Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

. HAP. LXXIX ENVELOPMENT OF PERSIA 459
despatched on an exploring expedition with the consent
of the Khan, but his death changed the entire position,
and the Russian expedition was attacked by
his successor
and annihilated. No steps were taken to retrieve this
disaster.
During the years which followed Russia
gradually absorbed the Kirghiz, the " Middle Horde "
submitting in 1702, and Orenburg was fortified as a base
for subsequent operations. During the latter half of the
eighteenth century the Russian advance was almost entirely
stopped. In the nineteenth century Russia resumed her
forward policy, and in 1822 she incorporated the "Little
Horde " in the Orenburg government. The suspicions
of Khiva and Bokhara were fully aroused by these
acts^The position of Russia in 1838-1839, just before the
great advance began, was as follows. To the west of the
Caspian Sea the Caucasus was still unsubdued, and more
than one hundred thousand Russian soldiers were besieging
what was aptly termed " the greatest
fortress in the
world." In Central Asia, with which we are more
immediately concerned, the Russian boundary ran up the
Ural River to Orenburg and thence to Troitzka. From
this centre it was drawn to Petro-pavlovsk, and so on
to Omsk and Semipalatinsk on the Chinese frontier.
The First Khivan Expedition, 1839-1840. The first
movement southwards was made against
the state of
Khiya. This expedition was undertaken partly
as a reply
to the British occupation of Afghanistan, but it was
justified on other grounds. For many years the Uzbegs
had constantly attacked Russian outposts, plundered
the
property of Russian subjects, and held a large
number of
Muscovites in slavery.
Count Perovski, the Governor of Orenburg, commanded
a column consisting of 3000 infantry, 2000
Cossacks, and twenty-two guns.
In November, 1839, he
started ofF on the long march of some nine hundred miles.
Every arrangement had been made to supply the troops
with all necessaries, and, if anything, the transport column
was too large. Exceptional cold killed off the camels by
hundreds, the horses were unable to find food in the