Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/126

 TURKESTAN

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TURKESTAN

Yakub, son of Ismot IJlla,, born about 1820 at Pskeiit in the Khanate of Khokaud, taking advantage of the Mohammedan rebelHon of Kan-su, began a new straggle against the Chinese. Yakub, having taken Burzuk's place, subjugated Kashgar, Khotan, Aksu, and the other towns south of the T'ien-shan, thus creating a new empire; his capital was Yarkand, and there he received embassies from England in 1S70 and IS73 (Sir Douglas T. Forsyth) and from Russia in 1872 (Col. Baron Kaulbars).

To check the advance of Yakub to the west, the Russians who ha<l captured Tashkent (27 June, 1865) took possession of Hi, i. e. the north of the T'ien-shan, on 4 July, 1871. When the Chinese had quelled the Yun-nan rebellion after the surrender of Ta-li, they turned their annies against the Mohammedans of the north-west; the celebrated Tso Tsung-t'ang, Viceroy of Kan-su and Shen-si, had been appointed com- mander-in-chief; he captured Su-chau (Oct., 1873), Urumtsi, Tih-hwa, and Manas (16 Nov., 1876) when a wholesale massacre of the inhabitants took place; the Russian Governor of Turkestan, General Kauff- man, wrote a protest against these cruelties. The task of the Chinese was rendered easy bv the death of Yakub (29 May, 1877); Aksu (19 Oct., 1877), Yar- kand (21 Dec.), Kashgar (26 Dec), and at last Khotan (14 Jan., 1878) fell into theu- hands. The Chinese then turned to the Russians to have Hi, occupied temporarily, restored to them. Ch'ung-hou, sent as an ambassador to St. Petserburg, signed at Livadia in Oct., 1879, a treaty ceding to the Rassians a large portion of the contested territory including the Muz-Art Pass, giving them the privilege of selling their goods not only at T'ien-tsin and Han-kou but also at Kalgan, Kia-yu, Tang-shan, Si-ngan, and Hanchung; permission was also granted to the Rus- sians not only at Hi, Tarbagatai, Kashgar, and K'urun, but also at Kiayii-kwan, Kobdo, Uliasut'ai, Hami, Turfan, Urumtsi, and Kushteng. The treaty was strongly attacked by the censor, Chang Chi-tung, and Ch'ung-hou, tried by a high court, was sentenced to death. War between Russia and China very nearly broke out, but, thanks to the good offices of foreign powers, a new embassy sent to Russia with the Marquis Tseng arranged matters. A new treaty was signed at St. Petersburg, 12 (24) Feb., 1881, and Russia kept but the western part of the contested territory, restoring the Pass of Muz-Art and giving up some of the commercial privileges granted by the Livadia Treaty.

After the Mohammedan rebellion had been crushed, the territory was organized in 1878 and was called Sin-Kiang or New Dominion, the names Eastern Turkestan and Chinese Turkestan being also used; it is bounded on the north by Siberia, on the west by Russian Turkestan and India, on the south by Tibet, and on the east by Mongolia and the Chinese Province of Kan-su. Its area is ri'>0.579 square miles, with a population of 1,200,001) inhabitants scattered over this immense desert varying in altitude from 3000 to 4000 feet above the level of the sea and surrounded by mountains: in the south the Kwen-lun and its two branches, the Nan-shan and the Altyn-Tagh; in the west, the Karakoram, the Pamirs and the Trans- Altai; in the north by the T'ien-shan, north of which chain the country is called T'ien-shan Peh-lu or Sun- garia. and south of it T'ien-shan Nanlu or Kashgaria. The chief river of Chinese Turkestan is the Tarim or T'ali-mu-ho, about 1250 miles in length, resulting from the junction of the rivers or darias, watering Yarkand, Khotan etc.; finally the Tarim empties its waters into the Lob-Nor, now more of a marsh but a lake in ancient times. The principal passes to enter Sin-Kiang .ire the following: the Tash-Davan (Kwen-hm range), south of Ix)b-Nor; the Karakoram P.ass, road leading from Yarkand to Leh in Ladak; the Shishiklik Pa.ss, in the Pamirs; the Kyzil Art Pass,

in the Trans-Alai; the Muz-Art, road from Kuija t<j Aksu; the Terek-Davan, in the Western T'ien-shan; the Urumtsi Pass, in the Eastern T'ien-shan; the Talki Pass, to the north of the Hi Valle\.

Sin-kiang includes the following regions: Hami or Qomul or Pa Shan; the great Gobi Desert or Shamo, the largest portion of Turkestan, the south-west part of it IS the Takla-makan Desert; the region of oases (Khotan, Yarkand, Kashgar, Aksu, Uch-Turfan, Yangi-hissar) ; the Turfan region (Turfan, Karashar) ; Sungaria (Urumtsi, Kuch'eng); the Hi region (Kulja). Sin-Kiang is crossed by three main roads: (1) from Kan-su to Turfan, by Ngansi and Hami; (2) north from Urumtsi to Kulja, via Manas; (3) south from Tuifan to Kashgar, via Karashar, Kurla, Kucha, Aksu, Maralbashi; there is also a route from Kashgar to Lob-Nor, via Khotan, Kiria, Charchan, Lob-Nor, thence to Sha Chou; this is Marco Polo's itinerary. The New Dominion is divided into four Tao or Intendancies: Chen Ti Tao (Tih-hwa Fu), in 1908 Jung Pei was Tao-t'ai and judge; Aksu "Tao (Yenk'i Fu), Tao-t'ai vacant in 1908; Kashgar Tao (Sulofu), in 1910 Yuan Hung-yu was Tao-t'ai; and I T'a Tao (Ningyuanhien), in 1908 K'inghiu was Tao-t'ai. It in- cludes six Fu or Prefectures: Tih-hwa or Urumtsi, Yenki or Karashar, Su lo or Kashgar, Soch'e or Yarkand, Wensuh or Aksu, and Hi; two Chou, K'uch'e or Kucha, and Hwotien or Khotan; and eight T'ing: Yingkihshaeul or Yangi-hissar, Wushih or LTch-Turfan, K'ueulk'ohlah Wusa or Kurkara-usu, Chensi or Barkul, Hami or Qomul, T'ulufan or Tur- fan, Tsingho, and T'ahch'eng or Tarbagatai.

The administration of Sin-Kiang has at its head a Fu-t'ai (in 1908, Lien K'uei), who resides at Urumtsi and is deputed by the Shen-Kan Tsung-tu (Viceroy of Kan-su and Shen-si) whose seat is at Lan-chou, Kan-su; the treasurer, Fan-t'ai (in 1908, Wang Shu- nan), who resides at Urumtsi (Tih-hwa); as well as the judge, Nieh-t'ai, who is also the Tao-t'ai of the circuit. ThefourTao-t'ai have been mentioned. There are three Tsung Pmg (brigade generals) at Aksu (Yenk'i), Palik'un (Barkul), and Hi. The Banner Organization includes: at Hi, a Tsiangktin (Tatar general), a Futut'ung (deputy military lieut. gov- ernor), a Ts'an Tsan "Ta Ch'en (mihtary assistant governor), and the Ling Tui Ta Ch'en (commandants of forces) of Solun, Oalot, Chahar, Sibe; at Tarbaga- tai, a F^utut'ung, and Ts'an Tsan Ta Ch'en; at Uliasut'ai, a Tsiang Kiin and two Ts'an Tsan Ta Ch'en; at Urga, a Panshi Ta Ch'en (commissioner) and a Pangpan 'Ta Ch'en (assistant commissioner); at Kobdo, a Ts'an Tsan "Ta Ch'en and a Panshi Ta Ch'en; and at Si ning, a Panshi Ta Ch'en.

Mission. — The Hi country is a part of the second ecclesiastical region of China; it was constituted as a distinct mission (Hi or Sin-Kiang mission) at the ex- pense of the Vicariate Apostolic of Kan-su by a decree of 1 October, 1888; it is placed under the care of the Belgian missionaries (Cong. Imm. Cord. B. M.V. de Scheutveld) with Jean-Baptiste Steeneman as their superior. The mission includes five European priests and 300 Christians.

II. Russian TrRKEST.\N. — Russian Central Asia inchides the two khanates under Russian protection, Bokhara and Khiva, and the Turkestan legion with its five provinces: Syr Daria, Samarkand, Ferghana, Semirechensk, and Transcaspian; it extends from the Casjiian Sea to China, and from Siberia to Persia and Afghanistan, with an area of 721,277 square miles for Turkestan and 63,012 square miles for the Khanates. To the east, towards China, the country is mountainous and contains numerous lakes, Balkash, Issyk-kul, etc.; to the west, it is a large plain with desiccated lakes, watered by the two large rivers, Amu Daria and Syr Daria which run into the .\ral Sea. The conquest of this region began in 1867 with the annexation of the country south of Lake Balkash, and