Cotton seed 210,123 poods. Kerosene 10,703 ” Manufactured good 91,814 ” _Exports._ Wheat 98,991 poods. Wheat flour 185,052 ” Rice 17,224 ” Cotton seed 44,856 ” Cotton 178,718 ” General trade 180,678 ” [Illustration: THRONE ROOM--PALACE OF THE AMIR OF BOKHARA] A few versts beyond Katta Kurgan the line crosses the border of the dominions of the Amir of Bokhara. The first station beyond the frontier is Zirabulak, so called from heights which frown down upon the railway from close at hand. This little ridge of hills forms an interesting link with the Russian conquest of Turkestan; it was here that a column under General von Kauffman routed the Bokharan forces on July 2, 1868. The battle practically decided the Russian mastery of Central Asia, the peace concluded by the Amir Sayid Mozaffar Eddin having been maintained down to the present time. The rich vegetation distinguishing the locality continues as far as the next station, Ziadin, where the line enters a cultivated zone which is watered from the Zerafshan and the Narpai streams. The town possesses a native population of 8000, with a revenue of rather less than 16,000 roubles. Traffic passing through the neighbourhood is concerned chiefly with the importation of goods from Russia and the export of cotton, statistics returning the following movement: _Imports._ Manufactured goods 10,500 poods. _Exports._ Cotton 108,168 poods. Beyond Ziadin, which is administered by an important Beg, the line runs to Kermine, a station of the third class constructed to meet the convenience of the present Amir of Bokhara who, previous to ascending the throne, had been the Beg of Kermine. The town, which has a population of 12,000, is dependent almost entirely upon the proceeds of the cotton industry. The native fort, standing in the town, has been converted into a Russian garrison, a battalion of the Turkestan Rifles occupying the post. The trade figures are: Passengers. _Arrivals._ _Departures._ 10,008 8595 _Imports._ _Exports._ 70,519 poods. 514,524 poods.