Khokand. with
railroad communication to base of sup
fighting to retain their hold of Pamlr, and
the Chinese, it appears, have pushed along
their line to the valley of Kashgar. The
two former have aggression in their
eye; the latter stands for defense.
When the Russians reached Tashkend. six
or seven years ago, their engineers decided
that the labyrinth of mountains which
bounded the desert of Tibet and
Cobb on the west was impossible and
their advance was DETECTED north into
Southern Siberia. But If the expected
collision with China should occur in Mon
golia il Will become necessary for them to
sweep away the Chinese from a position
on their flank which would menace their
line of communications. 1t may perhaps
be assumed that this contingency was
foreseen by the Chinese, and that the tee-
graph was pushed westward in order to
enable the Government at Picking to be
able to call out the levies in the western
provinces in case of hostilities. For SINH
lar reasons the English have pushed their
frontier line into the Pamir country, so as
to avoid the danger of the revival of the
which arose over Herat.
These two nations, not to mention the
French in TOnquin. have been preparing
for twenty years to administer upon the
estate of the Chinese empire. which is sup
posed to be moribund. Perhaps they do
not take into sufficient account the teem-
ing numbers of the Chinese people and
the inexOrab law that providence is al
ways on the side Of the heaviest battalions.
With railroads and military organization
and spirit China could laugh at the Euro
peans who are pecking at her frontiers.