. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. n cannot increase without an increase of water for irriga-tion, and instead of more there is growing steadily less. For theKopet Dagh Mountains, which rise above Askhabad, and are thegreat source of water supply, are gradually wearing aw^ay. Agesago there was eternal snow upon them; now^ they are nowheremore than 9,000 feet high. The explanation is that they are ofclayey substance. In summer the great heat calcines this clay to 276 ALL THE RUSSIAS powder, then the rains com
. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. n cannot increase without an increase of water for irriga-tion, and instead of more there is growing steadily less. For theKopet Dagh Mountains, which rise above Askhabad, and are thegreat source of water supply, are gradually wearing aw^ay. Agesago there was eternal snow upon them; now^ they are nowheremore than 9,000 feet high. The explanation is that they are ofclayey substance. In summer the great heat calcines this clay to 276 ALL THE RUSSIAS powder, then the rains come and wash it away. Hence thefecundating power of the rivers, but hence also their ultimatedisappearance. A geographical authority has said of this wholeregion that both glaciers and rivers continue to lose volume;the lakes are shrinking and the extremes of temperature becomemore marked, while the sands of the desert are steadily encroach-ing on the cultivated zones. A well was recently sunk threemiles from the mountains to a depth of seven hundred metreswithout striking water. The truth is that this water question,. A Cossack Patrol in Tashkent. vital to the prosperity and indeed to the existence of Trans-Caspia, is in the last analysis a political issue—a peculiarly in-teresting example of the forces underlying diplomacy andnational ambitions. For the water-basin of this part of Trans-Caspia is in Persia, and the Amir of Afghanistan controls, inthe River Murghab, the water supply of the great Merv oasisand other districts. Therefore if these possessions of Russiaare ever to regain their ancient wealth, when Merv, for instance,was really Queen of the World, Russia must rule in Persia ADMINISTRATION IN CENTRAL ASIA 277 and Afghanistan. Northern Persia—the province of Khorassan—is probably at her mercy, to seize whenever an opportunityor an excuse presents itself, but Afghanistan is quite anothermatter, for the British fleet blocks the way thither. Thus thecotton crop of C
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjecttolstoy, bookyear1902
