‘The strategic importance of the Euphrates valley railway’ [‎34] (115/204)

( 34 )
kand. To put the new proposal into execution, it
became necessary to take forcible possession of
Aulia Ata, the town of Turkistan, and Shemkand.
Troops were, therefore, again put in requisition, and
the end achieved. The despatches mention that at
Aulia Ata the enemy's loss was not known, but that
the inhabitants buried 307 bodies, and there were
390 wounded Khokandians; the Russians themselves
having only three men slightly wounded, and one
officer and one man bruised. On the two other
occasions the Russians lost, in all, one officer and
ten men killed; but there is no mention made of
casualties on the other side.
The immediate consequence of these strong
measures was the publication of a circular mani
festo addressed to the Embassies and Legations of
H.I. Majesty at foreign courts, and couched in the
most conciliatory and moderate language, explain
ing how the force of circumstances rather than the
exercise of free will had brought about the results
above described, and the formation of a new
province aptly designated Russian Turkistan.
I will not attempt any long or detailed account
of subsequent operations. A glance at the map
will show that the line taken up and declared eight
years ago has been further extended to the south,
and, to repeat Captain Trench's appropriate expres
sion, a " wedge " driven in, which, whatever its
nature or purport, can hardly imply permanence or