NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THROUGHOUT the week the public have been kept in suspense
respecting the fate of Khiva. LastTuesclay the Daily Telegraph positively announced the fall of that city, the important news having reached that journal by courier and the electric wire. So far no official confirmation of the report has been received, but telegrams from the Times' Calcutta correspondent contain state- ments which favour its correctness. One, and the more weighty, is that "the Russians have occupied Oorgung," the town of that name about thirty miles from Khiva being the one pro- bably meant. The arguments in favour of the earlier and decisive news are, first, that it is positive ; next, that it is sup- ported by the equally positive statement that Oorgung has been -occupied, and finally, by the reasonable calculations which brought the march of General Kaufmann's columns up to Khiva early in May. In addition, it may be stated that the Moscow Gazette named the Eastern detachments as those specially directed upon the capital, and looked for a speedy issue after the two columns had effected their junction. There is, therefore, fair ground for believing that the reported reduction of Khiva, although it has reached us in anticipation of the official news, may be authentic. But it is not easy to believe that Russia would still be in ignorance of her triumph.
