WHO WAS IN SAMARKAND ?
[To the Editor of 'THE SPECTATOR.]
a,—Under the above caption, in your issue of October 16th, Sir Henry Norman refers to a discussion between Miss Ethel Mannin and Mr. Peter Fleming as to which, if either of them, had spent 48 hours in Samarkand, and he reminds your readers that he (Sir Henry Norman) in his book, now unfor- tunately out of print, All the Russias, devoted a whole descrip- tive chapter and many photos pointing out that "after Athens, Rome and Constantinople, he should rank Samarkand as the most interesting city in the world."
This statement I can support from personal knowledge, as in the year 1890, with my wife, I spent a week at Samarkand, which we visited when I occupied the post of First Secretary of Legation at Tehran and subsequently as Chargé d'Affaires in Persia during the prolonged absence of Sir Henry Drununond Wolff, and was given an opportunity of travelling in Russian Transcaspia and in Turkestan.
A full and most graphic account of the glories of Samarkand is contained in Lord Curzon's book, Russia in Central Asia, and also in an admirable paper read by him before the Royal Geographical Society and published in the proceedings of that Society in May, 1889. I may remind your readers that in 1888 Lord Curzon travelled in Central Asia as Special Correspondent of The Times, and wrote some critical remarks with regard to Russia's advance through Central Asia, which in those days seemed to be a menace to our Indian Empire. These remarks irritated the Russian Local Authorities, who declared their intention on the first opportunity to retaliate on any British travellers who might fall into their hands, Unfortunately for me, my wife and I were the first victims, and we were placed under preventive arrest in our hotel on suspicion of being spies. After several days of detention we were released by orders from M. de Giers, Chancellor of the Russian Empire, whom I knew personally when I was attached ten years before to Lord Dufferin's Embassy at St. Petersburgli. In due course we received a formal apology from the Governor of Samarkand through his Aide-de-Camp, and we returned to Tehran via Bokhara by the Transcaspian Railway through Askabad, the Capital of Transcaspia, to Ugun-Ada on the Caspian Sea, accompanied by a young Russian Officer who, while showing us much courtesy and hospitality, kept a watchful eye on our proceedings until he had seen us safely on board the steamer which conveyed us to the Persian port of Meshed-i-Sar.—I am, Sir, yours faithfully, ROBERT J. KENNEDY.
Cultra Manor, Craigavad, Northern Ireland.
Previous page
