KHOKAN. 



419 



Scotland, on the 13th of February, 1822, and 

 came to America when sixteen years of age. 

 He was graduated at the Transylvania Univer- 

 sity, Kentucky, in 1846, and adopted the pro- 

 fession of law, to which he devoted his atten- 

 tion exclusively for several years. He was 

 elected to Congress in 1867, and served four 

 successive terme in the Lower House. He was 

 succeeded in March, 1875, by J. 0. S. Black- 

 burn, having declined another reelection. 



KHOKAN, or KOKAN, a country of Cen- 

 tral Asia, one of the three great khanates of 

 West Toorkistan; area about 28,270 square 

 miles ; population about 800,000. 



In July, the Governor-General of Russian 

 Toorkistan, General Kaufmann, sent Mr. Wein- 

 berg on a .diplomatic mission to the Khan of 

 Khokan. The agent was accompanied by 

 Colonel Skobeleff and twenty-two Cossacks. 

 When they arrived in the capital of Khokan, 

 they were informed by the Khan that several 

 sections of the khanate were just now dis- 

 turbed by civil war, and that he had sent out 

 three different bodies of troops against the 

 rebels. Soon after their arrival the Russians 

 heard that, of the commanders of these three 

 bodies, two had at once raised the standard of. 

 revolt and were now marching against the 

 city of Khokan. On July 19th it was reported 

 that even the oldest son of the Khan had 

 joined the rebels, whose real leader, according 

 to the statement of the Khan, was Abdurrha- 

 man, a son of Musulman Kul.* On July 20th 

 news was also received that Sultan Murad 

 Bey, a brother of the Khan, and Governor of 

 Merzulan, had united his forces with the 

 rebels, who were marching upon Albi Arik, a 

 town about thirty miles distant from Khokan. 

 On the next day, July 21st, the second son of 

 the Khan, Mohammed Emir Bey, also left the 

 city with 4,000 men, in order to join the rebels. 

 The Khan sought the protection of the Russian 

 envoy, and left with him, on July 22d, the 

 city of Khokan, in order to reach, if possible, 

 Russian territory. The remainder of the na- 

 tive troops, consisting of 4,000 infantry and 

 2,000 cavalry, also left him and united with 

 the advancing rebels, who attacked the small 

 Russian escort of the Khan, but were unable 

 to prevent it from safely reaching the town of 

 Mehrem, which is situated near the boundary- 

 line dividing Russia and Khokan. In a letter, 

 dated July 26th, and addressed to General 

 Kaufmann, the Khan surrendered himself and 

 the khanate into the hands of the Russians. 

 General Kaufmann reported that the leader 

 of the rebels was preaching a religious war 

 against the infidels. In August advices were 

 received from General Kaufmann, stating that 

 the district of Kuranim had been invaded on 

 several sides by armed bands from Khokan, 

 for the purpose of inciting the inhabitants to 

 rebellion, but that the attempt had failed. The 



* For a full account of the history of Khudayar 

 Khan, the ruler of Khokan, see ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA 



for 1874. 



principal band, consisting of 5,000 men, had 

 been defeated, and another of 800 had been 

 totally annihilated, whereupon the remainder 

 fled over the mountains to Khokan. The 

 principal attack of these Khokan bands was 

 directed against Khojend, the environs of 

 which they surprised in great force (on August 

 9th), surrounding the gardens of the town. 

 The garrison, which had been reenforced by 

 three files of troops from Urutuba, repulsed 

 the attack on all sides, and pursued the enemy, 

 driving them across the frontier. The loss of 

 the Russians was unimportant. General Kauf- 

 mann then marched with his troops to Kho- 

 jend, and thence to Khokan. 



The Russian Government suspected the Emir 

 of Kashgar, Yakub Khan, of secretly aiding 

 the rebels, though about the same time the 

 arrival of an embassy sent by him to Russia 

 was reported from Odessa. Upon advancing 

 from Khojend against the retreating Khokan 

 troops, the Russians encountered a body of the 

 enemy's cavalry numbering 7,000 men. Eight 

 hundred Cossacks, four batteries of horse-ar- 

 tillery, and a rocket-battery, were engaged 

 with the enemy for one whole day, without 

 suffering any loss. The principal battle was 

 fought on September 4th, against 30,000 Kho- 

 kan troops, and resulted in a complete victory 

 for the Russians, although the enemy had taken 

 up a strongly intrenched position in the for- 

 tress of Mehrem. The place was taken by 

 storm by General Golovatcheff. The enemy 

 was pursued a distance of fifteen versts, and 

 many of his men were either drowned in the 

 Amoo-Daria or killed. The Russians captured 

 thirty-nine guns and a great quantity of war 

 material. The enemy's loss was very consid- 

 erable ; that of the Russians amounted to one 

 officer and six men killed, and one officer and 

 seven men wounded. The impression created 

 by this defeat upon the population was very 

 great. The general, in conclusion, announced 

 that he would continue his advance upon Kho- 

 kan as soon as the supplies of war material 

 arrived from Khojend. 



On September 16th the city of Khokan was 

 occupied without resistance. The greater por- 

 tion of the Russian troops remained in the for- 

 tified camp outside. All the Russian prisoners 

 were delivered over to General Kaufmann. An 

 interview took place between General Kauf- 

 mann and Khan Sade, eldest son of the fugi- 

 tive Khan, who had been proclaimed the new 

 ruler of Khokan. Khan Sade went to meet 

 the Russian general, and endeavored to con- 

 vince him that he was free from any complic- 

 ity in the invasion of Russian territory by 

 the Khokan insurgents. Abdurrhaman was 

 stated to be the sole originator of this act, and 

 to have forced Khan Sade to join him. Khan 

 Sade also expressed his readiness to comply 

 with all the wishes of Russia, and the Russian 

 Government therefore recognized him as Khu- 

 dayar's successor. 



A small Russian force was dispatched from 



