148 



ASIA. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA. 



the autonomy of which had been guaranteed by 

 both England and Persia. Dost Mohammed 

 captured Herat on May 26th, but died three days 

 later, May 29th. The governor of Herat, Ahmed 

 Khan, took refuge in the Persian camp at 

 Khourivan. It was expected that this would lead 

 to a war between the Persians and Affghans, but 

 up to the end of the year no hostile movements 

 had taken place. The Affghans were masters 

 of the whole province of Herat, and were even 

 preparing to invade Khorassan. 



The Sultan of Bokhara, a country in Central 

 which has long been celebrated for the 

 hostility of its rulers to all foreigners, im- 

 prisoned four Italians who had entered the 

 country for the purpose of making investiga- 

 tions into its silk cultivation. The fact having 

 come to the knowledge of the Russian Govern- 

 ment, the emperor at once instructed the gov- 

 ernor-general of East Siberia to use all means 

 within his power to obtain the release of the 

 travellers. 



The British rule in India was, during the year, 

 again threatened with new danger. Another 

 insurrection broke out among the warlike tribes 

 of the mountains of the north-western prov- 

 inces, and for some time appeared to assume 

 alarming proportions; at the close of the year, 

 however, the Government felt confident that it 

 would soon be suppressed. England now rules 

 in India over a native population of, at least, 

 137,000,000 inhabitants, of whom only about 

 4,000,000, including the native Christians, the 

 Parsees, the so-called East Indians (of mixed 

 European and Indian descent), are supposed to 

 be friendly to the preservation of British rule. 

 There is, however, no doubt that India is 

 making more rapid progress in civilization, in 

 education, and material prosperity, than any 

 other part of Asia. {See INDIA.) 



France is making extraordinary efforts to ex- 

 tend her territory in Asia. A new insurrec- 

 tion broke out against her rule in Cochin China, 

 but it was soon suppressed. Admiral La Gran- 

 diere, who is at the head of the French ad- 

 ministration in Cochin China, visited the king 

 of Cambodia, the declared enemy of the Em- 

 peror Tu-Duc, of Anam, and the result was 

 most satisfactory. The French obtained by 

 treaty the rights of commerce with that vast 

 country; they were authorized to work all the 

 immense forests gratuitously, if for the service 

 of the French Government, and on payment 

 of a small royalty for private commerce. A 

 French resident agent was to be established at 

 Hondon, and that post was confided to a sur- 

 geon in the navy well acquainted with the 

 habits of the people, and who will exercise a 

 twofold influence by his diplomatic relations, 

 and by the practice of his surgical skill. The 

 admiral visited in detail the copper mines of 

 Ancorre, which in extent are far beyond any- 

 thing of the kind to bo met with in Europe. 

 A letter to the Paris Moniteur de PArmte, dated 

 Saigoon, Cochin China, September 6th, 1863, 

 stated that by the treaty concluded between 



the king of Cambodia and the French admiral, 

 the whole kingdom had been placed under the 

 French protectorate, and that the main stipula- 

 tions were: 1. Cambodia recognizes the supre- 

 macy of France, entering into the same relation 

 to France in which it formerly stood to the 

 emperor of Anam. It is admitted by the offi- 

 cial French paper, that the king of Siam also 

 claims the rights of a protectorate over Cam- 

 bodia ; but it is said to result from indisputable 

 documents that his claims are not so old as 

 those of the king of Hue (Cochin China), into 

 whose place France has now stepped. 2. France 

 obtains the right to establish a settlement in 

 Cambodia, on the banks of the river Mei Kong 

 (also called Cambodia), at Nam- Van. This is 

 a point of the greatest strategic importance, and 

 will make the French masters of the largest 

 and most important river in Farther India. 

 The treaty also contains liberal stipulations in 

 favor of the Roman Catholic religion. English 

 papers in India express the opinion, that in less 

 than a quarter of a century the English and 

 French frontiers will meet somewhere between 

 Burmah and Siam. 



The war of the Circassians against Russia 

 continued with various vicissitudes throughout 

 the year. (See RUSSIA.) The Russians are con- 

 stantly extending their territory in Central 

 Asia. It is particularly repoVted that they 

 have retaken the fortress of Pishpek, on the 

 river Tohu, one of the strongest places in the 

 Sultanate of Khokan, the capture of which 

 seems to augur unfavorably for the independ- 

 ence of the martial Turcomans. The place 

 had been captured by the Russians once before, 

 about three years ago, but subsequently was 

 retaken by the Khokandese. 



As to the religious denomination of the Asi- 

 atics, the number of Christians may be esti- 

 mated at about 15,000,000. Of these about 

 7,000,000 are Roman Catholics, who are quite 

 numerous in the Spanish possessions (5,000,- 

 000), India (1,000,000), Farther India (520,- 

 000), and China, 337,000. The progress of the 

 French in Farther India, and the influence of 

 the same power in China promise to the Ro- 

 man Catholic Church n considerable increase 

 of numbers. Protestant Christianity is strong- 

 est in India and Farther India, in both of which 

 countries there, are many indications of its rapid 

 progress. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA AND 

 PROGRESS. The year 1863 has been marked 

 by no small degree of activity and success on 

 the part of those engaged in prosecuting this 

 department of science. In the main, the ques- 

 tions that have been most prominent are the 

 same with those named in our record of the pre- 

 ceding year ; a larger share of attention, how- 

 ever, having been given to the new form of in- 

 vestigation of the heavenly bodies, by means 

 of observations upon the spectra afforded 

 upon prismatic decomposition of their light, 

 which will bo noticed more fully on a future 

 occasion. 



