Turkestan was the next part of the empire to claim attention.  A son and successor of Jehangir, ruling as vassal of China at Khokand, had been murdered by his lieutenant, Yakoob Beg, who, in 1866, had set himself up as Ameer of Kashgaria, throwing off the Manchu yoke and attracting to his standard large numbers of discontented Mahometans from all quarters.  His attack upon the Dunganis, who had risen on their own account and had spread rebellion far and wide between the province of Shensi and Kuldja, caused Russia to step in and annex Kuldja before it could fall into his hands.  Still, he became master of a huge territory; and in 1874 the title of Athalik Ghazi, “Champion Father,” was conferred upon him by the Ameer of Bokhara.  He is also spoken of as the Andijani, from Andijan, a town in Khokhand whence he and many of his followers came.  Luckily for the Manchus, they were able to avail themselves of the services of a Chinese general whose extraordinary campaign on this occasion has marked him as a commander of the first order.  Tso Tsung-k`ang, already distinguished by his successes against the T`ia-p`ings and the Nien-fei, began by operations, in 1869, against the Mahometans in Shensi.  Fighting his way through difficulties caused by local outbreaks and mutinies in his rear, he had captured by 1873 the important city of Su-chow in Kansuh, and by 1874 his advance-guard had reached Hami.  There he was forced to settle down and raise a crop in order to feed his troops, supplies being very uncertain.  In 1876 Urumtsi was recovered; and in 1877, Turfan, Harashar, Yarkand, and Kashgar.  At this juncture, Yakoob Beg was assassinated, after having held Kashgaria for twelve years.  Khoten fell on January 2, 1878.  This wonderful campaign was now over, but China had lost Kuldja.  A Manchu official, named Ch`ung-hou, who was sent to St Petersburg to meet Russian diplomats on their own ground, the main object being to recover this lost territory, was condemned to death on his return for the egregious treaty he had managed to negotiate, and was only spared at the express request of Queen Victoria; he will be mentioned again shortly.  His error was afterwards retrieved by a young and brilliant official, son of the great Tseng Kuo-fan, and later a familiar figure as the Marquis Tseng, Minister at the Court of St James’s, by whom Kuldja was added once more to the Manchu empire.

The year 1868 is remarkable for a singular episode.  The Regents and other high authorities in Peking decided, at whose instigation can only be surmised, to send an embassy to the various countries of Europe and America, in order to bring to the notice of foreign governments China’s right, as an independent Power, to manage her internal affairs without undue interference from outside.  The mission, which included two Chinese officials, was placed under the leadership of Mr Burlingame, American Minister at Peking, who, in one of his speeches, took occasion to say that China was simply longing to cement friendly relations with foreign powers, and that within some few short years there would be “a shining cross on every hill in the Middle Kingdom.”