'The Russians in Akhal' [‎29v] (10/68)

10
the completion of the work in the country of the
Turcomans and along the North-eastern borders of
Persia, which had been so frequently commence
and never brought to any issue.
In the autumn of the year 1869, a force was
landed at Krasnovodsk* under CoionelStolctof,
with a view to operations against Khiva in the
^ After feeling his way into the Balkhan mmmtain^
Colonel Stoletof moved the Russian camp to T
Arvat Kala, communicating with Mollah-Kan 01
Michael Bay where greater facility was offeree
for the landing of troops and stores from the
Ca The U s S emi-official “Russian Military Journal''
openly declared the motives by which the Russian
Government, having deferred for 10 years the oc
cupation of the East coast of the Caspian, was actu
ated in carrying out the design in the year 1869. The
explanation ran as followsThe occupation of a
«< site in Balkhan Bay, recommended in 1859, was
“ suspended for various political reasons. But m
ce the year 1869, the Amir of Afghanistan gamed
« fresh strength through the conclusion of a treaty oj
« alliance with England, receiving the while an
“ annual subsidy from Great Britain, . . . and there
“ was the prospect of a coalition against us ot the
“ Central Asiatic States with the Kirghizes dis
affected to our rule; it was therefore determined
« to adopt energetic measures in anticipation ot a
« necessity arising to defend our position m Centra
“ Asia against the combined operation of those
“ Bulers whom, up to that time, we had subduen
one bv one.J .
«« The state of political affairs, which until then
.. had prevented the execution of the^ design, was
“ then at last very favourable ; Persia, who had
a eve r feared the consequences of our rule on the
“ East coast of the Caspian, could not but recog-
“ nize it as a fact that our establishment on the
« East coast was essential to the tranquillizing ol
“ our nomad subjects, and to the security of our
c< Central Asian possessions; at the same time
« the consolidation of the power of Afghanistan
« CO uld not possibly be consistent with her interests.
It is impossible to lay too much stress on these
naive confessions. , . . ,
<« Xu accordance with this view, the semi-official
organ proceeded to say, <e His Imperial Majesty
** approved the recommendation of the Commander-
« i n _Chief of the Army in the Caucasus, to land a
<c force at Krasnovodsk under the command of
« Colonel (now General, and late Russian Envoy to
« Cabul) Stoletof, an officer who was acquainted
“ with oriental languages, who had served under
44 the Governor General of Turkestan and who had
“ travelled through some parts of Afghanistan and
** Persia.**
Russian official writers have subsequently affirmed
that prior to the year 1873 the Anglo-Indian
1859.
1869.
* First brought to notice of Government
in Abstracts Nos. XXL, XV III., XXII. for
1869, and XXXIX. for 1870.
t It was well known that the plan of a
Khivan campaign was at that time to have
been carried out, the appointment of General
Heymann to the command of the expeditionary
force having already been made in the winter
of 1869.—Abstract, No. XVIII., 1870.
This expedition, for unknown reasons, \yas
not undertaken until the year 1873, at which
time it was believed in Russia that the Englis
Cabinet were fully reconciled to the intended
stroke, and were not expected, on the strength
of Count Shuvalof s protestations and ot Lord
Northbrook’s advice to the Amir of Cabul in
respect of the Tekes, to raise any objections or
embarrassing formal discussion on the sub
ject.
“ Russian Military Journal,” March 1872.
« The Krasnovodsk detachment in 1869
and 1870.
<<
<<
+ u Rriuce Gorchakoff said that the pro
posed establishment in the Bay of Krasno
vodsk would be merely a factory An East India Company trading post. which would,
however, of course require to be protected by
a small armed force, but it would be wrong
to call it a fort. He said, its object would
be entirely commercial.”
Sir Andrew Buchanan to Earl Clarendon,
1st November 1869.
Parliamentary Papers, Central Asia, No. 2,
1873.
UU. March 1872, pp. 45,
46.
F a
Strelbitzki, “Russia’s Territorial Acqui-
“ sitions during the reign of Alexander II.”
1881.