England and Russia in Central Asia

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879 edition. Excerpt: ... A French Opinion Upon England And Russia In Central Asia. The "Journal des Debats," in a long and exhaustive article published during the spring of 1878, from which it would appear that the eventuality of a Russian campaign against our Indian empire is one of the most improbable, if not impossible, undertakings that could well be imagined, notwithstanding the enormous numerical strength which Russia is supposed to possess in her army, gave the following account of the present positions and numbers of the Russian forces in Asia: --"The Russian army in Asia is divided into four parts, corresponding to the administrative divisions of the country--namely, those of the Caucasus, Orenburg, Turkestan, and Fergana, leaving out of the calculation the troops disseminated in the various governments of Siberia, which, in consequence of the distance, disposition of the country, and the smallness of their effective, could not take part in any operation. The army of the Caucasus on a war footing at the outset of the recent war numbered one hundred and fifty-five thousand three hundred and ninety-nine regulars, and forty thousand nine hundred and thirtytwo irregulars. The field artillery amounted to three hundred and forty-four guns. The army of Orenburg numbered, in both regular and irregular troops, about eighty thousand men with sixteen guns. That of Turkestan, about fifty-two thousand men and sixtyfour guns. To these may be added between three and four thousand sailors on the Caspian and Aral seas. We thus get a total of two hundred and sixty-four thousand, with four hundred and twenty guns. The troops occupying Khiva and Fergana are not comprised in these figures, as there are no official documents showing their number, but, taking them...