Journal of the Society of Arts : Volume XLVIII, No. 2480 [‎678v] (6/24)

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JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS.
[June i, 1900.
take a deeper interest. After that he had a long and
very interesting experience in South Africa, being the
first Administrator of Mashonaland. Since then he
had published a series of remarkable books, of which
the first described his journey between Upper Burmah
and the basin of the Yangtse. He had again visited
China, and travelled extensively in the far East and
in the Russian dominions, which were so rapidly
increasing. He had, therefore, seen more of Asia
than most Englishmen, and had enjoyed exceptional
opportunities of forming an opinion on Asiatic
questions, so that no doubt the paper would be of the
most interesting description.
The paper read was—
RUSSIAN CENTRAL ASIA: COUNTRIES
AND PEOPLES.
By Archirald R. Colquhoun.
No attempt is made, in the following' paper,
to deal with the political problems which arise
from the presence of the Russians in Central
Asia, a territory hitherto abandoned to the
many tribes and peoples, some wild and un
civilised, who have inhabited the land for
generations. Many of these native states were
rich and prosperous, and, although Oriental,
highly organised ; others were mere con
geries of nomad families. All present features
of great interest and novelty. Of the steady
progress of Russia east and southwards 1 have
spoken elsewhere, I propose to-night to give
a brief account of some of the people she has
encountered in this progress and the countries
which have come under her Hag during the
last half century. The variety of races, the
differing conditions both of climate and geo
graphy which are found in these countries and
peoples are not only interesting in themselves,
but, when we reflect that they are already
practically consolidated into well organised
Russian provinces, afford an excellent illustra
tion of the tenacity of purpose characteristic of
the Slav race, and also of their power of
assimilation. Their success in this direction
must be largely attributed to the fact that they
are themselves partly Oriental, and so akin to
the people they have conquered.
The territory described as Central Asia
is bounded by Siberia on the north, by
the Chinese Empire on the east and south
east, Afghanistan and Persia on the south,
and on the west by the Caspian Sea and
European Russia. It originally consisted
of three kingdoms, known as the Central
Asian Khanates of Bokhara, Khokand, and
Khiva, of the Khirgiz Steppes, the half desert
country of the Tekkes, the oasis of Merv, and
the districts of Kuldja, Eerghana, Zarafshan,
and the Pamirs. These are now, roughly speak
ing, divided into the provinces of Orenburgh
in the north (including a large slice of
Siberia), Turkestan and East Turkestan central
and east, and Transcaspia on the west.
Bokhara retains its native ruler and form of
government, but is under Russian suzerainty.
The climate of Central Asia varies con
siderably from north to south, and may
be roughly divided into three zones. The
northern zone extends as far south as latitude
45 0 , and includes the lower course of the Syr
Daria to Fort No. 2 , and the lower course
of the Hi. The climate in this zone is what
is known as “continental,” with very hot
summers and very cold winters. Snow re
mains on the ground for about three months,
while the summer is extremely hot, and lasts
from four to five months. The central zone
includes the towns of Perovsky, Turkestan,
Aulieata, and Vierny, with the middle course
of the Syr Daria and a large portion of the
Kyzyl Kum sands. Here the winter may be
compared to that of Central Germany, while
at Vierny grapes ripen, though not so well
as further south. The southern zone is tropi
cal, and includes Kuldja, besides those towns
which lie either in the same latitude or south
of Tashkent. Kuldja owes its comparatively
high temperature to its sheltered position,
being surrounded by high mountains, which
protect it from the north-easterly winds so
prevalent in the rest of the central zone.
Fruits of a delicate nature flourish—peaches,
apricots, pomegranates, and grapes. The
winter, though cold, is short, snow seldom
remaining on the ground for longer than a
month. There is, however, a great deal of
rain, the rainy season lasting from about March
till October.
I he district of Hodjent, acquired by Russia
in 1874 , lies south of Tashkent, and with
the valley of Zarafshan is the most fertile
part of Central Asia, and was for some time
a disputed point between Bokhara and Kho
kand. The country here is better wooded
than most parts of Central Asia, and also
better watered ; everywhere one sees the beau
tiful gardens which are the joy and pride of
all dwellers in Central Asian towns. These
gardens surround most of the cities, and arc
often used as summer residences, the Russians
even having adopted the fashion, and camping
out in roomy tents and pavilions during the
hot months. Peach, cherry, and apple trees