Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/840

 820 KHIVA The chief seat of manufacture as well as of trade is Odessa. II. A city, capital of the gov- ernment, situated at the bead of the embou- chure of the Dnieper, 50 m. E. of the Black Kherson. sea, and 90 m. E. by N. of Odessa; pop. in 1867, 45,926. It is divided into four quarters, and is the seat of the provincial government and of several learned institutions. Kherson was founded in 1778 by Potemkin, whose tomb is in the cathedral, and was destined by Catha- rine II. to become the southern St. Petersburg of the empire. But the bad climate of the town has proved unfavorable to its growth, and the vicinity of Odessa has still more con- tributed to reduce its importance. The im- perial dockyards have been removed to Niko- layev. The small amount of trade of the town is almost entirely in the hands of the Greeks. John Howard the philanthropist died in Kher- son, and a monument was dedicated to his honor by Alexander I. KHIVA. I. A khanate of Independent Tur- kistan, central Asia, between lat. 36 and 44 N., and Ion. 51 and 62 30' E., bounded N. W. and N. by Russia, N. E. and E. by Bokhara, 8. by Afghanistan and Persia, and W. by the Caspian sea; area, about 30,000 sq. m. ; pop. estimated at 1,500,000. The Bokharian-Rus- sian boundary under the recent treaty (the czar having ceded the territories occupied E. of the river to the khan of Bokhara) follows the Amoo Darya (Oxus) from Kukertli to the junction of the westernmost branch, which it follows to the Aral sea; and from Cape Urgu, on the latter, the line continues along the E. slope of the Ust-Urt plateau and the so-called old bed of the Oxus to the Caspian. The whole of Khiva is supposed to have been at some time the bed of an immense shallow inland sea, of which only the Caspian and Aral remain. It is now a level expanse of plain alternating between sand and gravel, in which only the hardiest of plants can flourish, and which is relieved in spots by low, barren, slaty moun- tains. In the middle of this desert is the oasis of Khiva, which has a length of about 200 m., with an average width of 75 m., and contains a pop- ulation of nearly 1,000,000. The Amoo Darya is con- nected with this oasis by a large number of canals, partly formed by the river itself, and partly artificial, and covering the whole land under cultivation as with a net. The climate of the oasis of Khiva is va- riable. The greatest cold is in December, when the Amoo and the sea of Aral are usually covered with ice. Frosts continue till April, and then the heat increases so rapidly as to become insupportable in June. In October night frosts set in again. Vam- bery speaks in the most enthusiastic terms of the fertility of the abundantly watered soil, and of the admirable quality of its fruits and vegetables, especially apples, peaches, pome- granates, and the incomparable melons. The other principal products are corn, rice, cot- ton, and ruyan, a kind of root prized for the red dye extracted from it. The finest silk comes from Shah-Abat and Yeni TTrgenj. Sheep, goats, horses, asses, and camels are raised in large numbers. The principal manu- factures are articles in brass, earthenware, woollen goods, silk, and linen. Trade is chiefly carried on with Russia. Caravans consisting of nearly 2,000 camels go to Orenburg in the spring and to Astrakhan in the fall, and bring back cast-iron vessels, chintz (a favorite orna- ment of the women), fine muslin, calico, sugar, guns, and fancy goods. There is a great ex- port trade in fish, but the Russians have their own fisheries on the sea of Aral. With Persia and Afghanistan the trade is small, as the routes are occupied by the Turkomans. "With Bokhara they exchange woollen gowns and linen for teas, spices, paper, and fancy goods. From Astrabad they obtain boxwood and naphtha. The khanate is peopled by Uzbecks, Turkomans, Kirghiz, Sarts (or Tajiks), and Persians. The Uzbecks, the predominant race, live in settled villages and towns, and are mostly engaged in agriculture. They are fond of music and poetry, mimic battles, wrestling, and horse races. The Turkomans are repre- sented mainly by the Yomuts, who inhabit the borders of the desert from Kunya Urgenj to Gazavat. There are now very few Kirghiz. The Sarts are the ancient Persian population of Khiva, and though they have lived five cen- turies together, very few marriages have taken