The Russians In Central Asia

liusoiii and Englftüd uro aguin turning thi'ir eje towards central Asia. ín loss troubled timng than at present every power in Euiope would hare insistcd upon exchanging diplomatic notos wilh the liussiun government, as tho European eqoilibrium is direotly counccted with this important qnestion. Two great powcrs uro striving to liold prtponderance in Asia, liussia, faitht'ul to the truditions of l'cter the Great, is oontinuiag to iuarch towards tho south; Kugland, mistress of India, is advanciug towards the north. These two great üowers aro to meet one day, perhapa with a shock ; and this continguncy, drawing nearer every day, is íull of complications for Europoan politios. ïor more than thirty ycars, a small country, the Khanat of Khiva, fertile oasis, plantod in tho middlo of tho desort, has been the aini of both England and liussia. Now, ltussia is at tho evo of beginning au expedition against IChiva Allow iuo a few words on this country. I havo already said that the Khanat o Khiva is an OMÍi; tlie population o which doea not amount to moro than üüO.CüO iuhabitants. A sedentary por tion of these inhabitants aro called the Euzbcis, and are tho land ownors ; whils those who transaet business are called th_ Sart. The Khanat liad formerly sovoral im portant eities, whera soaiü schools hac gained a great renown. Zaniakhchari the most learned Arabian lexieographei and tho well known Dr. Avioenna wcro both professors in the Univorsities o: Kharizon. Nothing remains now-a-day of those brilliaut traditions. The ilungo invasión has carried all away, introduc iug in this uuhappy couutry disorder anc barbarity. ïho actual drnasty, holding the throuo, has nierely maintained itsel in power since the beginning of this oen tui y, at tho oost of contiuual struggles. In such a condition Khiva cannot kee on friendly terms with its noighbors Mistress of a portion of Centrat Asia Itussia has always cousidered that tho in dependenco of Khiva was a disgraco to her, a threat, more, a peril. Besides thoe is no doubt that European eouimorce that is to say the Eussian coiumerce, i hiadered by the detestable adiuinistration of KIn va. Kussia has decided to settle th matter. Khiva can pat forth an army of abou 25,000 men - aruiy without any discipline and having incompetent olïicors. Cer taiuly this army cannot stand long Khiva's real proteotion is the desert whiol surrouuds it; this is therefore tlie only serious obstado with which tüo Bussian arniy will have to contciid. When first the question was proposed to tho English government by Count Shour alof, Mv. (Jladstone did not boliove in it and tberetbre did not attach ïnuuh im portanco to the diplomatic notes forward ed proviously to him by tho liussian gov ernmtiiit. Nevertheless when tho ques tion was taken in hand by tho Gladstono Cabinet, the Cabinct of St. Pegersbur had to make some concessions ; but truly has maintaiiied the right of parttuiag it Asiatic policy. AV hen the Ilussian3 will havo enterec Khiva, vu will see tchen or on what con dilions the)' wül leavo it. It will be the surest coinnifintary on tho ncgoüation v. iiu-Ji báve recently taken placo betwoei tho Cabinot of St Potersburg and that oí St. Jumos. AL!', ir. TlIK office of tho Detroit Tribune iva burned at au early liour on Suada; morning last. The origin of tha firo i not certaiuly knowu, but it probabl; took over the boiler. Presses, type, fur nitura, books, files, everythinjj was destroyod, except tbe new four cylindcr press whioh was iu au adjoining building on tho wost. Tho offices of tho Michigan Farmer and Commercial Alverliser were in the samo building and wero coinpluto ly olöaaod out by tho fii'e. Tho Ciilver Lithogrivphiug Companyulsooccupied the third floor of the rear building, , und tho Company was a hoavy loser. The Trib une of' ilonday morning - issucd froin the oöioe of tho l'ree Press - suais up the loss es as follows : Loss. htmrtmct The Tribune Company, $35,000 625,000 J. E. & V. A. Soripps, Job aiiil Book Booms, ir,000 13,000 Mioliigan Farmer, G,;VOi) l,()0t R. F. Jolmstoue, 4,000 Commercial Adverfiser, 7.000 2,00( Calveit Litho?raptling Co., 40,000 10,000 EJvrard Wltintau, 1,500 Juátice Xrcykc, aud others, 2,000 Total, 9112,000 SJl.OOü The Tribune annonnces that it will be " at homo " in a few days, thü oíd office "being put in order and a new outfit promptly ordored. lts eutorpriso desorves succoss. Arrangoments havo also beon made for tho early reissuo of the Commercial Adverliesr and Michigan Farmsr, and the Lithograpumg Company has itlready rcsumsid business. - Does n't the Tribune err in putting the dato of a furmer burning out of that establishment, Ju.nuu.ry 2J, 18.38 'i Both our niemory and our ules say about a ycar latjr, or December Olst, lSi. The Senate of this Stata Las ordercd 500 extra copies oí' the manual printed for distribution among its niombers, the coat of which will bo aboitt $1,2jO to tliuir constituents- tho tai-payora of tho State. That this pdoayutte plunder of tho treasury is wholly unauthorized by tho constitution and in absolute violation of it is provecí by the following' clauso quotod froni art. V., sec. la : " Each member shall bo entitled to one co-py of the laws, journals, and doeumonts of the Legislature of whioh ho was a membor, but shall not ixjecive,at tho expense of the State, books, nevspaiers, or other perquibites of offico nuf. expresdy authorizedby this constitution." Perhaps the mombers made a mental ruservation when they took the oath of office, either that or they hivvo been inoculated froui Washing;on, an.1 eeek to imitate 011 a very sinall soale the Cougressional baok-pay steal. Ox Friday of last weok Gov. Bagley sent a special message to the Logislaturo ealling attention to the recent frauds iorpetiiited in the Stato Land OiHce, and asking investigation. The ' faets set 'orth in the messago are snbstantially he samo as those given in au artiole in anothcr column clipped from tho Frec ''reis. A joint coramittco has been apjointed to givo the frauds a "look up." Vill the invftstigation result ín another cquittal of Commissioner EJmonds ? Jut as he is now out of office perhaps hielding him is no longer a poliúcal neCEsity. ïiie Detroit Post charges tbo recent 'rauda exposed in the State Land oílico, M well as all other sins of omission and coihmission on the part of State ofneers, upon lie loy salaries providcd by tho Cousü;ution. It thinks that oflioers can't be expected to be honest at $1,000 a ycar, or devote any time toinvestigating the state and condition of tho offices intrusted to iheir adininistration. Uut how that is to excuso the ex-Comniissionor froin solling and deeding lands which ho knevv the State never owned nouo but a Itadical journalist eau possibly suriuiso. Bosides, tho offioers know tliu salaries agreed to be paid them when they seek elertion and enter on duty, andwill liot thank the Post for furnighing them such a paltry excuse for their peculations and frauds. Better refer it to the general cussedness of the Kadical oKce holders from a Congressman, down or up, wliiehever ono ruay chooso to think it. THE casli balance reported in the State ïroasury, April 8th, was $924,611.36. And yet the University ia unable - if we are correctly adviscd - to procuro tbc payinent of ovor-duo appropriations. It is, thereforc, paying to one of the Detroit banks 7 per cent. interest on moneys borrowed a year or more ago, while tbe samo bank is nominally paying tho State 4 por cent. interest on the very same money (porbaps) loaneu to the University. Are the State offioers conniving to keop large balancea on band and even shaping legislation to that end, so that they can divido with pet banks the excess of interest over the 4 per cent. realized by tho State ? The various State institutions will havo to make a common cause ia ventilating tlns way of doing business at Langing one of thoso days. If there are any ofiicers or legislators with clean hands they should set tho invostigating ball rolling. Some days ago, in tbe Sonate, the bill making the usual appropriations for the pay of State oilicers being under considcration, Senators DeLand, Dewey & Co. made another graud splurge. DeLand wantod to attach an amendrnent to the bill prohibiting Judges of tho Supreme Court holding any other position or engaging in any business. His " drive" was at Messrs. Campbell and Coolby, he never ha ving forgiven them for their decisión againt the constitutionality of the soldier's voting law. DELANDaud Dewey both claimed - though they wouldn't insinúate any dishonescy, not they - that these judges as professors in the University had invariably deeided agai&st the Legislature and its assumptions, and mueh inoro of the samo kind of trash. This time they didu't carry tho Senate with. thom. And these ai-e the leaders of the legislators who ulaitn to control tho details of the University, etc. The massacro of Oen. CasTBT and Peaco Commissioner Thomas by the treacherous Modocs has ereatod intense excitement all over the country. A war ot' extermination is now tho word ; but it will first be neccssary to catch ihe Modocs. And if our readers remember the long Seminólo war they will not bslieve that the end is yet. TilE Detroit Tribune of last Monday evening facctiously remarked : " Somc vcry eaustic articles calculated to ïomovo the cuticle from tho Frce Press, bucause of its recent courso on sundry political topics, aro withheld uu til we get into another office." Accepting the situntion graoofully we cali that. Bex. Butler avers that tho average Congressman can earn more tban $7,500 for tho oounfciy, and that it was those members who knew their own worthlessnes3 who voted against the increase. - That ought to stop any furtlier grumbling. Augusta electod Joiin D. Olcott, Eopublican, Supervisor, which ïnakes the new Board stand 13 llepublicans and 12 Demócrata. Lastyear: Eepublicans, 14; Deinocrats, 11.