3 JANUARY 1970, Page 18

A hundred years ago From the 'Spectator,' I January 1870—

The Russian Government is making a very important experiment. The Oxus now flows into the Sea at Aral. It once flowed into the Caspian, its old bed being still visible enough to be a feature in maps. If it could be brought back, the Russians would have an unbroken and im- pregnable water communication from the Baltic to the heart of Khiva. and with further im- provements to Balkh, would, in fact, be able to ship stores at Cronstadt for Central Asia, and send them without land carriage. The addition to their power would be enormous: for instance, they could send 10.000 riflemen almost to Afghanistan by water, and without any sound audible to the West,—and their engineers think it can be secured.