rather surprised at the extent of its walls, which would imply that the place had been inhabited at a later period than the other ruined towns we had seen. Our party found pheasants very plentiful at Maruchak, and there was some good shooting there. From Maruchak to Karaul Khaneh, which was the ground of our next march, has not yet been repeopled, and the whole space is at present in the condition of a vast game preserve. The birds flew up in great numbers, and when the sportsmen came in, covering the ground with long rows of dead pheasants, the only complaint heard referred to the defieiency of cartridges. "After passing Maruchak, the hills change in their form; below that place they are undulating and rounded, but the curves have a very long radius. Above Maruchak they form small rounded knobs, with steep sides, all the way up to Bála Murgháb, to the south of which the geology entirely changes. The march from Maruchak to Karaoul Khaneh was on the right bank of the river. Towards the end of the march, we struck to the left, through a gorge formed by the steep sides of these mamelon hills, and came out again about a mile farther on. Karaoul Khaneh is the site of an old town; judging by the mounds, it had not been of great size. Here a valley comes in from the left, and, had the first idea of winter quarters beyond the Murgháb been carried out, we were to have moved in that direction. But a change had been made, and Bála Murgháb had been determined upon, so from Karaul Khaneh we marched, still on the right bank of the river, and came on here, arriving on Dec. 12." The above extracts, made from many independent sources, will not fail, I believe, to convey to the reader a tolerable idea of the nature of the country of Herát, and of the immense importance to England of the continued possession by Afghánistán of the border line conceded to it in 1872-the straight line between Sarakhs and Khoja Saleh. CHAPTER IX. THE ARMIES ON BOTH SIDES. As I write, this morning of the 25th of March, the air is full of rumours regarding a Russian advance on Herát. If they should prove true, it will devolve upon Peter Lumsden to play in 1885 the part which Eldred Pottinger played in 1838; to aid in the defence of the Pearl of Khorásán, until a British army can reach that city from the Pishin valley. In this view of the possibilities it is incumbent to glance, not only at the respective forces of the two nations, but at the distances which each must traverse before the battle ground can be reached. On the subject of the armaments of Russia the Daily New's appears to be singularly well-informed. In the issue of that paper of the 19th March appeared a statement of the numbers, composition, and distribution of the Russian. forces in Central Asia, so important as to draw to it the attention of every politician and every soldier. Inquiries I made in other quarters likely to be well-informed, have satisfied me that the statement is in all essential points correct. It is as follows: The army of the Caucasus has not recently executed any movement indicative of dismemberment, and is still in that part of the country with the following exceptions: 1. Battalions of light infantry formed in 1880, and since that time quartered in the Trans-Caspian provinces: 2. Cossacks. No. 1, at Krassnovodsk. No. 2, at Geok Tepé. Nos. 3, 5, 6, at Askabad. No. 4, at Tschikisjlar. Two regiments and two squadrons of Koubane Cossacks. 3. First Battalion of Railway Reserve. ARMY OF TURKISTAN. FIRST BRIGADE. Transferred to Taschkend, their habitual quarters, in the circumscription of Sir Daria. SECOND BRigade. Transferred from Samarkhand to Saravschan. ...Transferred from Kattibourgan to Saravschan Transferred from Samarkhand to Saravschan THIRD BRIGADE. Osch The 5th, 13th, and 17th Battalions do not form part of the above-named brigades. The 5th has been transferred from Petro Alexandrovski to the Amou Daria; the 13th from Marghellane to Ferghana. The 17th remains at Merv. Four battalions of light infantry are in garrison at Taschkend. 7th at Taschkend 8 nine-pounders. 8 light pieces. at Petro Alex androvski } 8 mountain guns, 3-pounders. at Samarkhand 8 mountain guns, 21. Besides these, there is a battery mounted with six mountain guns (three pounders) in garrison at Marghellane. FORTRESS ARTILLERY. 3 Companies at Perovski, Taschkend, and Samarkhand. ENGINEERS. Half a Battalion of Sappers} at Taschkend. I Detachment of Artisans IRREGULAR TROOPS. REGIMENTS OF ORENBURGH COSSACKS. No. 4. Squadrons 1, 2, and 4, at Alexandrovski; 3, at Koungrad. No. 5. Squadrons 1, 2, and 3, at Taschkend; 4, in Fort No. I. No. 6. Squadrons 1, 2, 3, and 4, at Marghellane. One battery of Mounted Cossacks is at Taschkend. REGIMENTS OF OURAL COSSACKS. No. 2. Squadrons 1, 2, 3, and 4, at Samarkhand. TROOPS FROM THE CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF OMSK. 3rd Batt., transferred from Djarkent Ist 2nd 4th Kaurakol Kopal -To Sémérétschinsk. Verni Verni Omsk to Akmollinsk. Garrison to Sémipalatinsk. At Tobolsk, Tomsk, Omsk, and Sémipalatinsk there are also four battalions of reserve with the cadres for five companies each. Besides these there are at Omsk another separate detachment and a military prison company. In several other towns and forts of Western Siberia there are altogether 44 separate detachments. FIELD ARTILLERY. 1st Battery at Verni ... 8 light pieces. Djarkend 8 light pieces. Kaurakol 8 mountain guns (3-pounders). Saisanski 8 pieces of small calibre and 2 mountain guns (3-pounders). FORTRESS ARTILLERY. One company at Verni. ENGINEERS. One company of Sappers at Omsk. IRREGULAR TROOPS. REGIMENTS OF SIBERIAN COSSACKS. No. 1. Squadron 2 at Ochonitchi, 3 at Kuldja, 5 at Koldschat, 1, 4, and 6 in Fort No. 4. |