Year: 1879

awaken very unpleasant second sober thoughts in
the breast OF man like Hodja-Nefes, who loved his
people and had from the first that their in
terests were to be entirely subsidiary to those of
Russia At any rate, with this information, the
party rejoined Prince Bekovitch at "the Red
Waters, travelling the usual route, south of
'the great gully"


VALUABLE DATA OBTAINED.


Prince Bekovtch was naturally quite dissatisfied.
and at this point Hodja-Nefes disappears from the
records. The energetic Prince quite prototype of
Kaufman of the last century, despatched another
expedition with orders to follow the ancient river
bed from the region Of the Great and Little Balkan
hills between which it ran) to Ata-Ibrahim, the
point at which it had been abandoned. This party
was successful. and although it did not
actually go to the end Of its journey
directed, it went to within few versts
of the town-far enough to convince the
officer in command and Prince Bekovtch. who
received the report. that the gully on the Caspian
side and the great trench on the Ata-Ibrahim side
Joined to form one continuous channel. Prince
Bekovtch considered that the ancient bed of the
oxus had now been discovered. and forwarded elaD-
orate maps and reports to the Gear. As matter of
fact it was upon these maps that General Posset was
detailed, in the spring Of last year (1S7s to make
the final explorations which have led to the under
taking of the great work by the Russians.


KHIvANs' REVENGE.


1t is not necessary to moro than state the fact
that Prince Bekovitch was sent for by the Gar,
Peter and com mmissioned to lead army of 5000
men up the Oxus bed. in order that tho dam might
be broken down. The expeditionary force di-
vided into two columns and completely annihilated
by the Khivans after successfully reaching Kara
patch After the destruction of this expedition
Peter announced his intention to send out another
but he did not do so. and further attempt was
made toward turning the rivers course even ex-
por:ng the ancient channel until the expedition Of
peroski in 1887 The project had slumbered for 100
years; but the Russians never forget abandon
anything. This expedition under Perofski. although
not attended with such disastrous results was in
one sense far less successful than that of Prince
Bekovitch. since it stopped by the snow and by
the loss of nearly all the camels before it had
progressed one quarter Of the distance.


MORE RECENT EXPLORATION.


Since General Kauimann's career began in Turkes-
tan several expeditions have been fitted ostensi
bly, for visiting the ancient bed of the Oxus and de-
termining the practcabnity of restoring it to it's
ancient bed. They have been in reality directed
against the TurKomans of the Kars-Kum Sands and
'so-called scientific expeditions have followed
the Atrak to the neighborhood of Nerve in
stead of the oxus Karagatch. At the height of
the spring floods last year party of engineers
despatched by General Possiet to examine the
flow of the Oxus. No official report has yet been
made public by the Russian government, but it Is
well known that the result most satisfactory
showing of the practicability of the scheme. The
report of these engineers has been followed by the
active measures which the cable announced on
Thursday night.