Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/113

93 ELTSSIA's MILITAEY STRENGTH IN CENTRAL ASIA. 93 The correctness of this assertion can easily be ganged by enumerating the fresh towns that had to receive a Eussian garrison. These were Khokand, Namangan, Andijan, Margilan, Osh, and several other smaller and less known places. It also brought Russia into closer proximity with Kashgar, and one of the direct results of this conquest was that it opened up a road for Eussian enterprise in Karategin and the neighbouring petty khanates, as well as on the Pamir. The natural consequence of Russia's annexation of Ferghana has been that her frontier, by some mysterious process, has embraced the northern half of the Pamir, including^ the Kara Kul lake, whence there are tracks followed by the Kirghiz, if not actual roads, which lead due east into Kashgar. A trustworthy semi-official statement* gave the Eussian forces in Turkestan and Semiretchinsk at fifty- five thousand men. It is not clear whether the Amou Darya garrison was included in this force. It may be assumed, however, that it was ; as it is improbable that a greater addition than twenty thousand men in all has been made to Kaufmann's army since 1873. The garrison of Semiretchinsk, including Priilinsk (Kuldja), but excluding JSTaryn, is under ten thousand men, which leaves a force of forty thousand men under the im- mediate command of the Grover nor- General. Under anything like the present circumstances, when it is im- possible to predict the moment at which a rupture may gave much higher numbers.
 * An article in the " Journal des Debats " in the summer of 1878