unlooked-for termination. The Khan is said to have recoa of
keen apprehension, at least, in the Khivan capital. nised that discretion is the better part of valour. He has put Moreover, they professed to be plenipotentiaries em- his Uzbeg pride in his pocket, and has sent Ambassadors into powered to sign, on behalf of the Khan, a Treaty embodying i partly because, having been so long defied, they wished to made no serious effort to effect a settlement by peaceful may be a clumsy device to stop the columns in the steppe, and means, and attributed the failure to Khivan obstinacy, delay their movement into the Oxus valley until the summer which, of course, may be the true explanation. When heats make that low region a hot-bed of disease. Familiar as the Khan found war inevitable, he appealed for aid to he is with Asiatic wiles, General Kaufmann will still have to the Indian Viceroy, who gave him the sensible advice to behave alike warily and firmly, or he may find negotiation make the best terms he could with the Governor-General of more perilous than the desert, far more formidable than the
Turkestan ; nor could he have honestly given other counsel. Turcoman horse. Even if it should be manifest that Whatever may have been the provocations which for a long the Khan is playing an open game, looking to the series of years the Khivans had suffered at Russian hands, on parade of preparation, the presence of the Russian Princes, some points, and notably in the detention of Russian subjects the pains and labour already endured, it seems not improbable as slaves, the Khan was in the wrong ; but the Russians have that the Russians will still insist upon signing a peace in Khiva been essentially the aggressors for more than a century, and itself. They have, by this time, overcome the greatest diffi- their plain intention has been to acquire, at any cost and by culties in their path ; they are within a few marches of an any means, a mastery of Turkestan. In pursuit of that oasis abounding in luxuries unattainable on the steppe ; they deliberate policy, Khiva has simply been reserved to the last, require a new supply of provisions ; and under these circum- because its conquest presented the greatest difficulties. The stances, however extensive the Khan's offers may be, it new plan, developed so rapidly after the Crimean war, carried appears likely that the invaders will not halt until their their arms up the Jaxartes, then led them to connect several detached bodies are united south of Lake Aral, per. the newly-acquired territory with Western Siberia, next haps not until a portion have entered Khiva itself. But in brought them into Khokand, and subsequently across the that case, if the Khan has really sent Envoys with a carte- ridges which separate the Jaxartes from the Zerefshan blanche, the Russians will have afforded indisputable evidence valley, making them supreme in Bokhara. Then followed that their aim is not only reparation, but aggrandise- s comparative pause, during which Russian power was ment. They will have deliberately placed themselves augmented on the Eastern shore of the Caspian, as a in a position whence they say, by anticipation, retreat preliminary to the subjugation or subjection of Khiva. The is not consistent with dignity, and will have needlessly new movement was set on foot with more preparation than imperilled the fulfilment of the Czar's voluntary pledges. any other. Long discussions were held in St. Petersburg, and But if General Kaufmann should consider moderation to be the magnitude of the design drew all eyes upon the enterprise, the most suitable policy, and should refrain from the strong The pretexts put forward by the Emperor Alexander are not temptation to occupy the whole Khanate, there can be no essentially different from those proclaimed by Nicolas in 1837, doubt that the terms of peace will be sufficiently stringent. but these are of little moment. The truth is that Khiva is The Khan will be not only compelled to surrender slaves and independent in a region where, for ulterior purposes, Russia is sign a commercial treaty, providing a monopoly for Russian resolved to be sovereign, and there is no analogy whatever merchandise ; not only forced to permit free transit to and fro between our Abyssinian expedition and the present Russian throughout his dominions, and open the Oxus to Russian operations. We marched to Magdala to redress a wrong, and steamers ; not only be saddled with a heavy indemnity, but he not to aggrandise the empire. Russia has arrayed and set in will have to cede territory. It has long been foreseen that even motion a comparatively great force, not only to redress wrongs if Khiva be not annexed, the Russian Generals will take a to a great extent the fruit of her aggressions, but to advance material guarantee in the shape of land on the Lower Oxus
her boundaries and increase her influence, which shall serve as the site of a fort. In one Russian account The several expeditionary columns have been long on the we read that several heavy guns have been embarked upon road. They have been organised with marked care, and so the Aral flotilla, to arm a work already contemplated in distributed and directed as to secure the greatest facilities in the Delta. That such a new post will be one result passing the steppes, and distract the attention of a very weak of the expedition has long been obvious ; and it will foe. In order to throw a lustre over the Expedition, show its follow, as a matter of course, that communications will deliberate character, and signalise its importance in Russian have to be established, not only with the Jaxartes by way of eyes, no fewer than three Princes of the Imperial House rode Lake Aral—an easy task—but with the Eastern shore of the off with two of the columns. It is not to be supposed that Caspian, not so facile, but politically more important and the Khan of Khiva is more insensible than his neighbours to fruitful. Especially will the new post seek to link itself with demonstrations of power. He must have been informed, more the Attrek, and serve as the beginning of a movement up the or less correctly, of the vast arrangements made to overwhelm Oxus, and a new influence operating upon the people who him, and we may suppose that, in this case, distance and dwell in Merv. The main point to be kept in view is that the ignorance lent terror to the prospect. He must have heard present phase of Russian encroachment, coupled with the that the Russ were moving from Djizzak through the very rapid growth of power on the frontiers of Khorassan, consti- heart of the desert towards Lake Aral, that still other tutes another stage on the road to Persia, which is the visible troops were coming from the lower Jaxartes forts, that goal of Russian ambition. The Shah himself, even when ex- there were more advancing from Orenburg by the Emba, posed to the cajolery of the Russian Court, will not be likely that there was a stir upon the Mangishlak peninsula, and an to forget that he is less safe than he was before his insatiable array of unknown magnitude, but strong enough to control neighbour and host sat down on the very sill of his northern the Turcomans, gathered in the Attrek valley. If he relied dominions. As to English statesmen, it behoves them to on the snow for safety, he was probably informed that the consider where they will make a stand, how long they will enemy made light of the obstacles that frustrated Petroffski. accept profession in lieu of performance, when they will effec- The varying news would trickle in from all sides, and every tively resent the non-fulfilment of pledges. The responsibility day the obstinacy of the Khan would grow less. Finally, the is great, and the punishment for error or neglect will be great fact that no help would come from the English must have in proportion. to know what his great idea is to be, till he has had become known in Khiva ; and then the influence of those at least six weeks' reverie over " the archives of Downing who counselled resistance must have suffered a great depre- Street." ciation. Whatever the process of conversion may have been, it has resulted in a grave attempt to stave off actual invasion. THE REPORTED SUBMISSION OF KHIVA. The Khan's Envoys, who traversed the steppe without meeting THE Russian Expedition against the last independent the Russian column marching from the Jaxartes, carried with Khanate in Western Turkestan is threatened with an them a score of released slaves ; tolerably plain evidence _ unlooked-for termination. The Khan is said to have recoa of keen apprehension, at least, in the Khivan capital. nised that discretion is the better part of valour. He has put Moreover, they professed to be plenipotentiaries em- his Uzbeg pride in his pocket, and has sent Ambassadors into powered to sign, on behalf of the Khan, a Treaty embodying i Russian territory with full powers to conclude a peace on the in ts clauses all the Russian demands. But as General basis of Russian demands. We see no reason to doubt the Kaufmann was then on his way from Djizzak, the scene of the intelligence which has been made public. For the last twelve negotiations had to be transferred to his camp ; the operations, months at least there has been a desire to negotiate, which as a matter of necessity, were continued ; and the issue cannot has not hitherto been cordially welcomed by the Russians, be known until the Governor-General at the head of his corn- partly, perhaps, because they put no faith in Khivan sincerity ; bined columns has treated with the Envoys. The question now is what effect this interposition of nego- display their power ; and partly because they desired to exact tiators will produce. It may be sincere and really mean a submission as absolute as that of the Emir of Bokhara. It a very complete surrender. Whatever their motives, they made no serious effort to effect a settlement by peaceful may be a clumsy device to stop the columns in the steppe, and means, and attributed the failure to Khivan obstinacy, delay their movement into the Oxus valley until the summer which, of course, may be the true explanation. When heats make that low region a hot-bed of disease. Familiar as the Khan found war inevitable, he appealed for aid to he is with Asiatic wiles, General Kaufmann will still have to the Indian Viceroy, who gave him the sensible advice to behave alike warily and firmly, or he may find negotiation make the best terms he could with the Governor-General of more perilous than the desert, far more formidable than the
Turkestan ; nor could he have honestly given other counsel. Turcoman horse. Even if it should be manifest that Whatever may have been the provocations which for a long the Khan is playing an open game, looking to the series of years the Khivans had suffered at Russian hands, on parade of preparation, the presence of the Russian Princes, some points, and notably in the detention of Russian subjects the pains and labour already endured, it seems not improbable as slaves, the Khan was in the wrong ; but the Russians have that the Russians will still insist upon signing a peace in Khiva been essentially the aggressors for more than a century, and itself. They have, by this time, overcome the greatest diffi- their plain intention has been to acquire, at any cost and by culties in their path ; they are within a few marches of an any means, a mastery of Turkestan. In pursuit of that oasis abounding in luxuries unattainable on the steppe ; they deliberate policy, Khiva has simply been reserved to the last, require a new supply of provisions ; and under these circum- because its conquest presented the greatest difficulties. The stances, however extensive the Khan's offers may be, it new plan, developed so rapidly after the Crimean war, carried appears likely that the invaders will not halt until their their arms up the Jaxartes, then led them to connect several detached bodies are united south of Lake Aral, per. the newly-acquired territory with Western Siberia, next haps not until a portion have entered Khiva itself. But in brought them into Khokand, and subsequently across the that case, if the Khan has really sent Envoys with a carte- ridges which separate the Jaxartes from the Zerefshan blanche, the Russians will have afforded indisputable evidence valley, making them supreme in Bokhara. Then followed that their aim is not only reparation, but aggrandise- s comparative pause, during which Russian power was ment. They will have deliberately placed themselves augmented on the Eastern shore of the Caspian, as a in a position whence they say, by anticipation, retreat preliminary to the subjugation or subjection of Khiva. The is not consistent with dignity, and will have needlessly new movement was set on foot with more preparation than imperilled the fulfilment of the Czar's voluntary pledges. any other. Long discussions were held in St. Petersburg, and But if General Kaufmann should consider moderation to be the magnitude of the design drew all eyes upon the enterprise, the most suitable policy, and should refrain from the strong The pretexts put forward by the Emperor Alexander are not temptation to occupy the whole Khanate, there can be no essentially different from those proclaimed by Nicolas in 1837, doubt that the terms of peace will be sufficiently stringent. but these are of little moment. The truth is that Khiva is The Khan will be not only compelled to surrender slaves and independent in a region where, for ulterior purposes, Russia is sign a commercial treaty, providing a monopoly for Russian resolved to be sovereign, and there is no analogy whatever merchandise ; not only forced to permit free transit to and fro between our Abyssinian expedition and the present Russian throughout his dominions, and open the Oxus to Russian operations. We marched to Magdala to redress a wrong, and steamers ; not only be saddled with a heavy indemnity, but he not to aggrandise the empire. Russia has arrayed and set in will have to cede territory. It has long been foreseen that even motion a comparatively great force, not only to redress wrongs if Khiva be not annexed, the Russian Generals will take a to a great extent the fruit of her aggressions, but to advance material guarantee in the shape of land on the Lower Oxus
her boundaries and increase her influence, which shall serve as the site of a fort. In one Russian account The several expeditionary columns have been long on the we read that several heavy guns have been embarked upon road. They have been organised with marked care, and so the Aral flotilla, to arm a work already contemplated in
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