very amicable.
Russian caravans, which were always welcome during the progress of the
war at Manas, Karakaru, and Urumtsi, are now no longer greeted with the
same cordiality, and the Chinese are evincing an intention to close
their frontier to Russians. Few caravans, the _Tashkent Gazette_ informs
us, now care to leave Kuldja for the territory occupied by the Chinese
army; and slowly, but none the less surely, is the old alliance between
Russia and China departing to join the things that were, but are not.
But, although so much is clear, it is almost impossible to predicate the
future course of the Kuldja question. It is not probable that Tso Tsung
Tang will openly attack the Russians, yet his hand may be forced by the
home authorities, and he may be left no alternative between that and the
abandonment of his enterprise. It must be always remembered that
Russia's best weapon is intrigue at Pekin, and a skilful envoy might so
far manipulate the rivalry between Tso and Li Hung Chang as to induce
the latter to paralyze the ambition of the former by withholding
supplies and reinforcements from the army of Central Asia. So
unpatriotic a course would, we believe, be hateful to Li Hung Chang, and
it, certainly, would be attended with great danger, sure to recoil upon
his guilty head, if for a personal rivalry he debased himself so far as
to become the tool of his country's foe. But yet it is in vain to deny
that there is danger to the preservation of China's most cherished
interests in the rivalry of some of her chief statesmen. The Kuldja
question, which scarcely admits of peaceful solution in Central Asia,
might be solved in the palace at Pekin more easily and more effectually
than by a campaign on a large scale in Jungaria and Turkestan; and there
is a possibility that Russia may by this means seek to nullify the
danger from Tso Tsung Tang, and to stultify the recent Chinese
successes. It is very doubtful whether they would succeed, for Chinese
opinion runs high upon the topic, and the Mantchoo caste is united in
its support of its member Tso Tsung Tang. Even if they did, it would
only be shelving the Kuldja question, for so long as the Chinese remain
in Kashgaria, and at Manas and Karakaru, they must regard the presence
of Russia in Kuldja as a slight to themselves, as well as a menace to
their line of communications.

But every probability is against their succeeding. Li Hung Chang's
position is not so secure that he can