Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/112

92 ENGLAND AND RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA. service is rotten in its higlier branches, and that bureau- cracy is only another name for dishonesty and corrup- tion. The first symptom of an intention to proceed to extremities in this matter will be shown by an attack against the administration in Central Asia, which is rotten to the core. It is not thoroughly ascertained how far that corruption has impaired the value of the army in Turkestan, but it is known that that army costs a great deal more than it should. In 1873 the Russian army under General Kauf- mann's immediate orders numbered thirty-six thousand men. That was, however, before the war against Khiva, which resulted in the formation of a fresh district — the Amou Darya — along the banks of the Oxus. In this dependency of Kaufmann's there are several forts, notably those of Petro Alexandrovsk, JSTukus, Chimbai, etc., and the garrison may be com- puted, at a moderate estimate, at three thousand men. This number is considered sufficient to overawe Khiva, which is prevented from keeping an armed force by the terms of its treaty with Hussia. The larger and more important addition to the Central Asian army was caused by the despatch of large reinforcements to meet with the difficulties and dangers of the war in Khokand in the winter of 1875. Wheu, as the result of that war, the remaining independent portion of Khokand became Russian territory under the name of Ferghana, a large addition of troops was made to the existing garrison. This addition was absolutely ne- cessary, for the garrison duties of the army of Turkestan were almost doubled by the conquest of Ferghana.