1838.] 



Tartary and Afghanistan* 



33 



and difficult, protects them from foreign invasion. Through it lies a 

 good summer road to Cashmeer, which caravans from Bokhara gene- 

 rally take. The people generally speak Turkish, but they more resem- 

 ble Afghans than Tartars, and are extremely bigoted, and unfriendly to 

 strangers ; they may amount to 30,000 families and are celebrated as , 

 very brave infantry, of which their force is almost entirely composed. 

 Merchants give them a good character for honesty. 



Bokhara has been so minutely described, that there can be no use 

 in my saying any thing on the subject. Few countries can boast a 

 finer soil or climate; it is rich and flourishing, and, for several years, 

 has had a succession of able chiefs, who can bring about 50,000 men 

 into the field, and exercise a great influence in Tartary generally. The 

 only remaining state, which has any thing to do with the present sub- 

 ject, is Khiva, which, before long, will become of the first interest; for 

 it cannot be supposed Russia will allow herself to be insulted by a 

 power she can at any time destroy, and the possession of whose terri- 

 tory will give her so much influence in the surrounding states. 



The Khivians have always been notorious for their predatory habitSj 

 and have made most destructive inroads into Persia, within these few 

 years ; they are also at constant war with the Kirgis and Aral Tartars* 

 and even with Bokhara, and, in fact, with every place which offers any 

 hope of plunder. Like the Algerines, they are the pirates of the 

 desert, and it is only singular, from their real weakness, that they have 

 so long been allowed to exist, and injure with impunity much stronger 

 states. The difficulty of attacking them is certainly great, being, 

 every where, except on the side of Bokhara, surrounded by deserts ; 

 but greater obstacles have been overcome, and it will, probably, not be 

 many years before a Russian garrison is firmly established in this nest 

 of thieves. Nadir Shah took it on his return from India, and exer- 

 cised his usual severities on those that offended him. The UsbeckSj, 

 who are the leading power in this quarter, expelled the garrison he 

 left, and he never had time to regain it. 



When Catherine the 2d, sent to demand her subjects, kept in slavery 

 at Khiva, the chief desired her to come and take them. Fortunately 

 for Khiva she died soon after, when organizing a force to attack them 

 both from the Caspian and lake of Aral. The possession of this point 

 will secure Russia the command of the navigation both of the Lake 

 and the Oxus, to within 250 miles of Cabul, and less than 60 of Balk. 

 To effect this, she has no occasion to seek for the assistance of any 

 other state ; she can at any time call out a sufficient force of her Tartar 

 subjects, to assist a small army in passing the deserts, and the heavy 

 artillery (if such is required) may be conveyed by the lake of Aral and 

 the Oxus. I think the western side of the Aral will be preferred* 

 Some years ago the Yaik Cossacks joined the Tartars, in a predatory 



