Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/140

120 ENGLAND AND EUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA. For such reasons as these, it is in this place that we shall describe what some readers may think would have appeared more appropriately in the Appendix. The Russian frontier in Asia is drawn in a line from the frontiers of Manchooria along the Chinese do- minions to the Pamir ; it then actually passes to the Oxus, which it follows to Hazarasp in Khiva. Beyond this river it strikes, by the old bed of the Oxus, across Kara Kum to Kizil Arvat, whence it is traced by the Sumbur and Atrek rivers to the fort at Chikishlar. That is its actual frontier, but its nominal one, after leaving the Pamir, is drawn along the Zarafshan range, and by a vague line in Kizil Kum to Petro - Alexandre vsk in the Amou Darya district. Bokhara and Khiva are, as a matter of fact, Russian vassal States ; and just as we draw our Indian frontier beyond Cashmere, so Russia does hers at the Oxus. But although her frontier embraces Hissar, Bokhara, and Khiva, Russia as yet possesses only imperfect knowledge of those States, of the first more especially. For military purposes, then, the march of her armies would commence to be in a foreign and unknown country once the nominal frontier was crossed. In our review of all the known routes we will commence with that farthest to the east. In this quarter China holds exclusively the country which leads up to whatever gateways there may be to India north or east of Cashmere. In any expedition, therefore, in this direction China must be either a willing agent or coerced. For many reasons it may be safely assumed that she will not be the former.