merous defertsl^ffipjaif^ m$y formerly have' been pore f^rtitc, at Icaft
-in pafturage. t .The gradual deffiscatio%ipIfferVed.ip ,the fouihprpiftepp«
, j£^ jSIheria, may warrant ithfe eonphffion that the Tills ■: and? plains*; ?<>&
.the north of the Cafpianand Aral, anciently prefented more eumgrpus
ftreams and richer verdure; However thishe thefe ^gioris have hepa
held‘by fucceflivc nations of high repute, from the Maflagetse of early
times to the Turks. Thefe laft imparted The name of Turkiftan,
having migrated from their habitations near the moumaiiM'-bf Bogdo>
adjoining tothofe of Altai, or tbpi mountains p f gold. In the* fiseth
centhry thefe Turks, a grand branch of the Tatars, or. Htihs;. had-already
fpread to tlie Cafpian ; while-Tie
in their original-feats. - They fooh after fuhdued the.pebpfe'^qg-r
diana, and the •Nephtbsdite?'. AfetGfrtait MBM#
Borant age White Huns. Agsi th^Tarks founded: their 6rft w e te a
fettlements in the regions now held by the Kirgufes,. they thence re-*
eeived the name of Turkiftan j the capital city beihg;DtEkr?, ■ and foipe-
tiines Tafaz, alfofealled Turkiffiuu- ^Erom.tEkxentre.df'tteinPppw.ej?
iffued thofe Turkifli armies, which halve .changed thegdeftinips ^f-fa
many nations. Little I Bncharia\:w«;;te^^'fEafteteJ?Tt«W^ -|^ili!^
fimilar caufe ; but appears to have been iirft fubdued by the Turks'of
'Cathay on the N. W. of China. | The Turks- and Huns „may bfi,c©£ir
fidered as one and the fame -Tataric race, totally unknown tonBufppe-
afls till the appearance of theilatter, who firft paffed the: ftepfri,; :ffeferts,
and mountains which had concealed them from Tlaffical obfervation tills
the fourth century. The Huns, who appeared abbut A. D. 375, by
their peculiar features impreffed the writers of' the time as a new andr
unknown race, having feemingly paffed in. one courfe of depredation
from Alia to Europe ; while the Gothic and'Slavonic nation's had. left
many of their fettlements vacant, in their progrefs into, the* Roman,
empire. But the Turks,; though originally the famepeople,|perhaps
warned by the fate.of them brethren, made a flow and gradual progrefs;
and appear to have been-mingled by marriages, and conquefts
with the Slavonic and Gothic tribes, on the N. and E. of the Cafpian,
Such was the origin, of the name of Turkiftan; from which the. Turks
fpread
fpread defolatioh over thd'Su'oft beautiful countries of'the eaft, and even
th#atened the ItBerfiitefedf Europe** T
. Before proceeding tp jC^qatjRycharia, it may be prqper briefly to de-
feribe tlie ©oun|ry --of ,Kh^.fdZIJIi.,which ieixtends .frQ^.ttjie, Gihon or
Am,uvtq »t-lje Cafpian.fcajt bpqnded,.oti the, N'. and>S.' by yide defeats,
the cjiieCtown being np>w Khiva,, but*. anqiqqtly t ^Ir,ffihetlz. This coan-r.
try jh.-pbwV.ffiif'? B. miles in length and breadth, and in the, time of.
Zingis was a powerful kingdom, but at that time included Corafan, and
a part of Great Bucharia. As. Ptolemy has: eqrifqunded the/teq^FFe ;.of
the riverq, and the appearance- of the. Cafpian, it is. difficult here.to trace
theprealipofitionSj -buti D’.AnviJile. fuppnfes thatjthis:,country was*the
GhorafihiTjof antiquity,^ and %e .fuppofes :Coirafaln,'fb have been the*ieat*
pffithe Parthiansf 4 In the tenth ken.tufyjEbn Haukai palls jthik country?
Rhuarezm, and'fays that the river Gih'Oti allows, into-the,lake of Khuasi
,re an , while heUerins the Cafpian thesdea *of.3£hozr.* Aa Ithat ,geographer*
had Tf^tebfi^ln* Great Bhqh&ri'a., there;iStfeafeiimo chnelude'
th'a tithe rrfcvdriGxQs-of* Gihori had, *111 alb-ages,! Its . chief qfflux into, the
fea of Arab; arid aMyiffent'-of? inferior branches’; in the manner 'of;a
d eft ap into' the^Ckfpian t-foT it is'thus clear that the aefeoun’ts'cq&ertliffg
tkeutitent change ’o&’itd eourfe! by'the*d3ibek6 are.errba®kisf;lnot to*
mmti®fihtk$4mpri)feabil$ty‘tftat» river, which
and iifediby fueh tfesahfi^fe of perpe-o
turil(hofv^ffioffid-bee©m& th*us ina3nficfeKffilps3i>|
. The .Ruffian: travellers ciivptoyedpby-the lafe ;.e,mprefs unhappily did.
not vifiti the eaftenp fhofcetof the CafpianyiGfeat-hnd Little'Bacharia,.and
theveduntry of: ihe^ hSal-attUrks->il»f .Shongaria. “ B. ut; aT feqheht caravans
pervade moft of thefe- regions, it is matter of furprife, as well as; of
regret, that no Etfilio^eah traveller' 'has explored - their 1 receffes, : and
-that'theiirt geography, remains1 in' fociniperreft' .a ,eouditioi.>!.j..; It Ipetns
inilubatable that; in: Ivltariz m : as Ipeihap'sWii.ii1 tnany parts ;of Ijerfia, >th e
dele its Have gr.e atly; Mcpelfed ;;i t and: if,they qiiActed.; from' thei d®pq#jpo-!
iitiph .of Inlls.iofffand fiope, fjthis^qgnfpquenq^.mull unairpidably fpllopr,-.
| He alifo. ipecuilly: names Corafan, '(ICiiorafan,1^°^) aiid' Vairi*jiiV,rea3ef tot^o. ivhw&rifr
it with Khuarezm.
Hl^-TORY.
K h a r izm .
Name.