Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/104

84 84 ENGLAND AND RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA. Waliabeeism is only scotclied and not killed. Russia's tolerance in religious matters lias, therefore, had a practical result. It has enabled her to keep races, naturally turbulent, in a state of tranquillity ; and it has given her some claim to general consideration in Central Asia. At the present moment, mainly through this wise indifference* in religion, the relations of Russia and her Central Asian subjects must be charac- terised as friendly and harmonious. It would be wrong to leave out of sight that there are reasons why these should not always remain so. There are political factors as well as religious in the internal development of the Central Asian Question. There are deposed rulers, and exiled princes ; power- ful military castes which have lost their privileges and their supremacy ; large nomadic confederacies which have been deprived of their freedom ; and an adminis- trative hierarchy which has been ousted from that career which lay open to it in the time of the old khans. All these discordant elements are present. No religious toleration will suffice to remove them, and until they are removed Russia's relations with her subjects in Central Asia cannot be held to be otherwise than insecure and uncertain. Russia's domination rests on the claim given it by the sword alone, and it will have to be maintained by that means, and no other. to Eussia missionaries who had come to Tashkent with propa- gandist intentions.
 * Mr. Scliuyler mentions that General Kaufmann had sent back