PEPLOW
 
 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS 
 
 IN THE EAST OF EUROPE
 
 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND 
 POLITICS 
 
 IN THE EAST OF EUROPE 
 
 BY 
 
 THE MARQUIS OF HUNTLY 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL 
 
 LIMITED 
 
 1887 
 
 [All rights reserved}
 
 CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS, 
 CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 $ Brtoiratr tijts UooU to nnj Klifr, 
 
 WHO ACCOMPANIED ME IN OUR TRAVELS, 
 
 AND TO WHOM I AM INDEBTED FOR THE ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 AS A TOKEN OF MY LOVE AND REGARD. 
 
 H.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE first portion of these letters appeared in 
 1 88 1 in the Aberdeen Free Press under the 
 initials C. G. 
 
 I haye been persuaded to add some letters 
 to friends, and print them as they were written. 
 
 I have to thank the proprietors of the 
 Fortnightly Review for allowing me to use the 
 article " Eastern Notes," which I wrote in 
 December, 1884. 
 
 The rambles herein described did not extend 
 far beyond the limits of Europe, so I have 
 confined the political notes, and have not entered 
 into the larger and important questions of 
 Egyptian and Central Asian policies affecting 
 the British Empire, in reviewing the condition
 
 viii PREFACE. 
 
 of the East. It is my opinion that these should 
 be treated separately, and that in dealing with 
 Egypt or Asia Minor we should keep Turkey 
 in Europe distinct from them. It will be 
 observed that the different dates of portions of 
 the work, prior to the existing state of things, 
 confuse the context ; but it was considered best to 
 publish the papers as they were written. I do 
 not pretend to speak with authority on Eastern 
 subjects, but simply to record the impressions 
 and criticisms of a traveller. 
 
 H.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE DANUBE i 
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE 18 
 
 THE CRIMEA 46 
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM . 103 
 
 GEORGIA 125 
 
 THE CAUCASUS 170 
 
 ATHENS 207 
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 1 218 
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. II 229 
 
 MONTENEGRO. 1 238 
 
 MONTENEGRO. II 247 
 
 EASTERN NOTES 255
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 t PAGE 
 
 NEAR THE SEVEN TOWERS BY THE GOLDEN GATE, 
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE 36 
 
 A LAZI'S HUT, GORDAK, NEAR BATOUM . . .114 
 
 CORFU. CITADEL AND HARBOUR 218 
 
 CORFU. BAY OF KALIKIOPULO 228 
 
 CETTINJE, MONTENEGRO 238 
 
 BOCCHE DI CATTARO 242
 
 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND 
 POLITICS 
 
 IN THE EAST OF EUROPE. 
 
 THE DANUBE. 
 
 MOST people, on hearing this river mentioned, 
 picture to their minds a blue-coloured stream 
 flowing through a mountainous country, but in 
 reality for twelve hundred out of the eighteen 
 hundred miles of its course the river flows 
 through a gigantic plain, and its waters are of the 
 muddiest description. Whence then does it 
 derive the popular name of the " Blue Danube " ? 
 In the upper reaches of the river, when the snow 
 melts in the mountains, one is at once struck by 
 the extraordinary colour of the water a mixture 
 of light-green and ultramarine caused more by 
 the grayness of the pebbles and rocks below it, 
 the brightness of the summer sun, and the clear 
 purity of the water, than by any peculiar tint in
 
 2 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the water itself. But long before the traveller 
 reaches Pesth these colours have vanished, and 
 for the rest of its course the Danube is the 
 dirtiest river imaginable. 
 
 Throughout the stream is very rapid, and 
 generally the heights it rises and falls to at the 
 different seasons of the year are regular and well- 
 defined. But 1 88 1 will long be remembered by 
 the inhabitants on its banks for the occurrence of 
 the most disastrous floods on record. Even now 
 (July, 1881) the river has not subsided to its ordi- 
 nary level, and at Semlin, Baziasch, and many 
 places thousands of acres are still under water ; 
 while at Galatz, on the Molda River, which sepa- 
 rates Bessarabia from Roumania, and here joins 
 the Danube, villages are seen peeping above the 
 flood, and the railway is still submerged for many 
 miles. Between Vienna and Pesth only small 
 steamers can pass, and there is a canal for part of 
 the way. Some splendid vineyards are to be 
 seen as Buda-Pesth is approached. Situated in a 
 great plain, the town, erected on both sides of the 
 river, occupies a very fine position. On one side 
 the town is called Buda, on the other Pesth, 
 but the Germans call them both " Ofen." A 
 grand suspension bridge connects the two cities ; 
 it was built from a design by Clark, the engineer 
 of Hammersmith Bridge, and exactly on its
 
 THE DANUBE. 3 
 
 principle. The heights of Buda command the 
 sister city, and it was from these the Austrians 
 bombarded Pesth in the rising of '49. The 
 royal palaces and buildings are well placed, 
 and few countries can boast of so well-kept and 
 stately a capital as Pesth is. 
 
 About a mile up the river is Margaret Island, 
 which belongs to the Archduke Joseph, who 
 purchased it some years ago and has converted it 
 into a park and garden, with restaurants, hotels, 
 etc., to which the public are admitted by a small 
 payment. The island is about a mile in length, 
 and has a tramway from one end to the other. 
 The trees are very fine, and the park has been 
 laid out with great taste. Standard roses in beds 
 bloom luxuriantly, groves of syringas perfume the 
 air, and well-kept paths and roads circulate in all 
 directions. Hot sulphur springs and baths attract 
 invalids, and certainly the place is charming. On 
 dit the Archduke has expended vast sums (a mil- 
 lion of florins) on it, but the fees paid by the 
 crowds that flock there should give him good 
 interest for his money. At all events the 
 people of Pesth speak gratefully of him, and 
 deservedly delight in the pleasures of Margaret 
 Island. In the Esterhazy gallery at Pesth are 
 many very fine pictures, and it must have been a 
 cheap purchase by the Government from Count 
 
 B 2
 
 4 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Esterhazy on behalf of the nation. I saw a 
 picture of the Dutch School by Vinoy (or some 
 such name, though I never heard of the painter 
 before), that tickled me immensely. A very 
 lovely girl is starting from her home an auberge. 
 Her fat old mother at the door is evidently urging 
 her on to go out for a walk with a long gray- 
 bearded, miserly-looking old man, who has just 
 linked her arm in his and is " persuading his best." 
 In her right hand she holds her brother age about 
 seven years and if she goes, she means to take 
 him too willy-nilly hold back as he may. The 
 cow-boy looks out from the barn-door behind 
 them with a broad grin. Why is the trouble on 
 the girl's face so admirably depicted by the artist ? 
 It is not far to find. Round the corner of the 
 house, out of sight of the above actors, comes 
 along, mounting some steps, a jolly young buck 
 of a farmer whistling as if the world belonged 
 to him. (Perhaps the whistle has reached the 
 girl's ears alone ?) The detail, grouping, distant 
 scenery, and painting throughout are all excellent 
 and charming. 
 
 I lingered before three heads by Greuze 
 such eyes ! One girl with her violet-coloured 
 pupils raised, you might imagine her tears were 
 bubbling over the lids. Another had such 
 velvety brownness as almost to reflect the vision.
 
 THE DANUBE. 5 
 
 Curious, that the only representations of the 
 British School in the gallery are a very ugly 
 picture of George I. by Sir J. Reynolds, and two 
 excellent pieces of scenes in ancient Greek 
 History by Angelica Kauffman. 
 
 Leaving Pesth, the river winds about the 
 great Hungarian plain willows as large as oak 
 trees skirt the banks, and alternate with open 
 glades, which are covered with droves of animals. 
 First, a herd of long-horned cattle ; next, droves 
 of brood mares and foals ; then pigs, and now 
 enormous flocks of geese. Each description of 
 animal is by itself, under the guardianship of two 
 men, dressed in a sort of petticoat or long kilt, 
 large wide-awakes, and long knotted thonged 
 whips. The quantities of geese, the ugliness and 
 apparent wildness of the pigs, the size, strength, 
 and quality of the mares and foals strike one 
 most. 
 
 There are some pretty Thames-like reaches 
 and peeps along the Danube. Masses of willows, 
 with their green and gray foliage, picturesque 
 churches, and quaint old towns some with won- 
 derful histories, such as Mohacs, the scene of san- 
 guinary conflicts but nothing much to be noticed 
 till the steamer reaches Neusatz and Peterwardein. 
 The former is a large and flourishing town, 
 strongly entrenched and commanded by the Fort
 
 6 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 of Peterwardein, which is on a large rock on the 
 opposite side of the Danube. A bridge of boats, 
 which is opened to let the steamer pass, connects 
 the two places, and a subterranean passage goes 
 from the bridge up into the fort. The Austrians 
 have strongly fortified the position, and it is well 
 qualified for defence, and commands two arms of 
 the Danube. Passing through the same sort of 
 country, a vast alluvial plain, we arrive at Semlin 
 and Belgrade, towns on opposite sides of the 
 river, about one and a half miles broad at this 
 part, and the former is the last Austro- Hungarian 
 town and possession on the right bank of the 
 river. The country round Semlin is flat and 
 uninteresting, large fields of alluvial soil, prodigal 
 of corn, flax, and other cereals. The river is now 
 the boundary between Servia on the right bank 
 and Hungary on the left. Belgrade, the capital 
 of Servia, is not unpleasantly situated the land 
 rises from the river, and undulating hills back the 
 town the cause evidently of the quick turn to the 
 east which the stream now takes. Much will 
 have to be done before Belgrade can rank in 
 European eyes as a nice town. At present the 
 least said of it the better, except to express the 
 hope that, with the opportunities it possesses, the 
 city may be properly and carefully laid out and 
 improved.
 
 THE DANUBE. ^ 
 
 The real beauties of the Danube commence 
 after leaving Baziasch, a Hungarian town on the 
 left bank. I had the good fortune to reach this 
 place just as day was breaking, and saw the 
 famous rapids under the most favourable circum- 
 stances. It is easy to see what has made the vast 
 plain of Hungary. During the glacial period the 
 ice and snow collected in the Alps, the Tatra and 
 Carpathian Hills, filled this great basin with the 
 ddbris they collected, blocked by the range of 
 mountains called "the little Carpathians," which 
 here runs nearly due north and south, and nothing 
 but these accumulated centuries of ice could have 
 cut a channel for the melting snow through those 
 rocks. What a tearing and a cutting they had to 
 make ! The Danube, which in many places 
 between Pesth and Baziasch is two miles broad, 
 becomes contracted into a seething rapid between 
 perpendicular rocks for nearly eighty miles. 
 Sometimes the channel is only 120 yards broad, 
 and in many places less than 200 yards. Gray 
 rocks, cut and scarred, their niches now covered 
 by arbutus and other brushwood, overhang the 
 stream. You know the Lion's Face at Braemar. 
 Here the hills successively represent it ; each one 
 grander than the former as they are seen in 
 succession. The tearing rapids, the sharp-cut 
 precipices, the foliage tinted with every hue as the
 
 8 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 sun rises, dispelling the mist of the morning which 
 shrouded the heights, made the scene grand and 
 incomparable. On the Rhine you see vineyards 
 and villas, turreted castles, and picturesque towns, 
 but not such scenery of " unassisted nature in all 
 its grandeur " as here. I have seen the cuts 
 made by the Jhelum when leaving the valley of 
 Cashmere to wander through the gorges of the 
 Himalayas on its way to the plains of India; but 
 that river has not the power or the depth of the 
 Danube. 
 
 The Kazan rapid is, I think, the finest of the 
 gorges, and close by it one can still decipher 
 Trajan's famous inscription carved on a rock 
 overhanging the river, commemorating his second 
 Dacian campaign, and that here he made a road 
 alongside the river. There are the remains of the 
 road still ! The holes in the rocks into which 
 piles were driven horizontally are all visible, and 
 on these piles was laid a platform which fringed 
 the edges of the cliffs, and enabled the great 
 Roman Emperor in A.D. 104, nearly eighteen 
 hundred years ago, to pass his army safely by this 
 treacherous torrent. 
 
 I reached Orsova, the last Hungarian town 
 on the left bank of the river, at eight in the 
 morning, and after breakfast drove to see the 
 memorial chapel where the crown of Hungary 
 

 
 THE DANUBE. g 
 
 was found. In the Hungarian insurrection of 
 1848 and 1849, Kossuth and other revolutionists 
 stole the regalia and fled from Pesth. It would 
 have been sacrilege, and fatal to their cause, to 
 remove the emblems of their ancient monarchy 
 out of the country, so they secretly buried them 
 just on the borders of Hungary. No one knew 
 where, until years after, one of the party on his 
 death-bed revealed the fact that they were buried 
 near Orsova. The whole district was at once 
 searched ; but, not until long afterwards, when 
 excavations were being made for the railway, 
 were the regalia found. The chapel is built 
 over the very spot, at the end of a long avenue of 
 poplars. Roses and other flowers are planted 
 round it, and the place is kept sacred. A marble 
 figure of the Virgin and Child looks down on the 
 spot in the chapel where rests a slab with exact 
 copies in bronze of the crown and other things 
 which were found. 
 
 The native ladies in this part of Hungary 
 wear tassels about two or three feet long, of 
 fine red and blue cotton, as fringes over their 
 dresses, both in front and behind, picturesque but 
 useless, unless, perhaps, to annoy the flies a 
 very plentiful insect on the Danube in all shapes 
 and forms and breeds. 
 
 Leaving Orsova, about three miles below it,
 
 io TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the " Iron Gates," the last rapid on the Danube, 
 the once famous frontier of the Turkish Empire, 
 is passed, the river widens, the country opens out, 
 the hills recede farther from the stream. The 
 villages are built more in the mud and thatch 
 style, and Eastern appearances, with their ac- 
 customed uncleanliness, become general. 
 
 Roumania has now the left, and Servia still 
 the right, bank of the river. The first post on 
 the Roumanian side is Turn Severin a very 
 nice town, and becoming an important place com- 
 mercially. The railway runs through it, and 
 large quantities of maize and grain are brought 
 there. The old round tower bv the side of the 
 
 s 
 
 river is the last remaining pier of the bridge, 
 w r hich the Roman Emperor Trajan here made 
 across the Danube, his successor on the throne of 
 Rome seeing fit to destroy it why, history does 
 not tell. Through similar level plains, with a 
 peep of the Balkans now and again to the south, 
 the river winds rapidly. Leaving the State of 
 Servia on the right bank, and entering the new 
 principality of Bulgaria on that side, the first 
 town reached is Widdin a dirty, tumble-down 
 looking place soon afterwards we arrive at Lorn 
 Palanka, and, hearing there is a sort of hotel 
 there, decide to stop for the night. 
 
 I hope that as Bulgaria rises in the scale of
 
 THE DANUBE. n 
 
 nations her people will improve the hostelries, 
 for of all the filthy places of that class there 
 are no worse anywhere than in that country 
 at present. It was late in the evening when 
 I arrived. Bulgarian and Russian soldiers met 
 us at the landing-place ; we were eagerly led to 
 the hotel (?); dinner, in the shape of food boiled 
 and baked in grease, arrived after a long interval ; 
 a fair bottle of the vin du pays, and to sleep 
 on a mattress in the corner of the room ! But 
 insects of all descriptions soon banished slumber, 
 and coffee, with a pipe, were called for, not long 
 after the sun had risen. The fresh morning air 
 revived one, and made Palanka appear more 
 agreeable. The country on both sides of the 
 Danube here is undulating and green, but the 
 soil has lost its depth and richness. The view 
 to the north shows the snow-clad Carpathians, 
 on the confines of Roumania, while the misty 
 ridges of the Balkans are to be seen on the south. 
 Strolling outside the town, I came upon a 
 herd of pigs tended by several urchins pigs, 
 indeed, but more like those of the Indian plains 
 than " tame porkers." Never did I behold such 
 a skinny, savage-looking set of brutes, the bristles 
 on their backs, several inches long, standing up 
 like the fins of a perch. What sort of pork do 
 they make ? But I forget, the Turks do not
 
 12 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 eat pork, and having gone " bag and baggage " 
 out of Bulgaria, these may be presents sent to 
 the restored owners of the country by the Mussul- 
 mans, in revenge for their dismissal ! I beat 
 a hasty retreat from the pigs, and went on board 
 the steamer for breakfast, starting soon after on 
 our voyage, and in a short time reached Rustchuk, 
 on the Bulgarian side, nearly opposite to Giur- 
 gevo, on the Roumanian side of the river. The 
 former appears to be in a most dilapidated con- 
 dition. The few minarets that remain from the 
 bombardment of the Russians are tottering to 
 their fall, and the town looks decayed a great 
 contrast to Giurgevo, which, like all Roumanian 
 towns, seems a stirring go-ahead place Turks, 
 Greeks, and, of course, " the Eastern beggar," 
 all in full swing. As Rustchuk is the terminus 
 of the Varna railway, by which the Constantinople 
 mails come, and connected by boat with Giur- 
 gevo, whence goes the main line to Bucharest 
 and Vienna, it appears strange that nothing has 
 been done to produce anything like order amidst 
 the ruins of the town. The arrangements for 
 passengers crossing the Danube from Rustchuk 
 to Giurgevo are simply disgraceful. 
 
 Leaving Giurgevo, the river widens out still 
 more, and its extent and size astonish the 
 traveller. Five hours afterwards we reach Silis-
 
 THE DANUBE. 13 
 
 tria and see the old entrenchments of the English 
 army in 1854, and shortly afterwards come to a 
 pretty little town called Tarakoi. Tier upon tier 
 of nice Swiss-like huts, each with a small garden 
 and fruit trees, rise in succession from the river 
 bank, and make a very pleasant coup d'ceil. Un- 
 fortunately, the impression is removed to a great 
 extent by an expedition into the town ; the streets 
 are narrow, and dirtily kept. Unpleasant odours 
 abound, but still there is some regularity, and 
 I must give Tarakoi precedence amongst Danu- 
 bian villages for having a pretty effect if for 
 nothing else. Soon after this we enter the 
 Dobrudscha on the right bank of the river, and 
 now Roumania owns both sides. This territory 
 was given her in exchange for Bessarabia, pur- 
 loined by Russia. 
 
 Tchernoya is the first town reached in the 
 Dobrudscha, and close by are seen the remains 
 of Trajan's wall, which extended from the Black 
 Sea to the Danube. The ditch and bank are 
 exactly similar to the Roman entrenchments or 
 walls in parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. 
 A railway goes from Tchernoya to Kustendje 
 on the Black Sea, and at the latter place it is 
 said King Charles of Roumania intends building 
 docks, etc., and fortifying the place. English 
 engineers are at present surveying these for him.
 
 14 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Early next morning we arrive at Ibraila, which 
 port and its neighbour Galatz (about thirteen 
 miles down the river) are the two exporting 
 depots on the Danube, and a very good trade 
 they are doing. Numbers of English screw 
 steamers, "propellers" as they are commonly 
 called, are engaged shipping maize and corn in 
 both roadsteads. The water being inordinately 
 high, the facilities for loading are better than 
 usual ; but much requires to be done for the 
 convenience of the ships, and the harbour 
 arrangements are bad at both places. Reports 
 are rife of the questions being raised in connec- 
 tion with the International Danubian Commission ; 
 and it is to be hoped the European States will 
 agree to continue it, and also to increase its 
 powers, while there seems every prospect of the 
 trade on the river improving and enabling the 
 Commissioners to carry out many much-needed 
 works. Ibraila and Galatz appear to be flourish- 
 ing towns, and there are pleasant drives in the 
 neighbourhood of the latter town. If it were not 
 for the badly-paved roads, over which the 
 energetic, but excellent, little " Victorias " carry 
 you at a pace calculated to "shake you to 
 shillings," you would enjoy yourself. Having 
 arrived at the public park of Galatz, about one 
 and a half miles from the harbour, a walk to the
 
 THE DANUBE. 15 
 
 bank overlooking the Molda gives one a good 
 view towards Bessarabia to the east, down the 
 Danube, and away to the south over the Dobrud- 
 scha, as far as the Balkans. Unfortunately, the 
 scene is now (July, 1881) marred by the frightful 
 inundations which completely cover the Molda 
 Valley. The railway is immersed, and the 
 inhabitants can only get to their houses by boats. 
 Having left Galatz by steamer about one 
 o'clock, we could not get farther than Tulcha, 
 forty miles down, as the pilot would not venture 
 by night amid the numerous bends of the river 
 beyond this, and here we anchor at seven p.m. 
 Tulcha is called by the English sailors " Mosquito 
 Bay," and deservedly. These insects, whose 
 buzz is worse than their bite, swarm in defiance 
 of all attempts to warn them off with tobacco- 
 while the bull-frogs make night hideous with 
 their curious and continuous chatter. The only 
 thing to do is to exercise patience. As soon as 
 daylight breaks we start off, and then sleep is 
 possible, in the absence of noisy frogs and 
 hungry mosquitoes. The Danubian Commission 
 selected the central or Sulina branch of the river 
 as the one to improve, and though much has been 
 done, much remains yet undone. The bends and 
 turns might be straightened in many parts. A 
 steamer is seen miles away on the port side,
 
 1 6 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 and in a short time the same vessel approaches 
 to starboard. It is wonderful, however, what 
 has been done, and how the trade has increased 
 since 1856. 
 
 Imagine a dead flat, as large, if not larger 
 than the county of Aberdeen, cut in all directions 
 by channels of the river flowing between con- 
 tinuous groves of reeds, six to seven feet high 
 (to the roots of which the pilots ascribe the almost 
 mythical (?) length of twenty feet), and you can 
 understand what sort of country the region known 
 as the mouths of the Danube is. The Sulina 
 Channel, admirably marked, buoyed, and regulated, 
 wanders through this almost endless swamp ; 
 while we disturb every sort of wild fowl, swans, 
 geese, eagles, etc. The old-fashioned herons, 
 pelicans, and storks, stand on one leg by the 
 banks, or strut about like human beings, peering 
 for fish, and knowing that the wash of the steamer 
 is a good purveyor of the luckless finny tribe for 
 their rapacious cupboards. What a place for 
 wild-fowl shooting ! But where to sojourn for the 
 sport, and how to get the birds when shot, are 
 questions which are easier asked than answered. 
 
 At twelve o'clock we reached Sulina, built 
 on the mud by the energy of English engineers, 
 and backed for the most part by English money. 
 Wonderful works are the wharves, breakwaters,
 
 THE DANUBE. 17 
 
 and lighthouse. The bar, with only nine feet at 
 low water, has been lowered to twenty-two feet 
 by constant dredging. Let us hope the good 
 work will still progress. That the Danube may 
 become more open for the commerce of the world, 
 to the benefit of the countries and the millions of 
 people situated on its banks, is our fervent wish 
 as we steam by Sulina Lighthouse into the Black 
 Sea, on our way to Constantinople.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 THE steamer I had taken a passage in reached 
 the entrance of the Bosphorus just as the sun 
 was setting. Opposite the Kavac forts she had 
 to bring up and send an officer with her papers 
 to the official on duty, before being allowed to 
 proceed further. The sentinel stood with the 
 rope in his hand ready to pull the flag down on 
 the bugle announcing sunset. And the Turk 
 would have shut up his office and made the ship 
 wait all night for him, if her boat had not landed 
 before the flag was down. It was a great relief 
 to see the officer step on shore and enter the' 
 office before the signal was given. But he was 
 only just in time, as a few minutes afterwards 
 the trumpet sounded. It appears to be rather 
 discourteous of the Turks, now that time is every- 
 thing to the merchant in the delivery of his ship's 
 cargo, not to keep two sets of officials on duty, 
 and to pass vessels at all hours down the Bos-
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 19 
 
 phorus. The channel is so well lighted, and the 
 navigation is so simple, that excuses on the score 
 of danger cannot be urged. The reason is a 
 political one. The Turk insists on the existing 
 absurd regulations, which are presumed to be for 
 his protection. But by a little arrangement super- 
 vision could be just as efficient, and ships might 
 pass at night, to the great benefit in many 
 instances of the commercial interests concerned. 
 
 While we wait the return of the boat, there 
 is leisure to admire the scenery around, and to 
 wonder at Nature's gifts. Certainly, the great 
 highway from the north-east to the south, this 
 extraordinary channel, which is called the Bos- 
 phorus, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea 
 of Marmora, separating Europe and Asia, is 
 endowed with lavish beauty. The varying width 
 of the channel, here about half a mile broad, 
 extending first on one side, then on the other, 
 into pleasant bays, the undulating ravines, and 
 wooded promontories, are Nature's attractions for 
 this lovely spot. And they have been justly 
 appreciated. The shores on either side are lined 
 with palaces and great villas while here and 
 there Turkish villages rise in terraces from the 
 shore, and their peculiar wooden houses, red-tiled 
 roofs, and projecting eaves increase the picturesque 
 character of the scene. 
 
 c 2
 
 20 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 The entrance from the Black Sea is about 
 thirteen miles (I believe) from Constantinople, 
 in a direct line, but the turns in the channel make 
 it very much longer. I will here note the dif- 
 ferent places on the Bosphorus, which several 
 days' excursions on and around it made me 
 acquainted with. The first thing that strikes 
 the eye is the lofty tower and ruins of Kavac, 
 just above the fort on the Asiatic side. This 
 ruin is called by some the " Genoese Towers," 
 but I should fancy its important position invited 
 others to fortify it before those active Italians 
 visited the Bosphorus, although doubtless they 
 used, and probably improved the defences. 
 
 It stands magnificently. A large square 
 tower and quadrangle face the north and the 
 Black Sea, on the summit of a rock ; battle- 
 mented causeways, flanked by round towers at 
 intervals, stretch from the tower south-east and 
 south-west, enclosing inner defences, down almost 
 to the shore ; and evidently a ship might here 
 in ancient days discharge and leave her cargo in 
 safety, if so she desired. Not only must the 
 castle have been a good watch-tower over the 
 Euxine, and a stronghold to its possessors, but it 
 commanded the bay below it, which, sheltered 
 from the north and east, was an excellent and 
 safe anchorage for vessels. Leaving Kavac to
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE, 21 
 
 the European side, the Bay of Buyukdere opens 
 out, and here not only is there a large Turkish 
 townlet, with its picturesque wooden houses and 
 quaint red roofs, but on the lower side, nearest 
 the shore, aristocracy resides most of the Am- 
 bassadors from the foreign Courts have their 
 summer residences here. 
 
 There is a beautiful drive from Buyukdere 
 past a large grove of plane trees, where it is said 
 Godfroy de Bouillon assembled the champions 
 of Christendom for one of the last crusades, 
 westwards up a valley fertile with forest trees 
 and cultivated fields, past the great aqueducts 
 which for many centuries have helped to supply 
 Constantinople with water, and some of which 
 form one of the few remnants of the good but 
 unavoidable work of a Sultan. The fine trees 
 and general scenery in the forest of Belgrade 
 make it well worthy of a visit. The road is good 
 and must have been well made, but I noticed 
 many of the bridges, which had been admirably 
 erected, falling to ruin from want of repair. On 
 the same side away from the shore I came across 
 a little Greek chapel situated in a secluded nook. 
 It was evidently cared for. Besides the large 
 trees which stood sheltering around it, shrubs 
 were planted along the path and had just been 
 watered. An old gray-bearded man was at the
 
 22 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 door, and gratified by a few paras (pence) in- 
 stantly desired to show me everything. The 
 chapel was hardly fifteen feet square, but every- 
 thing inside was most neatly arranged. There 
 were three altars, with pictures of the Saviour 
 and the Virgin, and candles with framed looking- 
 glasses, and tawdry tinsel upon each. The walls 
 were covered with pictures, all of curious subjects, 
 but one by the side of the exit door on the right 
 hand amused me. The artist had tried to depict 
 the Last Day, and the difference between the 
 saints and the sinners was most marked. The 
 former were lovely in pink and white, while no 
 devils were ever painted with blacker bodies, or 
 longer ears, or more serpentine tails than the latter 
 were given. The picture was of ancient date and 
 carefully executed. The old man had been watching 
 me while I closely examined this work of art, and, as 
 I turned from it with a smile at its grotesqueness, 
 I met his gaze. He shook his head more in 
 sorrow than in anger, and offered me a tin flagon 
 of water, which he filled from a beautiful well 
 just behind the centre altar. I drank heartily, and 
 thanked him by mute signs, as not a word of his 
 language could I speak, or I might have been 
 tempted to explain my ideas of the forms and 
 figures of angels and devils ! About two miles 
 beyond Buyukdere is the small village of Therapia,
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 23 
 
 chiefly noticeable for the residences of the French, 
 Italian, and English Ambassadors, who have, I 
 think, chosen a far better spot than their brethren 
 at the former place, as Therapia, almost facing the 
 entrance from the Black Sea, gets thence the cool 
 breeze, while Buyukdere, sheltered in the bay and 
 facing the south, misses it. There are charming 
 gardens attached to each embassy at Therapia, 
 which make the place a pleasant resort for the 
 weary diplomat, who here complains of the excess 
 of work, on account of the number of consular 
 posts throughout the East, and also perhaps from 
 the Turk's delight in providing Europe with 
 plenty of scope for even superabundant diplomatic 
 energy. 
 
 Therapia was at the beginning of this century 
 the favourite residence of the wealthy and ancient 
 Greek families of high standing, who had many 
 splendid palaces here. They held the high office 
 of Dragoman (interpreter) to the Porte, and the 
 Hospodars of Wallachia were chosen from among 
 them ; but one family after the other incurred the 
 Sultan's displeasure, and this lovely spot frequently 
 witnessed a murderous termination of their lives. 
 At last, in the insurrections which broke out in 
 1821 and 1822, all the Greeks of the Faual (the 
 name then given to this district) were got rid of 
 under circumstances of even greater barbarity
 
 24 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 than have occurred among or been committed by 
 any race or nation which is saying a great deal. 
 But Turks and Jews are the cruellest of human 
 races, and, when united, their deeds are likely 
 to be dreadful as they were on this occasion. 
 
 Opposite to Therapia there is a fine valley on 
 the Asiatic side, extending a considerable distance 
 inland. The road, flanked by avenues, first passes 
 a narrow plain used for military reviews, and by 
 enthusiastic Englishmen as a cricket ground ; and 
 arrives in about one mile at the two kiosks, which 
 were built by the late Sultan Abdul Aziz for the 
 Empress of the French when she paid him a visit. 
 These splendid chateaux, built at great cost, well 
 furnished, in the centre of gardens, and surrounded 
 by magnificent trees, were intended to receive Her 
 Imperial Majesty at tea. 
 
 Rumour is doubtful as to whether she ever 
 came there, but is positive that no one has lived 
 there since. The officers from the neighbouring 
 barracks sent for the furniture from time to time 
 as their fancy required, and now the kiosks are 
 empty, and are actually tumbling to pieces. 
 
 Close by the road, beyond these decaying 
 palaces, I came upon a huge plane tree, standing 
 alone in the glade ; its trunk and roots so knotted 
 and gnarled as to resemble an oak tree. Time 
 had caused most of its lofty branches to fall ; but
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 25 
 
 the. stem sent forth many limbs in full vigour 
 of foliage, some twenty feet from the ground. 
 I paced thirty-five yards round the tree as near 
 its base as I could walk, and reflected how many 
 stirring periods it had survived in its probable 
 growth of over a thousand years ! The forest 
 which here begins was the haunt of the ancient 
 Anatolian robbers, who vexed the trade of the 
 Venetians and Genoese. Here the Turks 
 sheltered long before they gained a footing in 
 Europe, but now quiet picnic parties assemble 
 and revel under the forest shade. I was much 
 struck by the fact that the Turkish peasant 
 women we met here and in other rural districts 
 did not wear the yashmak over their faces, nor 
 seek to avoid us, while they seemed very quiet, 
 industrious people. About half-way down the 
 Bosphorus are the two famous fortresses opposite 
 each other the one called Anatole Hissar, or 
 the Castle of Asia; the other Roumeli Hissar, 
 or the Castle of Europe. The former, a series 
 of rather low walls flanked by small but lofty 
 round turrets, was long the Turks' fortress and 
 defence on the Asian coast ; and the story goes 
 that the Greek Emperors refused their repeated 
 applications for land on the European side. At 
 last permission was given to Mahomet II. 
 to have as much land as a bullock's hide would
 
 26 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 cover or contain. The wily Turk, following the 
 ancient legend of Carthage (with which the tale 
 may be confounded), cut the hide into thin strips, 
 and secured for himself the rocky promontory 
 on which the Roumeli Hissar stands. This 
 he gradually fortified until he completely secured 
 his position. Two fine round towers, conspicuous 
 from all parts of the Bosphorus, flanking the 
 northern and southern corners, are joined by 
 high walls, on the top of which are wide cause- 
 ways protected by battlements, extending round 
 to the water's edge. Approaching Constantinople, 
 we pass on the Asiatic side a palace of the 
 Sultan's where the Empress of the French 
 resided, and on the European side come to a 
 long chain of palaces of white marble, among 
 which is the residence of the ex-Sultan Murad, 
 a lunatic ; the palace of the late Sultan, Abdul 
 Aziz, called the Dolma Batche, which is un- 
 occupied ; and the harems and courtiers' apart- 
 ments connected in the same line, which make a 
 grand show. But on nearer inspection it is 
 lamentable to see the decay of the buildings. 
 
 The marble terraces are upturned and broken 
 by the earth and plants below them ; the iron 
 gates and railings are twisted, rusted, and torn ; 
 the walls and roofs look dilapidated from want 
 of repair. Close by the Dolma Batche is the
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 27 
 
 elegant small mosque (pleasantly situated on the 
 shore) of Ortakeny. This was the favourite 
 mosque of the late Abdul Aziz. The palace of 
 Yildiz, the residence of the present Sultan, is 
 seen far up the hills at the back. They say 
 he has chosen this residence far away from 
 Stamboul in fear and dread of the fanatic popu- 
 lation he governs. 
 
 We now reach Constantinople. The Bos- 
 phorus here throws an arm eastwards, which is 
 called the Golden Horn. On the triangle be- 
 tween it and the Sea of Marmora stands the 
 ancient Byzantium, made the capital of the 
 Roman Empire of the East by Constantine, and 
 called after him Constantinopolis, now called by 
 the Turks, Stamboul, which is a corruption of 
 the Greek words " e*9 r^v 7ro\iv," "this is the 
 city." On the north shore of the Golden Horn 
 is Galata, founded by the Genoese, the abode of 
 the Greek, Armenian, English, and other mer- 
 chants, and above, on the hill, is Pera, where 
 European shops enliven the streets, and foreign 
 embassies look grandly and imperiously down. 
 
 Opposite to Stamboul are Scutari and Kada 
 Keui, on the Asiatic side. The situation of this 
 collection of cities, their admirable position, the 
 histories attaching to them, combine in interesting 
 the traveller, but I must confess to a disappoint-
 
 28 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 ment on the whole. The effect of the minarets is 
 much poorer than I expected, and Byzantine archi- 
 tecture presents such sameness that it wearies. 
 
 Two large iron girder bridges on wooden 
 piers, and with wooden platforms, which open 
 to let ships through, connect Galata and Stam- 
 boul. In the centre of the latter town rises a 
 lofty round tower, called the Seraskeriat, from 
 the top of which various signals are given to the 
 people, especially when a fire occurs, and the 
 same thing is done from the Genoese Tower on 
 the heights of Galata. This tower is large, 
 massive, and round, a fine object in the land- 
 scape, worthy of the eminent nation that caused 
 its erection. 
 
 The finest and most important mosque in 
 Stamboul is, of course, St. Sofia. Originally built 
 by Constantine, it was restored and beautified by 
 several of the Greek Emperors. The building 
 is in form a parallelogram ; the roof, a succes- 
 sion of small domes rising to one large dome 
 in the centre, which is supported by walls 
 and pillars in the inside, forming the nave of the 
 church. The large dome is very well constructed. 
 It was once destroyed by an earthquake, but 
 rebuilt with the same material a small red brick. 
 The interior is covered with mosaics, and beauti- 
 fully gilt. Columns of rich marble, taken from
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 29 
 
 ancient heathen temples at Rhodes, Athens, and 
 other places, support the galleries and the roof. 
 The Turks have taken pains to obliterate all 
 Christian signs in the church, but in many places, 
 and especially in the roof over the altar, where 
 the head of the Saviour is dimly seen, are the 
 marks of the ancient worship for which it was 
 built. It was distressing to see the ruin some of 
 the mosaics had been allowed to fall into, to be 
 offered by the mollahs (priests) a handful of the 
 richly-coloured cubes, and to witness the dirty 
 and heedless way in which this magnificent 
 Byzantine monument is kept by the Turks. In 
 a mosque, situated not far from the Top Kapousi 
 Gate, near the fortifications, are some wonderful 
 mosaics of the early Christian times. They are 
 on the roof and walls of the vestibule, extending 
 over the whole front, before entering the inner 
 nave of the edifice ; they appear to have been 
 whitewashed over, so escaping the notice of the 
 Turks an earthquake cracked the walls (and 
 damaged the mosaics), thus exposing them to view. 
 Now the mollah shows them with readiness, and 
 informed us they were reverenced by his congre- 
 gation. They represent the miracles of our 
 Saviour, and there are large-sized heads of the 
 Virgin and the Apostles. The colours are very 
 fine, and the drawing better than usual.
 
 30 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 We rowed up the Golden Horn to the 
 " Valley of Sweet Waters," named so in satire 
 I presume as originally its name was Marcidum 
 Mare, or the Putrid Sea which the brackish 
 and dirty water more resembles. The valley is 
 formed by one of the streams which runs into 
 the head of the Golden Horn, and under the 
 plane trees growing on its banks the Turkish 
 ladies assemble on Sunday afternoons in spring, 
 while the river is covered with boat-loads of 
 sight-seers. At the top of the valley Abdul Aziz 
 built a beautiful palace or kiosk, and made 
 fountains and gardens. Alas ! they are now all 
 neglected, unoccupied, and falling to ruins yet 
 it is not five years since his death ! 
 
 We crossed over to Scutari on the Asiatic 
 side. It is a large and increasing suburb, pre- 
 serving entirely the Asiatic characteristics in its 
 streets, and avoiding the introduction of European 
 customs or habits. The streets are more tortuous 
 and worse paved, if possible, than in Stamboul, 
 but the people appeared more civil and obliging. 
 There was less of the Jewish element among 
 them. Having been told we must see the 
 Howling Dervishes, we went to a small mosque, 
 where accommodation is provided for the visitor in 
 a gallery railed off from the centre of the nave of 
 the mosque, which is about thirty feet square.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE, 31 
 
 In the opposite gallery were many native 
 spectators also. The altar was in the centre of 
 the mosque, with a looped-up curtain in front of it, 
 on our right. When a devotee entered, he 
 stopped in front of the altar, bowed low, and 
 ranged himself with a line of men, all differently 
 clad, who stood at the further side on our left, 
 facing the altar. In front of them sat two or 
 three old men, reciting from time to time, in a 
 loud voice, passages of the Koran ; and by their 
 side stood some children, apparently being 
 instructed in this peculiar worship. The men in 
 line start in motion, bowing to the right and to 
 the left, throwing their heads back with a jerk, 
 bending forward, repeating this exercise to a sing- 
 song tune " Allah-il- Allah " (God is God) each 
 syllable being pronounced at each several motion. 
 Every time the priest read the Koran they 
 quickened their pace until bathed in perspiration, 
 and giddy with exertion they eased into an idiotic 
 shuffle, and some retired in collapse, when others 
 immediately took their places, and the scene 
 commenced anew. All the time a priest in red 
 garments waited on each performer when required, 
 exchanged his red fez for a white linen one, his 
 thick robe for a cambric shift, and each garment 
 he took from the Dervishes he reverently laid 
 on the floor before the altar. The absurdity
 
 32 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 of this ceremony is about as bad as the effluvia 
 which arise, and the visitor soon sickens at the 
 sight. 
 
 We drove through Scutari to the Turkish 
 cemeteries, which extend an enormous distance, 
 and look dreary enough with the hundreds of 
 thousands of gravestones and groves of cypress 
 trees. Here all the true Turks, even those living 
 in Stamboul, with Asiatic instinct desire to be 
 buried. Having visited the English cemetery, 
 which is very well kept, and in beautiful order, we 
 wondered at the taste of our countrymen who 
 erected Marochetti's hideous design in the centre 
 of the gardens to " The British Army." Passing 
 the huge barracks by the shore, which were 
 Miss Nightingale's Hospital, we returned by 
 steamer to Galata, and had a good view from the 
 boat of the little gate close by the shore at 
 Seraglio Point. This is the extreme point of the 
 triangle on which Stamboul stands, and is the 
 famous gate through which the bodies of thou- 
 sands have been thrown into the current of the 
 Bosphorus. A causeway leads from the Seraglio 
 prison to it, and here Janissaries, Greeks, fallen 
 beauties, and Bulgarians, cum miiltis aliis, have 
 found their last resting-place. 
 
 Who has not heard of the dogs of Constan- 
 tinople ? These lazy brutes, generally covered
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 33 
 
 with filth and disease, lie about the streets and 
 let you walk close to their noses without disturb- 
 ing themselves, and at night they roam about, 
 waking every person unaccustomed to their 
 habits by their barks and howls. After hearing 
 a tremendous fight amongst these dogs, the van- 
 quished retreat with such a chorus of shrieks that 
 the wakened slumberer delights in thinking that 
 at last " one dog has had his day," or met with 
 his deserts, and that there will be peace amongst 
 the canine population. But no ! Before you can 
 get to sleep another row has begun, and similar 
 howls follow. Custom alone, with these and 
 other extraordinary noises, enables the traveller 
 to have a good night's sleep in Constantinople. 
 One soon gets familiar with the dogs, but one 
 night I was awakened by a man beating a gong 
 and crying : " Yo-ha-hi-he-ha," or some such 
 unearthly yell, below the window. He went 
 down the street a few yards and repeated the 
 noise, and I heard him making the night hideous 
 as he went. Upon inquiry in the morning I 
 found that there had been a fire in a suburb of 
 Pera, and it was the custom when one occurred 
 for a man to go round waking up the populace 
 in this manner, informing them where the fire 
 was, so that, if you had any relatives in that 
 quarter, you could go to their assistance.
 
 34 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 The bazaars in Stamboul are an attraction 
 for Europeans from their curiosity. They were 
 built by the Greeks, and are long passages 
 covered over by thickly-built vaulted roofs, which 
 happily keep out some of the heat. On either 
 side are small shops, in front of which the 
 merchant generally sits. Different parts of the 
 bazaar are allocated to the various trades, carpet 
 merchants, goldsmiths, curiosity mongers, etc., 
 but the grocers have a bazaar lower down the 
 town to themselves, and it is by far the cleanest 
 and best kept. The Pera shops are usurping the 
 trade of the bazaars ; and, beyond the fancy of 
 seeing the ancient emporium of trade, there is 
 little inducement now for undertaking a hot walk 
 to the bazaars. 
 
 The most interesting sight in Constantinople 
 is the fortifications. A drive through the old 
 town of Stamboul leads one through narrow 
 streets, where it is astonishing to see a tramway 
 and still more unpleasant to meet a car. Ancient 
 overhanging houses, with a central projecting 
 window, at which the family (seeing but unseen) 
 sit during the afternoon, the windows barred 
 with ironwork of curious design and excellent 
 workmanship, line the road up to the Seven 
 Towers, which are almost on the Sea of Marmora. 
 The ramparts commence here and continue to the
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 35 
 
 Golden Horn across the promontory. It is said 
 that Constantinople has been besieged twenty-four 
 times, and taken six times. But since the year 
 668 A.D. it has been invested by the Saracens or 
 Arabs twice, on the first occasion by land and sea 
 for seven years. In 865 A.D. the Russians first 
 commenced their attacks. Again in 905 and 
 941 A.D. they returned, and the following year 
 also, but always were foiled in their attempts. In 
 973 A.D. they made their first formidable invasion 
 by land and sea, and got as far as Adrianople, 
 but were eventually completely defeated. It was 
 after this expedition that the Russians were 
 converted to Christianity, through Olga, the 
 mother of Swatislas, the reigning Tsar. The city 
 was attacked and plundered by the Crusaders, 
 and recovered by the Greeks in 1261, after the 
 Latins had held it for fifty-seven years. It was first 
 assaulted by the Turks, to the number of 200,000 
 men, in 1422 and some years after it fell into 
 their hands so that in comparatively modern 
 history these famous walls have signalised the 
 talents of their original Roman founders by 
 withstanding ten important sieges by different 
 nations, two of which only succeeded. There 
 they are, battered and time-worn, just as when the 
 Mussulman effected a breach in them, never 
 having been repaired, or maintained efficient by 
 
 D 2
 
 36 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the conquerors monuments of the great men of 
 the Roman Empire. There was one part of the 
 fortifications, however, which the Turks did keep 
 in repair, and this was the Seven Towers a 
 collection of large round and square towers of that 
 number enclosing a quadrangle. 
 
 Dungeons had been excavated under the base 
 of the towers, and to one of these the Turks used 
 to send the Ambassadors of foreign countries 
 (even until the end of the first quarter of the 
 present century) if they in any way displeased 
 those bloodthirsty rulers, and so great appears to 
 have been the dread Europe held them in, that 
 very little notice seems to have been taken of 
 such discourtesy, which would almost be forgotten 
 except for the pathetic inscriptions carved on 
 the walls by the unfortunate prisoners. The 
 view from the Seven Towers is magnificent, and 
 from them the walls extend northwards in almost 
 a straight line to the Golden Horn. The fosse is 
 dry, and gardens occupy its space. The first line 
 of walls is almost obliterated, but the back wall, 
 with its lofty towers, built of mixed courses of 
 stone and small bricks, still standing nobly up, 
 shattered and crumbling, but preserving their out- 
 ward form which Constantine gave to them more 
 than 1,550 years ago. Along the outside of the 
 walls runs a paved road, very rough in parts, also
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 37 
 
 the work of the Romans. The paving is ab- 
 solutely indispensable in the wet seasons, but the 
 Turks take no trouble to maintain it, although 
 a most necessary route for the delivery of 
 supplies to their capital. We drove down this 
 road, the town to our right enclosed in the walls, 
 nothing to be seen to our left but occasional 
 cemeteries, with their cypress trees, and a few 
 gardens. About half-way we reached the Top 
 Kafonsi, or crooked gate. Here the ground un- 
 dulates very much, and this was the spot where 
 Mahomet gained his entrance. The breaches 
 have never been repaired. The walls extend for 
 five miles along the base of the triangle, from 
 the Sea of Marmora to the Golden Horn. 
 I must not forget to mention the peculiar 
 birds which fly up and down the Bosphorus. 
 They are in colour like the gray plover, their 
 flight like a swallow, about the size of a teal, 
 and in never-ending succession they stream 
 noiselessly along the surface of the water from 
 daylight to dark sometimes in small coveys, 
 frequently in bevies of many hundreds. The 
 wonderful thing about them is that they are never 
 seen to turn. Coming into the Bosphorus from 
 the Sea of Marmora, they fly in a continuous 
 line through to the Black Sea, and there I watched 
 many "packs" flying past the lightship (fourteen
 
 38 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 miles from the mouth of the Bosphorus), still 
 following the same straight course. I watched 
 these birds frequently, and made inquiries of 
 others, but never saw or heard of any one seeing 
 them turn or stop to rest on their course. I saw a 
 large flight of them one afternoon opposite Scutari 
 avoid a steamer in the channel, and unexpectedly 
 meet another ship coming from the opposite direc- 
 tion. They wheeled to let the steamer pass, and 
 then resumed directly their original course, follow- 
 ing apparently the leading bird with military 
 regularity. The Turks have a legend that these 
 birds are the spirits of the departed, and some go 
 so far as to name them the souls of the divorced 
 ladies from the harems who now fly on the 
 Bosphorus, the waters of which have been the 
 receptacle of many banished wives and concubines. 
 
 Spirits or not, there is something strange and 
 fascinating in the ceaseless flight of these curious 
 birds. Their numbers must be extraordinary, 
 when one considers the distance they travel and 
 the continuous succession in which they fly past. 
 I presume they live on flies or insects on the 
 surface of the water, as they skim so close to it ; 
 but where do they roost ? and where are their 
 nests and habitation ? Not on the Bosphorus. 
 
 Since writing the above, I came across (while 
 turning over the books in Prince Woronsoff's
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 39 
 
 library at Alupka) a narration of a journey from 
 Constantinople by the Rev. Dr. Walsh, written 
 in 1827, and published in 1828, and found the 
 following passage, which refers to these birds : 
 "There is a bird in this country which has often 
 excited my surprise and curiosity, and which, I 
 believe, is peculiar to this place. Every day 
 are to be seen numerous flocks of birds, not 
 quite so large as pigeons, with dark backs and 
 white bellies, passing up and down the Bosphorus 
 with great rapidity. When they arrive either 
 at the Black Sea or the Sea of Marmora, they 
 again wheel about and return up the channel ; 
 and this course they continue, without a moment's 
 intermission, the whole of the day. They are 
 never seen to alight either on land or water ; 
 they never, for a moment, deviate from their 
 course or slack their speed ; they are never 
 known to search for or take any food ; and no 
 visible cause can be assigned for the extraordinary 
 and restless instinct by which they are haunted. 
 The French call them ' les ames damnees ' (the 
 condemned spirits) ; and certainly, if being allowed 
 no cessation or repose be included in the idea, 
 it is not misapplied. They fly very near the 
 surface of the water ; and if a boat meet a flock 
 of them transversely they rise a few feet over it ; 
 if directly, it divides them like a wedge. Their
 
 40 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 flight is remarkably silent, and though so numerous 
 and so close, the whirr of their wings is scarcely 
 ever heard. I have often wished to shoot one 
 to examine it ; but the Turks have such a tender 
 and conscientious regard for the life of every 
 animal but man, that no person is permitted to 
 kill any bird upon the Bosphorus without 
 incurring their displeasure." 
 
 The only difference in my observations and 
 Dr. Walsh's, is his remark that the birds turn 
 when reaching either sea ; but I certainly saw 
 many of them still continuing their flight twenty 
 miles from the land in the Black Sea. 
 
 I visited the Sultan's stables and saw a quan- 
 tity of Arab horses the well-shaped ones all very 
 small, and the tall horses short in length and 
 leggy, as if a cross, and not of the true Arabian 
 breed. Some fighting sheep, kept shaved and 
 ready for action when called upon, were tethered 
 in the stable-yard, reminding me of those to be 
 seen at every Nawab's palace in India. 
 
 We left Constantinople at two o'clock on a sultry 
 day, and steamed up the Bosphorus, the scene 
 looking glorious in the sparkling sun. How long 
 will the Turks continue paramount over this lovely 
 spot ? This is a question which many have asked 
 in days gone by, and which men ask still. That 
 they are losing ground fast, are hovering between
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 41 
 
 Asiatic and European customs, with leaders weak 
 and inefficient to grapple with the crisis, are 
 patent facts. The danger of any sudden convul- 
 sion which might raise their ancient fanaticism is 
 feared by some, but although to a certain extent 
 there is a risk of this, in my opinion the majority 
 of the Turkish nation are too crushed in spirit and 
 divided amongst themselves to ensure an extended 
 fanatical movement. The problem is not so much 
 what will become of the Turks as who will 
 succeed them at Constantinople. It is difficult 
 enough to arrange for their transport to Asia, but 
 who is to be master of the Dardanelles and the 
 Bosphorus ? The Turks are not so bad as their 
 rulers, and if the latter could be improved there 
 might still be a future for the Ottoman Empire. 
 I had an interview with a Pasha, who, though a 
 Greek, had held high office, and was one of the 
 Commissioners of Turkey at the Treaty of Berlin 
 he is now put aside from jealousy, I suppose ; 
 but no man could speak more loyally of his 
 adopted country than he did, and his argument in 
 favour of giving the Turks under the present 
 Sultan time to carry out the changes which the 
 Berlin Treaty necessitates, and of Europe unitedly 
 assisting with that object, was plausible, on the 
 ground that the policy of the Powers should be to 
 join in directing and improving Turkey, rather
 
 42 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 than allow one of their number to upset the 
 equilibrium of nations by acquiring Constantinople. 
 For generations the Turks have traded diplomati- 
 cally by insinuating this argument, and exciting 
 the jealousy of the European Powers. I had the 
 honour of an introduction to Aleko Pasha, Prince 
 Vogorides, the Governor of Eastern Roumelia. 
 He is a fine-looking man, in the prime of life, 
 with frank and pleasant manner. His account of 
 the condition of the district he rules was glowing 
 in the extreme. Allowing for natural self-praise, 
 there is no doubt that harmony exists there, and 
 that apparently the laws and Constitution of Rou- 
 melia are " a success." Too much was not tried 
 to begin with, and the new Constitution will be 
 allowed to walk before it can run. In Bulgaria 
 the project was more ambitious, and an unfortu- 
 nate collapse has occurred. I met a number of 
 Bulgarians, and, as far as I could gather the 
 opinion of the most intelligent of them, Prince 
 Alexander was obliged to appeal for a revision 
 of the Constitution/' 5 " Whether he went the right 
 way to work, or was altogether scrupulous in 
 the conduct of the elections, are other matters, 
 but Bulgaria was impossible as a State under 
 the elaborate Constitution it proposed to adopt. 
 
 * This was written in July, 1881.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 43 
 
 During past generations, under the baneful rule 
 of the Turks, most of the leading and intelligent 
 Bulgarians left their country whenever they could 
 for Roumania and other parts. They settled, and 
 formed ties which retain them to their new homes. 
 Only the lower orders, and not these upper 
 classes, ' returned when Bulgaria was freed, and 
 the spirit of corruption instilled from their 
 oppressors seems to have been rampant among 
 the officials elected by the "Vox populi." I 
 questioned several of the peasants in the country, 
 and they apparently were disgusted with the 
 senators, judges, and officials who had been 
 elected, boldly accusing them of ignorance 
 and, in many instances, of dishonesty. Who 
 is M. Zankoff?* When Midhat Pasha was 
 Governor of Rustchuk, he selected Zankoff, who 
 was a junior clerk in the Custom House, to act 
 as a sort of secretary, and the report is he was 
 dismissed after a short time for actions which 
 could not be approved of. He then posed as 
 a Bulgarian patriot, but most of his countrymen 
 whom I met -ridiculed him, abused his administra- 
 tion, and many confirmed the truth of the report 
 
 * This gentleman, at one time Prime Minister of Bulgaria, 
 fell into disgrace shortly afterwards, and is reported now in 
 1886 to have been the instigator in the coup d'etat against 
 Prince Alexander.
 
 44 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 that he had stopped and opened several of Prince 
 Alexander's and other people's letters at all 
 events, the upshot in Bulgaria is that the Prince 
 has secured his majority, and the ratification of 
 his schemes. If he is prudent and just he will be 
 able to develop the country ; but he cannot do this 
 without honest administrators, and his first object 
 should be to appoint such men as can be relied 
 upon. He has entered upon a hazardous specu- 
 lation where he will meet with much criticism and 
 difficulty, and he will soon break down unless 
 the mass of the Bulgarian people see that his 
 Government is honestly administered and main- 
 tained. 
 
 This is what they require, and let us hope 
 Prince Alexander will be able so to rule as 
 to secure this, and ensure the development and 
 prosperity of the nation. I found in the book 
 mentioned above by Dr. Walsh, the translation of 
 the inscription on the tomb of Constantine. It is 
 now illegible, and in fact was so when Dr. Walsh 
 wrote. The inscription consisted of words 
 composed entirely of consonants, which were 
 unintelligible till Gennadios, the Patriarch, who 
 was appointed immediately after the Turks took 
 possession of the city, interpreted the prophecy 
 by supplying the vowels. It has been looked 
 upon by the Greeks in the light of a prophecy
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 45 
 
 (part of which only now remains to be ultimately 
 fulfilled) for several hundred years : 
 
 On the first of the Indict, the kingdom of Ishmael, he who 
 is called Mahomet, shall overturn the race of the Palaeologi, 
 shall gain possession of the seven-hilled city. He shall reign 
 within it, shall subdue very many nations, and shall desolate 
 the islands as far as the Euxine Sea. He shall lay waste 
 those who border the Danube. On the eighth of the Indict 
 he shall subdue the Peloponnesus ; on the ninth of the Indict 
 he shall lead his forces against the countries of the North ; on 
 the tenth of the Indict he shall overthrow the Dalmatae. 
 Again he shall turn back for yet a time ; he stirs up a mighty 
 war against the Dalmatians, and is a little broken (or crushed), 
 and the peoples and tribes, with the assistance of the Western 
 nations, shall engage in war by sea and land, and shall over- 
 throw Ishmael. His descendants shall reign with less, very 
 little (power). But the yellow-haired* race, together with all 
 their coadjutors, shall overthrow Ishmael, and shall take the 
 seven-hilled (city) with its (Imperial) privileges. Then shall 
 they kindle a fierce intestine war until the fifth hour, and 
 thrice shall a voice shout " Stand ! stand ! " and fear (to pro- 
 ceed) make anxious haste ; and on your right hand you will 
 find a man, noble, admirable, and courageous; him ye shall 
 have for your Lord, for he is my friend, and in accepting him 
 my will is fulfilled. 
 
 * The inhabitants of Russia have always been known as 
 the yellow-haired race in contradistinction to the Franks and 
 inhabitants of the West, who were known as the black-haired 
 race.
 
 THE CRIMEA. 
 
 WE crossed the Euxine or Black Sea, now de- 
 lightfully blue and calm, and arrived at Sevastopol 
 on the morning of the I5th of July, the interest 
 which this city inspires in the minds of all English- 
 men stimulating our curiosity. The entrance to 
 the harbour of Sevastopol is easy. About a 
 quarter of a mile broad at the 'mouth, the bay 
 widens out inland and extends nearly eight miles 
 almost due eastwards to the mouth of the river 
 Chernaya. Two large forts, Constantine and 
 Nicolas, stand on either side of the entrance. 
 They are built of stone in two tiers, with port- 
 holes for the guns, but at present there are but 
 few, if any, of the latter in position, and the forts 
 themselves seemed to be in a neglected state. 
 About half a mile from the entrance another bay 
 branches off inland to the south-east, perhaps 
 a mile in width at first, narrowing round in the 
 form of an S for nearly two miles. On the
 
 THE CRIMEA. 47 
 
 south-western side stands the city of Sevastopol, 
 situated upon a peninsula formed by the sea 
 on one side and this bay on the other. On the 
 south-eastern side are the docks, barracks, work- 
 shops, and a few houses. 
 
 We landed at the wharf, and after breakfast 
 hired a " drosky " and drove out with Captain H., 
 who kindly acted as our cicerone. On either 
 side of the road through the town are the ruins 
 of the houses destroyed by the bombardment 
 and fire. Nothing has been done to repair them ; 
 no steps have been taken to restore the city. 
 Passing the point of the bay, we drove up a 
 gorge past the " crick " battery and gained the 
 crest of the plateau overlooking the town. The 
 country around is the same barren, stony, undu- 
 lating steppe or plain which extends over Southern 
 Russia. After driving two or three miles we 
 arrived at the cemetery of the Light Division, 
 which is alongside the road, surrounded by a neat 
 stone wall enclosing about an acre of ground, 
 which is covered with grass, resembling an 
 English churchyard. We mounted the steps 
 over the wall, and were pleased to find the 
 tombstones and monuments in good order the 
 grass had lately been mown, and the place was 
 evidently cared for. 
 
 Leaving this, our driver proceeded over the
 
 48 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 steppe, careless of ruts and stones, and oblivious 
 of the effects on the springs of his master's 
 carriage. Crossing a valley, we arrived at Cath- 
 cart's Hill, which, being the highest point of the 
 plateau, commands a fine view. Here was 
 General Cathcart's encampment, the rendezvous 
 of officers during the campaign, where the 
 siege operations could be well seen and discussed. 
 On the summit the British Government have 
 built a house for the resident gardener and care- 
 taker of the cemeteries, and behind it, in a walled 
 enclosure, are collected most of the monuments 
 and tombstones of the officers and men who died 
 in the Crimea. The ground is laid out in beds 
 and gravelled paths acacias, cherry, apricot, and 
 other fruit trees, vines, lavender, and flowers are 
 tastefully planted. All appear to be flourishing, 
 and the monuments are in good order. 
 
 The English cemeteries in the Crimea used to 
 be 135 in number. In 1872 the Government 
 determined to concentrate and protect them 
 most of the principal tombs were removed to 
 Cathcart's Hill, but the Light Division cemetery 
 and others (eleven in number altogether) were 
 retained. These the guardian has to overlook, 
 and as it is a work of no small labour and diffi- 
 culty, some being nearly ten miles distant, the 
 pay (^25 a year and his house) is not extravagan 1 -
 
 THE CRIMEA. 49 
 
 even for the British nation ! But the allowance 
 for maintenance is worse ; ^"55 a year is given, 
 and this is hardly sufficient to keep such an 
 extent of walling, together with the obelisks at 
 Alma, Inkerman, and Balaclava, in repair, besides 
 the gravestones. When Cathcart's Hill was 
 finished, the Russian Government generously 
 gave seventy yards of extra ground round the 
 cemetery, and I would suggest that this should be 
 at once properly enclosed and planted. There is 
 hardly a doubt that sooner or later a further con- 
 centration of the graveyards will be made on 
 Cathcart's Hill. There is so much pointing with 
 cement to be done to the walls, the extent of 
 them is so great, and the climate of the Crimea 
 appears so deleterious to the durability of stone 
 and the maintenance of lim^: or cement pointing, 
 that it will be almost impossible to keep all in 
 proper repair with the present allowance. The 
 walls are now comparatively new, but year by 
 year they will certainly require more patching and 
 pointing. The Government should also provide 
 water-tanks, which would be filled by the rain at 
 Cathcart's Hill. The guardian has a considerable 
 distance to go for water and to drag it uphill. 
 Water is absolutely necessary for the trees and 
 plants, and it is hardly to be expected that the 
 man will at present undertake the great labour of
 
 50 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 giving them all that they require. He is a 
 German by birth, and seems to take an interest 
 in his work, for which he has been well chosen.* 
 
 After lingering on Cathcart's Hill, reading 
 the names of friends known and well remembered, 
 listening to the description of the siege operations 
 and camp life from Captain H., who had been in 
 the service with his regiment here in 1855 and 
 1856, we went down the valley to refresh ourselves 
 at a splendid spring of water where many a weary 
 British soldier had been before. There were the 
 marks of the tanks made for watering the cavalry 
 horses, and the beams still remaining to secure 
 the sides. The well had been arched over with 
 stones, and the building still stands, the current 
 of water flowing a plentiful stream out of it. 
 These springs of water are common in the valleys 
 of the steppe, and are a "godsend" to the 
 district. We started again in the drosky north- 
 wards over the country, crossing the old roads 
 made from one part of the British lines to 
 another. These roads, though grass-grown, can 
 still be traced, and the jolts given by the carriage 
 in crossing them are painful indications of their 
 
 * Since this has been written, great improvements have been 
 made at Cathcart's Hill, chiefly through the energy of the late 
 Lord Beresford, who supported the recommendations of the 
 British Consuls at Odessa and Sevastopol.
 
 THE CRIMEA. 51 
 
 existence. Numerous round holes show the 
 places where the tents and huts were pitched, 
 while heaps of broken beer bottles and sardine 
 tins lie scattered about. Passing another valley, 
 and a small farm, where stands the old, decayed, 
 round tower of the powder magazine, to prevent 
 the burning of which from a fire in the artillery 
 lines close by, an officer gallantly won the 
 Victoria Cross by climbing on the roof and 
 covering it with wet sacks, we reached the obelisk 
 marking the Battle of Inkerman. The three 
 obelisks at Alma, Inkerman, and Balaclava are 
 similar of gray granite, on square pedestals about 
 twenty feet high, with a low wall thirty feet square 
 enclosing the spot. On each side of the base of 
 the obelisk is an inscription in Turkish, Russian, 
 Greek, and English, " Erected by the British 
 Army," with the name and date of the battle. 
 
 We walked from the obelisk, which is placed 
 In the centre of the battle-field, to the hillock on 
 the right, where General Cathcart was killed. 
 Looking from this place, down the gorge to the 
 north, over the village of Inkerman, one is struck 
 with surprise and admiration at the formidable 
 task attempted by the Russians in climbing that 
 precipitous cliff, and the men dragging the guns 
 up on the eventful night of the attack the 4th 
 of November, 1854. Who knows what the result 
 
 E 2
 
 52 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 would have been if the general commanding the 
 Russian right wing had not mistaken the valley 
 up which he was to advance, and thereby 
 separated himself from the division on the left ? 
 Returning over the steppe between the lines of 
 trenches and parallels, we went to the Redan, 
 walking over the ground, one hundred and fifty 
 yards from the end of the last trench to the fort, 
 which the assailant had to cross. This formidable 
 earthwork, which was taken and lost by the 
 English on the 8th of September, 1855, still 
 preserves its angles and form, notwithstanding 
 the harvest which the search for remnants of 
 shells and balls has yielded to the natives for 
 years past, and induced them to dig over the 
 ground in all directions although the pursuit has 
 now almost ceased (for these weapons of war are 
 getting scarce). We soon picked up both bullets 
 and slugs, which we carried away as memen- 
 toes of our visit. The Malakoff tower is across 
 a valley to the north of the Redan, and it was 
 easy to observe that here the French had the 
 advantage of the British, as their trenches were 
 within twenty-five yards of the Russian works. 
 From the crest of the hills on which these two 
 famous fortifications were placed an admirable 
 view of all the positions can be obtained. It 
 is astonishing to think that these defences of
 
 THE CRIMEA. 53 
 
 Sevastopol were made after the battle of the 
 Alma, or to find any excuse for the extraordinary 
 movement of the Allies after that battle from 
 the north side over to the eastern, and for their 
 not at once attacking the town. Kinglake's 
 strictures must be right, and although some 
 consolation is gained by the knowledge that Lord 
 Raglan always wished to attack at once, it is 
 galling to think that, under the false notion of 
 pleasing our Allies, the advice of such a man 
 as St. Arnaud was followed ; and that throughout 
 the campaign we played "second fiddle" to the 
 French. 
 
 Walking down the hill towards the town we 
 passed the huge barracks, called " The White 
 Buildings," their walls still blackened and bare, 
 a painful ruin ! But still more distressing is the 
 sight of the docks close by on the right hand side. 
 A canal from the harbour conducted the ships to 
 them through two locks ; they were begun at the 
 end of the last century under the superintendence 
 of an Englishman, Admiral Mackenzie, by order 
 of the Empress Catherine. Another Englishman, 
 Colonel Upton, was afterwards employed. The 
 docks were six in number, situated in a valley, 
 and fed by an aqueduct from the Chernaya, near 
 Inkerman. Aberdeen granite was largely used 
 in their construction, and massive blocks of it
 
 54 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 are still to be seen in the floors of the docks, but 
 the sides and entrances were mined and blown up 
 in 1856. What cruel evidence of the horrors 
 of war! Et cui bonof Science has enabled 
 another form of dock to be constructed, and 
 Russia can easily, if she so desires, fill Sevastopol 
 harbour with floating docks, pontoons from which 
 the air is extracted, and the largest vessels can 
 be raised high and dry. There lies one below us 
 on which the great yacht Livadia has been placed 
 during the last few days, undergoing repair. 
 
 The Russian Steam Navigation Company, 
 owning the steamers plying round the Black Sea 
 ports .and to Constantinople, have large work- 
 shops, wharfs, and yards for their ships below the 
 White Buildings ; passing through them we hailed 
 a boat on the eastern side of the harbour, and 
 rowed over to the other side, stopping on our 
 way to see the Livadia. Rumour says the 
 present Emperor is disgusted with her, and at 
 the expense (^800 per day) which is incurred 
 in working her three sets of engines ; but what 
 a floating palace she is ! The furniture and 
 fittings are magnificent ; just now the carpets 
 are being rolled up and everything put away. 
 No one knows what will be done with her, but 
 every one testifies to her seaworthy qualities, 
 while lamenting the great cost of fuel which
 
 THE CRIMEA. 55 
 
 must be used to drive such a floating castle 
 through the water. 
 
 It was a lovely evening; the moon lit up the 
 ruins on either side of the harbour, and looking 
 over them one could not help lamenting the fate 
 and present condition of the place. Poor 
 Sevastopol ! Nature has endowed you with all 
 the essentials that make a harbour. The 
 entrance is easy ; there is no bar ; the water is 
 deep everywhere ; there is room for all the 
 vessels of the world ; it is the nearest port to the 
 mouth of the Bosphorus ; a railway connects it 
 with the corn and vine growing districts of 
 Southern Russia. Yet the warlike spirit of those 
 who rule hesitates to utilise these great commercial 
 advantages. The Muscovite dictators cannot 
 determine upon a policy ; torn between two 
 parties, the one wishing to recreate the station as 
 a tower of strength, defended by land and sea 
 from attack, the other desirous of making it a free 
 port, a commercial centre, and a blessing to the 
 country. Will the war party triumph, and turn 
 the place again into a fortress, a formidable 
 menace to Europe, or will the peace party 
 prevail, and allow the natural gifts of Sevastopol 
 to be developed by the merchant and private 
 capitalist ? For twenty-five years Russia has 
 watched the ruined walls crumbling in decay, and
 
 56 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 been unable to decide. Now they say under the 
 new Tsar the peace party are more hopeful. We 
 heartily wish them success. The modern inven- 
 tion of the torpedo, to the destructive and defensive 
 power of which there appears no limit, should 
 surely enable harbours to be quickly protected 
 without the aid of so many guns and forts. 
 Sufficient protection might be given to the 
 commerce of the place without abandoning it 
 for the sake of a barren stronghold, handed over 
 to the mercies and never-ceasing changes and 
 requirements of modern engineers. 
 
 We started next day after breakfast at 
 9 a.m., and drove by the Yalta Road past a 
 small bay, where vessels at the time of the siege 
 were detained for inspection, and hence it got the 
 name of Quarantine Bay, nearly due south from 
 Sevastopol, about one and a half miles to the 
 ruins of the ancient city of Khersonesus. This 
 city was founded by emigrants from Heraclea 
 600 years before Christ, and for a long time 
 flourished as a Republic. It was taken by 
 Mithridates the Great, King of Pontus, and fell, 
 on the subjection of his son by the Romans, 
 to their Empire, under which it continued to 
 flourish. It was captured by the Slavonians, and 
 was wrecked, along with the other great colonies 
 of the Crimea, by the Huns and other wild races.
 
 THE CRIMEA. 57 
 
 Its final destruction is attributed (so says 
 Mr. Murray's Guide) to Olgerd, the Lithuanian 
 conqueror of Kief and all Southern Russia, in the 
 fourteenth century. When the Turks took the 
 Crimea in 1475, they found Khersonesus "a pile 
 of empty houses and deserted churches." They 
 removed the finest marbles and pillars to 
 Constantinople. The Russians followed, when 
 they built Sevastopol, in taking all the materials 
 they could find, and the French, during their 
 occupation in 1855, further assisted in the work 
 of demolition and desolation. It is a pity 
 that so little is left of what a traveller in 
 the sixteenth century described as the ruins 
 of a " proud, delicate, and illustrious city." 
 
 But before describing it I must briefly quote 
 from " Murray " a story taken from Mr. H. D. 
 Seymour's book on the Crimea. It is related by 
 Nestor, and is interesting as attributing to Kher- 
 sonesus the means of converting the Slavonian 
 race to Christianity. Although that religion had 
 been partially introduced into Russia by his 
 grandmother Olga, yet it had not been generally 
 accepted, when Vladimir, Prince of Kief, besieged 
 Khersonesus in 988 A.D. It was valiantly 
 defended, and though the Russians pressed on 
 the attack they began to lose heart in the contest. 
 During the assault, a certain Athanasius shot into
 
 58 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the camp an arrow bearing this advice " Thou 
 canst stop or turn aside the springs which are be- 
 hind thee towards the east it is thence the 
 waters of the town are brought to us." At this 
 news, Vladimir lifted his eyes to heaven and cried 
 out, "If this be true, I promise to receive 
 baptism." He gave the order to turn off the 
 water, and soon the besieged, worn out and dying 
 with thirst, surrendered. Vladimir then asked 
 the Emperors Basil and Constantine for their 
 sister Anna in marriage, and her hand was given 
 to him on condition of his baptism. The baptism 
 of Vladimir took place in the Church of the Holy 
 Mother of God at Kherson, situated in the midst 
 of the town on the market-place. It is here, near 
 the church, by the side of the altar, that is to be 
 seen to this day the palace of Vladimir and that of 
 the Princess. Immediately after the baptism, the 
 Bishop conducted the Princess for another cere- 
 mony, that of marriage. Vladimir ordered to be 
 built a church at Kherson, on the hill made with 
 the earth which the inhabitants had piled up in 
 the centre of the town during the siege, which 
 church, says Nestor, may still be seen in our days. 
 On his return to Kiel, Vladimir determined that 
 all his people should become Christians, and their 
 conversion accordingly took place. 
 
 On the site of the old church is now being
 
 THE CRIMEA. 59 
 
 built an edifice, which when completed will be 
 one of the finest churches in the country. The 
 ancient walls of Vladimir's chapel are enclosed 
 within it, under the central dome is the font 
 where he was baptized a square-built hole about 
 four feet deep into the ground. The interior 
 ornamentation remains to be done, and no doubt 
 will soon be commenced, as the church, and the 
 whole place, is held in great veneration, and much 
 care now bestowed upon it, by the Russian 
 Church. We were shown round by an exception- 
 ally intelligent priest, who delighted in pointing 
 out the treasures that had been unearthed and 
 saved. A room in the Superior's house close by 
 was filled with cases containing bracelets, beads, 
 tear bottles, brooches, articles of ancient work- 
 manship in bronze, iron, and some of precious 
 metals, coins, and pottery in abundance, huge 
 amphorae and marble vases. The priest showed 
 us remarkable stones and inscriptions, some in 
 Greek, others in Latin, of different dates ; and 
 alongside of the path leading from the museum to 
 the town cannon balls of various sizes, telling the 
 periods of its wars, lay mixed with broken marble 
 columns and carved Corinthian capitals, emblems 
 of the more peaceful days of Khersonesus. 
 
 We walked by the church to the site of the 
 old town, on the promontory between Quarantine
 
 60 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Bay and the sea, and were delighted to observe 
 the careful excavations which were being made. 
 The priest, evidently an enthusiast at the work, 
 pointed out the conduits and water-pipes, the 
 fonts at the corners of the streets, the houses 
 and different roads. He has about twenty men 
 employed in removing the loose earth, and laying 
 bare the foundations. The floor of an ancient 
 church which stood almost at the point of the 
 promontory (where the landing-place and mole 
 are still visible) is uncovered, and some nice 
 mosaics and crosses are to be seen. Pompeii 
 came vividly to our minds, as the resemblance 
 of the streets and houses is great, though Kher- 
 sonesus may probably claim 600 or 700 years 
 of earlier origin. We heartily wished the intelli- 
 gent padre success in his archaeological enterprise, 
 and bade him good-bye after a most interesting 
 visit to this historical spot. We drove thence 
 by the old walls and ruined aqueduct that used 
 to supply Khersonesus with water, through the 
 French lines, over the steppe, burnt and brown 
 by the summer heat, to the French cemetery. 
 This was finished some years before the English 
 one at Cathcart's Hill, and the trees have grown 
 up well. The French collected all the relics 
 of their countrymen, and placed them in separate 
 sarcophagi, lined round the sides of the enclosure.
 
 THE CRIMEA. 61 
 
 On each sarcophagus are the names of the officers, 
 number of men, and their regiment, there in- 
 terred. In the centre of the cemetery is a large 
 monument, on which are inscribed the names of 
 the generals and superior officers who fell in the 
 war. The grounds are rather overgrown, and 
 the place is certainly not so well kept as the 
 English and Russian cemeteries. 
 
 About a mile from the French cemetery is 
 the house which was the headquarters of the 
 British Army in the Crimea, and where Lord 
 Raglan died. It is surrounded by some nice 
 trees and vineyards, pleasantly situated, facing 
 the road from Balaclava. The house and property 
 have just changed hands. The new proprietor 
 had just arrived, but he courteously showed us 
 over the place, and the rooms where mural tablets 
 commemorate the fact of the death of Lord 
 Raglan, and give the names of the commanders- 
 in-chief who succeeded him. 
 
 A drive of perhaps five miles along a road 
 made by the English, and still in good order, 
 brought us to Balaclava. Alongside of the road 
 are the remains of the railway which conveyed 
 the stores from the port. The village of Balaclava 
 is almost at the head of the bay, into which a 
 small stream flows. Although narrow, and ap- 
 parently of little depth, the bay is a marvellous
 
 62 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 port. The sides shelve precipitously down, and 
 there is water-way for the largest ships. On 
 either hand steep rocks rise, designed by nature 
 for shelter. The winding shores give picturesque- 
 ness, and shut out the view of the sea. We 
 hired a boat, and rowed to the mouth, which 
 cannot be more than one hundred yards across, 
 and as the southern side projects or overlaps, the 
 entrance must be difficult and dangerous in stormy 
 weather ; as, alas ! our transports found in the 
 memorable gale of November, 1854, when the 
 Black Prince and many other vessels were 
 wrecked. 
 
 After inspecting some curious caves on the 
 northern side, we crossed over to the southern, 
 and lunched on cold bustard, hard-boiled eggs, 
 and small cucumbers, with a bottle of red 
 Crimean wine, which sharpened our appetites, 
 and derived an extra relish from the enjoy- 
 able scenery. I climbed up the rocks, disturbing 
 diminutive crabs peeping from the crevices at 
 every step, and examined the geological formation 
 around me. The great southern plain or steppe 
 of Russia seems to extend, rising in a gradual 
 slope southwards, until reaching this point, where 
 the sandstone that forms the upper crust suddenly 
 thins out, and the igneous agents below have 
 forced other rocks, in all manner of forms and
 
 THE CRIMEA. 63 
 
 order, into these great cliffs and precipices. 
 Some say that recent volcanic action has added 
 to the confusion, and certainly a huge mass 
 or seam of black basalt appearing to the east- 
 ward is much in favour of this conjecture. 
 Next to this comes the red rock, streaked 
 with siliceous veins, called the Balaclava 
 marble, of which the cliffs on either side of 
 the harbour are composed. Then to the west- 
 ward, rising in altitude asserting its sway, 
 appears the gray schist, which forms a bold per- 
 pendicular headland known to sailors as Balaclava 
 Bluff. 
 
 It is a grand romantic place, still and motion- 
 less under the summer's setting sun, ourselves 
 apparently the only human beings in the neigh- 
 bourhood, yet, what stirring events have occurred 
 here ! Authorities agree that this was the port 
 of the Lsestrigones, mentioned in the Odyssey, 
 where the herald was seized and devoured by 
 the savage inhabitants, and Ulysses narrowly 
 escaped. The lofty towers and ramparts that 
 line and guard the cliffs on the western side were 
 used by the ancient Greeks, and refortified by the 
 Genoese, who took the place from the Scythian 
 sea-robbers, who had made it their stronghold. 
 Taken by the Turks in 1475, and again captured 
 by the Greeks, it seems to have remained un-
 
 64 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 known to the Russians, who, in 1854-55, never 
 dreamt that England's fleet could here anchor 
 in safety, and that such a harbour existed on 
 the Crimean coast. 
 
 On the ruins of the Genoese fortifications 
 there are written in bold capital letters, apparently 
 to remain as long as the walls, the names of some 
 of the English ships, and the designations given 
 to the various points and places. The sailor who 
 climbed the walls and painted " Antelope " 
 thereon must have borne a resemblance to that 
 animal, and known that time alone would efface 
 his handwriting. These remnants of ancient 
 black letter, and the heads of the old oak piers to 
 which the vessels were moored, stern to shore ; a 
 few beams worked into the cottages, with the 
 broad arrow to be seen on them, are all the 
 evidences left of a place that played so important 
 a part in this strange chapter of English history. 
 A plain white cross by a well on the hill-side, some 
 three hundred yards from the shore, is called by 
 the natives " Florence Nightingale's Cross," and 
 is a conspicuous object why so named, I could 
 not learn. We walked through the dirty little 
 fishing village, and, entering our drosky, drove 
 up the valley about two miles, and gained the 
 plain where the famous charge of Balaclava 
 was made. The country undulates easily. The
 
 THE CRIMEA. 65 
 
 Tartars have no hedges to their fields, and had 
 lifted most of the hay. The summer sun had 
 baked the ground, so we were able to drive up the 
 incline to the battery which the Light Division 
 charged, and where the monument now stands to 
 mark the spot. The battery preserves its form 
 and outline more correctly than any of the others 
 in the Crimea, perhaps because, the soil being 
 better, it is covered with long herbage. 
 
 The country from this point descends north- 
 wards, and, finding a fair cart track, we drove 
 along it down the vale to the River Chernaya, and 
 by its banks to the village of Inkerman, chiefly 
 remarkable for the extraordinary caves and 
 dwellings cut in the sandstone rock, of which the 
 hills on both sides are composed. The stone 
 is mostly very soft and easily worked, but some of 
 it is harder, and, as a capital building material, is 
 therefore largely used. On the south bank are a 
 number of caves still occupied by a tribe of 
 gipsies, and on the north bank the base of the 
 rock is honeycombed with ancient caves, the 
 inhabitants of which prehistoric dwellings were 
 called "Troglodytes." Cut in the cliff is a crypt 
 containing a church, the steps to which are hewn 
 in the rock, and an inner staircase leads from the 
 nave to the belfry above the effect being as if 
 a picture of a church and campanile had been
 
 66 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 painted on the white rocks. After a most 
 pleasant row for a mile down the River Chernaya 
 (in a boat which we had ordered to be there from 
 Sevastopol in the morning), we entered the Bay 
 of Inkerman, which extends fully four miles in 
 length, and reached Sevastopol, refreshed by the 
 cool evening breeze blowing in from the Euxine, 
 just as the sun disappeared in the west. 
 
 The Russian cemetery is on the north side 
 of the harbour, and fully half a mile from the 
 shore on the slope of a hill facing the south, 
 containing ten or twelve acres of ground. It is 
 well laid out with paths and trees, which were 
 planted thirteen years ago, and being well supplied 
 with water, which is conducted to the cemetery 
 by pipes, have grown admirably. On the top 
 of the hill stands the memorial church, with a 
 gigantic cross of green Finland marble on the top 
 of it. Slabs of the same stone, with the names of 
 the regiments engaged in the campaign engraved 
 thereon, are let into the walls round the church. 
 The inside is profusely decorated with mosaics 
 and pictures of sacred subjects. Those painted 
 on the walls are unfortunately becoming mildewed, 
 and some are nearly effaced. This is deplorable, 
 as they are works of art, and were designed by 
 the best artists in the country. On the terrace 
 outside are several old cannons with " G. R."
 
 THE CRIMEA. 67 
 
 upon them, which were taken from the Turks at 
 the battle of Navarino. Why placed here is 
 unaccountable, except that some of the Russians 
 believe they are trophies taken from the English 
 in the Crimea and which of the Georges showed 
 his munificence in giving them to the Sultan of 
 Turkey, history does not tell. 
 
 By a Tartar village at the head of a small bay, 
 an offshoot from that of Inkerman, we met some 
 fishermen mending their nets, and soon engaged 
 them for five roubles (about eleven shillings) to 
 drag the bay, the bargain being that we should 
 take as many fish as we wanted and leave them 
 the rest. Both ends of the net, which bellied out 
 into a bag terminating in a point in the centre, 
 were attached to long ropes, one of these was 
 held by a man on shore, the boat was rowed out 
 to the length of the rope, then turned parallel 
 with the shore, and the net paid out from the 
 stern. This done, they came in with the other 
 rope. Two fishermen at either side dragged the 
 net in, joining alongside of each other as soon as 
 possible to bring the ends of the net forward, and 
 when landed the bag produced red mullets, 
 numbers of small fish, dace, shrimps, little sea 
 horses, jelly fish, sea eels, and ugly sea serpents 
 about ten inches long. We had another "shot" 
 with the net at a place where salmon were 
 
 F 2
 
 68 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 reported to be caught sometimes, but did not get 
 one, although we had a larger haul of all sorts of 
 fish. We took a basketful of the dace, mullets, 
 and shrimps, and tried the first-named fried as 
 whitebait for dinner. They were pronounced not 
 good, but the mullets (not so large or rich in 
 flavour as the Italian or English ones) and the 
 shrimps were both deemed excellent at breakfast. 
 I met an English engineer employed in the 
 Steam Navigation Company's works at Sevastopol, 
 and he told me that frequently unexploded shells 
 were found about the batteries and amongst the 
 ruins. Although care was taken in examining 
 them, one had burst recently while being melted 
 down with other pieces of iron, and two men had 
 been killed, so that now all the projectiles brought 
 in by the Tartars are heated in a cauldron 
 especially prepared, so that if any burst no person 
 can be hurt. I must not be accused of repeating 
 " travellers' tales " in mentioning the following, 
 which was told me by a gallant officer. He had 
 visited lately the scene of his encampment in the 
 Crimea in 1855, and while excavating the site of 
 his tent, where he remembered some provisions 
 had been stored, he unearthed sardine tins as 
 clean and bright as the day they were buried, and 
 the contents as fresh as they could have been 
 twenty-six years ago ! I cannot answer for this
 
 THE CRIMEA. 69 
 
 as I did not taste them, but I saw a great curiosity 
 in some relics from the wreck of the Black Prince. 
 This vessel had a large quantity of specie on 
 board, and some time ago a company was formed 
 to try and secure it. Divers reached the vessel in 
 fourteen or fifteen fathoms of water, but could not 
 find the gold. However, they brought up some 
 willow pattern china plates, pots of marmalade, 
 Bass's beer, and sherry in bottles. The beer burst 
 soon after being brought to the surface, but was 
 still good, and the sherry excellent. The plates 
 and other thing were shown to me. 
 
 No one visiting Sevastopol should fail to see 
 General Todleben's house, which was given to 
 him by the people, and handed over by him 
 to the town as a museum for relics of the war. 
 The collection of guns and weapons is most 
 interesting, the maps and pictures of the siege 
 explain much to the traveller ; and a curious 
 series of the prints that appeared in the English 
 and French illustrated papers at the time of 
 the campaign, bring reminiscences of that period 
 vividly to the mind, while, at the same time, 
 they show, by comparison, the extraordinary 
 strides in excellence made in the character and 
 finish of the specimens of the lithographer's art 
 produced by the illustrated journals of the present 
 day.
 
 70 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 The country of Crim-Tartary had always 
 been associated in my mind with that of a barren, 
 desolate waste, with rude inhabitants of the 
 nomadic class living with their flocks and herds, 
 but it is far different to this over the greater portion 
 of the peninsula. The northern and western sides 
 are the continuation of the steppe of Southern 
 Russia, but more undulating and broken into 
 valleys. The southern and eastern sides enjoy 
 a different climate ; the mountain scenery is 
 magnificent ; every sort of plant and fruit appears 
 to flourish ; it is thickly populated by a thriving, 
 well-to-do race, and is a delightful country. The 
 rise in the ground southwards is hardly percep- 
 tible as one crosses the steppe until reaching the 
 crest, where the craggy rocks descend pre- 
 cipitously, and the sea lies nearly 4,000 feet 
 below. 
 
 Although in the middle of summer, the steppes, 
 called by the natives " yailas," or plains, look 
 brown and arid, yet there is some fine pasture 
 upon them, and especially on the higher parts, 
 where the herbage is very similar to the English 
 downs. A traveller going by rail from Sevastopol 
 to Batchiserai, which was the old Tartar capital 
 of the Khans of the Crimea, and which contains 
 the only few interesting mosques and relics of 
 Turkish rule in the peninsula, should ride from
 
 THE CRIMEA. 71 
 
 that town across the yaila by the drove road 
 to Yalta, about seventy versts, or fifty miles. 
 After passing through the valley of Kokos, the 
 steppe stretches far away on every hand. Herds 
 of Merino sheep and cattle are to be seen here 
 and there, mostly in the vicinity of a farmhouse 
 and enclosure, surely situated in a valley where 
 springs of water are to be found. Trees are 
 rarities, and there is little to break the monotonous 
 landscape but occasional masses of limestone, 
 rearing themselves in layers above the general 
 level of the plain. At last there appears to the 
 south a broad point higher than any ground 
 around, and as one approaches, more rocks 
 appear. Stiff crags, peculiarly stratified, over- 
 hang a small valley and shelter a thicket of beech, 
 oak, and some Spanish chestnut trees. Crossing 
 this and ascending the point, a marvellous sight 
 is opened out. This is the top of Ai-Petri, or 
 the hill of St. Peter, 4,000 feet above the level 
 of the sea. Its southern face descends sheer 
 down, and by leaning over a stone could be 
 dropped perpendicularly many hundred feet. To 
 the east and west can be seen the cliffs formed 
 by this sudden termination of the steppe, and 
 as Ai-Petri juts out furthest to the south of any, 
 the whole range of the coast from the head of 
 the Baidar Valley near Balaclava on the west
 
 72 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 to Sudak, a hundred miles eastwards, can be 
 traced. Every part of this is covered with firs, 
 and oaks, and trees of all descriptions, vineyards 
 and orchards are mapped out down to the sea- 
 shore ; villages nestle in the valleys, while behind 
 to the north there is nothing but the great plain, 
 almost lifeless and bare. 
 
 The breadth of this strip of fertility varies 
 greatly. At Ai-Petri the distance to the sea is 
 probably not more than four miles, while in places 
 the steppe breaks off sooner, and the width of the 
 vale to the coast must be fully fifteen or even 
 twenty miles. Alupka, the residence of Prince 
 Woronsoff, one of the largest owners of lands and 
 vineyards in these parts, lies close to the sea 
 below Ai-Petri, and the view over the lovely 
 gardens and terraces around it is not the least 
 pleasing portion of the scene. I walked about the 
 edge of the cliff, peering over at the giant aiguilles, 
 which from below appear like small spikes, and 
 found pieces of lava, little nodules of stone, as 
 if the refuse of Vulcan's Titanic cauldron. A 
 splendid specimen of the golden eagle passed close 
 to me, and a small white-breasted eagle was 
 circling by the rocks in search of his evening 
 meal, disturbing a group of gray-backed carrion 
 crows from what they had evidently found for 
 their repast. There is only a difficult and dan-
 
 THE CRIMEA. 73 
 
 gerous path down the western side of Ai-Petri, 
 so I retraced my steps northwards, passing the. 
 valley before mentioned, where I observed several 
 holes in the ground, some fifteen yards in diameter, 
 of great depth, and with perpendicular sides. 
 These seemed very like extinct craters, as if 
 attempts had been made to force the overlying 
 limestone in many places before it had given way, 
 and thus formed the crags at Ai-Petri. I was not 
 geologist enough to decide, but only to wonder at 
 the works of Nature around me. 
 
 The turf hereabouts is full of strawberry 
 plants, different to the small conical wild berry of 
 the woods, round in form, as large as a filbert, 
 and most sweet to the taste. We had a grateful 
 feast of these as we walked back nearly a mile to 
 join the Batchiserai road, which descends the hill 
 in a succession of zigzags to Yalta. This road 
 was partly made by the late Empress of Russia, 
 and is well engineered. It passes through splen- 
 did pine forests, affording lovely views of the 
 scenery all round, and joins the post road close to 
 Livadia. 
 
 From time immemorial the southern coast of 
 the Crimea has attracted the attention of different 
 nations the Greeks colonised and founded many 
 cities along it the Kings of Pontus and Persia 
 were candidates for its possession the Romans
 
 74 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS, 
 
 here found one of their numerous fields of enter- 
 prise Scythians and Slavonians, Goths and 
 Huns, battled with the Venetians and Genoese 
 for possession of the ports and strongholds. 
 Turks and Greeks continued the contest until 
 the Russians joined in and finally secured the 
 whole of Crim-Tartary by the Treaty of Kujuk 
 Kainardji in 1774, and by a subsequent treaty ten 
 years later in the reign of Catherine the Great. 
 The caves of the Troglodytes, the ancient " livers 
 in the rocks," the aborigines of the country, are to 
 be seen in many places, as well as Cyclopean 
 fortifications on the Ai-Udagh and other moun- 
 tains, which, from their formation, are believed to 
 have been the strongholds of these people, called 
 by some the Tauri, or Tauro-Scythians. But it 
 would certainly appear as if a race of beings had 
 existed in the country before the Scythians 
 peopled it, and some writers have hinted that 
 fossil bones, or traces of prehistoric men, should 
 be found in the caverns and grottoes which were 
 their abodes. 
 
 In the Chatyr Dagh Mountain there is a large 
 stalactite cave (Bimbash-Koba, or Cave of a 
 Thousand Heads), where an immense number of 
 human bones were found ; but these are supposed 
 to be the remains of some unfortunate Genoese 
 who were smoked to death by the Tartars. But
 
 THE CRIMEA. 75 
 
 leaving the question of the aborigines undecided, 
 one marvels at the numerous mementoes left along 
 the coast by the different nations who successively 
 visited it. Khersonesus, Cembalon (Balaclava), 
 Kaffa (Theodosia), and Ponticapium are known 
 to have been Greek colonies, Gorzubita (Urzup) 
 and Aluston (Alushta) were Roman settlements, 
 while the Genoese and Venetians occupied and 
 improved all these, and pushed their communica- 
 tions and possessions into many other parts of the 
 peninsula. 
 
 Several villages and other places, such as 
 Parthenite and Cape Parthenike, derive their 
 names from the virgin divinity of the Tauri, and it 
 is curious to see how the name has been handed 
 down. The Tauric barbarians worshipped the 
 goddess Parthenos, and all strangers shipwrecked 
 on the coast were sacrificed to her. Mr. Sey- 
 mour supposes that "when the Greeks arrived 
 from Heraclea, they brought in the worship of 
 Hercules and Diana, and as they always respected 
 the religion of the countries they visited, and 
 found a great resemblance between their own 
 Diana and the Virgin of the Tauri, they probably 
 merged the two into one under the name of the 
 Tauric Diana, discontinuing the ancient barbaric 
 custom of offering human victims." In this way 
 probably the name has been preserved in so many
 
 76 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 instances, and the sites, with their remains of the 
 old places of worship, are to be found. The 
 Greeks began their settlements and colonies as 
 early as the sixth century B.C., being continually 
 at war with the aborigines and it is curious to 
 note that the Crimea was one of the few parts of 
 Russia known to the ancients. It is mentioned 
 in connection with the expedition of the Argo- 
 nauts, and the Trojan war, having been overrun 
 by a tribe of Scythians from the north-east ; it 
 was called Chersonesus Taurica, and its people 
 Tauric Scythians whose famous king, Skiluros, 
 governed about a century before the Christian 
 era. The site of Skiluros' city, Neopolis, is 
 not accurately ascertained, but most probably 
 it stood on the banks of the River Salghir, 
 near Simpheropol, nearly in the centre of the 
 peninsula, as there are tumuli and ruins of an 
 ancient city here, and articles with the name 
 " Neopolis " upon them have been found. Mithri- 
 dates the Great, King of Pontus, conquered the 
 Scythians in the early part of the first century, 
 and the Romans succeeded to the possession of 
 the Tauric Chersonese on Caesar's defeat of Phar- 
 naces at the battle of Zela, in Asia Minor. 
 
 A most interesting work has been published 
 by Mr. H. D. Seymour, entitled, " Russia on 
 the Black Sea," which gives an excellent history
 
 THE CRIMEA. 77 
 
 of the Crimean Peninsula. He discovered in 
 the caves of the Troglodytes crosses and altars 
 excavated in the rocks, showing that they had 
 been the refuges of Christians, probably Arians, 
 fleeing from the persecution of Justinian; numbers 
 of Roman coins of this emperor, and others, 
 especially of the third and fourth centuries, are 
 found. One of the most curious places in the 
 country is Chuput Kale, near Batchiserai, which 
 was a colony of the Karaim Jews, a sect peculiar 
 to the Crimea, who follow the law of Moses 
 and reject the tradition of the elders ; " it is called 
 Kyrkor, or ' forty men,' and the Jews affirm that 
 it was built by forty brothers. It was known 
 in the middle ages (and to Eastern writers in the 
 fourteenth century) as the town of ' Forty Places,' 
 or ' Forty Castles.' The monuments (one of 
 which was found to be 2,000 years old) in the 
 cemetery of Chuput Kale, called the Valley of 
 Jehoshaphat, prove that the town existed some 
 centuries before the Christian era, and that in 
 the eighth century it was the residence of Isaac 
 Sangari, who converted the Khazan to Judaism. 
 The Karaim Jews are of opinion that Chuput 
 Kale was founded about 400 years before Christ, 
 also that it was the refuge of the last of the 
 Khazars in the eleventh century." 
 
 Near this is the rock of Hangup, which is
 
 7 8 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 fortified with walls and towers, an acropolis, with 
 the remains of a splendid palace. Within it are 
 the only traces left of the Gothic dukes of 
 Hangup, who long held this part of the Crimea. 
 After them came the Huns and the Khazars, 
 but most of the seaboard still remained under the 
 control of the Byzantine Greeks. Vladimir sub- 
 dued the country by his conquest of Khersonesus 
 in 988 A.D. Then came the Polovtses. In the 
 thirteenth century the Tartars overran the penin- 
 sula, and the same era brought the Venetians 
 and Genoese, who founded colonies and kept 
 the Tartars in check until the fifteenth century. 
 The latter then formed a "horde," placing them- 
 selves under the suzerainty of the Turks, and 
 by a common effort, in 1475, extinguished 
 Genoese dominion in the Tauric Chersonese. 
 As before mentioned, it was formally annexed to 
 Russia on the 2Oth April, 1783. 
 
 The native Tartars are a quiet, thrifty race, 
 and well-to-do. They might take in more land, 
 but the majority are contented to work a small 
 portion with the aid of their families, and do 
 not push their possessions. They prefer to grow 
 corn, maize, and tobacco on their own fields, 
 generally leaving the cultivation of the vine 
 to other proprietors ; but they work in the vine- 
 yards and get good pay. The high cheek bones
 
 THE CRIMEA. 79 
 
 and bullet heads of the generally accepted Tartar 
 are not distinguishing marks of the race in these 
 parts. Their features are good, and no one 
 can help remarking the number of handsome 
 faces to be met everywhere. With complexions 
 tanned by the sun, which the little "pork pie 
 hats," covered round with Astrakhan or lambs' 
 wool, they all wear (though some have the 
 Turkish fez) do nothing to shade, their skins 
 are as white as those of any other Europeans. 
 There is hardly a doubt that they are descendants 
 of the ancient colonisers of the coast, and that 
 Greeks, Romans, and Italians are answerable 
 for their "good looks." The Russians of all 
 degrees have chosen this district as a resort for 
 health and pleasure, and it is becoming yearly 
 more popular. Steamers run three times a week 
 from Odessa, touching at Sevastopol, Yalta, and 
 Theodosia. An excellent road traverses the 
 south coast from Balaclava, by Yalta, to Alushta, 
 and round .to Simpheropol, and agreeable excur- 
 sions can be made in the mountains on ponies. 
 The principal town and summer resort is Yalta, 
 situated on the shores of a fine bay of the sea, 
 and in an amphitheatre of splendid mountains. Its 
 history is rather shrouded in mystery. Charters 
 of the Patriarch at Constantinople say that Yalita 
 or Gialita belonged in the fourth century to the
 
 8o TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Patriarchs. In the twelfth century Ibn Edvizi, 
 the Arabian geographer, speaks of Galita or 
 Djalita as inhabited by the Comans or Polovtses, 
 and it is known that in the fifteenth century 
 the Genoese had a special consul here. Now 
 villas and hotels are springing up, making Yalta 
 a gay and fashionable place. 
 
 About thirty-five miles eastwards along the 
 coast from Yalta is the small Tartar village of 
 Alushta. The road after ascending the hill by 
 Massandra, winds round the valley above Urzup, 
 the ancient Gorzubita, which is situated in a bay 
 at the foot of a fertile vale, famous for the growth 
 of tobacco, flanked on the east by the mountain 
 of Ai-Udagh, or the Bear Mountain (so called 
 from its resemblance to a huge bear, as if re- 
 cumbent and lapping the water). Two detached 
 rocks rise from the sea in the bay, as if to assist 
 in forming a harbour, which is, however, only 
 used by ships in the primitive way of being 
 loaded from the shore. Gorzubita was patronised 
 by the Romans, and here the Emperor Justinian 
 built a large castle. The Genoese enlarged its 
 fortifications with a second line of defence, which 
 is easily distinguished from the Roman work 
 among the ruins of both. 
 
 Leaving Gorzubita and Ai-Udagh on the 
 right hand, the road still ascends and passes
 
 THE CRIMEA. 81 
 
 through a gorge called by the Tartars " Temir 
 Khapu," or the Gate of Iron, and here the 
 ancient Tauri had one of their fortresses, ad- 
 mirably placed to defend any approach along 
 the coast from either side. A little to the south- 
 east of the road are vast masses of rock thrown 
 in confusion on the top of one another, and 
 everywhere proofs of violent volcanic action are 
 found, easily to be traced, for on leaving this 
 collection of " fetid black limestone " and as- 
 cending the hill, about a mile to the left a large 
 crater is visible, and the formation of the rocks 
 is granitic. Passing Mount Castela, covered with 
 scrub of beech, oak, and mountain ash, the valley 
 stretching from the giant Chatyr Dagh on the 
 north, bounded on the east by the Hill of 
 Catherine, so called, says our guide, from its 
 resemblance to the form of a beautiful woman, 
 and out of compliment to Catherine the Great, 
 opens out before us, with the village of Alushta 
 on a sloping hillock close to the sea-shore. 
 
 Our residence at Alushta was a small mud 
 building on the ground floor of three rooms, a 
 kitchen, and verandah, with small court in front, 
 surrounded by Tartar habitations. These are all 
 built in terraces on the hill-side, the walls of mud 
 plaster upon an interlacing of hazel binders. 
 They have no second storey, and the flat roofs
 
 8 2 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 are used for various purposes. In the summer 
 the male inhabitants sleep there ; corn and 
 provender are often stored on them. The night 
 we arrived a great feast to the principal men of 
 the village was given by the Tartar owning the 
 house exactly in front of ours, of which from our 
 verandah we had a good spectacle. A fortnight 
 previously his son had been married, and the 
 father had determined to make a pilgrimage to 
 Mecca, which all true Mussulmans ought to do. 
 Before departing he gave this feast to his 
 neighbours. Punctually at sunset they arrived, 
 mounted to the roof of the house, sat round in 
 circles on mats and carpets, with the pans of food 
 (from which they helped themselves) ready placed 
 at the corners, and in the centre of the roof. The 
 dishes contained boiled rice and meat, cucumbers, 
 pickled and fresh, melons, and fried cakes, very 
 like bannocks. There was no talking over the 
 dinner ; every man, after a slight salaam to the 
 host, fell to, silently, as hard as he could. When 
 finished, there seemed an entire absence of con- 
 versation and conviviality, while pipes, tobacco, 
 and coffee were handed round. Perhaps as this 
 was a parting feast it was more taciturn than 
 usual. At 8 a.m. the following morning, the 
 Tartar gentleman started for Mecca. A crowd of 
 children from all parts of the village collected at
 
 THE CRIMEA. 83 
 
 an early hour, and attracted me to see the 
 ceremony. About half-past seven an " araba " 
 (the native cart on four wheels, which creak 
 horribly and are never greased) came down the 
 lane, his bags and baggage tied into two sacks, 
 with a cord drawn in the middle so as to enable 
 them to be easily thrown over the back of a pony 
 or camel. His mat and rug, pipe and coffee, 
 were placed in it and driven down the hill to the 
 post road, where it waited. The neighbours 
 began to assemble, and a few minutes before eight 
 his son, the young bridegroom, in a dark blue 
 dress with silver ornaments, arm-in-arm with the 
 mollah (priest) on one side, and his father-in-law 
 on the other, followed by a crowd of relatives, 
 arrived, chanting a monotonous ditty. They formed 
 in line before the house. The man came out, and, 
 after some mystic words and exhortations from 
 him and the priest, placed himself between the 
 latter and his son. Standing thus, a more 
 melancholy song was started, and punctually at 
 eight the procession moved off in regular order, 
 the son and others exhibiting signs of great grief, 
 down the hill to the araba, where the devotee was 
 carefully ensconced, and started on his journey, 
 after each one had successively salaamed him and 
 asked his benediction. A number of women, 
 gorgeously dressed, came out of the house after 
 
 G 2
 
 84 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the procession, but went no further than the lane, 
 where a view of the start could be had, and even 
 here they kept themselves carefully out of sight 
 of their lords and masters, and their faces veiled 
 from prying eyes. 
 
 Having received an invitation to join two 
 sportsmen who proposed an expedition against 
 the red deer on the Chatyr Dagh Mountain, I 
 readily accepted, as although rather too early in 
 the season, and the heads barely clean, I wanted 
 very much to see the haunts of this tribe of deer 
 similar to the Scotch, but having larger heads 
 with more points. They are rapidly decreasing in 
 numbers, I am sorry to say, as the greater part 
 of the forests belongs to different Tartars, and is 
 used by every one as a sort of "common" for 
 pasturage and the supply of timber ; but the 
 Russian Government have taken a portion in 
 hand. The late Emperor shot there every year, 
 and it is most strictly preserved. My first re- 
 quirement was a rifle, and General R., the com- 
 mandant at Sevastopol, lent me a " Winchester," 
 scarred and marked by the tokens of war, having 
 been taken from the Turks in the last campaign. 
 I tried it at a mark, and found it was well and 
 accurately sighted. Sixteen cartridges are stored 
 in the chamber below the barrel, and nothing 
 could be quicker than the action of reloading.
 
 THE CRIMEA. 85 
 
 Excellent ponies can be hired from the Tartars 
 all over the Crimea, and having procured these, 
 I started after supper at 10.30 p.m., accompanied 
 by Mr. W. and his son, from Alushta, and rode 
 six miles to a village in the hills, Corbecklee 
 by name, the moon lighting the mountain path 
 and illuminating the forest. It is a large village 
 on both sides of a steep gorge in the hills. The 
 river flowing down it is wonderfully conducted by- 
 cuts and conduits backwards and forwards, on 
 both sides of the valley, to irrigate the fields 
 and orchards. A blast from W.'s horn aroused 
 the canine population, and a response from our 
 brother sportsmen who had preceded us raised "a 
 chorus" which was continued until we reached the 
 house of a wealthy Tartar at the upper end of the 
 village. This abode had been kindly placed at 
 our disposal by its owner, and here we met two 
 gentlemen in official capacities under the Russian 
 Government, who formed our party. They had 
 come on to arrange matters with the Tartars, a 
 number of whom cordially greeted us, and our 
 host invited us to partake of various native 
 dishes, coffee, etc., while tobacco was, of course, 
 plentifully offered. I declined the former dainties, 
 but smoked a cigarette, and after a peep over the 
 country and the sea stretching far below us, the 
 view looking lovely and calm in the cool moon-
 
 86 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 light, I pleaded fatigue, and was ushered into my 
 apartment, a large square room with a settee all 
 around it, covered with Persian and Turkish 
 quilts and mats. It was 12.30 a.m. before I 
 curled myself upon an excellent couch made of 
 the above, and notwithstanding the sounds of the 
 conviviality of my companions in the neighbouring 
 apartment, and the chatter of the Tartars outside 
 discussing the proceedings, I was soon fast asleep. 
 At 4 a.m. we were called, and after a cup of hot 
 coffee, mounted our ponies before day had begun 
 to break. 
 
 The path we followed led straight uphill 
 towards the Chatyr Dagh, and by 5.30, after 
 brisk riding, we came up with the Tartars 
 who had started some time before us. The 
 sun had just risen, although hidden behind 
 the Catherine Mountain to the east of us, and 
 was gilding the tops of the hills above Kousma 
 Damain to our left. The Tartars, twelve in 
 number, had been chosen as beaters by one 
 Ismail, called by Mr. W. " Le premier Tartare." 
 I regarded him with much curiosity, having 
 heard much of his prowess and skill in stalking 
 and killing deer. The late Emperor never went 
 out shooting except under his guidance, and 
 a fine gold watch, which he was proud of showing 
 and always wore, was a gift from His Imperial
 
 THE CRIMEA. 87 
 
 Majesty. Dressed in a whole-coloured suit of 
 dark brown, his lithe, active figure was evidently 
 made for pedestrianism. He wore a tight-fitting 
 tunic and loose trousers, with a girdle of the same 
 material round his waist, the trousers tucked into 
 socks, and circled into a sort of garter from 
 the calf of the leg downwards, which was laced 
 round with strips of strong leather sewed on to a 
 sort of slipper or mocassin, the laces crossed over 
 the leg serving to hold up the shoe and secure the 
 gaiter at the same time. On the rocks and 
 dry ground, it appeared an admirable walking 
 shoe, but, I noticed, on grass and dried leaves he 
 continually slipped. Ismail carried a single-barrel 
 gun, slung by a belt across his shoulders. It does 
 not weigh five pounds, and is a remarkable 
 weapon. He told me it had never left his hand 
 during the day for twenty-five years. He had 
 killed over sixty stags with it, and countless 
 numbers of roedeer, wolves, hares, and foxes. It 
 is about sixteen bore, and carries sometimes a 
 bullet and sometimes shot ; the back sight on the 
 stock close by the hammer is beautifully filed and 
 kept bright ; the hammer is circular in form, and 
 raised by the thumb exactly as a scissors' handle ; 
 the trigger is a knob which starts out with a 
 spring on the hammer being raised, and is let off 
 by pressure upwards. He explained, in answer
 
 88 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 to my inquiry, that the reason for this rounding 
 off of the hammer and trigger was to prevent 
 catching in the bushes and underwood. I soon 
 saw how necessary this was, as in ascending any 
 steep ground he used his gun, the butt of which 
 is well lined with brass, as a walking-stick, and 
 frequently as a leaping pole from one rock to 
 another. Dismounting our ponies, Ismail gave 
 directions in animated language to the beaters, 
 and then leading the way we followed him, through 
 a splendid open forest of beech trees, northwards 
 for about a mile. It was six o'clock before we 
 were placed in the first station, each gun about 
 three hundred yards apart, at different passes in 
 the wood. The beaters had four dogs, all 
 evidently a cross between a bloodhound and a 
 collie, with them, and we soon heard the noise of 
 the men and the deep bark of the hounds. The 
 sportsman on my left killed a fine roebuck, and 
 another on my right wounded a wolf, which 
 was subsequently got, but I saw nothing to shoot 
 at. While waiting for this drive I observed the 
 extraordinary effect of the wakening of nature. 
 When we took our stations the sun had not 
 touched the tree tops, a deathlike stillness reigned 
 in the forest, not a living movement was per- 
 ceptible. In a few minutes, as daylight grew, the 
 hum of insects commenced, and simultaneously
 
 THE CRIMEA. 89 
 
 the tap-tap-tap of the woodpeckers was heard on 
 all sides. It seemed as if these birds, of which 
 I watched some beautiful varieties, knew exactly 
 the minute at which to arise in search of their 
 prey. It was amusing to observe the rap like 
 a postman's knock they give to the tree, the 
 knowing look with which they eye the bark, the 
 delight they exhibit in securing the insect, and 
 their triumphant flight to another bough. 
 
 The beaters were sent again downhill, and 
 we walked further north, across a splendid open 
 glade nearly a mile square, covered with luxuriant 
 herbage, to other stations. We were now just 
 under the cliffs of the westernmost peaks of the 
 Chatyr Dagh. The great gray schistose rocks 
 rise perpendicularly the last thousand feet out of 
 the surrounding forest, and form a splendid face, 
 which is visible from every part of the Crimea. 
 The Chatyr Dagh is the highest mountain in the 
 peninsula, being slightly over 5,000 feet above 
 the level of the sea, which is scarcely twenty miles 
 distant. Its name signifies in Tartar language 
 " The Tent Mountain," and in ancient days it 
 was called Mount Trapezus. We were again 
 disappointed in not coming across any red deer, 
 but two more roebucks were killed. These 
 animals are exactly similar to those of Scotland 
 and Germany. Our party now divided, and the
 
 90 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 dogs were taken up. I followed Ismail, and we 
 cautiously proceeded eastwards, spying the rising 
 ground above us, and anxiously peering down the 
 forest glades, but not a stag was to be seen. At 
 10.30 a halt was called, and we proceeded to meet 
 our companions (who had been trying to move 
 deer on the higher ground to us), at a spring of 
 water by the edge of the forest, which had been 
 named as a trysting-place for breakfast, a meal 
 which we were all looking forward to. In a very 
 few minutes the Tartars had a fire lit, a leg of 
 mutton, which had been brought in the saddle 
 bags, was cut up into little bits, and stuck on 
 wooden skewers fresh peeled from a neighbouring 
 willow, and turned gingerly above the embers, 
 each Tartar arming himself with a separate 
 skewer. When sufficiently cooked he presented 
 it to whoever of us was ready for the dainty 
 morsel with a profound salaam. The roedeer's 
 fry was cut up and cooked in the same way, and 
 both dishes were excellent, so that full justice was 
 done to them. The water was ice-cold, and with 
 a bottle of Crimean sauterne, no man ever enjoyed 
 a breakfast more. 
 
 All this time our cooks touched nothing 
 neither food nor water passing their mouths, and 
 they did not even smoke ! It was the fast of the 
 Ramazan. This Mahomedan festival is held for
 
 THE CRIMEA. 91 
 
 one lunar month in July or August, and is 
 determinable by some calendar arrangements 
 ordered by the Prophet. During those twenty- 
 eight days no Mahomedan of full age is allowed 
 to eat, drink, or smoke between sunrise and 
 sunset. He first enjoys a pipe or cigarette, 
 has a glass of water, then a meal of cakes and 
 vegetables. About 12 p.m. he feasts substantially 
 on meat, and just before sunrise has some other 
 refreshment. The rich Mahomedans rest and 
 sleep most of the day during the Ramazan, but to 
 the poorer class the fast is most severe and hard 
 to bear during the nearly fifteen hours of daylight. 
 At twelve o'clock we started again, the Tartars, 
 who seemed thoroughly up to their work, going 
 eastwards to look for deer, and to move them 
 up from the woods to the higher ground where 
 Ismail stationed us. 
 
 I soon saw that their efforts would be unavailing. 
 The forest and underwood were too dense with 
 foliage for the deer to leave so secure a retreat ; 
 we were too early in the year ; the dogs soon got 
 knocked up, but still there was no sign of yielding 
 or lack of keenness in Ismail's efforts, or the 
 Tartars' energy. My companions got slacker, 
 and I pitied them on the rough ground the 
 Russian's mode of shoeing himself in a light 
 slipper being peculiarly unfitted to the hills, and
 
 92 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 comparing unfavourably with the English shooting 
 boots with nails (a pair of which I luckily had, 
 and which excited the approval of the taciturn 
 Ismail). But though I heard deer none came 
 within shot or sight, and after a good try and 
 a hard day's work we ceased our efforts at 
 6 p.m., having traversed a great breadth of 
 the forest and hill, our only rest having been 
 at breakfast time. 
 
 I was unsuccessful in getting a big stag, but 
 enjoyed the sight of these splendid woods beech, 
 oak, maple, hazel-nut, with very few firs which 
 extend for nearly forty miles, by five miles broad, 
 around the Chatyr Dagh, and was much pleased 
 with my day. The ponies met us by the side 
 of a stream, where we refreshed ourselves with 
 claret and water, washing down some hard-boiled 
 eggs. I paid the Tartars for their day's work 
 three roubles to Ismail, and a rouble (about 2s. 2d.) 
 to each of the other men. This was above their 
 ordinary pay (which is about seventy copecks or 
 is. 6d.), and they were delighted, offering to come 
 another day whenever we liked. I was much 
 struck at the endurance of these men ; they had 
 been on the tramp for fifteen hours amid dense 
 thickets and on rough ground, and were ten 
 miles from their village, Corbecklee. They had 
 touched nothing since sunrise, and as I passed
 
 THE CRIMEA. 93 
 
 them on the road home, they walked on with 
 the same patient, contented indifference fagged 
 they were, but not fatigued. 
 
 I had ten miles to ride to Alushta, and as 
 I trotted along I thought how soon I should 
 have knocked up without food and water, and 
 how few among the nations of the earth would 
 go through such a day's work as these Tartars 
 had for so paltry a wage. Did Mahomet, in 
 instituting the fast, consider that the human body 
 required change of regimen at this, the hottest 
 season of the year? In these Eastern countries 
 an alteration of food and diet is most beneficial 
 to the health ; and, perhaps, the Prophet, who 
 was an " eminent medicine man," if nothing else, 
 contemplated this. The present mode of keeping 
 the fast must, however, be frightfully severe upon 
 the constitution. 
 
 I reached Alushta at a quarter to eight, was 
 soon occupied with a good dinner, and had an 
 early start to bed, for which I was fully prepared. 
 
 Having determined to visit the forests once 
 more and see if any stags were to be found on the 
 higher ground, I left Alushta in the afternoon of 
 the 22nd of August, and drove by the post road 
 to Simpheropol, about twenty-five miles to a 
 travellers' post station called Taushan Bazar. 
 The road, which is well engineered, crosses with
 
 94 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 many turns and twists the high ground between 
 the Chatyr Dagh and Mount Catherine. At the 
 point of the watershed is a famous spring called 
 KutuzofFs fountain; in 1774 the Turks had 
 landed from their galleys in the bay of Alushta, 
 and having marched up the valley were here met 
 by General Kutuzoff and the Russians ; it was at 
 this spot the General received an extraordinary 
 wound a bullet entering near his right ear, came 
 out below the left temple, destroying the sight of 
 one eye only. Kutuzoff lived till the year 1813. 
 The stone fountain was erected in his honour and 
 in commemoration of his repulse of the Turks. 
 
 It was half-past eight before we reached the 
 forester's house about two miles beyond Taushan 
 Bazar, the usual absence of twilight in these 
 countries obliging us to grope our way in the 
 dark after leaving the station. I had appointed 
 to meet Ismail and some Tartars to act as beaters, 
 and was pleased to find them and the ponies at 
 "the tryst." After frying up some cold beef and 
 eggs for supper, the forester, who is a Russian in 
 Government employ, entered into a long discus- 
 sion with Ismail as to the "campaign" for the 
 morrow ; we were to drive a part of the Govern- 
 ment forests, for which I had, with difficulty, got 
 permission, but apparently the man whose duty it 
 was to direct the proceedings knew little about
 
 THE CRIMEA. 95 
 
 his work, and could do nothing without the 
 Tartars. These foresters are in a very awkward 
 position ; living in isolated and distant places, they 
 have to rely for provisions on the Tartars, who 
 are born poachers and know every inch of the 
 country. It is absurd to suppose that one man 
 can look after thirty or forty miles square of forest 
 country, or attempt to stop those who supply him 
 with daily necessaries from poaching. If he tried, 
 they are too numerous for him, and his life would 
 be the penalty for reporting them to the Govern- 
 ment. I soon saw that Ismail was forester in 
 everything but the name. After a few hours' 
 sleep we were up as dawn was breaking ; the 
 Tartars had already started. We mounted our 
 ponies and rode up a path on the edge of a steep 
 ridge, one of the spurs of the great mountain, for 
 an hour, till we reached a dense oak and maple 
 forest, when we dismounted, on account of the 
 impossibility of riding through it, and following 
 Ismail on foot, gained the northernmost peak of 
 the Chatyr Dagh about six in the morning. The 
 view across the Crimean peninsula, both sides of 
 which seemed to lie almost at our feet, was very 
 grand, and I have no hesitation in saying that 
 there are few such splendid sylvan and panoramic 
 sights as the one from the top of the king of 
 the Crim-Tartary mountains. The herbage is
 
 96 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 much superior on the northern side, which must 
 be attributed to the prevalence of oak, maple, and 
 elm trees, the grass growing badly under the 
 beech forests with which the southern side is 
 mostly clothed. 
 
 We started a herd of hinds and calves on the 
 edge of a large open glade, and took stations 
 by a pass at the head of an enormous ravine. 
 The Tartars were soon heard commencing at 
 the hour agreed upon some five miles below us, 
 their curious calls to one another (more to avoid 
 being lost than to raise the deer) seeming in 
 the still morning air close by ; and this peculiarity 
 of the atmosphere, or the echo, was the safeguard 
 of the deer. They waited, unable to judge where 
 the noises came from, until the men were close 
 to them, and then most of them doubled back. 
 Some few hinds passed, and one large stag with 
 a smaller one galloped across the ravine a long 
 distance down. We tried to cut him off, but 
 never saw him again. After two more attempts 
 to move some deer on the open "yaila," we 
 breakfasted at 1 1 a.m., and afterwards tried 
 another drive on the north-western side, but again 
 were unlucky. I got a very fine roebuck, and 
 my companion killed a wolf, for which he can 
 draw five roubles from the Russian Government 
 on producing the head. At 5 p.m. we decided to
 
 THE CRIMEA. 97 
 
 "give it up," especially as fifteen miles ride back 
 to Alushta was before us. Ismail was in agony 
 at our decision, and could only be consoled by 
 a solemn undertaking on our part to return in 
 a month, when he said the deer would have left 
 the forests and be on the "yailas." He was 
 right in saying we were too early to kill them. 
 The woods, mantled with green, are too sufficient 
 a harbour at this season for these glorious stags. 
 But he was wrong in thinking we should be so 
 unsportsmanlike as to pursue them at a time 
 when they are unfit to kill. Alas ! however, this 
 is what the Tartars do. When the "rutting" 
 season commences they get the big stags on the 
 "yailas" and highest ridges, even killing them 
 in the snow at Christmas time, leaving their 
 bodies to rot, and exposing the horns for sale 
 in the nearest bazaar for a few roubles. Hence 
 this breed of magnificent red deer is rapidly 
 being extinguished. I saw several heads of 
 eighteen, twenty, and twenty-two points in houses 
 in the neighbourhood, but in a very short time 
 they will be " things of the past." The Tartars 
 will not submit to game laws, and the Russians 
 are, as a rule, such absurd sportsmen that great 
 difficulty arises in any attempt to preserve 
 the forests ; besides, so many interlying parts 
 belong to Tartar communes. I have no doubt
 
 98 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the same system which has procured the de- 
 struction of the wolves would preserve the red 
 deer if the judicious services of such men as 
 Ismail were enlisted in the cause ; but the 
 Russians seem afraid to attempt any scheme of 
 organisation that is not connected with strict 
 military rule. That some arrangement in regard 
 to the forests is sorely needed is manifest. Fires 
 are continually taking place. A few nights ago 
 the wood on the hill-side above Yalta was burnt 
 down, and the estate of Massandra preserved 
 by the cutting of the timber before the. fire 
 reached it. The Tartars paid little attention 
 to the fire (indeed it seemed no one's business 
 to put it out), while five or six hundred acres 
 of fine timber were destroyed. 
 
 As it is perfectly clear the south coast of 
 the Crimea owes a great deal of its salubrity 
 and fertility to the prevalence of timber, which 
 is lacking on all its northern and western coasts, 
 one would have thought the Russian Govern- 
 ment would interest itself in the subject. But 
 no ; the development of the territories they have 
 seems to be the last idea with Russian officials. 
 There are deposits of splendid coal in some 
 of the Crimean valleys which could be easily 
 worked and cheaply delivered. I saw some at 
 Yalta in large blocks, and it compared most
 
 THE CRIMEA. 99 
 
 favourably with English coal alongside of it. 
 The merchant informed me the latter was de- 
 livered to him 2s. per ton cheaper, though the 
 former came only twenty-five miles, and by a 
 good road to Yalta, which place is many thou- 
 sand miles distant from England ! The Russian 
 Government puts every obstacle in the way of 
 private enterprise, especially in mining, but on 
 this subject I may have a few words to say 
 in another letter. 
 
 As I rode back from the Chatyr Dagh the 
 wooded ravine and the tops of Kousme-Damain 
 were visible to the south-west, and I was forced 
 to hear the "really authentic" history of that 
 famous monastery from my guide. For what 
 it is worth, I repeat it : Two very holy men, 
 Kousme and Damain, retired from the busy 
 world, and settled themselves as hermits in a 
 cavern amongst the rocks of this secluded glen, 
 living on herbs, fish, etc., many hundred years 
 ago. After passing much time in mutual con- 
 solation, they unfortunately quarrelled, and one 
 killed the other. Horrified at the deed, Kousme 
 prayed without ceasing over Damain's dead body 
 until a vision informed him that if buried in a 
 certain place, blessings would follow ; and surely, 
 at the spot where he was directed to inter 
 the corpse, a splendid spring of water instantly 
 
 H 2
 
 TOO TRAVELS, SFORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 appeared. This well was blessed, and became 
 miraculous for its cures. Kousme lived long, 
 in the odour of sanctity, penitent for his sins, 
 extolling the praises of the departed Damain, 
 amassing presents from pilgrims for the erection 
 of the monastery, and eventually went the way 
 of all flesh, leaving the shrine endowed and 
 sacred to the memory of Damain and himself! 
 This tale, and similar ones, are retailed for the 
 benefit of the curious, while it is astonishing 
 to think how a branch of the Christian Church 
 can attribute belief in them, and that a spring 
 of cold water can attract thousands of pilgrims 
 from all parts, firmly convinced of its healing 
 and spiritually efficacious properties. 
 
 On the night of the 25th August the Maho- 
 medan fast of the Ramazan ended, and in the 
 morning the feast of the Beiram commenced. 
 It is continued for four or five days, but the 
 first two days are the principal ones. The 
 Crimean Mussulmans appear to be more open 
 and free in their manners than the members of 
 their creed in other parts. They are delighted to 
 see you in their houses during the Beiram, and 
 eager to show hospitality. The men all go to the 
 mosque dressed in their best, morning and after- 
 noon The women and children, adorned with 
 head-dresses of gilt bands, or coins, in the form 
 of a tiara, and various coloured robes and tunics
 
 THE CRIMEA. 101 
 
 of brilliant hue, meet in the centre of the village, 
 form circles and join hands in a lazy sort of a 
 dance to a most monotonous air. There is no 
 affectation or shyness amongst them, all seem 
 happy and contented, while there is an absence of 
 drunkenness amongst the people, which those who 
 rule them would do well to imitate. The Tartar's 
 weakness is tobacco ; he grows a good quality, 
 and smokes incessantly small paper cigarettes. 
 They eat an enormous quantity of fruit, especially 
 melons, preferring the variety with red flesh and 
 black pips, which are called water melons, and 
 are at present in full season ; they are rather 
 tasteless, but deliciously cold. 
 
 Leaving Yalta by steamer at night we arrived 
 early in the morning at Theodosia. This town 
 was founded by the Milesian Greeks 500 years 
 before Christ, and from its being the principal 
 port for exporting grain, was called Theodosia or 
 God's gift. It afterwards became part of the 
 kingdom of the Bosphorus, and was once held by 
 the Romans. Destroyed at the end of the second 
 century, its harbour seems to have been unused 
 until the Genoese purchased it and the territory 
 around, in the thirteenth century, from the Khan 
 Oran Timur. They built a large town and called 
 it Kaffa, which eventually became their principal 
 seat of government in the Crimea. Their chief 
 consul, annually elected by the doge and citizens
 
 io2 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 of the metropolis, resided here. After the fall of 
 Constantinople, Mahomet despatched Akhmet 
 Pasha with a fleet of 482 galleys to besiege 
 Kaffa, which fell into their hands on the 6th of 
 June, 1475. Under the Turks the city prospered, 
 and in the seventeenth century travellers relate 
 that 400 vessels were to be found in the Bay of 
 Kaffa. The Turks called it Kutchuk Stambul 
 (Little Constantinople), and probably 80,000 
 people lived there in its palmy days. In 1771 
 Kaffa was taken by the Russians, who in 1787 
 made it a district town under its original name 
 Theodosia. The ancient Genoese fortifications 
 were pulled down to build barracks, the Turkish 
 baths were destroyed, and in a very short time 
 almost all the relics of the earlier ages which had 
 survived Tartar administration disappeared under 
 the rule of an ignorant governor of the town ; 
 only some few towers, among them one which 
 was consecrated to Pope Clement VI., remain ; 
 but all are crumbling in ruins. The hills around 
 look terribly brown and bare, different to the time 
 when covered with cornfields by the Greeks, and 
 later divided into orchards and gardens by the 
 Tartars. The town is now a resort in the sum- 
 mer season as a Russian watering-place, and 
 barely contains 10,000 inhabitants. What con- 
 trasts does history often expose !
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 
 
 WHEN the Treaty of Berlin was being framed, 
 people were startled to hear of Batoum, that it 
 was to be ceded to Russia, but made a free port ; 
 a triumph of Lord Beaconsfield's policy ! Curiosity 
 to see the place took us thither, over 300 
 miles nearly due south from Theodosia. We 
 shipped in the s.s. Poushkin a splendid new 
 vessel, with marble-sided saloons and beautiful 
 fittings, built at Newcastle for the Russian Com- 
 pany leaving Theodosia at 7.30 in the morning, 
 arriving at our destination at 4 p.m. the next day. 
 In the south-easternmost corner of the Black 
 Sea, on a projecting tongue of low land, formed 
 perhaps by d&bris from the River Tchoruk, which 
 flows into the sea a few miles to the southward, 
 is the little town of Batoum. The land stretches 
 towards the north-east from the foot of hills a 
 mile distant. It suddenly terminates, and the 
 bay dips round to the east till the cliffs are
 
 ro 4 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 reached. The entrance round the head of the 
 point is easy ; the water is deep close into the 
 shore. The largest ships can enter in all weathers 
 and at all seasons ; an important matter, as 
 nearly all the Euxine ports except this one and 
 Sevastopol are closed by ice in winter. The 
 westerly gales are the only ones feared on this 
 coast, and from them the harbour is completely 
 protected. The anchorage is good, and ships 
 can lie within a cable's length of the shore. But 
 Lord Beaconsfield was right when he said there 
 was room for only a limited number of ships. 
 By dredging the bay on the south-east side, 
 however, equally good harbour accommodation 
 to an unlimited extent can be got, and a channel 
 inland could be made for docks by the natural 
 cut of an old river bed with great ease, and at 
 little cost. The orders sent to the Russian forces 
 in the district just before the peace, were to take 
 Batoum at all hazards. Three days before the 
 conclusion of the war, the attempt was made, 
 but failed. Three thousand five hundred Russians 
 were buried opposite to the point (visible a few 
 miles up the coast) after that assault, and although 
 the numbers have never transpired, it is said 
 thirty thousand perished altogether in the various 
 attacks on Batoum. Through a river of blood, 
 backed by admirable diplomacy, they have gained
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 105 
 
 the only port the only position worth having, 
 on this side of the Black Sea. What will they 
 do with it ? 
 
 The first act, of course, with the Russians 
 has been to arm it. A large fort commanding 
 the entrance at the point of the headland, which 
 was made for the Turks by French engineers 
 in 1863, has been put into thorough order, only 
 requiring guns (ready at the artillery stores just 
 outside the cordon, not a mile away) to be placed 
 in position. The barracks inside the fort are 
 filled with soldiers ; the hills, commanding com- 
 pletely the harbour and town, are being entrenched 
 with parks of artillery ; a railway to join the line 
 from Batoum to Poti and Tiflis is nearly finished ; 
 and large quantities of military stores are collected 
 at a depot a few miles up the coast. 
 
 The town itself is situated on a dry shingly 
 beach. Between it and the hills is a dull, dreary 
 swamp ; and the flat inside the cordon, which is 
 marked by a track circling the foot of the hills, 
 contains about a thousand acres. Everything is 
 allowed free into the town ; but what a difference 
 on going out ! The minutest inspection of 
 baggage is insisted upon at the port, or in passing 
 the cordon, and very heavy dues are charged. 
 The fact is Batoum is nothing more than a large 
 "bonded store," and the practical usefulness of its
 
 io6 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 " free port " is of no account. When the natives 
 first heard of the free port they flocked into the 
 town, found articles cheap, but were charged such 
 taxes on reaching the cordon as made the prices 
 higher than before. They did not modify their 
 anathemas on the Russians ! Ships should always 
 be allowed free into the port, but there appears to 
 be no advantage to any one (except the Russian 
 Government) in the present regulations. Granted 
 that articles are cheaper to people residing in 
 Batoum, who would or will live there ? It is 
 difficult to drain, excessively dirty, and noted as 
 one of the worst spots for fever in all these regions 
 celebrated for that pestilence. With the hills so 
 close a better site for the town will surely be 
 found, and then it will be outside the free port ! 
 
 Batoum is a rainy place, and the country in 
 the vicinity very fertile. The climate is healthy 
 in the hills, but cannot be worse in the town itself. 
 The first thing we met in the streets was a 
 funeral, and the hospitals are full to overflowing. 
 This is not surprising after seeing the Russian 
 soldiers in the town, mere boys, badly clad and 
 worse fed. A citizen in the military employ of 
 the Tsar only gets coarse brown bread at eleven 
 in the morning, and greasy vegetable broth, with 
 brown bread again, for his dinner. The most 
 ordinary precautions are not taken to prevent him
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 107 
 
 from catching fever ; he is allowed to sleep (often 
 outside his tent) on the damp ground, and he 
 starts for parade in the morning without any food 
 or stimulant. It is no wonder that the mortality 
 here amongst the soldiers has been frightful. 
 
 There are some quaint old Turkish houses, 
 mostly deserted and ruinous, in the town, and 
 a picturesque octagon-shaped mosque with an 
 uncommonly good minaret in the open square 
 behind the fort. This mosque was built by the 
 Sultana Valideh, the mother of the Sultan Abdul 
 Mejid, called by the Turks " The Great Sultan." 
 The Russians have a curious law that the 
 municipality of any place may take your land 
 for any improvement, streets, etc., provided you 
 have not erected buildings upon it. When Batoum 
 became Russian the bazaars which came down to 
 the sea-shore in the centre of the fort were 
 objected to ; but the difficulty was how to get 
 rid of them with this law in existence. A fire 
 occurred not accidentally it is said and no 
 attempt was made to put it out until two-thirds 
 of the bazaars were demolished ! The blackened 
 ruins only are to be seen, and a new street is 
 being made, the Government having claimed the 
 ground ! 
 
 The country of Lazistan, or Lazica, was 
 peopled by a race of Mussulmans ; it extended
 
 io8 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 originally from the south of Trebizond consider- 
 ably to the north of Poti, joining there the 
 district of Apcasia. The Lazes will have to 
 remain as Russian subjects or migrate to Turkish 
 dominions perhaps out of the frying-pan into 
 the fire, as I heard of cases where the Turks 
 were trying to raise the State taxes (their system 
 of collecting rents, as all are tenants under the 
 Crown) five years in advance. But still, with 
 the prospect of ill-usage there, the natives are 
 only waiting to harvest and dispose of their crops 
 of maize to depart to Turkey. If Russia had 
 given the natives ten years, with exemption from 
 military service, to remain, or meanwhile to part 
 with their holdings, and at the end of that time, 
 if stopping, to become Russian subjects, they 
 would, with this option, have probably all con- 
 tinued in the country ; but, alas ! a different 
 course of action has been followed. The three 
 years given by the Treaty of Berlin for the Turks 
 either to remove from the territory acquired 
 by Russia or to become subjects of the Tsar 
 expire in February next. The authorities have 
 checkmated the wretched people, and they are 
 in an awkward position for themselves. They 
 loathe the idea of becoming Russian subjects, 
 liable for enlistment in the army, and will cer- 
 tainly leave the country ; but every difficulty
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 109 
 
 is placed in their way of disposing of their farms 
 and property. Strangers are not allowed to 
 buy land from them, and although some people 
 have purchased houses in Batoum, even Russian 
 subjects are now prevented from buying land 
 in the vicinity outside the cordon. Count S., 
 whose farm I visited, has purchased two or three 
 places, but the Government refuse to ratify the 
 bargains, and he will not be able to retain the 
 property. It really seems as if the Russians 
 desire to force the people to go without getting 
 payment for their land, or to remain as their 
 subjects and tenants under the Government, 
 which it is impossible to think they will do. 
 The case of the Apcasians is very hard. Some 
 sixteen or seventeen years ago a number of them, 
 after a revolt in their country to the northward 
 of Poti, left Russian territory and migrated to 
 Turkish. They were given land in the valleys 
 near Batoum, on the condition that if they farmed 
 the places allotted (subject to certain dues) they 
 would become their absolute property at the end 
 of twenty years. The Russians will not recognise 
 this agreement, and tell these settlers to shift 
 again, or if they remain, they must pay rent 
 at valuation for their holdings. The Apcasians 
 and Lazes had deputed one man at each of 
 their settlements to negotiate with a purchaser,
 
 no TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 and dispose of their places in one lot, if possible ; 
 buyers would have been found in abundance, 
 but the transactions are stopped by the refusal 
 of the Russian powers to recognise the sales. 
 This seems to be straining with unusual severity 
 the fortune of war against these poor people. Why 
 has a different plan been adopted here to that 
 pursued in the Crimea in the last century ? Was 
 Catherine the Great a more lenient monarch 
 than the present Tsar ? Is Russia less of a civilis- 
 ing power now than she was a hundred years ago ? 
 It is openly said that these districts will be 
 parcelled off and allotted to various officials by 
 the Government ; but where will the labourers, 
 the tillers of the soil, be ? Already forty thousand 
 Lazes and Apcasians have left this part of the 
 country, and thousands are now preparing to go. 
 Who will replace them ? The Russian is a 
 ridiculous colonist, and if ever so good a one, he 
 will not come here. He has plenty of land and 
 occupation at home. There is, however, an 
 exception. A sect of dissenters from the orthodox 
 church are called the Molokans. They object to 
 the display of pictures and "tawdry" in the 
 churches, and decline to use the liturgy. In fact, 
 they resemble the Presbyterians. They hold 
 peculiar views on marriage vows, and practise 
 divorce from the matrimonial state, which, how-
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. in 
 
 ever, rarely occurs. They are scrupulously clean 
 and sober in their habits, and are very religious 
 and quiet people. Banished from Russia proper, 
 the Government gave them places in various parts 
 near the Caspian Sea to settle at, whence a small 
 colony migrated lately to a swamp just outside the 
 town of Batoum. Their wooden huts, raised 
 about three feet from the ground on piles, are 
 placed in a most unhealthy situation, but every- 
 thing about them looks neat and tidy. They are 
 employed mostly as labourers, no land having 
 been given to them yet. If you meet one he is 
 instantly recognised from his superior appearance 
 to the ordinary Russ. The Molokans were 
 turned out of Russia in the reign of Alexander I., 
 and may now return if they like ; they make good 
 settlers, and it is a pity they are not more 
 numerous. How lamentable the policy of Russia 
 is ! She forces away the labouring population 
 without the prospect of replacing it. Instead of 
 conciliating and retaining the races under her 
 government, she widens the differences between 
 them and embitters the hatred of the Mussulmans. 
 The blight of a military despotism follows her, 
 and falls on the luckless land she governs ! 
 
 The friend I expected to meet in Batoum had 
 been unfortunately called away, but he left an 
 excellent substitute in Mr. K., who was most
 
 ii2 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 energetic in showing a brother Englishman every- 
 thing he could. The only carriage to be found 
 was a clumsy "tarantass," very like an Irish car, 
 but longer, and placed on four small wheels. In 
 appearance a double sofa ; its only good quality 
 the difficulty of upsetting it. This machine, the 
 property of the General (who was out on a holi- 
 day), Mr. K. borrowed from the aide-de-camp. 
 We started, a party of four, following the so-called 
 road (an earthen track abounding in mud-pockets, 
 in which we repeatedly stuck), which forms the 
 boundary of the free port of Batoum. A mile 
 from the town are some newly-built barracks, 
 empty and useless, the ground-floors being under 
 water. The soldiers had been removed from 
 them, and are now under canvas and twig huts in 
 the port at Batoum. It seems impossible to 
 understand why such deliberate waste in building 
 dwelling-places in such a position should have been 
 permitted. Crossing a small river, which is the 
 eastern boundary of the flat, the foot of the 
 hills is reached. Large barracks and artillery 
 stores have been built here, and more are in 
 the course of erection ; a branch railway from 
 the main line to Tiflis runs through the 
 cantonments, bisecting them and the artillery 
 sheds. We walked up a side valley about a 
 mile, to call on an Apcasian farmer known to
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 113 
 
 Mr. K., the path leading us through thickets 
 of tropical shrubs, rhododendrons, and azaleas, 
 trees entwined with clematis and other creepers, 
 patches of maize of great height here and there, 
 showing the fertility of the soil, and not a 
 habitation within sight till, after ascending a 
 steep " brae-side," we suddenly came upon the 
 hut, the farmer and his servant standing in the 
 verandah ready to receive us. They had seen us 
 coming, though concealed from our view. After 
 shaking hands all round, we were invited to seat 
 ourselves on a couch in the verandah, and then 
 could see what a good look-out the place had, 
 though apparently completely screened by foliage. 
 Snug little huts appeared peeping out among 
 fields of maize on the opposite hillside, the 
 owners calling to one another announcing our 
 arrival, and soon several men came up to see 
 "the English." The farmer, a tall, well-built 
 man of middle age, sent his servant to fetch water 
 from a spring close by, and presented each of 
 us with a cucumber. He entered into a lively 
 conversation, which, however, on being inter- 
 preted, was largely an interchange of compliments. 
 The two ladies of our party were invited inside 
 the house to see his wife, and after formal 
 salaams, we were conducted by another more 
 direct path to the foot of the hill where the
 
 ii 4 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Apcasian bade us good-bye, expressing himself 
 highly honoured by our call. None of the 
 natives we saw here were armed, but all those 
 met with away from their homes were indeed fully 
 provided with weapons for any emergency ; a 
 Lazi regularly carries two daggers in his girdle, 
 often a revolver hung in a sheath by his right 
 side, and always a rifle slung across his shoulders, 
 his hand grasping the butt as if ready for 
 immediate action. Their independent gait accords 
 well with the reputation these tribes have for fear- 
 lessness and independence, perhaps in many 
 instances for lawlessness, but Mr. K. declares that 
 no prospect of plunder would induce them know- 
 ingly to attack an Englishman. Rejoining our 
 "tarantass " we drove by the roughest of bullock 
 roads up another valley called " Gordak," as far as 
 we could get, nearly two miles, and then walked 
 another mile to a farm lately bought by Count S., 
 and lunched with appetite, the air being oppres- 
 sively "muggy" and tiring. This farm keeps 
 numbers of bees. We inspected the hives, which 
 are made out of a block of wood three to four feet 
 long and eighteen inches in diameter ; a log of this 
 size is cut from a tree and sawn in half, then both 
 sides are scooped out leaving one base, the two 
 halves are joined together, a board with a few holes 
 for the bees is nailed to the front, and the hive is 
 complete.
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 115 
 
 On the second morning of our visit to Batoum 
 we had arranged another drive into the country 
 with Mr. K. He arrived at the time appointed 
 with a message from the " chef de police " that he 
 could be in no way responsible for our safety, and 
 that it was very dangerous to make expeditions 
 into the interior. After a good laugh at this, I 
 went to call on the Governor. He received me 
 most courteously, and talked about the future of 
 Batoum, and what improvements were to be made. 
 I ventured to express an earnest hope that the 
 Russians would carry out their designs, so as to 
 develop so fine a country which was blessed with 
 such a harbour. I may here remark that our 
 visit had caused great excitement amongst the 
 authorities at Batoum ; Mr. K. had been inun- 
 dated with questions as to our reasons for coming, 
 what we intended to do, etc. ? I did my best to 
 calm the Governor's susceptibility ; every Russian 
 official on the frontiers seems to think you have 
 some object inimical to his country when an 
 Englishman visits it. Undismayed by the police- 
 man's warnings, and preferring to be guided by 
 Mr. K.'s judgment, we started at twelve in our 
 " tarantass " as before, but with another pair of 
 ponies and a worse coachman, who seemed to 
 delight in tormenting and ill-treating the beasts 
 he drove, while he jolted us over every rough 
 
 1 2
 
 n6 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 place we came to, until violent expostulation made 
 him more merciful to them and to us. Passing 
 through the town, we traversed the road to the 
 north-east, skirting the bay, alongside of the 
 railway, which is being made to join the Poti and 
 Tiflis line. The beautifully wooded hills are 
 close to the shore, and seem to form an impene- 
 trable jungle, but here and there the glimpse of 
 the eave of a Lazi's hut is caught amidst a mass 
 of green. On our right we passed a prominent 
 hillock with some ruins on the top, said to be one 
 of the many burying - places of the Georgian 
 Queen Thamar, and now surmounted by a rude 
 structure for containing dynamite; nearly opposite 
 to it is an old earthwork fortification of the 
 Turks ; after driving about four miles we reached 
 the foot of a narrow valley, where we descended, 
 and walked through a field of magnificent maize 
 to a spring noted, said our cicerone, for its cool- 
 ness. We found two natives reclining by its side 
 under the shade of the alder trees around, but 
 they shifted to give us room, and we were soon 
 enjoying our luncheon in this delightfully shady 
 spot, for the sun had been most oppressive. We 
 were seated barely a quarter of an hour when four 
 Lazes, fully armed and accoutred, arrived. The 
 leading one advanced quickly and placed a large 
 handkerchief full of pears on the ground between
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 117 
 
 Mr. K. and myself. Then they all seated them- 
 selves behind us. Mr. K. did not at first recog- 
 nise the donor, but, on looking round again, 
 saluted the man, who was delighted to see him. 
 The Lazi was a small farmer some distance up 
 the valley, and it was most curious how he could 
 have learned that we were there. 
 
 Although we passed several natives on the 
 road, we had not stopped on the way, and no 
 one knew of our intended visit. Our companion 
 Mr. K. declared that the natives knew the 
 movements of every one, and again expressed his 
 belief in the safety of any Englishman, if known 
 to be such, in these districts. We ate some of 
 the pears, and gave some bread and the remnants 
 of our luncheon to our neighbours, who wrapped 
 them carefully away. They took immense interest 
 in the packing of our "Barrett's" lunch basket, 
 uttering exclamations of wonder from time to 
 time. I was then introduced as an Englishman, at 
 which they nodded and smiled. We examined 
 their arms ; one had a loaded gun, the barrel 
 illuminated with " London" in gilt capital letters; 
 and another had the Turkish Crimean medal, 
 which, he explained, was given to him for ser- 
 vices rendered in the commissariat department ; 
 he had not been in the regular army, but was 
 at Sevastopol. At the mention of this word there
 
 n8 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 was a twinkle in every eye, as if each would have 
 liked to play a part in another such sad drama. 
 We took leave of our friends after the exchange 
 of grave and courtly salutations, it being evident 
 our visit had given them pleasure, and re- 
 turning to Batoum, called on Admiral and Mrs. 
 G., who threw a damper on our hopes of 
 leaving for Poti the next morning, prophesying 
 wind and storm, the least amount of which pre- 
 vents even flat-bottomed steamers from crossing 
 the bar at Poti. The admiral is in command of 
 the seaport of Batoum, and evidently, with his 
 geniality and good sense, is the right man in the 
 right place. He showed us over the general's 
 gardens (that functionary being absent on leave). 
 All sorts of our hothouse plants were growing 
 in profusion, and while extolling the botanical 
 beauties, the admiral heartily abused Batoum, its 
 bad houses, and bad sanitary arrangements. But 
 there are treasures in the little town. Two 
 Frenchmen (brothers) keep the small Hotel de 
 France, where we stopped. Unpretending, but 
 clean, everything is nicely done throughout the 
 house, and what a pleasure it is to eat a French 
 dish after the greasy Russian messes ! Long 
 may Messrs. C. maintain their establishment and 
 excellent cuisine ! This is the wish of all 
 residents in, and visitors to Batoum.
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 119 
 
 Having gone on board the steamer at 8.30 
 p.m., supposed to start at midnight, we found the 
 ship full of people ; porters bringing baggage 
 on board, men singing, children screaming, and 
 the rain pattering down, made sleep impossible. 
 
 We did not start from Batoum until 6 a.m., 
 and arrived off Poti about 9 a.m., the majority of 
 the passengers on board wet through, and the 
 decks of the miserable steamer, the Rion, 
 crowded with wretched mortals, Turks, Geor- 
 gians, Armenians, Greeks, and Russians, in the 
 same plight. Thanks to the generous courtesy 
 of a gentleman (who expressed a confident 
 opinion that if he had been in England we should 
 have done the same thing for him), we had the 
 only cabin on board, which he had secured. Poti 
 is at the mouth of the River Rion, and barely four 
 feet of water covers the bar ; the least roughness 
 of the sea prevents vessels from crossing. The 
 weather was calm, but there was a considerable 
 " swell " on, so we had to wait outside for a 
 smaller steamer. She came at last, sticking for a 
 minute or two on the bar, but soon got off, and 
 the swell being too great for the steamers to 
 transfer their cargo and passengers in the open 
 roadstead, both had to steam about a mile north- 
 wards to the new harbour of Poti. The vexation 
 of the delay was compensated by the sight of this
 
 120 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 work, on which several hundred thousand pounds 
 have already been thrown away. The design is 
 simply two large semicircular breakwaters starting 
 a quarter of a mile apart, at right angles from the 
 straight shore, nearly three-quarters of a mile in 
 length, and leaving an entrance about 200 yards 
 wide. The breakwaters are formed of large con- 
 crete blocks, the foundations being wooden piles. 
 The sides are bulged and appear to be in a 
 dangerous condition. A Russian gentleman 
 naively remarked to me that bad wood had been 
 used at first ! I think no one but a Russian 
 engineer or contractor would have dreamt of 
 using wood at all. Another person observed that 
 some one had made plenty of money out of Poti 
 harbour, and I could agree with him ! Now the 
 engineers are trying to break the force of the sea 
 by tipping blocks of concrete over the sides of the 
 breakwaters, both ends of which are washed away. 
 If they succeed in securing the sea walls, the 
 harbour will have to be dredged out, at present 
 there being only ten or twelve feet of water at the 
 entrance, and the way the harbour is set, right in 
 the channel, almost designed to catch the silt from 
 the River Rion, will make it most difficult to keep 
 open. However, the place answered our purpose, 
 for we were able, in calm water, to pack ourselves 
 and baggage like sandwiches on the smaller
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 121 
 
 steamer, which took us safely over the bar, after 
 several hitches and sticks, into the river. 
 
 After seeing Poti and the impossibilities of 
 the port, one cannot wonder at the desire of 
 the Russians to obtain Batoum. Poti 13 situated 
 about a mile up the river, a far-stretching alluvial 
 swamp surrounding it ; most people give the 
 place a bad name for fever, but, luckily, there 
 are some who defend its reputation. Our 
 consul, Mr. Gardner, to whose kind attention 
 we were much indebted, will not hear it depre- 
 ciated, but scouts the charge of unhealthi- 
 ness, believes the harbour will yet be made a 
 good one, nor dreads the rivalry of Batoum. 
 That the mouth of the Rion was at one time 
 easy of access is undoubted ; some think the 
 retrogression of the waters of the Black Sea 
 has altered the harbour, and certainly their level 
 has fallen considerably in the course of many 
 centuries. These changes may be due to com- 
 paratively recent volcanic disturbances in the 
 Crimean peninsula, which is supposed by 
 geologists to have been raised by igneous 
 action ; possibly to those earthquakes, which 
 occurred in the neighbourhood of the Euxine 
 four hundred years ago, simultaneously with 
 the eruptions at Alupka and elsewhere, and 
 destroyed Yalta and other towns in the district.
 
 122 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 For it must have been different wnen Jason 
 and his companions in the Argo entered the 
 river, the celebrated Phasis of those ages, in 
 search of the Golden Fleece. Many Persian 
 monarchs, notably Chosroes, formed fleets of ships 
 on the Phasis wherewith to harry the trade 
 of the Euxine ; in the second century Arrian 
 relates that the mouth was strongly fortified " for 
 the protection of all who sailed on the river ; " 
 as late as the sixteenth century the Turks appear 
 to have found the harbour easy of access, and 
 largely used it. Notwithstanding the present 
 drawbacks the trade of Poti is considerable, the 
 railway connecting it with Kutais and Tiflis 
 having done much to develop it, while the river 
 floats down the products of the Caucasian forests, 
 principally box, walnut, and holly, which trees 
 flourish on the western slopes, and are largely 
 exported to Marseilles and other ports for up- 
 holstery work. 
 
 About seven hours' steam to the northward of 
 Poti is the town and harbour of Soukhum-Kaleh, 
 the chief place in the country of Abhase (more 
 often called Apcasia). The tribes residing in the 
 vicinity have given the Russians much trouble, 
 retreating to their mountain fastnesses whenever 
 attacked, and maintaining, until lately, a constant 
 warfare. They are a wild and treacherous race,
 
 A VISIT TO BATOUM. 123 
 
 ready to take any one's life for the plunder of a 
 few roubles. The country is rich with luxuriant 
 vegetation, its exports of box and walnut wood 
 being very considerable. Soukhum is the site of 
 the ancient city of Dioscurias, named after the 
 Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, by Amphitus and 
 Telchius, their charioteers, who are supposed to 
 have founded it. It is said that Dioscurias was 
 the common market for the nations living in the 
 eastern countries beyond the Euxine, and that 
 seventy nations, all speaking different languages 
 from living dispersed without intercourse, assembled 
 here for the purpose of buying salt imported from 
 Southern Russia. Here, too, in later ages, the 
 Genoese did a thriving but cruel trade, bartering 
 salt for Circassian slaves to be delivered in the 
 Turkish and Egyptian markets. In the recent 
 war between Turkey and Russia the Turks sent 
 an expedition against Soukhum- Kaleh, and took 
 it ; their object being to raise the tribes in the 
 rear of the Russian forces. They spread reports 
 that sons of Schamyl (the great Circassian leader) 
 were with them, and though they effected a 
 landing, giving their antagonists much trouble, 
 the undertaking, if well planned, seems to have 
 been badly carried out, and failed. The sensation 
 it caused, and the seeming readiness on the part 
 of the tribes to rise all over the Caucasus, appear
 
 i2 4 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 (from their manner of referring to the subject) to 
 have made a deep impression on the Russian 
 authorities. 
 
 Some splendid timber trees of beech, Spanish 
 chestnut, and walnut filled this valley, and each 
 farm was surrounded by fruit (apple, pear, peach, 
 quince, and fig) trees, showing the capabilities 
 of the soil. Another jolting ride on the " taran- 
 tass " brought us back to Batoum by sundown.
 
 GEORGIA. 
 
 EVIL reports of the train accommodation on the 
 Poti line had reached us, and we were agreeably 
 surprised to find the carriages very comfortable. 
 Perhaps it was the fact of not having seen a 
 railway for three months that made us appreciate 
 that mode of conveyance. We left Poti at 
 2.30 p.m. The dense masses of underwood 
 around preclude any view of the town or environs, 
 and the mists on the hills prevented our seeing 
 Mount Elbruz and the Caucasus range. The 
 line passes through a flat country, which it has 
 done much to drain, covered with "jungle" of 
 all descriptions and dotted with larger trees, 
 mostly decayed and "stag-headed," showing that 
 timber perishes when the roots get down to the 
 water. Ascending gradually the plain through 
 which the Rion flows, the cultivated fields in- 
 crease, and fine crops of maize were standing 
 almost ready for the sickle, for this is the tool
 
 126 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 used in reaping it. The kingdom of Georgia 
 was divided into four Principalities, which at 
 one time had separate rulers and princes of their 
 own. The districts first passed are Gouria and 
 Mingrelia, the richest provinces in fertility. At 
 each station we stopped at, children brought 
 quantities of fruit, figs, pears, peaches, and 
 grapes, for sale to the passengers at a most 
 moderate price, a large basketful only costing 
 five copecks, equal to about threepence. After 
 crossing the Rion, here a rapid, sparkling stream, 
 we reached at 6 p.m. the junction for Kutais, 
 having accomplished sixty miles in three and 
 a half hours, a very slow journey according to 
 English ideas, owing to the delays at each 
 station. 
 
 We now entered the province of Imeritia, 
 the capital of which is Kutais, the ancient Cyta, 
 and the principal city of the land of Colchis of 
 the Greeks ; here Jason came in the Argo to 
 obtain the Golden Fleece, and it is now the 
 headquarters of a lieutenancy under the principal 
 Government of the Caucasus. It was getting 
 dusk as we reached the hills the spur running 
 south from the Caucasus Mountains which ex- 
 tend almost east and west from the Euxine to 
 the Caspian Sea, and as recent soundings have 
 proved extend in the same latitude underneath
 
 GEORGIA. 127 
 
 it. These Imeritian hills, about sixty miles in 
 breadth, appear like a connecting link between 
 the Caucasus and Armenian Mountain chains, 
 which are parallel, though three hundred miles 
 distant from each other. Passing the station 
 Koyryla, eighty miles from Poti, the line slowly 
 ascends by the side of a tributary of the Rion 
 River, through a beautiful and delightful country ; 
 there is a charm in passing mountainous districts 
 and rippling streams by moonlight, the weird- 
 like forms and colour of the trees and rocks, 
 the glassy reflection of the water, give a pecu- 
 liarly impressive effect interesting, inspiriting, 
 and soothing. We were told the pass over 
 which the railway crawls should be seen by day- 
 light, but I doubt its attractiveness being greater 
 than on the night of the 3rd of September. The 
 further eastwards one travels it seems as if moon- 
 light is more appreciated ; the contrast from the 
 heat of the day, the freshness of the air, the 
 brilliancy of its silvery rays when the moon is up, 
 render this time for journeying the favoured one 
 with all in Eastern lands. 
 
 At the foot of the great incline, which at 
 places is i in 22, one of Fairlie's patent engines 
 was attached to the train in front and another 
 engine assisted behind. With much puffing and 
 grunting, we reached the top of the Souram
 
 128 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Pass about i a.m., and soon afterwards ran 
 down the incline on the other side to the Souram 
 station. Mr. M., a brother Scotchman and friend 
 in need indeed, who met us here, had kindly 
 provided accommodation at his house close by, 
 and we " turned in " at 3 a.m., congratulating 
 ourselves on the good fortune of procuring such 
 quarters. 
 
 Souram is a large village of four thousand 
 inhabitants, situated in a ravine of the hills, just 
 above the valley of the River Kiira. Being a 
 healthy place, large numbers of Russian troops 
 are quartered there, and Mr. M., who has been 
 engineer on the railway since its commencement 
 in 1867, and now has charge of the important 
 part comprising the hill section, lives at Souram 
 in the summer months, and at Michaeloff, a few 
 miles down the Kura valley, during the winter. 
 There is a considerable Jewish and Armenian 
 population at Souram, both sects keeping to 
 distinct quarters in the town, which is also 
 noticeable for having a curious ruined castle, 
 nearly circular in shape, built on a stratified rock, 
 w r hich rises oddly in the midst of the valley. 
 Vakhtang, King of Georgia, is said to have 
 built it, and there is a wonderful legend that a 
 portion of the walls repeatedly fell down, until 
 the wise witches of the district were summoned
 
 GEORGIA. 129 
 
 to advise on the matter. They recommended 
 that a boy should be buried alive in the wall 
 when it was rebuilt, in order to propitiate the 
 favour of the saint. This was done, and the 
 wall stood, while now a spring oozing from the 
 wall-side is shown as the spot where the lad's 
 body was interred, and this is the cause of the 
 water ! 
 
 Mr. M.'s long residence and connection in 
 the country enabled him to interest us with many 
 anecdotes, but with none more than the following: 
 The construction of the line from Poti to Tim's 
 was undertaken by English contractors, and 
 several of the men employed by them have 
 remained in the district. They are not known 
 to the natives by their surnames, but called 
 Mr. Tom, Mr. Jack, and Mr. Bill. The latter is 
 a mighty hunter, and noted for procuring game 
 where no one else can get it. But Mr. Jack 
 (who will, I am sure, excuse the familiarity of 
 my using his best-known name) has lately become 
 the hero of the vale. A Georgian was down an 
 old well when it suddenly fell in, burying the 
 poor man at a depth of nearly forty feet. The 
 natives assembled, and of course concluded he 
 was killed. A cross was made, and the priest 
 arrived to read the burial service (which would 
 have settled all matters, prevented police inter-
 
 1 30 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 ference, and avoided the nuisance of post mortem 
 examinations, very comfortably), when Mr. Jack 
 arrived on the scene. His work had been largely 
 connected with tunnelling, for which he under- 
 took sub-contracts from the railway company, and 
 he thoroughly understood the situation at a glance. 
 He had brought an iron crow-bar with him, 
 and driving it into the ground above the well, 
 applied his ear to the end, by which rude tele- 
 phone he heard the cries of the imprisoned man 
 below. The exclamation, "He's alive!" called 
 forth an ejaculation from the priest that Mr. Jack 
 was mad, and the bystanders agreed with him, 
 when the Englishman next announced his in- 
 tention of "digging the fellow out." Summoning 
 two lads, who worked for him, he commenced 
 his self-imposed task, filling buckets with the 
 debris of the fallen well, which were hauled up 
 by ropes to the surface by his two fellow work- 
 men. For twenty-four hours without intermission 
 he toiled on (having early in his work become 
 fully assured that the wretched man lived), and 
 by the end of that time managed to clear away 
 the stones and earth from around him. Coming 
 to the surface he then informed the people 
 who had crowded up to watch his work that 
 the man was "all right," and that they might 
 now bring him up, as he had had " quite enough
 
 GEORGIA. 131 
 
 of him ! " With much misgiving some men were 
 lowered by ropes and brought the man up. He 
 was badly hurt, but has recovered from his 
 injuries, and now offers to work for Mr. Jack 
 for the rest of his life for nothing ; but he pithily 
 observes, when mentioning the offer to others, 
 that "a man's labour, which is not worth more 
 than twenty copecks a day, is very little use to 
 him ! " The Russian authorities proposed to give 
 him some medals, but Mr. Jack sent them a 
 message that he only wanted new buckets and 
 ropes which he had damaged in the work. I 
 heard that it had been determined to give him 
 something in recognition of his gallantry ; and, 
 little as he himself values the merit of his achieve- 
 ment, there is peculiar pleasure in hearing an 
 Englishman's name associated with so praise- 
 worthy and extraordinary a feat as Mr. Jack's, 
 in having, at the imminent risk of his own life, 
 rescued a fellow-creature from death. 
 
 Nearly every country has within it a sect of 
 Jews which its authorities designate as the lost 
 tribe ; but here in Georgia it is fully believed 
 that the Jewish settlements (which are only three 
 or four in number) represent them correctly. In 
 a grave close to M'tzkett was found recently a 
 slab with an inscription, which commemorated the 
 burial of the body ninety-one years after the 
 
 K 2
 
 132 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS, 
 
 Assyrian captivity ; and the geography of the 
 country due north from Palestine, at the foot 
 of the Caucasus Mountains, and the exclusiveness, 
 traditions, and manners of the race, lead one to 
 believe that here the tribe wandered and remained 
 for ages unknown. 
 
 Leaving Souram at 3.30 p.m., we drove by the 
 military road up the valley of the Kura about 
 thirty-five miles to Borjom ; following the course 
 of the river westwards through the Imeritian 
 chain of hills, which are well wooded, affording 
 beautiful scenery at every turn. 
 
 The credit of fixing upon Borjom as a hill 
 sanatorium must be given to the late Prince 
 Woronsoff, who was for some time governor 
 of the Caucasus ; as regards climate and at- 
 tractiveness the place has hardly an equal. The 
 Grand Duke Michael built a charming chateau 
 here, made roads up the side valleys, and laid 
 out gardens. He entertained the late Emperor, 
 who, in a moment of enthusiasm, made a present 
 of the estates to his brother. The properties had 
 been bought by Woronsoff from different Georgian 
 nobles, and belonged to the State ; they comprise 
 thirty miles square of land, growing magnificent 
 timber ; and the Emperor's present was one in- 
 deed, which the Grand Duke could thank him 
 for. A Kur-haus, with baths, " salons," and 
 reading-rooms, like a German watering-place,
 
 GEORGIA. 133 
 
 affords every convenience to visitors and patients 
 who come to imbibe the mineral waters ; military 
 bands play morning and evening, prettily situated 
 villas are dotted here and there, rendering Borjom 
 a nice place in every way. There are lovely 
 walks and drives in the neighbourhood, plenty 
 of ruined castles of fabled age to be seen, and 
 good fishing to be had in the Kiira and the 
 numerous mountain streams that flow into it. 
 The River Kiira, the ancient Cyruus or Cyrus, 
 rises many hundred miles distant among the 
 Armenian hills. Flowing in a northerly direction 
 till reaching the Imeritian chain, it cuts through the 
 range in an easterly direction, and, on reaching the 
 great Georgian Valley, at Michaeloff, continues 
 its course due east by Tiflis to the Caspian Sea. 
 It is a very rapid, turbulent stream, confined 
 within narrow limits among the hills, and here 
 very like the upper reaches of the Spey and the 
 Dee. But its waters are of a muddy brown 
 description, caused by the sandy steppes of 
 Armenia and the irrigation of the low-lying lands 
 there. Most excellent trout of large size are 
 to be obtained. Nets of all descriptions are used 
 by the Georgians, and in many places cruives 
 are set across the river. This pursuit, and the 
 floating of rafts of timber, are their principal 
 means of livelihood in the Borjom district. 
 
 Travelling in the Caucasus is certainly in-
 
 i 3 4 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 convenient, the only means of conveyance being 
 the carriages to be hired at the post stations and 
 the horses, for which one buys a " padarojnaya " 
 (order for horses) beforehand for the journey, 
 but without the certainty of performing it. The 
 yemstchyck (driver) receives a gratuity of twenty 
 copecks (sixpence) each stage, but generally the 
 traveller gives him more, although it does little 
 to enlist his services in procuring expedition. 
 The delays at the Dookanas (post stations) are 
 most tedious, never less than half-an-hour being 
 wasted, and frequently travellers are made to 
 wait two or three hours, more in the interest 
 of the station master, from whom provisions can 
 be obtained, than anything else. Officers obtain 
 stamped official orders and take precedence of 
 other travellers, who are at the mercy of the 
 storoj (station agent), generally a drunken, care- 
 less fellow, unfitted for the position he is placed 
 in, and civil only to officers. These gentlemen 
 usually travel in a light four-wheeled open cart, 
 the body like the half of a barrel with a seat 
 across it, filled with hay, and springless ; the 
 most uncomfortable of machines, called a " pere- 
 clodnaya." 
 
 Desirous of seeing the military road to the 
 southern frontier, and having obtained a " pada- 
 rojnaya," we started at nine in the morning from
 
 GEORGIA. 135 
 
 Borjom to visit Akhaltsikh. The horses on the 
 post roads are only ponies of twelve to fourteen 
 hands in height, but swift of foot, and when fresh 
 they get over the ground at a rattling pace. Our 
 first team of four took us the next stage, about 
 eleven miles, in an hour. The road winds with 
 the River Kiira the whole way, disclosing views of 
 pine-covered glens, and peeps of charming scenery. 
 Ruined castles crown the crags at intervals, 
 remnants of the princedom and feudalism of 
 Georgia, so that it almost appears as if every 
 rocky valley had its lord and his castle in ancient 
 times. The spots selected for these strongholds 
 were always the most precipitous and inaccessible 
 cliffs, generally separated by a chasm from the 
 spur of the mountain and commanding the pass on 
 both sides. No account seems to have been taken 
 of the water supply which must have been carried 
 up to them, showing they were probably used 
 more as retreats upon a sudden emergency than 
 as residences. Another curiosity in connection 
 with the castles of the petty princes of Georgia is 
 that in almost every instance, a chapel was built 
 alongside and within the fortifications, till it 
 became a saying that the title to be a prince in 
 the country was a castle, a church, and a few 
 barren rocks, which the owner never visited, and 
 perhaps had never seen! The Russians acquiesced
 
 136 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 in the Georgian nobles keeping their titles when 
 the countries were united, and they are proud and 
 jealous of them ; but so numerous are they that 
 many have descended with impoverished incomes 
 into far lower grades of society, while they still 
 insist on their ancient rank and designation. It is 
 said that many of the waiters in the hotels at 
 Tiflis are princes of Georgia! Having started 
 with three horses on the second stage (the 
 yemstchyck assuring us the road was so good that 
 only three were necessary), we bowled merrily along 
 and reached Azkhur at eleven o'clock, having 
 come nearly twenty miles. But this expedition 
 was not to last. The postmaster took the order I 
 handed him and gave some orders to the men in 
 charge of the horses in a careless sort of way. 
 They brought out one horse, then another, while a 
 quarter of an hour was consumed, and I thought 
 every one would soon go to sleep, when a Cossack 
 galloped up, wheeled his horse round, backed him 
 into a position before the post-house, and uttered 
 words which revolutionised the scene. Post- 
 master, stable-men, horses, natives smoking in 
 the verandahs of their houses, appeared different 
 beings as a carriage with two gentlemen (who I 
 learnt afterwards were the acting Governor of 
 Tiflis and his aide-de-camp) drove up. Each vied 
 with the other in showing respect to the party,
 
 GEORGIA. 137 
 
 the chief men of the village arrived, and stood 
 around with meek humility depicted on their coun- 
 tenances and demeanour. Here was smartness 
 indeed ! The horses intended for us were seized 
 and harnessed to the Governor's carriage, in a 
 twinkling it was ready, and away he went like 
 a dream, amid the salaams of the populace. My 
 companion, who had gone to sketch, here re- 
 turned, thinking it was time we were away, but 
 soon found there was ample leisure to finish 
 her drawing. After waiting another ten minutes, 
 while all relapsed as if by magic into their former 
 torpid state, I appealed to a man shoeing a horse. 
 Before he could hear my request, out came the 
 only answer given in Russia, " sey-tchass," which 
 means "directly." To everything, in every place, 
 the labourer, the tradesman, the waiter, ,the 
 groom, the coachman, the postmaster reply, " sey- 
 tchass," and invariably your wants are the last 
 thing present in their minds ; one soon learns 
 to interpret the word by its opposite meaning, 
 or to be exasperated at its meaningless iteration. 
 I boiled over on this occasion, roused the post- 
 master out of his house (where he had retired to 
 smoke), and threatened every sort of vengeance. 
 He must have known what I said mattered little ; 
 but he bestirred the men and himself, even to 
 assisting in harnessing four jaded steeds, so that
 
 138 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 I soothed his ruffled feelings with a present, and 
 we started at last. Our horses making a bolt for 
 the Borjom Road (a bad omen !), were turned 
 with many guttural execrations from the driver, 
 and at a very moderate pace we left Azkhur. 
 
 The Imeritian forests end here, and the 
 country opens out into a wide undulating steppe, 
 without vegetation (except in the hollows and 
 valleys, and where irrigation can be schemed), 
 arid, bare, and brown, like the districts of 
 Armenia and Central Asia. It is worth going 
 once to see these scorched plains and rocks, to 
 wonder how industry can produce crops upon 
 them, but a second visit is rarely desired. The 
 ancient castle of Azkhur commands the river at a 
 point where there is an old wooden bridge ; the 
 building is very extensive and beautifully situated, 
 the town lying behind it to the south-west, with 
 the ruins of a fine old church, the walls and 
 gables of the nave alone standing, evidences of 
 Turkish acts of demolition in the campaigns of 
 1828 and 1829, which the Russians have done 
 nothing to repair. Azkhur was the frontier town 
 of Georgia, and the boundary of Turkish Armenia 
 prior to 1828. The peace of Adrianople, that 
 succeeded in the following year, gave Russia the 
 stretch of country from here to the watershed of 
 the Armenian Mountains, some sixty or seventy
 
 GEORGIA. 139 
 
 miles further south. The peace of 1856 did not 
 change the frontier much beyond slightly rectify- 
 ing it in certain places, but the last war has 
 bestowed on the northern Power a great ac- 
 quisition of territory, including the whole of 
 Lazistan, lying south-west from Akhaltsikh. 
 The frontier runs from the River Tchoruk east- 
 wards, giving Kars and Ardahan, and the 
 command of all the caravan and hill roads 
 into Armenia and Asia Minor to Russia. Our 
 way now left the main stream of the Kura, 
 which lay more to the south, and followed one 
 of its tributaries westwards, passing a Turkish 
 village (which it was easy at once to recog- 
 nise from the evidences of irrigation, the 
 melon gardens, and orchards), rising by easy 
 gradients to the plateau, where the hills above 
 Kars and the Armenian chain came into view. 
 The day was excessively hot, our driver was 
 sulky, and the horses done up, not a green 
 thing was visible over the arid hills, which 
 seemed baked until they reflected back the heat ; 
 Armenian and Turkish burying-grounds easily 
 distinguishable, the former with large oblong 
 stones and sarcophagi, the latter having narrow 
 upright stones, with a fez or turban carved on the 
 top, and a large iron pedestal and cross, erected 
 to a Russian general who was killed in 1828 in
 
 140 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 a battle here, were the only things to break 
 the monotony of the twenty miles of road we 
 passed before reaching Akhaltsikh. 
 
 Akhaltsikh was the frontier garrison town 
 of the southern Caucasus before the last war, 
 and contains extensive barracks situated on the 
 south bank of the river, where also are the 
 Armenian quarters and shops. The Turkish 
 population live on the north side, and employ 
 themselves in a considerable industry in gold 
 and silver filagree ornaments, delicately and care- 
 fully made ; specimens of the work, which some 
 ascribe to Grecian, others to Phoenician origin, 
 are to be found in many settlements upon the 
 eastern shores of the Euxine, but Akhaltsikh is 
 the principal seat of the trade. The castle on 
 the western side is of very ancient date, placed, 
 as usual, on an almost precipitous rock over- 
 hanging the river. It was repaired by the 
 Russians, and barracks built within its walls, but 
 they now are used as hospitals. Crossing the 
 river by a wooden bridge, and driving through 
 the town to the post station, which we reached 
 about 3 p.m., our arrival brought out a Russian 
 officer, and a dapper-like clerk, to whom I handed 
 my "padorojnaya." He informed me that there 
 were no horses to be had, and being too hungry 
 to argue the point, I simply insisted upon having
 
 GEORGIA. 141 
 
 them in two hours' time, then retired into one 
 of the station rooms, and we fell to at luncheon, 
 the officer relapsing into slumber upon a neigh- 
 bouring couch from which we had disturbed him. 
 Having satisfied the cravings of nature, I pro- 
 ceeded first to the stables, and found them full 
 of horses, but no person with them. Returning 
 to the station, the clerk met me with my order in 
 his hand, and gravely informed me that we could 
 have horses to return at 9 p.m. The prospect 
 of a five hours' drive in the middle of the night 
 was no joke, so argument with expostulation 
 began, and wrath ended, a stormy scene ! I 
 had almost reconciled myself to the fate of 
 stopping the night in Akhaltsikh, when a 
 gentleman from the balcony of the post-house 
 inquired in French whether he could assist me ? 
 Having thanked him and explained the situation, 
 he went with me to the clerk, and looked 
 over the pile of orders for horses which 
 generals, colonels, cum multis aliis, had lodged 
 at the office days ago engaging horses, the 
 practice appearing to be to secure means of con- 
 veyance long before they are required (equally 
 detrimental to the postal revenues as to the 
 convenience of other travellers). The answer 
 to my statement that the stables were full of 
 horses was that at any moment those who had
 
 142 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 sent in their orders might arrive. So I inquired 
 if horses could be engaged in the town, but this 
 was a "prasne." All the shops were shut, 
 and it was a general holiday. The clerk, how- 
 ever, offered to send a man to try and hire horses 
 for us, and, after much " haggling " as to price, two 
 were produced, a chestnut and a gray, the former 
 three hands higher than the latter, both of the 
 roughest description, and they were harnessed to 
 the carriage by innumerable pieces of rope. 
 These operations had consumed considerable 
 time, and meanwhile we were able to take a 
 walk through the town, but there was nothing 
 to see. Russian barracks have no architectural 
 pretensions, and Akhaltsikh contains nothing but 
 these and the official residences, with the Ar- 
 menian shops and quarters. The old town, also 
 bare of trees and gardens, a succession of mud- 
 roofed, one-storied cabins, is picturesquely situated 
 -on the north side, and the castle claimed attention 
 from the amateur draughtsman, but we were 
 heartily glad to turn our backs on the place at 
 five o'clock. The driver, bribed for speed, was 
 not sparing of whipcord, and we got over the 
 ground at a good pace, reaching Azkhur at dusk. 
 It was lucky my present in the morning had 
 soothed the heart of the postmaster here, and, 
 after much altercation with his men, he gave us
 
 GEORGIA. 143 
 
 two horses. Just as we started, up came a 
 " pereclodnaya " with the officer we had left 
 slumbering in the station at Akhaksikh. He 
 seemed surprised and disappointed to see us ; 
 perhaps he wanted to take our horses, as he 
 quickly produced his official order ! But I in- 
 stantly directed the Jehu to start, and we reached 
 Borjom late at night, not over-pleased with the 
 arrangements for travellers on Russian roads. 
 
 About twenty miles from Borjom, in a side 
 valley to the south-east, are the ancient church 
 and convent of Timoty-Ubany (Timothy's house). 
 After driving fourteen miles, we reached a post 
 station, and turned off the road through a 
 narrow gorge in the hills by a track which rain on 
 the previous day had rendered almost impassable, 
 added to which one of the horses was a "jibber," 
 and we had to take to our feet on arriving at any 
 rising ground. The entrance of the gorge, some 
 forty yards in width, allowing scarcely room 
 for the cart track and the stream flowing by, 
 had originally been defended by a castle and 
 walls on either side. Perched on the edges 
 of the precipitous cliffs, the foundations (which 
 to the eye would seem to have been most 
 precarious) alone remained. Beyond the gorge 
 a narrow cultivated valley led to the village of 
 Takwarry, where a score of barking, vicious-
 
 144 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 looking shepherd dogs greeted our arrival in no 
 friendly fashion. In the face of a rocky 
 mountain overlooking the village are some good 
 specimens of the cave dwelling-places or refuges 
 which the Georgians made in these inaccessible 
 spots. 
 
 At any place where the strata of the rock 
 permitted, the front of the hollow or cave was 
 built up, leaving a small door and a window, the 
 only modes of ingress and egress being in some 
 instances by rude steps cut in the face of the 
 cliff, assisted by a ladder, which was drawn into 
 the house after reaching it, or by ropes from 
 above. It must be remembered that for genera- 
 tions the Georgians not only lived at strife among 
 themselves, but dwelt in constant terror of their 
 neighbours, the Mongols, the Persians, and the 
 Turks, from all of whom, in successive ages, they 
 frequently suffered. Each village had its own set 
 of hiding-places or retreats, and although comical 
 in appearance, as if plastered on to the rock, they 
 no doubt served their purpose at the time very 
 effectually. In the parts of Georgia where the 
 stone is softer and permits of it, the dwellings are 
 hewn out, but always perched in inaccessible and 
 easily defensible positions. Two miles beyond 
 the village we reached Timoty-Ubany. The 
 only remains of the convent are a fine, old, arched
 
 GEORGIA. 145 
 
 doorway, the foundations of the courtyard, and a 
 small building, like a mortuary chapel, as the 
 burial ground was close by. The church, which 
 stands in the centre of the enclosure, is of the 
 usual style of Byzantine architecture a lofty 
 nave, with side aisles, the tower (angled in shape), 
 and dome rising in the centre of the building 
 but is peculiar in structure, being built of small 
 red bricks, with a stone roof, and has a very good 
 porch, with broad, well-rounded arches, approach- 
 ing the Norman style. Part of the roof of the 
 nave has fallen, and is now covered with wood. 
 The top of the dome and its cross are gone, and 
 the walls are cracked in many places. The tower 
 is octagonal, and on each face is a cross of large 
 light-blue enamel tiles, while a band of these runs 
 round the top. The corners and beading are 
 excellent. Inside, the walls are covered with the 
 remains of frescoes, and, alas! also with the hand- 
 writing of Russian tourists, who seem to be as 
 bad as the proverbial John Smith and James 
 Brown in their fondness for desecrating with their 
 names the places they visit. These frescoes have 
 no great artistic merit, but the colours used must 
 have been good, as they are still brilliant. Ap- 
 parently they represent the progress of Christianity 
 from the Flood, as the one nearest the western 
 door on the right hand side depicts Noah and his
 
 146 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 family coming out of the Ark, followed by a 
 wonderful collection of animals. The others re- 
 present different Biblical scenes, ending with the 
 Ascension of the Saviour. While we were ex- 
 amining the frescoes a door opened, and an old 
 man, attired like a priest, appeared. He instantly 
 busied himself to show us everything, including 
 the marks of Turkish sacrilege, for Mussulmans 
 had wrecked the convent and church in days 
 gone by. These bullet marks round the fresco 
 of Our Lord, above the altar, were pointed out 
 by him with grotesque imitations of the report 
 of a gun, for he spoke no language we could 
 understand, while, with evident disgust, he 
 showed the places where they had tried to fire 
 the building. I gave the man a small gratuity 
 and walked out with him to try and obtain a piece 
 of the blue enamel tiles which I had noticed, and 
 was lucky in getting a specimen from a heap of 
 bricks close by. Taking another look inside the 
 church, I was astonished to see a coffin on a stand 
 behind one of the pillars with the name of a 
 person written on a paper placed upon it, but 
 more so when the man by signs explained that 
 it was his coffin! Inquiring from our coachman, 
 I learnt he was an old soldier, wounded in the 
 wars, who had retired to this place, living on the 
 chanty of visitors, lighting candles before the
 
 GEORGIA. 147 
 
 altar, and keeping the church in such order as 
 he could. No priest was attached to it, but many 
 of the villagers came to worship there. His 
 coffin was ready and the grave dug, into which 
 eventually he would retire, all by himself in this 
 lonely ruin surrounded by a wilderness of wood. 
 I left him happy and contented, lighting an extra 
 candle on the altar, and repeating his prayers, 
 perhaps as free from care as any of the sons of 
 earth ! 
 
 The date of the building of St. Timothy's 
 Church is doubtful ; archaeologists differ, some 
 hesitating to ascribe great antiquity to it on 
 account of its being built of brick, while others 
 think 700 years have passed since its construction, 
 and I incline to the latter belief. We lunched on 
 the greensward in front of the old gateway, and 
 a number of children arrived from the village 
 bringing plates of nuts, plums, cakes, and fried 
 " mealies " (the Indian corn plucked fresh and 
 lightly singed over the fire, a common, but ex- 
 cellent, Eastern dish) ; jolly, rosy children, de- 
 lighted with the few coppers we gave them, and 
 accompanied by our former ferocious friends, the 
 shepherd dogs, now peaceful and eager to partake 
 of the remnants of our lunch. 
 
 On the western side of Borjom, about ten 
 miles distant, is another monastery which deserves 
 
 L 2
 
 i 4 8 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 mention. The last part of the road for a mile 
 can only be done on foot by a narrow path 
 through overhanging trees. After passing many 
 signs of former habitations at the head of a very 
 narrow valley, with steep rocks on both sides, 
 surrounded and literally overgrown by trees, we 
 reached the outer wall of the Monastir Ver, the 
 Green Monastery, rightly indeed so called, as, 
 amidst the mass of verdure, it took some time 
 to pick out the moss-grown ruins and gray walls. 
 This name has been given to it locally by tourists, 
 little beyond its great antiquity and curious struc- 
 ture being known concerning it. The chapel on 
 the northern side of the enclosure is a plain nave, 
 with a side aisle or lady-chapel on the right hand 
 of the entrance. This must have been formed 
 of fine, large, bold, round arches, situated on 
 the furthest or south-eastern corner of the 
 building. Entering this porch, of which one 
 arch alone remains, I examined the small 
 lady-chapel. It had been evidently the burying- 
 place of a family of rank, and steps led down 
 to a vault, where there were some large stone 
 coffins partly covered with earth. The floor 
 of the principal church was at a much lower level 
 than the side chapel. The narrow slit windows 
 high up in the walls gave but little light, and of 
 this the density of the foliage around was sparing,
 
 GEORGIA. 149 
 
 so that on descending it was some minutes before 
 my eyes became so accustomed to the gloom as 
 to distinguish anything. The building was of 
 huge blocks of stone, carefully wrought and joined 
 at the corners, but roughly put together in the 
 middle walls. The position of the altar and the 
 places for the priests were clearly to be traced ; 
 a rudely carved stone cross was at one end, and 
 apparently there had been a floor half-way up the 
 walls, leaving a spacious chamber above the 
 chapel. The ground was covered with bones, 
 and some sacrilegious archaeologists or robbers of 
 tombs had been digging up the graves, and had 
 placed two skulls on a flat stone, facing the 
 entrance, which had not a very inviting or cheer- 
 ful appearance. I looked into the holes that had 
 been dug evidently in the rudest way, but no 
 relics of the dead, except their bones, were to be 
 seen. Although the chapel faced north and 
 south, all the graves and tombstones were placed 
 east and west. 
 
 Passing out, a narrow causeway, with steps 
 running along a battlemented wall, led up to a 
 campanile or bell tower, which is a remarkable 
 structure. The base is about forty feet square ; 
 a small doorway, with a cross carved on the stone 
 above it, leads into a chamber arched in the roof, 
 and having the appearance of a dungeon. The
 
 ISO TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 bell tower above is hexagonal in shape, some 
 thirty feet in height, with six openings or arches, 
 and surmounted by a well-carved stone roof with 
 projecting cornice. Mounting the causeway up 
 to the tower, one could see by the line of the 
 walls of the enclosure that the place was capable 
 of defence, and that a look-out could be well kept 
 here, up and down the little valley, while the 
 upper chamber of the chapel with its massive 
 walls and narrow windows could be made a toler- 
 ably secure retreat. The corner stones of the 
 campanile are carved with curious devices, one 
 like a pair of scales or measures (perhaps here the 
 monks took their tithes ?), and all the buildings 
 are entirely of irregular blocks of stone, of mas- 
 sive size, and very ancient form. A huge font 
 hollowed out of a block of freestone lay broken in 
 half by the side of the tower. The size of the 
 trees around growing out of the ruined walls was 
 evidence that many ages had passed since man 
 had lived here, and the mournful aspect of so 
 many marks of former life, with the stillness of 
 the secluded spot, caused painful and melancholy 
 feelings. Where have all the people of Georgia 
 gone to ? Their castles, monasteries, and villages 
 in ruins tell surely of the inhabitants that once 
 lived in the land ; almost every mile on the River. 
 Kiira traces of old stone bridges appear ; many a
 
 GEORGIA. 151 
 
 valley shows the marks of former cultivation. It 
 is not emigration that has caused this decrease of 
 the native Georgians. War, strife, and feuds 
 have swept them from the earth ! Contaminated 
 through successive generations by continual 
 warring, the nation's power sapped by these fatal 
 courses, its mind turned from peaceful pursuits, 
 the remnants of the people remain to this day a 
 grand nation of natural soldiers, genial and gallant 
 in every grade, but thriftless and improvident and 
 full of decay. 
 
 The woods of Mingrelia, Imeritia, and 
 Georgia, more especially those on the Borjom 
 estates, which lie contiguous to the Kiira, supply 
 the timber for Tiflis and the vast country east- 
 wards. It is easily procured, being dragged 
 down the mountains and floated in rafts on the 
 river. Beech, oak, and elm grow to a fair size 
 in places, but the principal trees are Abies 
 orientalis (like what our nurserymen call the 
 black spruce), Picea Nordmanniana, and Pinus 
 silvestris the Scotch fir. All these thrive splen- 
 didly on the mountains, but Nordmanniana makes 
 the best timber, and is highly valued ; this tree 
 should be more cultivated in Scotland, as it 
 grows well on all soils. I may here correct what 
 I said in a former letter about the Crimean pine. 
 I was right in refusing to name it the Tauric pine,
 
 1 52 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 but wrong in surmising it to be Smithiana ; it is 
 the well-known Austriaca ; the great size of the 
 trees leading me into error. The value of timber 
 in Georgia is great and the demand high, but no 
 systematic management is attempted, the trees 
 being cut wherever handy, and planting is un- 
 known. Oak and the best pines are worth 2s. 6d. 
 the foot, lesser qualities from 2s. to is. 6d. One 
 would suppose that with such a valuable product 
 proprietors or the Government would interest 
 themselves in maintaining and planting forests, 
 but nothing is being done. The price of timber 
 is rising. Every one says the climate is changing 
 for the worse through the wholesale destruction 
 of the woods, but nobody, not even the Grand 
 Duke, who derives an enormous revenue from 
 this source, does anything towards keeping up the 
 supply for future generations. 
 
 How long the kind invitations of friends, and 
 the pleasant excursions to be made among the 
 ruined castles and monasteries in the neighbour- 
 hood, might have kept us at Borjom is hard to 
 say if inclination had been allowed to decide, 
 instead of the hard inexorable law which warns all 
 travellers that time flies, compelling them to move 
 on if they wish to observe fully the countries they 
 visit ; and already we had spent ten days in the 
 hills of the Southern Caucasus. Having procured
 
 GEORGIA. 153 
 
 horses at Borjom with great difficulty, as all the 
 generals and colonels (who always claim pre- 
 cedence on Government service) seemed to be 
 travelling at this time, we left at 10.30 a.m. and 
 reached Souram at two o'clock, an east wind 
 blowing clouds of dust up the valley of the Kiira, 
 heralding the approach of rain. After dinner with 
 our kind friends, Mr. and Mrs. M., we took the 
 train at 5 p.m. Passing Michaeloff about three 
 miles down the line, where the railway company 
 has its large workshops and sheds, a beautiful 
 panoramic view of the Northern Caucasus chain 
 is obtained ; flake lines of clouds cutting the 
 mountains in horizontal lines, the peaks of 
 Kassbeck and other lofty tops showing clear with 
 their glaciers against the sky. I noticed the same 
 effect here as in the Himalayas, when the sections 
 of clouds or mist seem to divide the mountains 
 in strata, and the tops astonish you, being 
 apparently in another world, till you rub your 
 eyes mechanically to have another look and make 
 sure they are not clouds. The clear bright 
 autumn air made the chain appear close, although 
 nearly one hundred miles from the railway, and 
 we realised Byron's expression of 
 
 The setting sun on rosy Caucasus, 
 in watching the varying red-coloured tints that
 
 154 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 lighted up the landscape as evening advanced. 
 The short "gloaming" had almost departed as 
 we reached Gori, but the light still enabled us 
 to see the fine old castle built on a prominent 
 rock at the junction of the Gori River with the 
 Kura. The valley stretching northwards into 
 the Caucasus is one of the most fertile in Georgia, 
 and many regrets have been expressed that the 
 capital of the country was not fixed here by the 
 Russians instead of at Tiflis. 
 
 Agriculture in Georgia is not at a high 
 standard, but still there is worse in very many 
 countries ; the rotation seems to be maize, next 
 wheat (or rye or barley), then grass (self-sown), 
 for two or three years, after which the land is 
 broken up for maize again. This crop must be 
 kept clean, but the others are left to take care 
 of themselves ; manuring is a thing unknown, 
 and economy in husbandry is never practised. 
 A large, clumsy, wooden plough, with an iron 
 point, is used, taking twelve or fourteen oxen 
 to draw it, while men sit on the yoke of each 
 pair of cattle to weigh down the plough. Their 
 cattle and buffaloes are of principal importance 
 to the Georgians, yet they build no sheds for 
 them, and keep the animals very badly. The 
 buffalo is the most useful of all draught animals 
 in Eastern parts, and, curiously, is unable to
 
 GEORGIA, 155 
 
 stand either intense heat or severe cold. In the 
 height of summer the Georgians drive these 
 beasts into the rivers during the middle of the 
 day, and dig holes in the ground, where they 
 house them with straw during the winter storms ; 
 but all the food they get is maize straw then, 
 and the weeds by the wayside in summer. 
 
 Many derivations of the name of Georgia 
 are given, and the favourite one among the people 
 themselves is from St. George, their patron saint ; 
 but this is clearly far-fetched, and I should sup- 
 pose, although no books of reference give it, that 
 the name is derived from the Greek words 
 777 eopya (past of the verb epSw), " the working of 
 the earth," as, from the time of the Greek settle- 
 ments on the Euxine this land had been famed 
 for its productiveness, and in ancient days the 
 inhabitants were celebrated for their agriculture. 
 
 Tiflis, the capital of Georgia, and seat of the 
 Government of the Caucasus, contains nearly 
 120,000 inhabitants. It derives its name from 
 the warm mineral baths, which are much used. 
 The Georgians called it originally Tbylysys- 
 Kalaky, and its present name has some affinity 
 with the Hungarian Tseplitz, and the Russian 
 word tyeplo, which signifies " warm." Founded 
 in 469 A.D., by King Vakhtang, the capital 
 was removed from M'tzkett to Tbylysys by
 
 156 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Datchy, thirty-fourth king, who reigned 499-514. 
 Conquered by Mongols, Persians, Greeks, and 
 Turks, and destroyed eight times, it was 
 completely sacked by Tamerlane in 1387, and 
 lastly by Aga Mahomed Shah in 1795. Georgia 
 was united to Russia soon after this, in the year 
 1 80 1, and the capital of the province fixed at 
 Tiflis ; perhaps Gori would have been a more 
 suitable site, situated as it is at the foot of a 
 fertile valley running northwards to the Caucasus 
 chain ; for Tiflis is surrounded by the most 
 barren-looking hills, with an absence of verdure 
 quite distressing to the eyes. It has to depend 
 for supplies upon outlying districts, which renders 
 the price of all commodities exceedingly high. 
 The Borjom and Imeritian forests supply the 
 timber for buildings and fuel at an extravagant 
 rate. There are a few fine streets and houses 
 in the town, which has a pleasant, busy, and 
 attractive appearance. The bazaars are good ; 
 not so dirty as those of Constantinople and Cairo, 
 whilst the collection of articles, Georgian silver- 
 work, Persian enamels and jewellery, Daghestan 
 and Circassian weapons, the armour of the 
 Caucasian tribes, Astrakhan hats of all shapes, 
 Turcoman carpets and dresses (the latter a 
 novelty, even here), is unique of its kind. 
 Although not many years old, the Tiflis museum
 
 GEORGIA. 157 
 
 is certainly prosperous under the enthusiastic 
 management of Dr. Radde, who has done 
 wonders with the ridiculously small allowance the 
 Government give. The collections are limited to 
 the countries included in the Government of 
 the Caucasus, and Dr. Radde has carried out 
 a charming idea of fitting up the large central 
 room as a grand drawing-room, the curtains, 
 carpets, and sofas showing off the brilliant colours 
 in which they are worked in Circassia and 
 Nukha. Groups of figures of the types and 
 dresses of the various nationalities are placed 
 at different points ; inlaid cabinets containing 
 specimens of the pottery, and lacquer-work in 
 all metals, with oil paintings of celebrated 
 " ancients," as well as views of lovely Caucasian 
 scenery, adorn the room ; all arranged with such 
 excellent taste that you fancy you are in the 
 "salon" of a magnificent chateau rather than 
 a museum. How preferable to the strict 
 regularity of ponderous glass cases with which 
 English museums, though receptacles of art, 
 are inartistically arranged ! 
 
 On the ground floor the natural history section 
 is located with equally good taste, large trophies 
 mounting the stuffed specimens of the ibex and 
 goats of the hills, the tigers, panthers, wolves, 
 and other wild beasts ; while a semi-circular
 
 158 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 embrasure is painted with a distant view of 
 Kassbeck and its neighbouring mountains, the 
 foreground a marshy lake round which all the 
 water birds are grouped. Settees of Daghestan 
 work, under the shade of a giant fern, offer a 
 resting-place for the visitor, where tables with 
 books in all languages and catalogues afford him 
 literary recreation. Dr. Radde has solved the 
 museum difficulty by rendering its attractiveness 
 pleasurable and complete. In the garden of 
 the museum there are aviaries ; and among 
 several valuable birds were two deserving 
 mention. On the very highest mountains of the 
 world a large bird, a sort of half ptarmigan half 
 partridge, is found. I have killed the variety 
 localised in the Himalayas at an altitude of over 
 13,000 feet. The Caucasian species is white 
 in the throat, and generally lighter in colour, 
 but is about the same size as the Himalayan, 
 and frequents the highest glaciers. Its food is 
 the lichen. How long the specimen here will 
 stand the heat of Tiflis is hard to say, but it 
 was strange to see the bird which never descends 
 from the snow line alive and well at a place 
 as many hundred feet above the sea as its native 
 home is thousands. The other bird I was in- 
 terested to see in confinement was the lamergir, 
 the noblest specimen, to my mind, of all the
 
 GEORGIA. 159 
 
 vulture tribe. Its beautiful black and white 
 pencilled plumage and kingly air attract notice 
 immediately. I almost regretted that he was not 
 soaring away over the boundless steppes of Asia 
 instead of a prisoner ; but he and all the other 
 birds looked so well and healthy under the 
 fostering care of the doctor, that doubtless they 
 are contented with their lot, nor sigh for change. 
 What a country is the Caucasus for providing 
 treasures for the museum ! There are more 
 reasons than the usual one given for calling this 
 " cradle of the earth," namely, that the Ark 
 stopped on Ararat, and land first appeared here 
 when the waters of the Deluge receded. For 
 tradition in all times has added significant 
 memorials to this wonderful part of the globe, 
 and the histories of the nations that have inhabited 
 it are replete with interest. The number of 
 languages spoken to this day by the different tribes 
 and peoples is a peculiarity, dating, perhaps, from 
 the days of the Tower of Babel, which has 
 always attracted notice from historians, and (while 
 retaining their distinctive character) renders 
 intercourse between them more difficult. The 
 Greek merchants were struck with the variety 
 of languages spoken by the traders who dealt 
 with them along the coast. It is mentioned by 
 Pliny as one of the secrets of the power of
 
 160 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Mithridates, the great King of Pontus, that he 
 could rule the twenty-two nations under him, 
 speaking to each in their own language, without 
 the aid of an interpreter ; and now, the inherent 
 pride of the various races, Armenians or Lazes, 
 Georgians or Circassians, is in nothing more 
 apparent than in their jealous use of their separate 
 dialects. 
 
 Mythology ascribes many of its wonderful 
 tales to this locality. Among them that the rock 
 upon which Prometheus was bound by the order 
 of Zeus was Mount Kassbeck, a precipitous cliff, 
 which on the southern side blows clear of snow 
 and stands out brown amid a desert of white. 
 Here the ancient legend fixes the spot where the 
 culprit was chained. What more interesting 
 traditions are there than the voyage of Jason and 
 the Argonauts, or the struggles with Amazons and 
 wild races, which mark the dawn of history ! 
 And of this the student may have here no end. 
 Armenia claims nineteen centuries before Christ 
 for the kingdom of her race, worthily, amid 
 oppression, retaining by careful education her 
 language, history, and nationality. Herodotus, 
 Strabo, Pliny, and others record the wonders of 
 these lands. The swarms of Medes and Persians 
 whom their monarchs assembled ; the victories 
 and defeats of the Macedonians ; Xenophon's
 
 GEORGIA. 161 
 
 great achievement with the Greek cohort ; the 
 fields upon which three of Rome's greatest 
 generals Lucullus, Pompey, and Caesar earned 
 military renown, are all historical matters here ; 
 and later the progress of the Christian Church, 
 the fight for life which Georgia and Armenia 
 have carried on against Saracens, Persians, and 
 Turks, till the present century saw the great 
 Northern Power cross the mountain boundary 
 to hold by military domination the tribes and 
 people of different sects and creeds assembled 
 here, are subjects which no one can approach 
 without great interest. 
 
 While at Batoum I was told that an insect, 
 a sort of beetle or spider, was eaten by the 
 natives throughout the Caucasus as a cure for 
 hydrophobia ; and that especially on the north- 
 eastern side, in Daghestan, its cure (even if 
 employed when the person was suffering from the 
 disease) was believed to be certain. Finding 
 that this belief was general amongst the natives, 
 I asked Dr. Radde his opinion ; he at once 
 showed me a specimen of the beetle, the meloe, 
 and said that no doubt the facts as reported to 
 me were correct as far as the implicit belief of the 
 people went, but that he was unable to say 
 whether the insect had really the properties 
 attributed to it. Surely some inquiry should be 
 
 M
 
 1 62 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 made to ascertain if there is any truth in the 
 matter, if there is any curious medicinal property 
 about the beetle, especially as natives seldom 
 make such confident assertions without having 
 some reason and truth to support them. Hydro- 
 phobia reminds me that on the Asian steppes, 
 and in all parts of the Caucasus, dogs are a great 
 nuisance, although, in most cases, their " bark is 
 worse than their bite." They attack the traveller 
 with a noisy ferocity appalling to the most coura- 
 geous person. Mr. S. (who kindly gave us much 
 assistance during our visit to Tiflis) narrated how 
 frequently he had been alarmed by these animals 
 while pursuing the peaceful avocation of a botani- 
 cal collector. The men in charge never dream of 
 trying to prevent their herd-dogs from attacking 
 you, and the last thing a villager thinks of doing 
 is to call off his hound ; while if, in self-defence, 
 you shoot one of the beasts, your life is doubly 
 endangered by an assault from its owner. 
 
 The ancient castle or fortress of Tiflis, now 
 in ruins, stands on the south side of the Kur, in 
 the eastern corner of the town, on a hill com- 
 mandingly placed. An Eastern traveller, in the 
 seventeenth century, wrote that "its circumference 
 is 6,000 paces, the wall 60 cubits high, with 70 
 bulwarks and 3,000 battlements, but no ditch ; 
 ... in the castle are 600 houses terraced, the
 
 GEORGIA. 163 
 
 palace of the Khan, a mosque, and a bath." The 
 crumbling walls exhibit some good specimens of 
 brickwork, which other hands, besides those of 
 time, have hastened to destruction. The view 
 from the battlements is glorious : the brown- 
 walled, green, gray, and red-roofed city, lying 
 at one's feet ; the busy, bustling hum rising as 
 evidence of its people's activity. Scorched plains 
 and hills stretch for some fifty miles around, but 
 the eye is carried readily over them, feasting itself 
 on the fertile valleys and snow-capped peaks of 
 the Caucasus mountains. The south-eastern side 
 of the hill on which the castle stands has 
 been terraced with gardens from early ages, and 
 here Prince Woronsoff, when Governor of the 
 Caucasus, established a Botanical Garden, which 
 has been carefully kept up, and is now full of 
 rare specimens of flowers and trees. The walks, 
 deftly traced along the hill-side, wind in all direc- 
 tions among shrubs and pines from other lands, 
 affording a delightful shady resort during summer. 
 Tiflis at this time of year sadly wants shade on 
 the north-western side. There is a park on the 
 banks of the Kur, where an agreeable drive can 
 be made ; but in all other directions the country 
 around is completely bare, though in ancient 
 times it was covered with wood, and should 
 again be planted. The Government hesitate, 
 
 M 2
 
 1 64 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 however, to take the necessary steps, fearing the 
 odium that would be excited by any curtailment 
 of the privileges of the goat and sheep herds who 
 now eke out a scanty livelihood with their flocks 
 on these arid steppes. Here is an instance of 
 an all-powerful autocratic Government unable to 
 undertake an improvement for the general good 
 of the community, and powerless to institute 
 local reforms, or to assist the municipality in 
 carrying them out. A deep ravine through which 
 flows the Tsavkysey stream divides the castle 
 hill and gardens from a rocky plateau on which 
 is the Persians' burying-ground, noticeable with 
 their large quadrangular tombs, and beyond is 
 the Tartar cemetery with the little upright stone 
 slabs which Mussulmans use to mark their graves. 
 The road from the castle passes through the 
 busiest portion of the city, and the bazaar, which 
 we found full of interesting things. It requires 
 an experienced eye to tell the difference between 
 the Armenian and Georgian bonnet, or " koudy," 
 and the Persian hat, and the Circassian or 
 Daghestan " papack," but each race is dis- 
 tinguished by the shape of its head-dress. The 
 Armenians and Georgians wear a round pork 
 pie bonnet of Astrakhan (gray and black) ; the 
 Persians affect one of a sugar-loaf shape, almost 
 always black. The hill tribes and the Lesghians
 
 GEORGIA. 165 
 
 and Tartars carry a huge " beaver " terminating 
 in a point; this "papack" is made of black, 
 brown, and gray lamb skins as well as Astrakhan 
 fur, and though heavy, is reputed an excellent 
 protection from the sun as well as the cold. 
 
 The number of hatters in Tiflis is astonishing, 
 and the next most numerous class of merchants 
 appeared to be the bakers, their shops being used 
 apparently as eating-houses or restaurants by the 
 populace. The wine shops are also plentiful, 
 with great buffalo skins (bourdyouky) lying out- 
 side filled with wine from the valleys of Kahetia. 
 This wine, which is called "kakhety," has a 
 peculiar Burgundy flavour and is excellent, but 
 difficult to transport. The buffalo skins into 
 which it is poured are placed on a cart, and a 
 large flat stone laid on the skin to prevent oscilla- 
 tion as much as possible. In this way the skins 
 are drawn in " arabas " to the Tiflis market, and 
 even over the mountains into Southern Russia, 
 as wherever procurable the wine is in great 
 demand. The usual mode in Georgia of fer- 
 menting the wine is to sink an earthen jar into 
 the ground, pouring the juice of the grapes into 
 this, covering the top with clay, leaving only 
 a small reed pipe fixed therein for the gases to 
 escape by. If a less rude method of fermentation 
 were adopted, the wine would surely be better
 
 166 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 and more transportable, but the Georgian is a 
 Tory indeed of the old school, and will not 
 change the methods or ways of his forefathers. 
 To show the quantity of wine made in the country 
 I may mention that one buffalo skin (bourdyouky) 
 holds about seventy-five vedros, averaging two 
 hundred and twenty gallons of wine, and that 
 strings of carts laden with these precious hides 
 are met daily flowing into the city. What might 
 not be done with such a product where suitable 
 soil for the purpose seems to be endless ? 
 
 We also went to see the Persian merchants, 
 who are located in an ancient rectangular building 
 arched over, with small separate chambers leading 
 off the passage which runs round the building. 
 They are eager to show their turquoise, jewellery, 
 and antiques, or to spread their carpets before 
 you, but " canny " at a bargain and extravagant 
 in their demands; rumour attributing many Jewish 
 qualities to this race. 
 
 Tiflis cannot boast of many architectural 
 beauties, but it has one of the oldest Christian 
 churches in the world, the Georgian Cathedral 
 of Zion, built in the early part of the fifth century. 
 The debris from the various periods of destruction 
 through which the city has passed has raised the 
 ground around it so that the building lies in a 
 hollow, which detracts from its appearance. The
 
 GEORGIA. 167 
 
 walls are of fine yellow streaked marble, each 
 stone squared and well fitted a structure that 
 has happily withstood the fire and sword of the 
 destroyer and the decay of centuries, but the roof 
 and dome have frequently suffered, and in the 
 early part of the eighteenth century they were 
 both renewed. Inside the church, remarkable 
 only for the great thickness of its walls, and 
 the grand Norman-like rotundity of its arches, 
 is said to be kept St. Nina's cross. She was the 
 saint who preached Christianity in Georgia about 
 300 A.D., and raised a cross made of vine stems 
 bound with her own hair on Mount Karthlos, 
 which cross is, they say, preserved in a silver 
 casket with other relics in the Cathedral. The 
 Exarch of Georgia, Archbishop of Karthlyny and 
 Kakhety, a member of the Synod of St. Peters- 
 burg, resides at Tiflis, and is the head of the 
 Georgian Church, which is similar to the Russian 
 in creed ; but the Armenian differs, having sepa- 
 rated from the others after rejecting the decisions 
 of the Council of Chalcedon, in the fifth century. 
 The Governor's palace on the boulevard is 
 not striking from the outside, but contains some 
 very handsome rooms, now being prepared for the 
 reception of the Archaeological Society, which 
 commences its congress in a few days. One 
 room should be mentioned especially, fitted as a
 
 1 68 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 sort of alhambra, with alcoves of looking-glass 
 cut in various shapes and sizes and hung with 
 richly gilt Oriental candelabra, folding doors 
 opening out into the gardens, with camellias and 
 orange trees and fountains of water in quite an 
 Eastern fairy-like style. The dining-room is 
 hung round with portraits of past Governors of 
 the Caucasus, and here is preserved the Khiva 
 banner, taken by the Russian cavalry in the 
 campaign there. It is mounted on a long silver 
 damascened lance, with a plume of the white 
 yak's tail, stained a violet red, shot with yellow 
 silk, which gives it a peculiar glistening look. 
 The trophy is evidently regarded by the Russians 
 with pride. 
 
 An easy excursion can be made from Tiflis 
 to the rock-cut dwellings at Ouplytz-tzykhe, which 
 are well worthy of a visit ; the houses, some of 
 them twenty-four feet square, are cut out of the 
 solid rock, not a brick or a separate stone having 
 been used in their formation. Ouplytz-tzykhe, or 
 "the fortress of Ouphlis," was made by Ouphlis, 
 son of Nitskethos, grandson of Karthlos ; and 
 Georgian pedigrees aver that the latter was son 
 of Thergamos, who was great-grandson of Japhet, 
 the son of Noah. In Commander Telfer's book 
 on " The Crimea and Transcaucasia," from which 
 most valuable information can be gained, is an
 
 GEORGIA. 169 
 
 interesting account of these dwellings, from which 
 I extract the following : " This is a town (there 
 can be no other designation for it), consisting of 
 public edifices, if such a term may be employed, 
 of large habitations presumably for the great, 
 smaller dwellings for others, each being conve- 
 niently divided, and having doorways, openings 
 for light, and partitions, while many are orna- 
 mented with cornices, mouldings, beams, and 
 pillars. The groups are separated by streets and 
 lanes, where steps have been cut for facilitating 
 ascent and descent, and grooves, unquestionably 
 intended for water-courses. There are likewise 
 open spaces or squares, and yet the whole has 
 been entirely hewn and shaped out of the solid 
 rock, demonstrating in the general distribution 
 and economy of space and material, the rarest 
 ability in engineering and architectural skill." 
 Credat fudceus / Telfer wonders what the place 
 was for, and thinks it must have been an abode of 
 delight during the oppressive heats of summer. 
 But it is now generally supposed to have been 
 the stronghold (easily defensible from its position 
 in the face of the cliff), to which the Kings of 
 Georgia removed their treasure and valuables, 
 perhaps their families also, on the approach of 
 danger, or in troublous times.
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 
 
 THOSE who have read Julius Caesar's accounts 
 of his expeditions remember how frequently his 
 marches commence with " impedimentis relictis." 
 A journey in the Caucasus affords similar 
 practical reasons for leaving all luggage and 
 lumber behind, simply because you cannot take 
 such things with you. Having packed in as 
 small a compass as possible our "necessities," 
 they were stowed away on the top of the diligence 
 hired to take us over the military road traversing 
 the Northern Caucasus range from Tiflis to 
 Vladikavkas. The conveyance, which is a one- 
 seated brougham inside, holding two persons, has 
 a seat with a hood behind the box, divided into 
 compartments for three, and there is room for an- 
 other passenger by the side of the driver. The 
 conductor and a guard (a most useless appendage) 
 generally take the box seat and one of the outside 
 places, but having previously engaged the entire
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 171 
 
 coach for the trip, we put them inside (where 
 they dozed with contented indifference between 
 each station) and ourselves occupied the " ma- 
 chine " outside. Starting early on the morning of 
 the 1 9th of September, we left Tiflis by the 9.30 
 a.m. train, alighting at M'tzkett, the second station, 
 thirty miles westwards, where, after allowing us 
 time to reconnoitre the place, the diligence arrived 
 at eleven o'clock. The country all the way from 
 Tiflis along the Kur valley is barren, treeless, and 
 uninteresting ; rocky bluffs, without a blade of 
 grass on them, stand out of the plain here and 
 there, and line the banks of the river, which is 
 crossed by a stone bridge where the channel is 
 confined between steep cliffs, the road turning due 
 northwards to the city of Mtzkhetha, now cor- 
 rupted or shortened into M'tzkett. It was founded 
 by Mtzkethos, the eldest son of Karthlos, after 
 whom this province of Georgia was called 
 Karthly or Kartylynia ; the kingdom absorbed or 
 embraced as tributaries the neighbouring provinces 
 of Imeritia, Gouria, Mingrelia to the west, and 
 Kahetia or Kakkety to the east ; although the 
 dominion of Karthlos is said to have extended 
 from the Black Sea to the River Aragva, which 
 flowing from the north, joins the River Kur at 
 M'tzkett, it was divided amongst his sons, and 
 the provinces cannot be said to have been united
 
 172 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 into what afterwards became the kingdom of 
 Georgia before the reign of Pharnawaz, 302-237 
 B.C., who first fixed the royal residence here. 
 This king was also famous for having invented 
 the Georgian alphabet. M'tzkett was the capital 
 of the country until it was transferred to Tbylysys 
 in the reign of Datchy (thirty- fourth king), son of 
 Vakhtang, who had commenced the new city. 
 
 During the reign of King Miriam, St. Nina 
 converted him and his subjects to Christianity 
 about the year 322 A.D., and close to M'tzkett 
 is the hill of Karthly, whereon stood a great 
 idol, which was overthrown through St. Nina's 
 supplications, and on which her cross of vine 
 stems was raised ; in the courtyard of the 
 convent and church of Sampthavrok (which 
 stands on the north-west side of the town) is 
 shown the spot where St. Nina lived after her 
 arrival in 318 A.D. A few dirty cottages, the 
 traces of ancient walls, and buildings are the 
 remnants of the city now ; but one feature, the 
 cathedral, exists to mark the history of this 
 once famous place. This church is by far the 
 handsomest building (in a state of preservation) 
 in this country, and perhaps in all the lands 
 between the Caspian and Black Seas. It was 
 commenced by King Miriam upon his conversion 
 " as a sanctuary wherein to deposit the seamless
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 173 
 
 garment of our Saviour, which had fallen by lot to 
 the Jews of Mtzkhetha, and was brought hither 
 by one Elioz." So says Telfer, but the record 
 of the relic during those three hundred years, 
 and how Nuriam obtained it from the Jews, is 
 doubtful ; another authority says the garment 
 was brought from Golgotha by a Jew and buried 
 here. However, the Georgian Church always 
 recognised its authenticity, and, during the 
 Persian invasion, it was sent to Moscow, where 
 it still remains, some say in the Cathedral of 
 the Assumption ; but the priests of the Greek 
 Church are very reticent in mentioning the 
 treasures they possess. The cathedral was 
 enlarged in the fourth century by Mirdat 
 III., and rebuilt, in the fourteenth century, by 
 George VI., after its partial destruction by 
 Tamerlane. Cruciform in shape, with fine 
 side aisles, the entrance is on the west end, 
 through a well-arched and decorated porch, 
 the altar facing due east. The pointed dome 
 on a decagonal tower is (as usual) in the centre 
 of the building, and the walls are enriched by 
 mullioned arches in relief and sculptured crosses ; 
 a platform with marble canopy, under which 
 the kings sat, is placed in the south aisle, and 
 a few frescoes, representing St. Nina's preaching, 
 decorate the walls ; but the roof is whitewashed,
 
 174 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 having been thus treated by an ignorant bishop, 
 previous to the visit of the Emperor Nicholas, 
 because he thought it looked unclean. Those 
 who saw the roof before this absurd act say that 
 the frescoes were remarkable. It is to be hoped 
 there is enough public spirit in the Church to 
 have these paintings carefully restored. A high 
 wall, battlemented for defence, surrounds the 
 open square in which the cathedral stands. 
 
 The road leaving M'tzkett cuts through a 
 number of tumuli, where a large burying- 
 ground was discovered, with many necklaces, 
 beads, bottles, armour, etc. (now in the Tiflis 
 museum). Some of the open graves, and the 
 bones they contain, eagerly pointed out to us 
 by the conductor, are exposed in the face of 
 the embankment above the road. The man 
 evidently looked upon us as veritable tourists 
 in search of curiosities, and thought the ancient 
 sepultures of M'tzkett matters of much wonder. 
 But he soon gave up interesting himself as to 
 his passengers, and passed the time in sleep, 
 occasionally disturbed by a summons with the 
 whip of the driver to blow his horn as a warning 
 to the long strings of bullock-carts to clear the 
 road in front. 
 
 After traversing a broad plain through which 
 the Aragva flows to the east of the road, we
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 175 
 
 reached Tsylkaun, twelve miles from M'tzkett, 
 and continued our journey with six horses, four 
 abreast at the wheel, and two in front, ridden 
 by the wildest of postillions. The road gently 
 ascends for fifteen miles to Dushet, and our 
 drivers not sparing whipcord, we arrived there 
 in less than one and a half hours from the last 
 station. The horses all seemed in good condition, 
 and not overworked. The coachmen are gene- 
 rally civil and obliging, but the station masters 
 are the reverse, and often occasion travellers 
 needless delay, probably desirous that they should 
 refresh or stop at the post-houses, the catering 
 for which is in their hands. The country round 
 Dushet is well farmed, and the district contains 
 a large colony of Armenians, who evidently have 
 chosen a good soil to settle upon. The town, 
 situated on a southern slope, two miles from 
 the main road, which overlooks it across the 
 Aragva valley, was long the residences of the 
 " eristavs," or Princes of Aragva, a fine square 
 tower on the hill-side marking the site of their 
 palace and stronghold. These princes were fre- 
 quently in rebellion against the Georgian Tsars, 
 and the town was destroyed by the latter in 1688. 
 Heraclius the Second appointed his son governor 
 of the province, and so fond was he of Dushet 
 that on ascending the throne as King Vakhtang
 
 176 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Heraclius he continued to make it his favourite 
 residence. 
 
 With six horses again we reached the next 
 station, Ananour, in about fourteen miles, the 
 country becoming more wooded and wild, and 
 the lofty peaks more prominent. This little vil- 
 lage is beautifully situated on a rocky promontory 
 jutting out on the western side of the Aragva 
 glen, and contains a very perfect specimen of 
 the Georgian castle, palace and church surrounded 
 by a square court with ramparts and walls. Bitter 
 feuds were not confined to Scotch clans only, 
 and many are the sad stories which Caucasus 
 chieftainship is responsible for. In 1737, George 
 the " eristav " of Aragva, who lived in this castle 
 of Ananour, was attacked by his neighbour of 
 Ksan, who had hired a band of Lesghians to 
 assist him to revenge the plunder of his brother's 
 wife, who had been delivered over by George 
 to the Persians, and having assaulted the castle, 
 the Prince of Ksan murdered him, his family, and 
 all the defenders. A long stage of seventeen 
 miles brought us to Pasanaur (3,620 feet above 
 sea level), but the delightful scenery banished 
 any sense of weariness from the length of the 
 road. The station master at first said he had 
 no horses, but on mentioning the name of Prince 
 T., who had kindly telegraphed orders ahead
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 177 
 
 of us, we were soon provided with steeds. Along 
 the fourteen miles to the next station, M'lety, 
 the valley becomes very contracted, long hog- 
 backed mountains in one continuous chain run- 
 ning due south on either side of the Aragva, 
 which appears a silver burn at the foot of the 
 precipitous cliffs. The road keeping the western 
 side in several places is cut out of the solid rock. 
 The shades of evening had fallen, and it was 
 quite dark when we reached M'lety, where we 
 intended to stop the night, and before long, full 
 justice was done to the contents of a basket, 
 which, instead of depending on the food to be found 
 at the stations, we had luckily brought with us. 
 
 M'lety (4,960 feet) is the northernmost village 
 on the Aragva, and the road turns off here to 
 cross the pass. Awoke at daylight, I strolled 
 out to look at the quaint little church and peculiar 
 square tower, a few hundred yards beyond the 
 post station. Herds of ponies, strings of "arabas," 
 laden with merchandise (mostly tea), the bullocks, 
 tethered alongside, and some camels, were con- 
 gregated around, their drivers (enveloped in long 
 black " bourkas," made of sheeps' wool, not 
 woven, but hammered together into a thick 
 durable material) just bestirring themselves, and 
 preparing their caravans for the day's march. 
 This is the principal halting station before 
 
 N
 
 178 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 ascending or after the descent of the pass. 
 M'lety may be considered the entrance of the 
 district inhabited by the Ossets, a warlike 
 race, whose origin has been a bone of con- 
 tention amongst authorities for ages past. It 
 is, however, practically agreed that they are 
 descended from the Alans, who are mentioned 
 by Josephus as living by Lake Maeotis (Sea of 
 Azov) to the north of the Caucasus, who passed 
 the " iron gates," and routed the Medes and 
 Armenians. There is evidence to connect them 
 with the people who were called " Massagetae " 
 by Herodotus, and reputed as great warriors ; 
 while since his date (400 B.C.) historians mention 
 them under different names, such as Alains, As, 
 Osses, Yasses, and Assets, but always recog- 
 nisable from holding the same territory and 
 their distinctive characteristics. Converted to 
 Christianity in the reign of Justinian, they shortly 
 afterwards abjured that religion, but in the reign 
 of the famous Georgian Queen Thamar, they 
 were made again to adopt it ; subsequently re- 
 lapsing. Now no one seems to be agreed as to 
 whether they are Christians, Mahomedans, or 
 Pagans. The best authorities say the race 
 comprises 70,000 souls, of whom 10,000 are 
 Christians, and the remainder hold no belief at 
 all ; but those I met said they were Mahomedans.
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 179 
 
 Telfer alludes to the Ossets as a remarkable 
 people in the History of Nations. Isolated in 
 the centre of the Caucasus Mountains, in the 
 midst of populations with whom they have no 
 affinity, they appear to be the only connecting 
 link between the Indo-Persian branch, and the 
 European branch, of the great I ndo- Germanic 
 race. Though wild and reserved, these people 
 are not so unscrupulous as many of the neighbour- 
 ing lawless tribes ; perhaps being more numerous, 
 and of older origin and tradition, they are greater 
 respecters of persons. To the south-east of M'lety 
 are the settlements of the Hefsours, numbering 
 5,000 people ; their villages are far up in the 
 mountains, some forty miles from any road, and 
 they claim descent from a band of lost Crusaders 
 who settled in the Caucasus on their return from 
 Palestine. Wearing an embroidered cross on 
 their tunics, also shirts and helmets of mail, 
 they are very quarrelsome and primitive in their 
 mode of settling disputes. Further east from 
 them again are the Pshavs, if anything, more 
 uncivilised and uncouth, but not so obstreperous. 
 Dr. Radde, who had lived for some time with 
 both these tribes, and has written a most interest- 
 ing account of them, described them to me, with 
 a shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders, 
 as " veritable savages." 
 
 N 2
 
 i8o TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 We left M'lety at 6 a.m., crossing the Aragva, 
 which the road had followed as far as possible. 
 It then boldly ascends the face of the cliff by 
 a wonderful series of long zigzags, 2,000 feet 
 in ten miles. Passing along this succession of 
 parallels, the road is easily seen perpendicularly 
 above, exciting one's desire to be a bird or a 
 monkey, in order to save two and a half hours' 
 circuitous, though easy, climb of apparently so 
 short a hill. On reaching Gudaour, the patches of 
 snow and the sharpness of the temperature testi- 
 fied to the rise we had made, while our appetites 
 did justice to a breakfast, not the worst part of 
 which was an "omelet" which G. was able to 
 make in the station kitchen. From Gudaour 
 (only consisting of the agent's house, stables, and 
 a small soldiers' barrack) the road goes north- 
 wards, rising 1,000 feet to the Kreestoonga Yova, 
 or Hill of the Cross, which is the top of the pass 
 7,980 feet above sea level the boundary 
 between Asia and Europe. 
 
 The morning had been misty, with long, 
 drifting clouds rilling the hollows of the valleys, 
 and only seldom revealing the tops, but at ten 
 o'clock, as we waited on the pass, the sun came 
 out, gratifying us with a glorious view. The 
 source of the Aragva lay below, the old drove 
 road marked along its banks, and Mount Kon-
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 181 
 
 nick beyond it, westwards, surmounting the chain 
 on that side. Northwards rose peak after peak of 
 rough, scarred mountains, the chasms rilled with 
 glaciers, and all around green pasture-covered 
 hills, with bushes of rhododendrons, gentians, 
 anemones in flower, to remind us that we were 
 leaving the grassy southern slopes, the rich soil, 
 and the splendid climate of Asia, for a far 
 drearier hemisphere, and perhaps a poorer though 
 more powerful world. Within a few hundred feet 
 of the top were some patches of corn, a rough, 
 wild sort of barley, just ripening but not fit to 
 cut on the 2Oth of September ! On the Asian 
 side cultivation is practicable fully 1,500 feet 
 higher than on the European, but the chief in- 
 dustry of the people is employed in haymaking, 
 provender being much required for the caravan 
 animals ; and the slopes of the hills were dotted 
 with haycocks in all directions. Crossing the 
 watershed, and entering a tributary of the Terek, 
 we rattled away down the hill and reached Koby, 
 fourteen miles from the last station, before noon ; 
 the road winding about amid rocks and glaciers, 
 and the driver making the old diligence swing 
 round the corners at a merry pace. But our next 
 coachman was even worse, having evidently had 
 his morning "stirrup cup" twice over; he was in 
 exuberant spirits, insisted on our stopping to taste
 
 1 82 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 at a wonderful well, from which, at only a few 
 yards distance from each other, issued a highly- 
 charged mineral 'water and a sparkling "seltzer" 
 bubbling like champagne (the latter was really 
 excellent) ; he then proceeded to sit on his reins, 
 and flog his four horses into a gallop, gesticulating 
 with the other hand while he pointed out the 
 celebrated hills, until positive orders made him 
 proceed leisurely. 
 
 Two miles from Koby the first view of the 
 peak of Kassbeck is obtained, towering above 
 his neighbours, but a glimpse only is got here, 
 a rapid descent being made into the valley of the 
 Terek River flowing from the east, and turning 
 its course northwards, as the village of Zion is 
 approached. This hamlet is prettily situated, 
 with two or three old square towers and ruined 
 castles, on a promontory at the junction of 
 the two streams, but is fearfully desolate amidst 
 the wildest-looking, treeless cliffs nothing but 
 rocks and snow to be seen. By a rickety wooden 
 bridge near to the piers of several others that 
 had been washed away, we crossed the wild 
 Terek. The waters lashed into gray- white foam 
 along its precipitous course, the road continuing 
 along the eastern side until reaching the village 
 and station of Kassbeck, where some curious 
 tumuli and ruins are to be seen. A number of
 
 THE CAUCASUS, 183 
 
 valuable gold ornaments and curiosities were 
 found here, showing that the place must have 
 been a residence of importance in ancient times. 
 The church also, with an odd little stone bell- 
 tower in front, is worth examination ; but travellers 
 look at none of these, face to face at last with 
 the historical Mount Kassbeck glistening with 
 the sunlight amid the clouds in mighty grandeur, 
 a king among his subject mountains ! The 
 altitude is generally put at 16,546 feet, but some 
 Russian engineers have lately asserted that it 
 is higher. Of a sugar-loaf or bell-topped shape, 
 the mountain stands out by itself some 6,000 feet 
 above the craggy chains of hills around. On the 
 top of one is the church, tower, and monastery 
 of Sameba, " The Holy Trinity " to which many 
 pilgrimages are made, and whence the only path 
 leads to the ascent of Kassbeck. But although 
 Freshfield has described his accomplishment of 
 the task, and others have since followed his 
 route and reached the top, Russian officers and 
 the natives generally ridicule the statement, de- 
 claring that human beings cannot live or breathe 
 at such a height. Of course this is absurd ; 
 there is no doubt Mr. Freshfield accomplished 
 the ascent. From earliest ages this mountain 
 has been venerated ; overshadowing the only 
 pass through the mountains between the two
 
 1 84 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 hemispheres, it naturally attracted interest, and 
 became surrounded with superstitions. The 
 torment of Prometheus was believed to have 
 occurred here, and the victim bound to the 
 steep brown cliff on its southern face. Amid its 
 perpetual snows, it is said that Abraham's tent 
 is preserved ! The Christian Ossets and other 
 tribes call it the " Mountain of Bethlehem," and 
 they attribute peculiar sanctity to its rocks and 
 caves, as the abode of the spirits of departed 
 prophets. 
 
 The station of Kassbeck is the best place 
 for a sportsman to stop at for shooting the ibex, 
 or Caucasian "tour," and stalkers with guides 
 can be procured there or in the neighbouring 
 villages. An extensive trade is done by the 
 urchins in these mountains collecting specimens 
 of crystal, pyrites, and other ores, which they 
 offer for sale to travellers anxious to carry away 
 mementoes of the country. 
 
 The road now passes through rapidly narrow- 
 ing mountains, and enters the Darial Gorge, 
 which continues almost the whole of the eleven 
 miles from Kassbeck to the next station, Lars. 
 This famous entrance (the Portse Caucasian) is 
 mentioned by all writers from the earliest ages 
 as the high road between Europe and Asia ; 
 Strabo and others called it the defile of Aragva,
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 185 
 
 thinking it and the Terek were one and the 
 same river. The origin of its present name 
 is doubtful, but the nearest derivation is 
 probably from the Turkish words " Dar-yol," the 
 " narrow road." Through stupendous granite 
 and porphyry cliffs this natural passage has been 
 cut, leaving in many places only room for the 
 river, and for many miles the course of the road 
 had to be blasted out of the rocks. At the most 
 desolate and dreary point in the succession of 
 naked precipices stands the Darial Fort by the 
 bank of the river, and above it the ruins of the 
 ancient castle (attributed to Queen Thamar), 
 which defended the pass. Near here in 1803 
 the Ossets tried, but failed, to rescue Queen 
 Maria, who was being conveyed to Russia, 
 having never acquiesced in George XIII., her 
 consort's, renunciation of the crown of Georgia 
 to the Tsar. After leaving Lars the Terek 
 Valley widens out, birch and oak trees appear, 
 and from the last station, Balta, charmingly 
 situated in a well-cultivated and wooded glen, 
 the road passes for eight miles over an undulating 
 plain terminating at Vladikavkas. The length 
 of the military road is about 170 miles. It is 
 unquestionably a fine piece of engineering ; it 
 was commenced in the governorship of Woron- 
 soff, and finished in that of Prince Bariatinsky.
 
 i86 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Although the ascents are great, the inclines are 
 so good that horses can trot the whole way. It 
 is impossible to speak without high commendation 
 of the pluck and toughness of the horses in the 
 Caucasus. Experience made us think grays the 
 best, but the preference was perhaps invidious. 
 They are about fifteen to fifteen and a half hands 
 high, stout and " cobby," but active, with appa- 
 rently little Arab blood. Two things on the 
 road are disgraceful the state in which the 
 stations are kept, and the inattention of the 
 station masters to travellers. The Government 
 give an enormous subsidy to the company that 
 manages the posting, horses, stations, etc. so 
 large, indeed, that they are independent of the 
 public, under no necessity to work for a larger 
 profit than is thus secured to them, and therefore 
 supremely indifferent to the cleanliness of the 
 " hospice " and the convenience of travellers. 
 Another road is in the course of construction 
 further westwards from Vladikavkas to Kutais, 
 for nearly 200 miles, over, it is said, a better 
 and formerly little known pass. Let us hope 
 that here arrangements more agreeable to 
 visitors and travellers in the Caucasus will be 
 made. Although constructed for military pur- 
 poses, the Tiflis road is a great commercial success 
 (notwithstanding that it took fifteen years to
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 187 
 
 make, and cost ,4,000,000 sterling), but following 
 the old caravan line, traders have adopted it with 
 the employment of bullock carts, and the traffic is 
 immense. 
 
 The town of Vladikavkas, from two words signi- 
 fying " to hold the Caucasus," was founded in 1785 
 by Potemkin as a military station (almost in the 
 centre of the disaffected tribes), and has since 
 continued on those lines as one of the most im- 
 portant posts in Caucasia. It is situated on the 
 northern frontier of the Ossetyan country, that of 
 the Tchentchen and Circassians lying eastwards, 
 the Ingush and Kaberdynes to the north, and the 
 Swaunaty westwards, while all along the valley 
 of Terek are Tcherkess and Cossack settlers. It 
 has been a difficult place to manage amongst all 
 these wild tribes. A few years ago it was impos- 
 sible to have a light in the houses of the town 
 before shutting the inside shutters, for fear of 
 receiving a salute in the shape of a bullet from 
 some passer by. The roads were impassable 
 after dark, and even now there is some risk to 
 unarmed travellers in lonely places, two or three 
 outrages and murders having lately occurred in 
 the neighbourhood. The officials plead an im- 
 proved state of matters, and that lawlessness is on 
 the decrease, but Colonel A. (the most courteous 
 and intelligent of "chefs de police") complained
 
 i88 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 bitterly of the inadequacy of his force, and the 
 impossibility of keeping order with the means 
 and material allowed him. A policeman's pay is 
 twelve roubles (about i 55.) per month; as 
 Colonel A. said, it was beyond his power to keep 
 good men at this wage ; in summer they could 
 earn much more, and in winter all the scamps in 
 the country offered their services. It does not 
 hold the men above the temptation of a bribe, and 
 therefore in most cases they " stand in " with the 
 robbers. The mails and the Government money 
 have been frequently robbed, and some amusing 
 stories are told of the methods employed. On 
 one occasion, "the party" having muffled their 
 horses' feet on a dark night, rode alongside the 
 " pereclodnaya" in which the roubles were being 
 conveyed (the driver and two guards with cocked 
 pistols being on the seat in front), and sticking 
 their daggers into the bags, the coins which 
 littered the road were picked up by their friends 
 with lanterns afterwards, and the loss was not 
 discovered until the mail stopped at Vladikavkas. 
 Another time on the railway the robbers got into 
 the money van, overpowered the guard, and 
 cutting a hole in the floor of the carriage, dropped 
 the money through it, to be secured by accom- 
 plices along the line. In neither case were the 
 robbers apprehended.
 
 THE CAUCASUS. z8 9 
 
 But the people commit these crimes from 
 want alone. Starvation makes them thieves, and 
 the absence of employment encourages robbery as 
 a necessity. Horse stealing is a favourite pursuit, 
 especially with a Mussulman tribe, the Ingush , 
 and to an " aoul," or village belonging to them, I 
 drove about eight miles from Vladikavkas along 
 the north road. At short distances high platforms 
 are raised for watchmen, who give signals by day 
 or light fires by night to summon the guard 
 (posted every ten miles) if any depredations occur. 
 On the road Mr. B., a Russian gentleman who 
 has some extensive orchards and lives near, drove 
 with us to the " aoul " to call on the head man, 
 well known to him. We were instantly sur- 
 rounded by a posse of fine-looking fellows, all fully 
 armed with their daggers and knives, who escorted 
 us to the chiefs house, consisting of two small 
 rooms (one for the family, the other the guest 
 chamber), the walls and floor beautifully plastered 
 with brown mud, looking almost equal to Portland 
 cement. The man was most courteous in re- 
 ceiving us, and showing us his habitation, which 
 stood, like all the rest of the houses in the village, 
 in a separate enclosure, with a paddock and 
 orchard. It was sad to see so many able-bodied 
 men about, apparently with nothing to do. The 
 people of these tribes are born carters ; their
 
 1 90 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 trade is driving a cart, with two or four bullocks, 
 carrying grain, hay, or merchandise by contract, 
 and if only the Government would institute some 
 works (with the view of finding employment), 
 such as road or railway making, or canal cutting, 
 they would improve the country, increase commu- 
 nication and commerce, stop robbery, and pre- 
 serve the people, who are gradually disappearing 
 or dying out. 
 
 The view, driving back southwards, of the pano- 
 rama of the mountains, with Kassbeck " showing 
 his nose " in the far distance, was very grand. 
 Perhaps the founder of the town selected the site 
 on account of the prospect to be obtained, as in 
 many ways it is not suitable, being on a flat plain, 
 the River Terek flowing in the midst. Since the 
 railway came its commercial importance has in- 
 creased. Astrakhan skins and furs, Circassian 
 carpets, swords, daggers, and ironwork (in which 
 the Ossets excel all others) are the objects of 
 commerce, while local manufactures of " bourkas," 
 and silver and gilt braid (in great demand for 
 belts), yield an extensive trade, capable of con- 
 siderable development. 
 
 In the country of the Tchentchen, a tribe of 
 Mahomedans to the east, there is high up in the 
 mountains an enormous iron ring with a staple 
 firmly fixed in the face of a cliff, and tradition
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 191 
 
 avers that when waters covered the land, ships 
 were moored to this! It would be imprudent to 
 hint at your disbelief in the presence of the 
 natives, as veneration is not the word for their 
 sentiment on the subject, and a watchman, relieved 
 at certain periods, lives in a cave below it to keep 
 guard. Whatever the history of the ring, there 
 are many indications that the falling or retroces- 
 sion of the waters, or perhaps the breaking up 
 of the glaciers, was later in point of time on 
 the northern than on the southern side of the 
 Caucasus range. 
 
 Another curiosity, but a natural one, in the 
 hills not far away, is a table mountain, the top of 
 which is scooped out like a saucer, evidently by 
 the action of ice, and which now contains a ' large 
 lake ! Red and roe deer, ibex, wild goats, tour, 
 bears, and wolves abound in the Caucasus ; but a 
 sportsman has great difficulties in making arrange- 
 ments to pursue them. Without doubt the best 
 place to start from is Vladikavkas, because the 
 north side of the range is the best for four-footed 
 game, and trustworthy guides (an indispensable 
 requirement) are more likely to be got here. A 
 bell-tent, portable bedstead, and waterproof wraps, 
 in fact the kit required by a traveller in the 
 mountains, should be brought out from England, 
 as very few Russians think of sporting, and such
 
 i 9 2 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 articles cannot be got in this part of the Tsar's 
 dominions. As if to be as ill-natured as possible, 
 to give us a cold, foggy, European greeting, re- 
 minding us of mackintoshes and umbrellas (things 
 antediluvian in Asia !), the weather destroyed an 
 expedition we had planned by breaking into 
 torrents of rain, and left our only resource in the 
 bazaars, where we bargained for " bourkas," the 
 warmest and most sensible of cloaks, especially 
 for equestrians. 
 
 The storm of the previous day had barely 
 cleared away, and the morning was bitterly cold 
 as we left Vladikavkas at 8 a.m. on the 23rd 
 September. Russian trains start from the termini 
 punctually, but seldom keep to their time, and, 
 although the carriages are comfortable, the practice 
 of allowing passengers to pass through them from 
 one end of the train to the other (some forgetting 
 to shut the doors behind them) occasions frequent 
 draughts and discomfort. As the train neared the 
 station for Piatigorsk the sun came out, clearing 
 away the mists and opening a view of the Cau- 
 casus chain. Piatigorsk, one of the earliest 
 founded sanatoria, is celebrated for its mineral 
 waters. It is well situated on a hill detached 
 from the great line of mountains, of which it 
 commands a fine view. The Russian Govern- 
 ment spent large sums in making and building
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 193 
 
 the place, and now allow the province of Vladi- 
 kavkas a liberal bonus annually for its main- 
 tenance, which is let out by contract to a Jew, but 
 the money oozes through many fingers (it cannot 
 melt of its own accord ! ). None reaches the Jew, 
 who therefore does nothing, and the authorities 
 cannot pull him up for breach of contract, know- 
 ing well he is not to blame. Piatigorsk therefore 
 suffers and tumbles to pieces. About two o'clock 
 we came in full view of Mount Elbruz, covered 
 with snow almost to its base. A dark line, mark- 
 ing a gorge down the centre, makes it appear 
 double-headed. Elbruz, with the highest altitude 
 in Europe (18,526 feet), from its breadth and size 
 standing out by itself from the lesser peaks of the 
 chain, is a grand mountain, but lacks the tapering 
 form and elegant shape of Kassbeck. There is 
 something fascinating to me in gazing on a 
 mountain. It is a feast to the eyes ! and my 
 sympathies are with the ancients who reverenced 
 particular hills. I remember being roused from 
 my tent in the Himalayas at daybreak one 
 morning to see the Nunkur Purbat, the highest 
 peak between Cashmere and Yarkand, and found 
 the natives salaaming and kneeling in prayer 
 while they watched it, the rising sun illuminating 
 its sublime position with every imaginable tint. 
 Who has not got a particular favourite peak
 
 194 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 deeply graven on his memory ? whether it be 
 Loch-na-gar, or Schehallion, the Matterhorn, or 
 Kassbeck ? 
 
 The train, true to Russian instincts, crawled 
 on, enabling us to watch Elbruz and his snow-clad 
 neighbours to our heart's content, till the sun 
 set with a lurid, ominous light, which prophesied 
 storm ; and during the night hail and rain and 
 snow pelted down, delaying the train, chilling 
 its occupants, and covering the steppe with a 
 white canopy. We reached Rostoff on the Don 
 at 9.30 a.m., two hours late, and missed the 
 train for Taganrog. Being informed that a boat 
 was starting down the river, and being assured 
 that it would reach Taganrog in eight hours, we 
 proceeded in the steamer at twelve o'clock. As 
 a caution to travellers, I recommend them never 
 to travel by the vessels of the Volga and Don 
 Steamship Company. They never keep time, the 
 boats are bad, and the accommodation for passen- 
 gers none ! We were fated to have hit upon a 
 particularly bad boat, the Donetz, with a crusty, 
 incompetent, old captain, who consulted each of 
 his crew by turns as to where the best channel 
 was, and of course stuck on one of the numerous 
 mud banks at the mouth of the river. Rostoff 
 is an important town, being one of the few' places 
 which the railway serves commercially, the usual
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 195 
 
 way in Russia having been to disregard the cities 
 when making the railroads ! Canals connect the 
 upper parts of the Don with the River Volga, 
 which assists in yielding an extensive trade. The 
 ancient name of the Don was Tanais, its course 
 is 1,300 English miles, but it is navigable for only 
 about 440 miles. The right, or north, bank of 
 the river is considerably elevated, but the left 
 bank is low-lying, a continuation of swampy 
 ground. Rostoff stands well on the rising ground 
 on the north side. The railway crosses the 
 River Don by a long lattice-girder bridge, with 
 a swing in the middle to let ships through. A 
 striking view is obtained of the masses of rafts 
 of timber floated down in the summer, covering 
 the broad surface of the water ; some of the 
 rafts we passed must have been 200 yards in 
 length and 100 in width, with little wooden huts 
 for the men in charge, and bearing coals and 
 barrels of merchandise ; they are not so well .built 
 as those on the Rhine. Corn is taken down in 
 barges to be loaded into ships which have to lie 
 out at sea. All the country from Vladikavkas, the 
 Valley of the Don (and indeed the whole of 
 Southern Russia), consists of vast undulating plains, 
 with three to four feet of fine black soil, capable of 
 growing the finest crops, but comparatively they 
 produce little. Russian farmers sell their best 
 
 o 2
 
 196 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 seed, and sow the worst they have, continuing 
 the wheat crop from year to year till the land is 
 either exhausted or choked with weeds. They 
 then take another piece of land, repeating the 
 same treatment. Acres with them are certainly 
 so numerous that tenants are at a premium. 
 
 Little heed is taken of the best methods of 
 agriculture. The soil is drawn as far as it will go, 
 and the crop left very much to take care of itself. 
 The present value of good arable land is twenty- 
 five roubles per dessiatine, equal to two acres and 
 three-quarters, making the value in English money 
 at the present rate about seventeen shillings per 
 acre. All over Southern Russia from the Caspian 
 Sea to the Pruth River the fee simple of first-class 
 corn-growing land can be bought at this rate. I, 
 of course, except estates that have been well 
 managed, and particular spots where a better 
 class of husbandry has been practised ; but both 
 these are very few and far between, scarcely 
 deserving of mention. There is some good 
 farming in the Podolia district and near the large 
 towns in the south, also where there are any German 
 settlements. It is surprising that with such a 
 good subject better crops are not raised, that no 
 improvement in agriculture is made, and that with 
 such cheap land outside capitalists do not speculate, 
 even if the peasants themselves fail to reap the
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 197 
 
 benefits of it. The country seems depressed, and 
 the ordinary attractions which would encourage 
 industry at home or tempt foreign investments do 
 not exist. 
 
 But I must leave any further speculation on 
 this state of things, and finish my account of 
 Russian farming. The land that is not ploughed 
 and sown with cereals is allowed to grow weeds 
 and wild grasses, which are mown and stacked, 
 whether wet or dry, into haycocks. The cattle 
 are allowed to shift for themselves, and in winter 
 have no stables ; but stand nearly up to their 
 backs in an open court with mud and slush. The 
 manure is collected and dried in the sun, to be 
 used in making plaster for the walls of the 
 cottages, the fields getting none. During the 
 last five or six years the harvests have been 
 disastrously bad. In 1880, when the promise was 
 good, the locusts destroyed the corn crops, but 
 this season wheats are fair and have been well got 
 in, so that a very large quantity can be exported 
 from the country a good turn which the Russian 
 peasants and farmers sadly want. The surplus 
 corn now ready for exportation from this year's 
 crop is said to be worth over ^40,000,000 sterling, 
 according to the latest published Government 
 returns. 
 
 After sticking at the mouth of the Don the
 
 198 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 whole night, the steamer started for Taganrog at 
 7 a.m. The course through long shoals of sand is 
 well buoyed, but the depth of water is very little ; 
 and although the Donetz only drew five feet she 
 managed to run aground, and we had the pleasure 
 of seeing the boat for Kertch (which we wished 
 to catch) start from Taganrog, about eight miles 
 away, while we were recumbent on the sand. 
 The northern parts of the Sea of Azov, and the 
 communication with the River Don and the 
 towns of Rostoff and Taganrog, are vexatious 
 places for ships and sailors. 
 
 At the best of times only vessels drawing 
 eight feet of water can get up to Rostoff, and 
 those drawing about ten feet can sometimes come 
 alongside the wharf at Taganrog, but when the 
 wind is in the east or north half this water runs 
 away in both places. Big ships therefore are 
 compelled to lie out in the roadstead, twenty, 
 often thirty, miles from the ports, and have to 
 take in their cargoes from barges and small 
 vessels in the open roadstead. The greatest 
 depth in the Sea of Azov is forty-four feet, and 
 the major part averages from twenty to eight 
 feet. A strong current sets southwards through 
 the Straits of Yenikale and Kertch, which, assisted 
 by winds from the north and east, lowers the water 
 level very quickly indeed. Few places have
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 199 
 
 been the scene of such continuous strife as Tagan- 
 rog and its neighbourhood, and a memorable 
 battle took place close by in 1224 A.D., when 
 the Mongols gained a decisive victory over the 
 Slavonians or Russians, and it was shortly after 
 this that they separated into the three separate 
 kingdoms, or Khanates, of Astrakhan, Kazan, and 
 the Crimea. Strange that unable to check the 
 Tartar hordes for so long, and after this defeat, 
 Russia should persistently and gradually have 
 conquered and annexed not only these three 
 Khanates, but nearly all the original country 
 from which her former invaders came. It would 
 seem as if there were some inevitable decay 
 which ensues after the rise of nations, whether 
 savage or enlightened, in all the varied difference 
 of their several histories, which eventually pro- 
 duces their fall. Taganrog has the right to 
 suggest such reflections as these, being memor- 
 able as the place where Alexander I., probably 
 Russia's greatest ruler, died in 1825 ; Europe 
 had to thank him for checking the career of 
 Napoleon, and his own subjects for many bene- 
 ficent works ; a fine bronze statue is erected to 
 his memory in the centre of the town. Another 
 thing worth seeing at Taganrog is a grove of 
 oak trees planted by the Tsar Peter the Great. 
 A drive of four miles by a rough road over the
 
 200 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 steppe northwards brought us to a dell which 
 contains a considerable wood of scattered oaks, 
 all doing remarkably well. Roads have been 
 made in certain parts and some shrubs planted, 
 the place being "affected" as a summer resort 
 by the Taganrogians. Russian authorities de- 
 clare it is no use planting trees on the steppe 
 as they won't grow, but die as soon as the roots 
 strike the pan some four feet down, so arbori- 
 culture is a thing unknown. But I examined 
 the soil here, and found it similar to what I had 
 seen all along the steppes, yet the oaks were 
 flourishing splendidly, their roots made no diffi- 
 culty with the pan, and trees rarely do unless 
 they are deluged as well with spring water below ; 
 so either Russians nowadays know nothing of 
 forestry, or Peter the Great knew more which 
 I am inclined to think he did. 
 
 Being desirous to see Kertch, we left Taganrog 
 on the 27th, the morning bright and cold, but 
 by the time we got on board the s.s. Bessarabia 
 in the roads, to which a small paddle-boat con- 
 veyed the passengers, it had begun to blow from 
 the north - east. With difficulty the steamer 
 cleared the sands, the water falling rapidly, and 
 by night the wind and rain had so increased that 
 the captain wisely decided to stay at Berdiansk 
 (where we called for passengers, but none came).
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 201 
 
 And here, in the best anchorage which the Sea of 
 Azov boasts of, we stopped for thirty-six hours, 
 riding out one of the worst gales ever known in 
 these parts. Berdiansk was founded by Prince 
 Woronsoff in 1827, and could be made a good 
 commercial port Large coal-fields exist but a 
 short distance northwards, and railways only are 
 required to open up these and the agricultural 
 districts. During the afternoon of the 29th the 
 storm abated, and we left the roads a scene of 
 wreckage and disaster ; four barques had dragged 
 their anchors, and lay on the sands near the 
 lighthouse, and many others were damaged. The 
 sailing ships trading in these seas mostly belong 
 to Turks, who lay them up during winter and in 
 bad seasons when there is no trade in corn. This 
 having been the case for many years past, the 
 neglected vessels are in a rotten state, and with 
 direful effect has this autumn gale come upon 
 them. Reaching Kertch the following morning, 
 the effects of the storm were everywhere manifest. 
 A large ship had been washed on to the rocks by 
 the sea-wall, over which the waves had dashed, 
 carrying the bathing-houses away, and inundating 
 houses in the town. The Straits of Kertch or 
 Azov and of Yenikale (at the northernmost 
 point between the Black Sea and the Sea of 
 Azov), are surrounded with the greatest historical
 
 202 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 interest. The channel was first called the Cim- 
 merian Bosphorus, after one of the earliest known 
 races, the Cimmerians, who (according to Herodo- 
 tus) were driven out of their country, which 
 extended from the Danube to the Don, by the 
 Scythians, and settled in Asia Minor, circa 630 
 B.C. Rawlinson, in his " History of Herodotus," 
 remarks : 
 
 While the Cimmerians, whom the Scythians drove before 
 them with such ease on their first passage of the Tanais (the 
 Don), continue to exist as Cymry in the mountains of Wales, 
 and the Getae, their neighbours upon the west, have their 
 descendants among the great Gothic or Teutonic family by 
 which nearly one-half of Europe is still occupied, the Scyths 
 have disappeared from the earth. 
 
 This is the more remarkable when one considers 
 the extent of country they held, the " tumuli " and 
 mounds which remain as evidence of their num- 
 bers, and the accounts both Herodotus and Strabo 
 give of their manners and customs, showing them 
 to have been a powerfully organised people, 
 though semi - barbarous. Perhaps among the 
 crowd of nations south and east of these lands 
 which the conquering sword of Mahomet com- 
 pelled to follow his standard and adopt his creed, 
 antiquarians will some day discover a trace of 
 these missing people. After resisting the inva- 
 sion of Darius, the Scythians appear to have
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 203 
 
 fraternised with the Greeks against their common 
 enemy. At all events they allowed them to settle 
 on their shores, and the first Grecian colony, 
 founded by the Milesians, was on the Bosphorus 
 (from /3ov9-7ro/3oi?, "the passage of an ox"), in the 
 sixth century B.C., on the site where now stands 
 the town of Kertch. They called it Panticapceum, 
 being dedicated to the god Pan, and for 500 
 years it preserved its independence and power, 
 holding the great commercial position between 
 the Euxine and the Mceotian Lake. 
 
 In the year 115 B.C. Parisales surrendered the 
 city (now called Bosporus) and their country, with 
 the town of Phanagoria on the opposite side of 
 the Straits, to Mithridates Sufator, and here, on 
 the hill overlooking the bay, is the rocky mound, 
 the site of his ancient judgment hall, where the 
 great King of Pontus sat as ruler over his vast 
 dominions, comprising twenty-two nations ; he 
 died by his own hand, disgusted at the treachery 
 of his sons, a victim to the power of Rome ; and 
 thereafter the kingdom remained nominally subject 
 to Roman authority for more than 300 years. 
 The Scythians had been weakened by the inroads 
 of the Alans in the first century, and next came 
 the Goths, who took the whole of the Taurida, 
 The Huns launched their invading hosts against 
 them, but still the coast and Bosporus was known
 
 204 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 as Gothia, and peopled by Goths when the 
 Genoese obtained a footing here in the thirteenth 
 century. Cerclus (as it was then called) rapidly 
 rose in importance under the Italian rule, and 
 for 200 years was the chief seat of their power 
 on the coast. Falling to the Turks in the fifteenth 
 century, Kertch was ceded to the Empress 
 Catherine in 1771 by the Treaty of Kuchuk- 
 Kainardji. In May, 1855, the British and French 
 forces of 15,000 men attacked and took the place, 
 gaining entrance to the Sea of Azov, where, 
 during the ensuing summer, they made expedi- 
 tions, landing their men at different points to 
 destroy the Russian stores, and interrupt their 
 communications between the Crimean peninsula 
 and the mainland. This must have made a deep 
 impression on Todleben and the Russian authori- 
 ties, for they have done their best to prevent Kertch 
 falling again into the hands of a stranger. An 
 enormous fortress, a succession of masked batteries 
 two miles long, entirely commanding the narrow 
 strait through which vessels must approach, have 
 been constructed at a fabulous cost ; an absurd 
 expenditure of millions! If the shades of those 
 great fathers of commerce who once lived here 
 could rise, what judgment would they deliver 
 upon the costly Pavlosky Fortress, the harbour 
 neglected, with accumulating sands, and the
 
 THE CAUCASUS. 205 
 
 interests of the sword predominant over those 
 of the ploughshare ? Melancholy describes the 
 feeling with which I contemplated the ruins of 
 former greatness on one side, and the evidence 
 of modern power on the other. We went to 
 the museum, where the curator kindly showed 
 us the specimens of Greek and Italian art found 
 in the tombs around. The best have been sent 
 to St. Petersburg, but still many treasures remain. 
 We drove through circles of tumuli to the 
 great Royal mountain, " Tsarsky Kourgan," 
 two miles away. This is the largest and best 
 preserved tomb, a mound fifty-six feet in height 
 and 840 feet in circumference, covering a beauti- 
 fully constructed dome of stones, projecting over 
 one another (in the form of a conical arch) until 
 they meet. Standing on the summit of Mithri- 
 dates Mount, the two seas lying before us, the 
 richest provinces of earth around on all sides, 
 it was impossible not to reflect on the past or 
 think of the future. Will the nation now here 
 learn nothing from the history of Kertch ? Will 
 they do nothing more than spend vast sums in 
 military displays ? Perhaps the memories that 
 hallow this most ancient settlement (the first 
 spot which Grecian civilisation touched in Russia) 
 may some day spread and rouse better feelings 
 among the people. The prosperity of millions,
 
 206 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the fate of empires, and the peace of the 
 world will be hanging in the balance. Will 
 their future be worthy, will their rulers learn, 
 amid these monuments, to avoid the errors that 
 wrecked former Powers, and the nation emulate 
 the true greatness of her predecessors ? If with 
 this end in view, the Russians consider the destiny 
 of their magnificent empire, they should remem- 
 ber that warlike enterprise, though it may avert 
 internal dangers for a time, does not materially 
 develop a nation, and that their first duties are 
 proper regulations at home, and the needful im- 
 provement of their country in education and 
 liberty.
 
 ATHENS. 
 
 "ATHENS, November , 1881. 
 " MY DEAR D., 
 
 " You ask what has become of us since 
 we left the Crimea in an almost dilapidated 
 state last month, after the great storm in the 
 Sea of Azov. We coasted round the Crimea, 
 and went to Odessa (the only European town in 
 Southern Russia, in the sense of having good 
 hotels, shops, and other comforts), and thoroughly 
 refitted ourselves with numerous dinners at the 
 hospitable house of Mr. S. and other genial 
 hosts, doubly grateful after the poor fare we had 
 partaken of in the Caucasus. What with parties 
 and the opera, we had a gay time, and I was 
 fortunate in meeting Prince D. and other Russian 
 statesmen, who discoursed freely on political 
 questions concerning their country and Eastern 
 matters. 
 
 " We left Odessa for Constantinople in the
 
 208 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 s.s. Oleg, on the i8th of October, and reached 
 our destination early on the morning of the 2Oth ; 
 of course the Turkish guard at Kavac was not 
 up to give us ' pratique ' until about 8 a.m. ; 
 there was one advantage, however, in his laziness, 
 as it enabled us to see the Bosphorus on a fine 
 bright autumn morning, with the charming tints 
 at this season of the year enhancing the loveliness 
 of these glorious straits. 
 
 " We stopped at Constantinople a fortnight, 
 and enjoyed ourselves. 
 
 " I believe the two men on earth who are 
 most frightened to show their noses in public, 
 are the Emperor of Russia and the Sultan of 
 Turkey ; both are terribly afraid of their lives. 
 I went to see the latter potentate attend mosque 
 on a Friday, he came by a back road from the 
 Yildiz Kiosk (his palace on a hill outside the 
 town beyond Pera) ; you had to crane your neck 
 over the heads of regiments of soldiers to get 
 a glimpse of him as he rode up to the door of 
 the mosque, an ordinary mortal in a terrible 
 funk ! 'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,' 
 even if defended by the fanaticism of the faithful 
 followers of Mahomet ! 
 
 "But we had to thank his Imperial Majesty 
 for a gracious condescension in allowing us one 
 day to have a private view of the old Seraglio
 
 ATHENS. 209 
 
 palace, and the Sultan's treasury; there was much 
 parade over the visit, and the gentlemen in black 
 clothes (for all the world like ushers at a school), 
 who opened the double-locked doors, and mutely 
 paraded after us while we passed from room to 
 room, made the visit inexpressibly funny ; we felt 
 there was some mockery in the magnificence ! 
 
 "But for treasures take me there! If ever 
 Constantinople is looted by a band I may be 
 connected with, I know the spot to make for! 
 Each Sultan when he dies is venerated by having 
 his best mosque-go-to-meeting clothes, head- 
 dress, turban, aigrette, jewelled collar, and other 
 trappings carefully preserved in a glass case on an 
 effigy of himself. 
 
 " I broke the tenth commandment often that 
 day, and when the Turks are kicked out of 
 Europe I should like to have a ' chance ' at those 
 pink pearls round the neck of him who was 
 Sultan Mahmoud, as my share of the spoil ! 
 
 " Coffee, cigarettes, and roseleaf jam were 
 served to us in the drawing-room of the Bagdad 
 Kiosk which overlooks the famous gate on to the 
 Bosphorus, the gate through which many a 
 Turkish lady, and many a rebellious subject, and 
 many an aspirant Greek, Bulgar, or Roumelist 
 has passed to find an unknown watery grave. 
 The view across to Asia to the east, down the 
 
 p
 
 210 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Sea of Marmora on the south, and northwards 
 over Stamboul to Galata up the reaches of the 
 Bosphorus is very delightful ; but in this un- 
 occupied palace (its hidden treasures locked 
 away), the view, the place, the day all beautiful, 
 nothing was to be seen but decay and neglect 
 everywhere triumphant. 
 
 "We left Constantinople in one of the Aus- 
 trian Lloyd's boats on the 4th, and cleared the 
 Dardanelles the next day, with a hard driving 
 wind from the north, so cold that off Tenedos on 
 the morning of the 5th there was ice on the 
 decks of the ships ; reached Athens the morning 
 of the 6th, and, as if to make us doubly delighted 
 with this enchanted and historically hallowed spot, 
 a beautiful balmy day greeted our arrival. 
 
 "My sensations on viewing the Acropolis 
 are best described in Professor Mahaffy's book, 
 ' Rambles in Greece.' I found it lying on the 
 table of the ' Salon de Lecture ' of the ' Hotel 
 d'Angleterre ' some days after we came there ; he 
 does not overcolour the picture, nor overdraw the 
 feelings which present themselves to any one fond 
 of scenery, history, and majesty. 
 
 " Come to Athens ! There is more to be found 
 here that is pleasing to the student and the artist 
 than at any other place that I know of. 
 
 " Need I tell you that we spent hours and
 
 ATHENS. 211 
 
 days, with Byronic fervour, amid the ruins of the 
 Parthenon and the Erectheum, or that I imagined 
 myself a second Demosthenes addressing the 
 Athenians from the Pnyx. (N.B. What a plat- 
 form that is, with the rising rocks behind it and 
 the sloping ground below, fitted exactly for open- 
 air orators with iconoclastic voices !) 
 
 " Our first pilgrimage outside of Athens was 
 to Marathon, a five hours' drive through a rough 
 country, with poor soil and a bad road. Heather, 
 thyme, stunted firs and olives (with here and 
 there patches of corn and small vineyards) are the 
 products of the land. We lunched on the mound 
 where the Athenians are supposed to be buried 
 and the lion was set up after Miltiades' great 
 victory over the Medes, 490 B.C. ; the plain in 
 front of us relieved by the crocodile-backed isle 
 of Eubcea, sunlit with every imaginable radiant 
 hue, to the eastward. 
 
 "On our way back we inspected the spot 
 where poor Vyner, Lloyd, and Herbert, with the 
 Muncasters, were captured by the brigands. 
 Happily, travelling is accomplished with greater 
 safety now -a- days, but none the less does 
 brigandage create fear in the breast of the 
 ' voyageur.' Our companions to Marathon were 
 Mr. and Mrs. T., and both frequently expressed 
 alarm ; but it was not until we got back to Athens 
 
 p 2
 
 212 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 late in the evening, and I found he had been 
 carrying a loaded revolver all day in a small 
 pocket at his side (which I had been jolting 
 against in the carriage all day), that I realised the 
 apprehensions he had felt. They could not have 
 been greater than mine, if I had known of his 
 precautions ; but where ignorance is bliss, etc. 
 
 " The Greeks are really making a good 
 harbour of the Piraeus, and the place is improving 
 rapidly. A walk along the southern shore of the 
 bay, about a mile and a half, brings you to the 
 lighthouse, and a little further on there is the 
 most interesting thing to be seen, the grave of 
 Themistocles ; hollowed out of the rocks, now 
 washed completely by the sea, overlooking the Bay 
 of Salamis westwards, and southwards to the Isle 
 of ^Egina, here are the traces of this hero's tomb. 
 No statues or painted glass windows recall his 
 memory, and the sea will soon obliterate what 
 remains of the vault in which he was, by his own 
 wish and direction, buried ! 
 
 " From the Piraeus we hired a boat and rowed 
 out to Salamis, lunching on the island of 
 Psyttalea, where Aristides sulked until his 
 patriotism drove him to join his countrymen on 
 the day of their memorable defeat of Xerxes' fleet. 
 The rock where that monarch is supposed to have 
 sat (on the shore opposite the bay) is pointed out
 
 ATHENS. 213 
 
 to the all-believing tourist, the spot from which, 
 on beholding a deed of heroism by one of his 
 vassal queens, he exclaimed that his men had 
 become women, and the women turned into 
 men. 
 
 " Dr. Schliemann is here arranging in the 
 museum his famous collection from the tombs of 
 Mykenae, and under his guidance I have spent 
 many hours among the relics. There is no 
 catalogue at the museum ; the Greek Govern- 
 ment have not yet been able to afford one, and 
 without S. as cicerone, it would have been im- 
 possible to make anything out. 
 
 " The most curious things are the gold masks 
 with which these wonderful people, whether 
 Greeks or Phoenicians (?), covered the faces of 
 the dead at their interment. The best formed 
 and engraved mask was found with a skeleton 
 literally covered over with round gold disks 
 (supposed to be robe ornaments), and this Dr. S. 
 pronounces decidedly to be the face and remains 
 of Agamemnon. It is the last thing in the world 
 I should think of, to contradict so great an 
 authority ! Indeed three or four pleasant meetings 
 with Dr. S. have so convinced me of his theories, 
 that I am ready to put implicit faith in him and 
 them. We are thinking of starting under his 
 guidance to search for the grave or tomb of
 
 214 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Circe. But I regret to say A. is not respectful 
 enough in talking of these antiquities ; and, in 
 fact, jeers rather at their decayed remains, so 
 it is doubtful if my trip to find Circe will come 
 off. 
 
 " I am not going to bore you with descriptions 
 of the temples, statues, and monuments we have 
 seen in the course of our three weeks' sojourn 
 here, which have gone by like a pleasant dream ; 
 they are described in plenty of books where 
 you can learn all about Ionic, Doric, and 
 Corinthian styles, or obtain the best accounts 
 and engravings of the works of Phidias, Praxiteles, 
 and other sculptors. 
 
 " Continually new treasures in the shape of 
 buried statues, when digging the foundations of 
 buildings, are found. A few days ago, a very 
 fine marble, about four feet high, of Pallas 
 Athene was discovered in perfect condition ; it 
 is evidently a replica on smaller scale of the 
 famous gilt statue by Phidias, which stood 
 opposite the entrance gate in front of the 
 Propylaeum in the Acropolis. The goddess is 
 helmeted, in her right hand a spear, the left 
 resting on a shield from the inside of which peeps 
 the serpent's head ; one can imagine the venera- 
 tion the ancient Athenians had for this splendid 
 representation of their tutelar goddess !
 
 ATHENS. 215 
 
 " And oh ! the charming walks about Athens, 
 through the olive groves to Cephissia, up Mount 
 Hymettus and Lycabettus, or along the old Attic 
 walls to the sea-shore at Phalerum, and the 
 sunsets over ^Egina lighting up the hills and 
 colouring the marbles of the Parthenon with every 
 conceivable tint ! Read your Byron ! The poet's 
 encomiums are indeed true : 
 
 ' Oh ! who can look along thy native sea, 
 Nor dwell upon thy name, whate'er the tale, 
 So much its magic must o'er all prevail ? 
 Who that beheld that " sun " upon thee set, 
 Fair Athens ! could thine evening face forget ? ' 
 
 " Here are three touches of human nature 
 before I leave Athens. 
 
 " A Greek gentleman, Mr. B., dined with 
 us one night, and described the Earl of L.'s 
 visit to Greece many years ago ; in Mr. 
 B. the English Earl found a congenial spirit, 
 fond of the turf; in company they visited the 
 Acropolis, and, after gazing on the ruined 
 Parthenon for some minutes in silence, he turned 
 to his friend exclaiming: 'It reminds me of 
 a broken-down race-horse ! ' This was his only 
 criticism that afternoon. 
 
 " At the same party was another Greek 
 gentleman, owner of an island in the Archipelago 
 once famed for growing oranges, but a blight
 
 216 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 on the trees had destroyed his crop for three 
 years past, and he was low in pocket and spirits. 
 He button-holed me, inquiring frequently to 
 my surprise about the wealth and industry of 
 England ; at last out he came with the following 
 question : ' Can you tell me how I can make the 
 sum of ; 20,000 ? ' The abruptness of the inquiry 
 staggered me, but remembering an old answer 
 given by an eminent banker to a similar applica- 
 tion (though for a smaller amount), I replied : 
 ' Save it ! ' The Greek was dumb ! 
 
 " Our banker at Athens, Mr. T., a kind friend 
 and a very well-informed man, often entertained 
 me with descriptions of his life at Manchester 
 (where he had been for some years) and his ex- 
 periences since he returned to Greece. He 
 warmly defended his countrymen from the criti- 
 cisms I made on their manners and customs ; when 
 pressed hard by instances of their inconsistency 
 in agitating for the extension of their country by 
 the aid of foreign assistance, instead of devoting 
 themselves to the development of the territory 
 they have already, his reply was always : ' Please 
 remember we are Levantines here ! ' I can 
 only suppose that this means they are the 
 exact opposite in nature and habits to the 
 Anglo-Saxon-Scoto-Celtic race which makes up 
 the 'olla podrida' of beings in the islands to
 
 ATHENS. 217 
 
 which we belong, and I believe they are ; never- 
 theless, the Greeks are a clever, superior, and 
 charming people ; with their neatly plaited petti- 
 coats of linen (in shape very like our Highland 
 kilts) they have quite fascinated and delighted 
 me. I hope you would in this agree, if you came 
 here, with 
 
 " Yours always, 
 
 "H."
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. I. 
 
 "YACHT PHCEBE, OFF CORFU, 
 
 "January, 1882. 
 
 " MY DEAR G., 
 
 " Imagine us two on board a forty-ton cut- 
 ter ! a cabin and saloon each about six feet square, 
 with an Italian who acts as our cook as well as our 
 commander at sea, one sailor, the captain's son 
 (steward, bedmaker, and Jack of all trades, in 
 one), another Italian (a shikarry, called a beater 
 in these parts) who accompanies me on shore in 
 pursuit of game, three dogs, and numerous live 
 stock ! You will understand that elbow-room is 
 scarce, and nothing but very superior attractions 
 would induce us to occupy such cramped quarters. 
 "But we have a 'tender' in the shape of a 
 sixteen-ton cutter on which A.'s maid and my 
 servant sleep, and where surplus clothes and 
 goods are stored ; this ship we send from Albania 
 to Corfu to bring supplies and letters to us. You 
 will ask what are the attractions ? A glorious

 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 219 
 
 climate ! While you are shivering in the fogs 
 which surround the British Isles, we are feasting 
 under almost a summer sun, with clear frosty 
 nights, but a keen, warm, exhilarating atmosphere 
 (none of your ' mistrals ' of Savoy ! ) during the 
 day. For the best winter climate in Europe 
 commend me to Southern Albania; it is simply 
 magnificent. 
 
 " The next attraction is sport, and though 
 rather overdone by the number of English yachts 
 on the coast there is plenty to be got. Small 
 game shooting at woodcock, snipe, and duck of all 
 sorts ; larger quarry in the shape of pig and 
 roedeer. 
 
 "To proceed to business. My yacht is an- 
 chored in a creek on the Albanian coast, and the 
 beater has arranged on shore with one of the 
 head men of a tribe or clan to get together some 
 of his people to drive the ravines, wooded with 
 acacia and oak scrub, for us. 
 
 " Breakfast early, and a start about 9 a.m., we 
 land from the yacht and always have a stiff pull 
 up hill ; Albania has been paved with sharp-edged 
 stones by some Titanic majesty, the grass growing 
 amongst these rocks disguises the fissures, and 
 hence the walking is about as ' nasty ' as possible 
 either to practise or describe. 
 
 "We get to the top of a gully (the beaters
 
 220 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 with their dogs having remained below), and are 
 posted by the head man in positions command- 
 ing the passes up the hill ; the clearness of the 
 atmosphere enables one to hear every sound, 
 therefore the great thing is to keep well con- 
 cealed and perfectly motionless while the ' drive ' 
 is going on ; if the dogs are good ones they 
 very soon let you know if a pig is in . the covert, 
 they generally ' bay ' him at first, then off he 
 goes making for the nearest pass through the 
 underwood. Now is your time! If you hear 
 him making towards you, the best plan is to 
 remain quiet ; but if he or they (for I have seen 
 as many as eight pigs break at one time) appear 
 to be taking a contrary course, you should slip 
 along the ridge, either to the right or left as 
 required, to meet f the ' porker ' ; he rarely gives 
 you an easy or a sitting shot, more often going 
 as fast as he can through the stunted scrub, 
 allowing you only a glimpse of the bristles on 
 the top of his back. It is sharp shooting with 
 a rifle, and I think the pig has a fair chance. 
 
 " The steepest of the ravines, especially those 
 about Paganyar, though the hardest walking, are 
 easiest to deal with, the heights commanding a 
 better and clearer view of the ground. There 
 is much to add to the excitement, for where is 
 excitement without warmth, and where is warmth
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 221 
 
 without the sun or other genial surroundings ? 
 We manufacture these in our northern homes, 
 they are given to us here to our heart's content. 
 
 " Constitutional laziness and bad sport (through 
 having, I think, a very 'juggins' of a beater) 
 made me careless of the pursuit of piggy ; but 
 I became bitten one day, and though I confess 
 * the game is hardly worth the candle,' yet at 
 the moment I thought of nothing else. We had 
 had a hard day driving hills and ravines ; at 4 
 p.m. the bag was blank. I stopped back from 
 the other guns, and handing the rifle to my 
 Albanian attendant, took my shot gun from him 
 to get some quail for the ' pot.' I was on the 
 side of a hill overlooking the sea at the head 
 of the gorge which my friends had gone to beat, 
 when the deep-tongued note of the yellow hound 
 ' Bee' (by far the best boarhound on the Albanian 
 coast) proclaimed unmistakably that she had the 
 quarry at bay. 
 
 " I regained my rifle and rushed to the ridge 
 to get a view of the hunt. About 400 yards 
 below me (though I might have chucked a pebble 
 among them), the dogs held at bay a large 
 black boar ; twisting, turning, and charging them 
 on every side, he made back for the densest 
 part of the covert ; five minutes of agitation 
 amid the bushes, making trees and creepers
 
 222 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 quake and quiver in all directions, the dogs 
 attacking with low - toned angry snarls, the 
 Albanians behind uttering the most unearthly 
 yells. No pig could stand pandemonium thus 
 let loose for long ! and he broke where ? up the 
 hill like the side of a house, as hard as he could 
 pelt straight to me ; within about twenty yards 
 he stopped dead short, whether to listen for the 
 dogs, or from having winded me, I cannot say. 
 He only gave me a few seconds, and I hit him 
 behind the third rib ; with a bound to the left, 
 he was out of sight before I could get in a second 
 barrel. I ran along the ridge just in time to 
 see ' Bee ' with her nose to the ground running 
 mute in front of me. What a glorious chase ! 
 Forward over a grass-grown dell, scaring a she'p- 
 herd and his flock, through ' wait-a-bit ' thorns, 
 and over rocks, where, if a foot had gone wrong, 
 I was done for. 
 
 " The last rise beat him, and on crossing it I 
 heard * Bee's ' summons ; she had him at bay 
 in a thick clump of cover overhung with dense 
 green creepers. Pausing to get breath I followed 
 the sound of her bay, and soon got close to the 
 two antagonists ; but the darkness of the foliage, 
 after the brilliant light outside, made it most 
 difficult to see the state of the combat for a 
 few minutes. At last I got a good view through
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 223 
 
 the branches, and never shall I forget the de- 
 moniacal expression upon that boar's face, with 
 the furious dog bristling for a spring within a 
 few inches of his tusks, both of them unconscious 
 of my presence. I shot him through the head, 
 and ' Bee ' and I are firm friends ever since 
 in pursuit of the wild boar. 
 
 " One of the most sporting bits of shooting in 
 Albania is at the flights of wild ducks in the 
 marshes in the evening. I tried my hand at the 
 game at Livitatza, Triscoli, and Butrinto (the latter 
 being the best place). The marshes are situated 
 on the sea-shore at the foot of creeks in the hills, 
 but more often extend far up the mouths of the 
 rivers. An inspection by day will show you where 
 the ducks come to feed, and as evening approaches 
 you should choose a spot among the rushes or 
 scrub, with some clear water in front of you, and, 
 facing the west, wait the flight of the birds 
 coming in from the sea. Rather weirdly these 
 minutes pass ; the quietness around is broken 
 occasionally by the cries of the snipe or the croak 
 of the frogs. Suddenly the whistling whirr of 
 wings, the confidential quacking to one another 
 (according to the habit of duck), and they are 
 upon you. I found the best plan was never to 
 turn round, but to cover a particular spot and not 
 to shoot in other directions. The birds come at
 
 224 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 a great pace, but by resolutely observing the 
 above-mentioned rule, one soon gets up to the 
 ' knack ' of bagging them. The game lasts about 
 a quarter to half-an-hour, when it gets too dark 
 to shoot. In that short time I have seen a bag 
 of cartridges blazed away, as hard as two guns 
 could be loaded, with not many feathers to show 
 at the end. The best flight I got was during 
 a north-east gale. One evening returning from 
 cock shooting, I observed the duck coming earlier 
 than usual from the sea, probably conscious of 
 an approaching storm. I made for the marshes, 
 wading across the Butrinto River ; the birds (a 
 large majority of which that night were teal) 
 came very low, skimming the ground and wheeling 
 across the water in front of us. B. and I bagged 
 over forty head of duck, mallard, widgeon, teal, 
 and pintail, until we were forced to leave earlier 
 than usual, being wet through and very cold. 
 The Italian beaters hate this sport, as they dread 
 the marsh fever ; but I never felt any ill effects 
 from it. 
 
 " Only on particular days can one get near 
 the wild fowl among the marshes in Albania. 
 When it is fine weather they are generally out 
 at sea in the daytime, but occasionally are to be 
 found inland. One sharp, bright, frosty morning 
 at Butrinto, I left the yacht early, landing on
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 225 
 
 the south side of the river, and continuing by the 
 course of the stream, came to a small flat marsh 
 surrounded by tamarisk bushes. Paolo, my beater, 
 had a small mongrel pointer with him, as wild 
 a dog as ever went sporting. He rushed into 
 the marsh, springing the ducks in all directions ; 
 to my surprise they wheeled, and as the dog 
 returned came towards me. I got some capital 
 shots, and seeing the disinclination of the fowl 
 to leave, sent Paolo round the marsh, concealing 
 myself in the bushes, and secured a good bag ; 
 but this occasion, caused, perhaps, by the fine, 
 bright frost, or the attraction of the dog, was the 
 only one on which I have had any sport at the 
 duck by day ; there are hundreds to be seen, but 
 in the distance. 
 
 " You must always remove the ' innards ' of a 
 wild duck in Albania the night he is killed ; the 
 bird feeds on a water plant which contaminates 
 the flesh if he is not cleaned, and the consequence 
 to a ship's company of dining off ducks not so 
 treated has been unpleasant, to say the least. I 
 never saw fowl so fat anywhere else, and when the 
 precaution I have mentioned is taken, they are 
 delicious eating. 
 
 " Snipe, snipe, for ever ! but as wild as the 
 proverbial hawk ! I never saw them lie well, and 
 only the pertinacity of an enthusiast like O. W, 
 
 Q
 
 226 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 in pursuing these birds will enable you to get a 
 bag ; he killed twenty-two couple on the Gomanitza 
 marsh, paddling about in the water up to his 
 knees the whole day. 
 
 " It is curious that the Albanian snipe affects 
 the high reeds (which are not, however, thick), 
 and deepish water; I believe they sit on the 
 reeds. 
 
 "The beaters in Albania always deplore the 
 scarcity of ' cock/ and repeat mythical stories of 
 enormous bags being made of them in years gone 
 by ; they are certainly not as numerous as they 
 were. It requires a very severe winter in Central 
 Europe to bring the birds down the Albanian 
 coast, but you can always get a charming day and 
 a fair bag of them ; fifteen to twenty couple of 
 woodcock per gun is sufficient for me. Whether 
 it is the distance he has come or the frequent 
 pursuit of him, the ' cock ' here is certainly a 
 wilder and bolder bird than with us in the north, 
 where he is bred. The ground suits him exactly ; 
 at the edge of the marshes and rivers, the cliffs 
 are overhung with acacias, arbutus, oak, and other 
 trees covered with creepers. One gun should go 
 forward, and two other guns walk in line, one be- 
 low next the marsh, the others above on the hill, 
 the beater with his dogs in the middle. ' Hi ! 
 cock ! cock ! ' Out he comes with a dash and a
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 227 
 
 swing, trying to put any intervening tree between 
 you and him, giving you difficult and very pretty 
 shots. 
 
 " But of all the difficult shooting I know of, 
 the wild blue rocks in the cliff caves by the 
 sea are the hardest to hit. I tried them all 
 ways, rowing in a boat and laying-to within 
 shot of the mouth of the cave ; a stone bringing 
 them out like fireworks. Another plan is to 
 stand on the top of the cliff, and for some one 
 from below to put the birds out, but they are then 
 even more difficult (darting over the surface of 
 the sea) than when taken as ' rocketers.' As 
 they are first-class table birds, I confess to having 
 descended to a rather unsportsmanlike way of 
 bagging them, by rowing quietly in the boat 
 to one of their favourite caves (which admitted 
 the boat inside) and having a good ' blaze ' at them 
 sitting. The reverberations and noise, with the 
 stones detached by the shot, were alarming ; but 
 I got my pigeons. 
 
 " Inland from Butrinto about six miles are 
 some fine large woods, mostly of scrubby oak 
 (the Albanians cut where they like, and never 
 let a tree get to any size). These are the 
 strongholds of the pigs, but the cover is so 
 dense you cannot shoot them in it. Piggy waits 
 till the dogs come up to him and then usually 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 bolts back ; we drove the woods to put the pigs 
 out to the more open country, and shot the 
 foxes and jackals ; they come creeping along 
 in front of the beaters, listening to them and 
 the dogs ; you can, by keeping concealed and 
 very still, get some good shots at them. In 
 winter their skins are worth having. 
 
 " Yours always, 
 
 "H."
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. II. 
 
 "YACHT LIZZIE, 
 
 " February y 1884. 
 
 " MY DEAR G., 
 
 " I promised you a letter, but I have not 
 much sport to record during my second visit 
 to Corfu and Albania, though we have done 
 better with pig and deer than I did before. 
 The first week in January W. G. C. and I got 
 five pigs and three deer, and thought we were 
 in luck ; but the weather has been too fine fancy 
 having to say that ! However, I am quite sure 
 that the worse the weather the better bags of 
 all sorts of game are made in Albania. 
 
 "It never seems to be bad weather in this 
 country, which enjoys the finest climate in Europe ; 
 nothing is done to develop the resources of the 
 land or encourage visitors, simply because it is 
 in the hands of the Turk. It must be confessed, 
 however, that we should have no shooting (such
 
 2 3 o TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 as it is) if the Greeks got the upper hand and 
 the possession of the country. 
 
 " The Greeks are devoted ' Shikarries/ and 
 would shoot everything they see, but the Turks 
 do not allow them to carry arms in Epirus or 
 Albania ; so we get the chance, which I for 
 one would willingly give up in favour of the 
 Greek sportsman, if the Turk left. 
 
 " The charm of walking these splendid moun- 
 tains, the scenery and climate, conspired in 
 making me stick to pig shooting most of the 
 time during my present visit, with an occasional 
 ' go ' at duck flighting. 
 
 " Let me describe my last day's boar hunting. 
 I had failed to get another ' rifle ' to accompany 
 me, and after collecting a number of Albanians, 
 started at 9 a.m. from the yacht lying off 
 Butrinto, first beating the rocky cliffs and ravines 
 up to Cape Stilo, my plan being to go ahead 
 of the beaters about a mile, choosing a point 
 of vantage whence I could have a good view ; 
 the fourth beat was up a fine gorge in the 
 hills, and an old pig stole away unperceived by 
 me until one of the Albanians on the flank 
 hallooed him. I fired two parting shots and 
 hit Mr. Pig rather far back ; but seeing him 
 stop in a thicket a little lower down the hill, 
 I waited at my station for the beaters to come up.
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 231 
 
 " They had arrived nearly at the end of the 
 covert when four pigs broke, having probably 
 been checked by the report of my shots ; the 
 dogs were close to them, and the shot was a hard 
 one, as they were going very fast fully one 
 hundred and fifty yards away still I never had a 
 better chance of a right and left at pigs ! 
 
 " I missed my first shot, and hit the leading 
 pig through the stomach with my second barrel ; 
 the dogs soon singled him out from the others, 
 and over the hill, down the next gorge, up 
 another face, over the roughest and rockiest 
 ground I know, we gave chase for nearly five 
 miles, when I cried content ; all the way we could 
 track him by his blood, and the dogs having out- 
 stripped us, I thought they would soon bring him 
 to bay. Thinking if we gave the porker breathing 
 time he would lie down, and the dogs having 
 come back, I waited a little (sending Nicolo to 
 look after the first pig I had wounded, and which 
 I thought would be dead), then got the dogs 
 again on the scent, and followed my friend's trail. 
 We spent the whole afternoon in the pursuit, 
 crossing hills and going through woods, never 
 losing the blood (the deluge was incomprehensible, 
 but pigs can bleed !) until at 6 p.m. I gave the 
 chase up, being ten miles from the yacht, and a 
 hard walk back to it ; adding to my discomfiture,
 
 232 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Nicolo met us on the way home, having found no 
 trace of the first pig. These Albanians are not to 
 be trusted, and I firmly believe the man had 
 found the pig dead, and hidden him ; the pig's 
 skin, tusks, and meat are of considerable value, 
 and if he could have taken him down to a boat 
 and over to Corfu, the pig was worth two to three 
 sovereigns. 
 
 " I expressed my suspicions to the head man, 
 Meker, upon which a pretty hubbub arose ; 
 twenty Albanians began to talk and argue at the 
 same time, then to quarrel ; as I was by myself 
 and understood only a few words of their language, 
 I thought it best to authoritatively stop the con- 
 troversy, ordering them all to come down with me 
 to the yacht. 
 
 "It is a good rule which I have always 
 followed never to pay the Albanians their wages 
 on the hill, but to make them come to the yacht 
 to be paid, so that they know you do not carry 
 money with you when away from the ship. 
 
 "Another rule is never to part with your 
 rifle. I do not accuse the Albanians of evil 
 intentions, but in a country where brigandage 
 is not wholly forgotten, in fact has lately occurred, 
 precautions such as these are necessary. 
 
 " When I got them down to the yacht, I 
 harangued them through an interpreter, making
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 233 
 
 them promise to try and get the pigs at daylight 
 next day, and offering liberal * backsheesh ; ' but 
 my pigs never turned up. So ended my last and 
 rather unlucky day in the Highlands of Albania. 
 I must not complain, as we have had a most 
 delightful time. Good weather, especially on 
 board a yacht, makes everything pleasant all 
 round. 
 
 " One thing has struck me in these parts, that 
 you can. make rifle shots hardly thought of in 
 England. Do not call these ' travellers' tales ; ' 
 but believe me that running shots or snap shots 
 can be taken with a ball in the East with com- 
 parative accuracy compared to what is possible 
 in our country. I attribute this solely to the 
 clearness of the atmosphere, which enables you 
 to catch the sight of the rifle quicker. If this is 
 the cause, and the rule holds good in South 
 Africa and other clear climates, it may be the 
 reason (apart from practice, which, of course, is 
 everything) that the Boers are such wonderful 
 rifle shots. 
 
 " I have never described Corfu to you, because 
 you care to hear of nothing but sport, and there 
 is little to be got on that island. The Greek 
 scours it in pursuit of every bird and beast. 
 There is a fine marshy lake eight miles inland 
 from the town of Corfu, called the Val di Mopa,
 
 234 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 which, if preserved, would be the best snipe 
 shooting in these parts. You have to be up 
 before daylight, and get there at sunrise to be 
 level with the country sportsman, or else the 
 ' loch ' would have been harried before your 
 arrival. 
 
 " I went there three times, getting eighteen 
 couple of snipe on the first occasion, and on the 
 second securing a * rara avis,' in the shape of an 
 albino snipe. I have never heard of, or seen, one 
 before ; it is a beautiful specimen, quite white ; 
 but on carefully examining the feathers, delicately 
 shaded pencillings, equivalent to the painting on 
 the ordinary snipe, are to be traced. 
 
 " I visited a third time the Val di Mopa to 
 please a friend, Capt. P., who begged me to come 
 for another day's snipe shooting. The night 
 before there came on a driving storm of rain 
 and wind from the south-east, yet P. said the 
 day would clear up, and keenness predominated 
 over common sense. 
 
 " We found the valley in flood, and the burns 
 flowing into the lake coming down in torrents ; 
 yet we decided to walk up one side, and back 
 the other, getting a few wild shots on our way. 
 The western side of the lake is partially cultivated 
 and irrigated by broad ditches these, in their 
 swollen condition, we had to jump ; my beater*
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 235 
 
 Paolo, has a mortal terror of water, and to see 
 him ' funking at his jumps ' was most amusing, 
 especially as the whole Italian vocabulary must 
 have been searched for guttural exclamations, if 
 not oaths, as each watercourse came in view. 
 
 " The bag of cartridges he carried may have 
 handicapped him, but whatever was the cause, as 
 often as he jumped he fell short and soused into 
 the water. It was impossible not to laugh, and 
 the more we laughed the more angry he became ; 
 at last we got to the head of the lake within a 
 quarter of a mile of the place where our carriage 
 was awaiting us, to find to our surprise that here 
 the main river, feeding the lake, entered and 
 crossed our path. The water was rising every 
 minute, and we had to decide whether to risk 
 wading the river or walking all the way back, 
 fully four miles. 
 
 " P. got a stick and declared the bottom was 
 hard ; asked me to hold his hand and prepared to 
 plunge in. Poor Paolo ! when he saw our inten- 
 tion he broke down altogether, swore nothing 
 would induce him to enter the water, called on 
 every saint in or out of heaven, declared we 
 should be drowned, and started to go off back the 
 way we had come. 
 
 " I called to him and got my cartridge bag, 
 telling him to go where he liked.
 
 236 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 " P. and I successfully negotiated the torrent 
 holding on to one another, and walked quietly 
 home in the comfortable belief that we as repre- 
 sentative Englishmen were a great deal better 
 than the representative Italian in the shape of 
 Paolo. 
 
 "If we had not had this 'divertissement' to 
 entertain us we should have been horribly bored 
 and have abused everything, whereas a good 
 laugh at Paolo put us in good humour and spirits, 
 though we were soaked to the skin. 
 
 " All the best shooting in Southern Albania 
 can be reached from Corfu, to which place it is 
 necessary to return occasionally in the yacht for 
 supplies, and no pleasanter head-quarters can be 
 found. This island shows the difference that can 
 be worked on the earth's surface by the hand of 
 man with care and labour. The opposite coast of 
 Albania is similar in every respect, but there is 
 hardly any cultivation, the land being pastured by 
 flocks and herds. Corfu is one large grove of 
 olive-trees, planted by the Venetians centuries 
 ago ; they are said to be the finest and most 
 prolific of their species in Southern Europe. 
 Vineyards and orange-trees, with carefully tended 
 gardens, everywhere betoken good husbandry ; 
 and the quaint old town of Corfu, with its citadel 
 and ancient Venetian fortifications, the narrow
 
 CORFU AND ALBANIA. 237 
 
 streets and high houses of Italian architecture, the 
 fine campanile of the Church of St. Spiridion, the 
 patron saint of the Corfiotes, make up a most 
 picturesque group. 
 
 " The island of Vido, which forms the natural 
 harbour of Corfu, was strongly fortified by the 
 English when they occupied the place. It is well 
 worth a visit to see the great blocks of concrete 
 and stone lying huddled in masses after the forts 
 were undermined and blown up by the engineers 
 previous to the departure of our troops, and our 
 cession of the Ionian Islands to Greece. 
 
 "If you come yachting to Corfu and the 
 Adriatic coast, remember to bring a trammel net 
 with you ; set this in the evening wherever you 
 anchor for the night, and you will not be without 
 a good supply of fish. White and red mullets and 
 sardines abound in all the creeks of the Adriatic ; 
 at Santa Quaranta and higher up the coast we 
 got most excellent mackerel, rather larger in size 
 and browner in the colour than our English fish 
 of that sort, and even better in flavour. 
 
 " Differing from the Italian adage, ' See 
 Naples and die ! ' they say, ' If you once see 
 Corfu, you are sure to return.' Whether I visit 
 this locality again or not, 
 
 " I remain, 
 
 " Always yours, 
 
 " H."
 
 MONTENEGRO. I. 
 
 "THE HOTEL, CETTINJE, MONTENEGRO, 
 
 "February 15, 1884. 
 "MY DEAR MR. B., 
 
 " I write this from the hotel at the capital 
 of Montenegro, where we arrived yesterday ; I 
 shall probably finish it at a later date. 
 
 "We reached San Giovanni di Medua bn 
 Monday early by steamer from Corfu, and there 
 found a letter from Mr. Green, British Consul at 
 Scutari, saying he had sent horses for us, but having 
 heard a steam-launch was going round to Medua 
 and returning to Scutari, he advised us, if possible, 
 to come by it that way. Luckily we fell in with 
 the agent of the company owning the launch, 
 who had come by the same steamer as we did, 
 and he at once offered to take us ; so, feeling 
 this would tire A. less, although longer in time, 
 we sent our luggage by the horses and started 
 in the launch at 9.30 a.m., reached the mouth of 
 the Boyana River, and got safely past Dulcigno 
 and over the bar at twelve. The river is very
 
 1 
 
 CETTINJE, MONTENEGRO. 
 
 [p. 238
 
 MONTENEGRO. 239 
 
 rapid in places, and we did not get along very 
 fast ; but this did not matter, as the scenery on 
 both sides is lovely. The salt water had got into 
 the boiler of the launch (as it had no condenser), 
 so we made slow progress in consequence, and 
 only arrived at a point a mile below Scutari at 
 6 p.m. Here we had to get out and walk, as 
 the rapids between this place and Scutari bridge 
 could not be passed at night. Luckily again there 
 was a good moon, and we successfully travelled 
 the rough Albanian road, and through the old- 
 fashioned bazaar to the modern town of Scutari, 
 where Mr. Green met us, and took us to the 
 apartments at a very primitive sort of an hotel, 
 which he had ordered for us. The rooms were 
 clean, and bare of living beasts (but rats, so F. 
 said), and though the cooking was of the greasiest 
 description, we roughed it pretty well. We dined 
 one night with the Greens, his brother and 
 mother, Lady Green being of the party ; a very 
 pleasant one. He is a superior man, and I got 
 much information upon Eastern matters from him. 
 We spent two days in Scutari, devoting the 
 second day, Wednesday, to see the Great Bazaar, 
 when all the mountaineers came in a motley 
 crew of Highlanders and clansmen, Serbs, 
 Miridites, Greeks, Albanians, Turks, Montenegrins, 
 Dulcignotes, etc., their dresses very picturesque.
 
 2 4 o TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 " On Thursday morning, having arranged to 
 hire the steam-launch, we started at 9 a.m. north- 
 wards up the Lake of Scutari, thirty-seven miles 
 in length. It came on to blow a little half-way 
 up, and we put into a small bay for an hour, 
 when the water calmed, and we went on, reaching 
 Rieka, on the Montenegrin frontier, at 4 p.m. 
 Here horses and carriages had been ordered for 
 us, and we drove to Cettinje by a very well 
 engineered and made road only lately opened. 
 I am sorry we missed seeing the Prince of 
 Montenegro at Rieka. The road rises in five 
 miles by zigzags over 3,000 feet. The hotel we 
 are in (the only one in the place), over 2,800 
 feet above sea-level, is kept by the Prince for 
 travellers, and is comfortable. This place is very 
 like Ballater, without the heather and fir-trees, 
 but with twice as many stones. The formation 
 is limestone, which turns grayish-white with age, 
 and the rocks have the most weird aspect. The 
 little town is nearly new, and the inhabitants 
 simple, contented, and industrious. We might 
 be in Scotland, and the very hard frost last night, 
 with deep snow upon the hills, completed the 
 illusion. These Montenegrins are the best of all 
 the Sclavic tribes. A. has got some nice sketches. 
 We start to-morrow for Cattaro. 
 
 "February \*]th. I thought at last our luck
 
 MONTENEGRO. 241 
 
 had vanished, and we were fairly in a mess, when 
 yesterday morning I looked out of my window at 
 Cettinje at 7.30 a.m., and saw nothing but snow, 
 nearly a foot deep in the streets, a violent storm 
 raging, and evidently more to come. The chance 
 was that we were stuck at Cettinje for a week at 
 least. I dressed directly and sallied out in the 
 snow to consult the driver of the post carriage, 
 which we had ordered, on the subject of starting 
 or not. He was evidently disinclined to go over 
 the pass in such weather ; but eventually he said if 
 we took two light carriages, two horses in each 
 (three would only encumber each other in the 
 drifts), and started at once, we might get through. 
 The hotel keeper advised our going, as, after 
 crossing the top, the lower part of the road would 
 be free from snow. This decided me, and in a 
 blinding snowstorm we left Cettinje at a foot's 
 pace. About noon the snow ceased to fall, and 
 we were saved getting wet from above the rest of 
 the journey ; but the drifts got worse, and how the 
 little horses struggled through them astonished 
 us all. We reached the top of the pass, 5,800 feet 
 above sea-level, at 2 p.m., and glad I was to get 
 there, although we missed the view from the top, 
 which is said to be one of the finest in the world, 
 embracing the whole of Northern Albania and the 
 Lake of Scutari, the mountains being covered in
 
 242 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 mist. I think the drifts were worse on the north 
 side, but luckily our road was down-hill. We 
 reached N6gosh, the half-way house, at 4 p.m., 
 and there rested the horses for an hour, and 
 ate the contents of our lunch-basket, quadrupeds 
 and bipeds sorely in need of both victuals and rest. 
 I walked the last two miles up the pass and the four 
 miles down to Negosh in the snow, which was light 
 though deep. We left Negosh at 5 p.m., in another 
 mile got out of the snow, and had our first view of 
 the Bocche de Cattaro, the wonderful rent made by 
 the Adriatic in the mountains, grand in the light 
 of a lurid and angry sunset ! Our little horses 
 soon 'plucked up' and trotted down the seventeen 
 great zigzags, which commence where you might 
 almost throw a biscuit into Cattaro, and run the 
 road 3,500 feet down to the little town by the 
 sea-shore. We arrived there at 8 p.m., and found 
 every place in the town taken up (as there was a 
 great local function going on), although we had 
 telegraphed asking for beds, and had no reply ; 
 but when we had almost despaired and believed 
 we should have had to camp out in the public 
 square, a gentleman came up, and with a happy 
 thought suggested our calling at the Austrian 
 Lloyd's Office ; there, to our delight, we found the 
 steamer had arrived, and they allowed us to go on 
 board the ss. Stambul, which after getting some

 
 MONTENEGRO. 243 
 
 dinner we gladly did, and turned into a com- 
 fortable cabin, thinking that luck sometimes, 
 though not always, follows pluck ; on this occa- 
 sion at least our resolution had been rewarded. 
 As the steamer did not leave till Sunday at 
 midnight, we spent a pleasant day at Cattaro, 
 an old Venetian town which was strongly fortified 
 by those active Italians ; it is now the southern 
 frontier town belonging to Austria in these parts, 
 and the principal port on the Bocche for the 
 surrounding district. We shall go in this boat 
 along the coast of the Adriatic, touching at all the 
 ports to Trieste, where we are due to arrive on 
 Wednesday evening. A. is very busy sketching, 
 and finds plenty of work for her pencil in this 
 most romantically situated place. 
 
 "February i&t/i. It blew a hard 'Bora,' or 
 north wind, all night, and froze at Cattaro, which 
 place we left by steamer at 6 a.m., calling at all 
 the little ports round the Bocche. The sun came 
 out, and it has been a lovely bright day without a 
 cloud in the sky or a ripple on the sea. We 
 reached Gravosa at 1.30 p.m., where Mr. Stigand, 
 the English Consul, met us, and we drove with 
 him about a mile to the ancient city of Ragusa. 
 This was a republic until 1797, when it came 
 into the hands of the French ; for one thousand 
 years it had withstood the power of Venice, and 
 
 R 2
 
 244 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 the onslaught of the Turk. The little State was 
 clever enough to play one potentate against the 
 other, and enjoyed great power, much wealth, a 
 proud aristocracy, and what does not follow, it is 
 said, a good Government ! The Treaty of Vienna 
 gave it to Austria, and now all the old nobility are 
 dying out, their palaces falling into decay, and the 
 importance of Ragusa has gone. But the build- 
 ings with their fine Italian fa9ades are well worth 
 seeing, and we were charmed with the place. 
 Mr. Stigand gave us tea at his house, and we left 
 Gravosa by the boat at 4.30 p.m. By the way, 
 the boats named ' Argosies ' are derived from 
 Ragusa being a corruption of ' Ragusas ' the 
 appellation for their commercial fleet, which the 
 people of the district called their ships, and which 
 fleet was the most extensive in the eighth and ninth 
 centuries, carrying a neutral flag to show they 
 were only traders ! 
 
 "February \<^th. We arrived at Spalato at 
 5 a.m., I was up at 7 a.m., and walked on shore 
 to see Diocletian's famous palace. The building 
 covers nine and a half English acres. You know 
 his history how he rose from a common soldier to 
 be Emperor of Rome, and built an extraordinary 
 palace here, where he retired on his abdication 
 A.D. 303, and here spent the last ten years of his 
 life. Years afterwards, when the neighbouring
 
 MONTENEGRO. 245 
 
 towns were sacked by the Goths, Diocletian's 
 palace became a sort of refuge or fort to which 
 the beleaguered inhabitants retired, and the old 
 town of Spalato was built within the walls of the 
 palace entirely. I am glad to say much is being 
 done to restore as far as possible the Centre Hall, 
 and other parts : the Archaeological Society of 
 Vienna have undertaken the work, which is being 
 very well done. The most curious thing in the 
 place is the cathedral, which Diocletian built for 
 his own tomb ; it is full of Egyptian sphinxes, 
 Greek marble columns, and other treasures he 
 collected from all parts ; it was turned in the fifth 
 century into a church, so for fourteen centuries 
 Christians have worshipped over the bones and at 
 the shrine of the Emperor who boasted that he 
 had annihilated the followers of Christ ! We 
 left Spalato at 9.30 a.m., and reached Sebenico 
 at i p.m. a fine bright day, but frosty air. 
 A. and I walked to see the cathedral, which, 
 though a small building, is very perfect ; it was 
 designed by a Byzantine architect, but finished at 
 a much later period in the florid Gothic style. 
 There are some fine circular windows and fluted 
 capitals, and curved architraves, very like Rosslyn 
 Chapel. We left Sebenico at 2.30 p.m., and steamed 
 up the Dalmatian coast, through the islands which 
 are all shapes and sizes, and of no end. I counted
 
 246 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 twenty-two in sight at one time ; and the captain 
 of the ship told me there was a place where 
 thirty-five islands could be seen from the same 
 point. The water is quite deep around them 
 (probably they are of volcanic origin, and the 
 force of the current of the Adriatic shaves off 
 their sides), so that the ship can pass within a 
 stone's throw of the land, threading its way amongst 
 these islets. We reached Zara at 7 p.m. and 
 stopped there three hours, too dark to go on shore. 
 "February 2Qth. We arrived at Pola at 8.30 
 a.m., and went to see the old Roman amphitheatre. 
 It was built in about the last days of the Empire, 
 and for size is larger than the one at Nlmes ; 
 it is nearly perfect in its outer walls, and shows 
 the balustrade from which the awnings were 
 drawn across the centre. There is also a fine 
 Roman arched gateway built by Augustus 
 Octavius. We left Pola at 10.30 a.m., and I 
 finish this within sight of Trieste at 4 p.m., 
 having had the most beautiful weather and en- 
 joyable trip (especially the last three days) since 
 we left Corfu. The Austrian Lloyd's boats are 
 well managed, well catered, and comfortable, 
 while the officers are most obliging to travellers. 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 "H."
 
 MONTENEGRO. II. 
 
 "VENICE, March, 1884. 
 "MY DEAR D., 
 
 " English language cannot express the 
 ' Dolce far niente ' of reclining in a gondola 
 upon the canals of Venice (I ignore the dese- 
 crating products of a Radical age in the shape 
 of steam gondola-buses). Perhaps it is fittest 
 to apply to the enjoyment of our laziness the 
 epithet ' heavenly' (which Englishmen often use) ; 
 for it, as nearly as possible, expresses the feelings 
 of the human being who ' takes the air ' with- 
 out any muscular exertion of his own body after 
 some weeks of hard travel, and after ordinary and 
 extraordinary bothers, bumpings, and bad food. 
 Venice is the place for the wearied traveller to 
 recoup his energies. Nothing could have been 
 rougher than our experiences in Northern 
 Albania and Montenegro, but they were some- 
 what dramatic and most amusing.
 
 248 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 " Let me draw you a picture ! 
 
 " A small steam-launch, room for three people 
 forward, the boiler amidships, and a seat for four 
 persons aft. In this craft we seven souls started 
 from Scutari to go up the lake to Rieka ; the 
 captain a German, the engineer a Savoyard, 
 the helmsman a Turk, Austria, Ireland, Scotland, 
 and England represented by the remaining four. 
 All went well for half the way, when a ' lopping 
 sea' (I hope this is the right term to use on a 
 fresh-water lake) drove those forward aft, and 
 made the engineer growl out that the water 
 would swamp his boilers. So we went ' easy,' 
 and headed towards the shore ; having safely 
 made a small creek, we waited for the weather 
 to calm ; some Montenegrins came down to 
 interview us, when an altercation began between 
 the captain, the Turk, and the natives as to 
 the right way up the river at the top of the 
 lake to Rieka. 
 
 " A gentleman we had met before, who was 
 travelling in the country, happened to come to 
 the landing-place and acted as interpreter for me. 
 By his advice we engaged a Montenegrin to 
 accompany us and steer us through the shallows 
 and rocks up the river. We started again, the 
 Turk still steering, the Montenegrin at the bows 
 directing our course by signal to him. After
 
 MONTENEGRO. 249 
 
 scraping the bottom frequently, and stopping the 
 engine, going easy, then ahead, amid the audible 
 grumbles of the Savoyard, we stuck bang on the 
 top of a mud bank in the river. The captain, 
 who had been imbibing something more potent 
 than the contents of the lake, began at once to 
 abuse the Montenegrin ; but I had been watching 
 their proceedings, and had seen the latter hold his 
 hand out as a signal to the steersman to port his 
 helm before we grounded, and the Turk had 
 not answered. This decided me, and I practically 
 put them all under arrest ; ordered G. in his 
 own language to tell the captain to keep quiet 
 and to see he did so, assured the Montenegrin 
 he might resume his place at the bows, and that 
 I would go to the helm to see his directions 
 obeyed. 
 
 "What determined me upon this course was 
 the evident grievous discontent of the Savoyard, 
 and the utter funk the Turk was in (he had been 
 crouching telling his beads, when the water was 
 a little raised, and his pluck had not returned). 
 
 " Upon these assurances, and after much 
 shoving to clear the bank, we started again. I 
 stood over the Turk and made him steer exactly 
 as the Montenegrin directed, turning a deaf ear 
 to his repeated expressions of devotion to myself 
 and superior knowledge regarding the channel
 
 250 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 of the river. A. sat below talking to the Savoyard, 
 who was delighted with the turn of events, and 
 fired up his boiler till the old steam-launch rattled 
 along merrily, and we landed at Rieka, after 
 safely circumventing the numberless twists and 
 shoals in the river, without further mishap. 
 
 " Cettinje is a very interesting place, situated 
 in a basin among the hills, with its green capped 
 tower and huge bell, which is only rung on extra- 
 ordinary occasions to summon the Montenegrins 
 to defend their country. It is said that the bell 
 can be heard an almost fabulous distance, and 
 from what I have seen done by the human voice 
 in these countries, I can believe almost any asser- 
 tion regarding the travel of sound. There is a 
 current story that the news of the defeat of the 
 Russians at the Alma was known in a marvellously 
 short time, even on the shores of the Adriatic, 
 having been holloaed across from hill to hill of 
 the Balkan peninsula by the shepherds. 
 
 " Our two days at Cettinje were delightful, 
 with bright sun and frosty nights. While sitting 
 sketching on the top of the pass overlooking 
 the Lake of Scutari on the evening of the second 
 day, watching the grand sunset illuminating end- 
 less snow-covered and cragged peaks, a young 
 Highlander came up to us. I expressed our plea- 
 sure at the beautiful weather and scene ; he
 
 MONTENEGRO. 251 
 
 pointed to the sky, where feathery, rose-coloured, 
 flaky clouds were rising in the north-east,and shook 
 his head. I paid little attention at the time, but 
 remembered his forebodings the next day when 
 we had to leave the place in such a snowstorm ! 
 
 " This country suffers in the early spring 
 from these visitations, completely shutting it off 
 from all communication except on foot or horse- 
 back, and frequently the Princess of Montenegro 
 has had to be carried on the shoulders of the 
 hardy mountaineers, her subjects, when journeying 
 from the capital. 
 
 " Snow or no snow, we had to start or else wait 
 ten days for the next boat at Cattaro, during 
 which time the storm might have got worse ; 
 A. and F. had a weary time of it, as they could 
 not have walked without getting wet through, 
 holding on to the sides of a sort of four-wheeled 
 basket-carriage, tilted up first on one hand then 
 on the other, at a very acute angle, while the 
 horses struggled through the drifts over the pass. 
 
 " The influence the Prince has over his 
 people is much marked in their civility and 
 attention to strangers ; comparing the hillmen 
 with the tribes south of Scutari, under the rule 
 of the Turk, the difference between the well 
 and ill-governed is discernible at a glance. The 
 former are bright, cheerful, contented, and
 
 c 5 2 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 glad to see you, the latter surly and un- 
 demonstrative. 
 
 " The Miridites, Albanians, and other clans 
 under the rule of Turkey, are kept in subjection 
 by the power of the sword alone ; the feuds 
 and jealousies between the different tribes being 
 rather encouraged than otherwise. The blood 
 feuds in families are dreadful things ; a man may 
 grow up without knowing that it falls to him 
 to take the life of another, because a parent 
 or relative of his had fallen by that man's hand ; 
 the homicidal mission is given to him to perform 
 in a certain time, and when executed, he knows 
 from day to day he is the mark of some member 
 of the rival family destined to be his murderer ! 
 
 "You can see in most of the courtyard walls, 
 which surround the houses in Scutari, holes left 
 in the corners and by the entrance gate through 
 which a bullet can be fired, and many a rival 
 has been removed by a shot from his lurking 
 assassin through one of these peep-holes. 
 
 " A strong ruler would soon put a stop to 
 these lawless deeds, but the ' sick man ' is far 
 from being strong. Except in some few spots 
 Northern Albania and Montenegro are less fertile 
 countries than Southern Albania and Epirus ; 
 in physique the people are a splendid set, and 
 certainly they manage to develop good specimens
 
 MONTENEGRO. 253 
 
 of the human race upon the barren soil and scanty 
 products of their country. 
 
 " There is a considerable sect of Roman 
 Catholics in Northern Albania, and as they are 
 quiet and law-abiding, they have obtained con- 
 siderable power. A. and I called with Mrs. 
 G. upon one of their leading families in Scutari ; 
 they lived in a fine old house (within a court- 
 yard) built rather in the Dutch style, the rooms 
 commodiously fitted with sofas round the sides, 
 as usual in the East, and the open fire-hearths 
 decorated with overhanging canopies of Italian 
 work in plaster. The old lady, who was charmed 
 to see us, had two sons, one of whom had only 
 been married a few days, and the bride (according 
 to custom) profusely covered with silks and jewels, 
 waited on us all seated in the room, handing round 
 to us lemonade, sherbet, coffee, and other Eastern 
 concomitants to the evening meal which we 
 call 'tea/ 
 
 " The sons were fine, intelligent young fellows, 
 wearing European instead of the native dress, 
 though the ladies adhered to the costume of 
 the country ; they all seemed pleased at our 
 visiting them, and, indeed, even amongst the 
 roughest tribes in the Balkan peninsula, I have 
 experienced similar civility and hospitality whether 
 at a house, a tent, or a shepherd's wigwam.
 
 254 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 " There is very little sport to be got in 
 Northern Albania ; pheasants are to be found in 
 some places, but for woodcock and wild fowl 
 it is not so good as in the southern parts, or 
 in Epirus. 
 
 " Yours always, 
 
 "H."
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 
 
 WITHOUT pretending to lift the veil of mystery 
 which still enshrouds the meeting of the Emperors 
 at Skiernievice in September last, or to draw 
 the political horoscope of Eastern Europe, I 
 propose to record some ideas on the social and 
 political questions of the day gathered during 
 my travels in various parts of the East. I begin 
 with Austria, destined to become, what her name 
 implies, the Eastern Empire. No other country 
 amalgamates so many different nations with 
 separate rights and diets, parliamentary institu- 
 tions, customs and creeds. Notwithstanding the 
 many predictions that Austria must fall to pieces, 
 she is now stronger and more consolidated than 
 at any previous period of her history. The 
 German portion of the Empire appears to have 
 learnt, from the struggles with Prussia and Italy 
 and the Hungarian Insurrection of 1848 - 49, 
 the faculty of ruling judiciously. Under the
 
 256 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 guidance of an excellent monarch and able 
 ministers, she has during recent years advanced 
 rapidly. There is less tendency to bureaucracy 
 in the Austrian military and administrative 
 systems, and more attention is paid to the wishes 
 of the people and the development of the countries 
 of which the Empire is composed. Europe's 
 mandate to Austria in Bosnia and Herzegovina 
 has proved fairly successful ; and the incorporation 
 at no distant date of these two territories within 
 the Empire that now manages them may be 
 expected. Shod with iron as the heel of Austria 
 is, her hand has been gilded with bounty in 
 making roads and railways and improving com- 
 munication throughout her southern dominions 
 and along the Dalmatian coast. But she has, 
 in my humble opinion, spent needless sums in 
 fortifications and military defences. It is said 
 that the Hungarians are at heart opposed to 
 Austria, and that they have never forgiven Russia 
 for helping to crush them thirty-six years ago. 
 I could, however, find no evidence of this feeling. 
 Every one spoke well of the Emperor and his 
 family, were interested in their own elections and 
 Parliament, and were confident that the bitter 
 memories of those dark days were dying out. 
 
 Throughout the rest of the Empire, apart 
 from Hungary, the provinces are divided into
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 257 
 
 diets, seventeen in number, on which are repre- 
 sented all the churches, universities, landowners, 
 towns, trade-guilds, and rural communes. These 
 diets make laws relating to local administration, 
 county taxation, agriculture, education, the Church, 
 charitable institutions, and public works. The 
 central diet, the Reichsrath, contains in the Upper 
 House fifty-four hereditary nobles, some bishops, 
 and certain life members nominated by the 
 Emperor ; while the Lower House contains 350 
 members elected for a term of six years, through 
 the various provinces, by the direct vote of all 
 citizens who are of age and possessed of a small 
 property qualification. The great feature of this 
 parliamentary system is that the provincial diets 
 relieve the Upper and Lower Houses of all 
 provincial work, while the advantage of allowing 
 each district, different from the rest in many 
 ways, to administer local affairs must be great, 
 because it attracts and interests all classes con- 
 cerned. The benefits of local government 
 throughout Austria- Hungary generally become 
 at once apparent to the traveller. The finances 
 of the Empire are said to be a weak point ; 
 and the consolidated and floating debts are 
 enormous. But there is honesty in the Govern- 
 ment offices, and with the increasing prosperity 
 of the Empire, her position in this department
 
 258 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 should improve. The growth of her commerce 
 is impeded by protection. The army seemed 
 to be in first-rate condition, and well-equipped. 
 I heard no hostile expressions used against her 
 supposed rival in the East Russia ; but, at the 
 same time, it struck me that if a quarrel arose 
 Austria was fully prepared for the fight. 
 
 I saw nothing of Bohemia, but went down 
 
 the Danube to Belgrade, the capital of Servia, 
 
 with the Austrian guns frowning on it from 
 
 the opposite side of the river. That the Empire 
 
 wishes to annex Servia is a purely gratuitous 
 
 hypothesis. It would be far better for her that 
 
 Servia should become strong within herself and 
 
 remain independent. Austria would oppose 
 
 any Russian advance on Servia, and would 
 
 probably readily guarantee to abstain from 
 
 moving in that direction herself, especially if 
 
 she thereby secured Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
 
 Among the Slav races the Servians struck me 
 
 as the least energetic, and the most sly. There 
 
 was no " go " among them ; no definite ideas or 
 
 aims. Servia stands in great need of improved 
 
 communication in the shape of roads and railways. 
 
 These she cannot make without foreign assistance, 
 
 and the advantage she would realise by their 
 
 construction is inestimable. Her chief trade at 
 
 present is in pigs, of which immense droves
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 259 
 
 roam over a land surely fitted for a superior 
 stock and a better crop. Agricultural industry is 
 at a low ebb; the laziness engendered by continual 
 shepherding has a baneful effect upon the rural 
 populace. Many fine tracts of land, suitable for 
 the cultivation of the vine, of corn, and other pro- 
 ducts, remain neglected. These remarks apply to 
 all the countries on the northern slopes of the 
 Balkans. Of the Bulgarians I formed a high 
 opinion. Those who framed the constitution for 
 the principality of Bulgaria can have known little 
 of, or were strangely indifferent to, the condition 
 of the people themselves. It can only be attributed 
 to the good qualities of the Bulgar that matters in 
 the little country seem now to be settling down. 
 Unquestionably the arrangement for Eastern 
 Roumelia, as far as the government of the 
 country went, was the best. The agitation, now 
 on foot for amalgamating Eastern Roumelia with 
 Bulgaria, is inevitable, since the suzerainty of the 
 Sultan becomes every day more empty, and his 
 authority more feeble. The same ideas and 
 aspirations animate the people of the two dis- 
 tricts. The one governed by the Prince of 
 Battenberg was desired to run before it could 
 walk ; the other, which has been the more suc- 
 cessful, was guaranteed honest administration, 
 fair dealing, and full liberty to all sects and 
 
 s 2
 
 260 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 creeds. But the Bulgars are pertinacious and 
 painstaking, with decided views and ideas. Their 
 desire to unite the various parts of Europe which 
 their race inhabits into one kingdom will soon be 
 attained, and I believe eventually they may take 
 a leading position among the nations of Eastern 
 Europe. 
 
 Passing by the route which no traveller should 
 miss, down the Danube from Basiasch to Orsova, 
 where the mighty river cleaves its passage and 
 surges through the rocky Carpathians, one enters 
 the kingdom of Roumania, the earliest formed 
 among the independent principalities, and the 
 most advanced people among the Slav races. It 
 is said that many of the ancient Romans, after the 
 Dacian campaigns, settled in Moldavia and Walla- 
 chia, and it may be that the people inherit from their 
 Italian forefathers the vivacity and energy which 
 characterise them. The country has much to 
 thank King Charles for since his accession to the 
 throne in 1866. He has shown not only adminis- 
 trative ability, but talents of a high order as an 
 engineer. The towns of Bucharest, Ibraila, and 
 Galatz have been much improved. The trade at 
 the two last places has largely increased sinee the 
 works at the Sulina mouth, which have been con- 
 structed at enormous cost under Sir Charles 
 Hartley, have opened up and improved commu-
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 261 
 
 nication on the Danube. The army displayed 
 good fighting qualities in the late war with 
 Turkey, when it bore the brunt of the attacks on 
 Plevna, and largely contributed to the success of 
 its Russian allies. 
 
 From Roumania I passed on into Russia, the 
 huge dimensions of whose empire permitted me 
 only to visit Bessarabia, the provinces of Odessa, 
 Podolia, Kieff, Kharkoff, Little Russia, the 
 Crimea, Taganrog, and Rostoff, the Northern and 
 Southern Caucasus, Tiflis, Georgia, down to the 
 Asian frontier, and Batoum. In Russia proper, 
 agriculture (wheat and corn-growing and cattle- 
 grazing) is the main industry, badly developed 
 and much neglected, except in Podolia, and in 
 particular districts near Odessa, Nicolaief, Khar- 
 koff, Taganrog, and some few spots favoured by 
 the energy of enterprising proprietors. The 
 Russian peasant is a most feeble farmer, without 
 knowledge or enterprise. At the present price 
 of wheat, and the competition with India and 
 America, no country can be suffering more in 
 this department than Russia. Notwithstanding 
 their poverty, the Russian peasantry are a cheer- 
 ful race, while the abolition of serfdom has done 
 but little to diminish their obedience to their 
 rulers and their priests. Drunkenness prevails 
 unchecked and without even remonstrance.
 
 262 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Vodky (whisky) of the vilest sort is the staple 
 drink, and the shops where it is sold are mostly 
 in the hands of Jews, who take them at high rates 
 from the Government, and retail abominable stuff 
 to the peasantry. This fact, and the mortgaging 
 of the land to the Jews, were at the bottom of the 
 recent anti-Semitic riots and outrages. With the 
 lower orders some hundreds of years behind those 
 of other nations, Russia suffers from the want of a 
 strong middle class. There is a disinclination 
 among the upper orders to enter into trade, as 
 marked and as deplorable as the failure of the 
 Government to encourage commercial under- 
 takings. The upper classes in Russia would 
 compare favourably in point of education and 
 general knowledge with their social equals else- 
 where ; but they entirely lack business habits, and 
 have no idea of improving their country. 
 
 With the exception of Odessa and Tiflis, the 
 towns in Southern Russia are wretched, and the 
 annoyance the traveller experiences at every 
 town, village, or commune, he has to submit to 
 police supervision, production of passports, counter- 
 signing of Government orders, and all the rest of 
 precautionary measures which human ingenuity 
 can devise is extreme. Practically these pre- 
 cautions are useless, seeing that the Nihilist, if he 
 travels, takes very good care that his passport is
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 263 
 
 correct. As regards Nihilism itself, I cannot 
 think it is so widespread as foreigners seem to 
 believe. Some few richer malcontents living out 
 of their country, perhaps assisted by Socialists of 
 other nationalities, are behind those whom they 
 induce to imperil their lives by attempts at assas- 
 sination. The mass of the reformers in Russia 
 have nothing in common with these desperadoes, 
 and know that every act of violence only serves 
 to retard any forward movement. Yet, Nihilism 
 notwithstanding, reform in Russia cannot be in- 
 definitely delayed. Slow as may be the move- 
 ment, it is certain that the Empire will eventually 
 have to face great constitutional changes, and 
 meet existing difficulties by drastic measures. 
 Not the least pressing is the question of finance. 
 The annual deficit, said to amount to over five 
 millions sterling, grows instead of decreasing; the 
 paper rouble is more and more depreciated ; 
 taxation on the necessaries of life is intolerably 
 heavy ; and there is a want of expansion in the 
 finances and trade which argues a general 
 rottenness. 
 
 The army of Russia is so large, is scattered 
 over such an enormous area, and its parts differ 
 so widely, that it is impossible to adequately 
 describe it in the space at my command. The 
 picked corps of infantry are first-rate, and the
 
 264 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 cavalry generally are good. Some of the 
 Cossacks are perhaps the best light cavalry in the 
 world ; but in artillery, arms, and equipments, no 
 troops can be worse than the Russian. Some of 
 the infantry regiments are disgraceful, and the 
 majority have rifles of the oldest and clumsiest 
 pattern. I saw a regiment at Batoum practising 
 in squads at targets the size of a man at one 
 hundred yards' distance, and the average of the 
 hits was one out of thirty-seven shots! I was 
 much struck with the different calibre of the regi- 
 ments posted on the Galician, Austrian, and Asia 
 Minor frontiers ; in these districts the men were 
 evidently old soldiers, of far superior physique to 
 those in the interior, but still poorly armed and 
 accoutred. 
 
 The position of Mahomedan and native races 
 under Russian rule is very peculiar. The Tartars of 
 the Crimea are a shrewd set, apparently reconciled 
 to the Czar's rule. Their habits are thrifty, and 
 they are industrious in the cultivation of tobacco 
 and vines. The tribes in the Caucasus have not 
 yet settled down ; they are idle, lawless, and 
 submit only to superior force. Their own petty 
 jealousies, which their rulers know well how to 
 use against them, prevent anything like combined 
 action. The different tribes are over twenty 
 in number : the Ossetyans, the largest, 60,000
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 265 
 
 strong, are partly Christian, partly Mahomedan ; 
 but creed goes for little here. You are told in 
 the country never to let a stranger come nearer 
 than ten yards to you without drawing your 
 revolver, inquiring his business, and transacting 
 it with him at that distance. Yet Russia manages 
 to reign over these savages, as she will also reign 
 over the wild Turcomans. I am not sure that 
 her system of autocratic government is not the 
 best in dealing with barbarous races, and that 
 slight as is her civilising action, the first step 
 towards civilisation, viz. the maintenance of order, 
 which she enforces, is a great advantage, and one 
 which, were we not blinded by dread and jealousy, 
 we should rather support than disapprove of. 
 
 Russian possessions in Central Asia, so far 
 from being a source of profit, are burdens. A 
 generation will probably pass before she is strong 
 enough to threaten India. There is one tribe on 
 the shores of the Black Sea whose position must 
 excite universal sympathy. The Lazes, who held 
 Batoum and the surrounding district, were never 
 conquered. They defeated the Russians on all 
 occasions. Yet the Treaty of Berlin called upon 
 them to surrender their land to their enemies. 
 A hard-working race, they were devoted to their 
 country, in which they were practically freemen, 
 although acknowledging allegiance to the Sultan.
 
 266 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 They were allowed a certain time to leave the 
 country after its acquisition by Russia, and their 
 unanimous emigration showed how distasteful 
 to them was the new order of things. Batoum 
 was by far the most important gain Russia made 
 under the Treaty, as it is the only port on the 
 Black Sea, with the exception of Sevastopol, that 
 remains unfrozen throughout the winter, and was 
 of extreme value for the development of the 
 Caucasian and Caspian trade. If the aggressive 
 war party in Russia would be content with the 
 laurels they have won, and submit to the counsels 
 of the peace party, there would be a brighter 
 prospect for the country. Its mineral wealth 
 is patent, but the difficulties placed in the way 
 of developing the mines are insurmountable. 
 Whether the Czar grants a constitution or not, 
 the first step for the improvement of the country 
 should be the strengthening and enlarging of the 
 Supreme Council, and the delegation through it 
 of larger powers to the governors than they now 
 possess for carrying out works of reform in their 
 respective provinces. 
 
 Three other points must be mentioned in 
 connection with the people of Russia. Among 
 the lower orders, religious bigotry is the most 
 powerful agency ; and when any movement is led 
 by their priests, they follow blindly. The power
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 267 
 
 of the Church is enormous. Among the upper 
 classes there is a most unreasoning dislike of 
 Austria. Towards England the feeling is, if not 
 one of friendship, at least of tolerance. This is a 
 mystery, of which the solution apparently is that 
 Austria is looked upon as a rival, while England 
 is regarded as openly declaring her motives and 
 honourably carrying out her policy, whatever it 
 may be. 
 
 Of all the countries of the East, Turkey 
 presents the greatest perplexities to the Western 
 traveller, chiefly because Turkey in Asia differs 
 from Turkey in Europe, while each is subdivided 
 into the official and clerical portions. Of the 
 population with their several creeds, I can only 
 say that the Mahomedan people and lower orders 
 will compare favourably as regards their industry, 
 social relations, and general conduct with all the 
 surrounding nations. Their religion, and the 
 dread of being persecuted and prevented from 
 attending its services, are the ties which hold 
 them under submission to the Ottoman flag ; if 
 they could trust in the future bringing them 
 religious liberty, their recognition of the Sultan's 
 authority would be less devoted. 
 
 Between the Mahomedan lower orders and 
 the Christian races very little ill-feeling exists, 
 although the latter are not allowed to carry arms,
 
 268 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 and are treated by the Turkish proprietors and 
 officials with extreme harshness. As soldiers, 
 sailors, and husbandmen, few people are superior 
 to the Mahomedans of Turkey ; all they require 
 is a good leader ; they are patient and abstemious, 
 and not naturally cruel. As much may be said of 
 the Christian inhabitants of the same regions. It 
 is only when strife is stirred up and evil passions 
 aroused that their deceit and barbarity display 
 themselves. Having been under subjection so 
 long, their good qualities have had no chance of 
 development. They have been practically slaves, 
 but the current of events during the last twenty 
 years encourages them to hope that before long 
 they will be better governed. 
 
 There are few intelligent Mussulmans who do 
 not secretly or openly profess supreme disgust at 
 the Sultan and abhorrence of his system of 
 government. This is not surprising. The official 
 Turkish world is as bad as it can be. The honest 
 men are incapable administrators, and the men of 
 ability are mostly knaves. The state of the army 
 is disgraceful. No pay is given to the soldiers, 
 and the system pursued is to contract for the 
 commissariat of the troops at heavy rates, which are 
 enforced almost at the point of the bayonet. The 
 Turkish Government feed the soldiers well, but 
 do not meet their obligations to the contractor.
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 269 
 
 The latter fixes a rate which is exorbitant in the 
 hope of some day being paid, but, as it is ex- 
 ceedingly rare for these men to get their money, 
 the result is ruin to the majority of them. In the 
 administration of the provinces is a sadder story 
 still. Extortion is rampant. The pashas and 
 governors of the various districts are required to 
 send a specified sum to Constantinople, and they 
 get the money as best they may. Their method 
 of collecting the sheep-tax is typical. Each owner 
 of a flock is rated at so much a head, and the 
 rate is nearly the full value of a sheep. Therefore, 
 to secure the means of living, he keeps as many 
 more than he pays for as he possibly can ; a 
 system of cheating which the Turks cap by 
 perpetually raising the rate. 
 
 Nothing has been done, even though stipulated 
 for under the Treaty of Berlin, towards improving 
 the position of the Armenians in Asia Minor.* 
 
 * Since this paper was completed the Pall Mall Gazette 
 has published an account of Turkish atrocities in Macedonia, 
 and questions have been asked in Parliament on the subject. 
 I believe that many brutal acts on the part of the Turks and 
 their Bashi-Bazouks have been committed frequently, though 
 in certain particulars they may be exaggerated. England and 
 her co-signatories are of course under an imperative obligation 
 to the Treaty of Berlin to prevent such horrors and mis- 
 government. Because we agreed not to grant administrative 
 autonomy to Macedonia, our liability, both moral and legal, to
 
 2 7 o TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 The race would be content to remain within the 
 Turkish Empire if their liberties were guaranteed, 
 and fair dealing and taxation were recognised 
 principles. The result of the present condition of 
 things will be to drive them into the arms of 
 . Russia, who will make Armenian grievances a 
 pretext for advancing further southwards. Still 
 Turkey has stronger claims to be the supreme 
 power in Asia Minor than in Europe. Taking 
 the Empire as a whole, few countries can compare 
 with it in climate and productive qualities. Lovely 
 scenery meets the traveller everywhere, but his 
 safety is less assured within the dominion of 
 Turkey than in any of the countries included in 
 
 protect the inhabitants of that country from cruelty and ex- 
 tortion was not extinguished. I understood Lord Granville 
 in the House, in reply to the Duke of Argyll, to say, that 
 although our consuls declared Macedonia to be in a better 
 state, he could not give such a favourable report of Albania 
 and other parts of Turkey. In the district of Yemen in Arabia 
 a telegram says that the rebellion has increased, that the Porte 
 has abandoned the attempt to collect the taxes, and that its 
 authority in the province is merely nominal. Another telegram 
 says that in order to quell a military insurrection at Monastir 
 (one of the districts in which the Macedonian atrocities are 
 said to have often occurred), the Turkish authorities gave the 
 troops three months' arrears of pay, and for a time this has 
 checked the agitation. Can anything more beyond these facts 
 be needed to prove the disorganisation and scandal of the 
 present government of Turkey ?
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 271 
 
 this notice, with perhaps the exception of parts of 
 the Caucasus. The towns are all picturesquely 
 placed, but ill-kept. Constantinople, situated on 
 a spot, and amid surroundings, as beautiful as any 
 in the world, is the foulest den it has ever been 
 my lot to explore. The most turbulent and , 
 independent of the Sultan's subjects are those 
 of Northern Albania, divided among themselves 
 by blood feuds very similar to those which 
 existed in the Highlands of Scotland some cen- 
 turies ago people of martial type and feelings, 
 quite capable of achieving their freedom if agreed 
 on their " cause," and sooner or later likely to ally 
 themselves with Montenegro. 
 
 I went up the Boyana River, the new frontier 
 between Turkey and Montenegro, to Scutari, 
 thence across the lake northwards to Rieka, and 
 to Cettinje. It was a pleasure indeed to pass 
 from a desert of tyranny into this oasis of freedom. 
 Good roads, well-built houses, little patches of 
 land ingeniously reclaimed from the rocky hills, a 
 people absorbed in their pursuits all this spoke 
 of contentment, happiness, and good government. 
 Montenegro is a model of what can be done, 
 against every disadvantage in the way of soil, 
 situation, climate, and communication, to improve 
 a country. The little State had no seaboard or 
 independent means of conveyance for goods and
 
 272 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 merchandise before the late rectification of the 
 frontiers gave her the Boyana. The personal 
 interest of Russia in Montenegro is manifested 
 on every occasion. Last spring I happened to 
 travel with an envoy who had been sent specially 
 from Meshed, and under orders of the Czar, to 
 announce to the Prince the submission of the 
 Turcomans of Merv. The envoy had travelled 
 without intermission across country, via Con- 
 stantinople, and the information he gave me 
 anticipated by some days the announcement of 
 the news in the London press. He was received 
 by the Prince with much consideration at Rieka, 
 and proved to be a well-known Panslavist agent 
 and agitator, employed by the Albanian League 
 in 1878-79 in inducing the tribes to rise. Since 
 then he had visited Afghanistan, Merv (where he 
 saw O' Donovan), and the Turcomans' country. 
 Perceiving what manner of man my casual ac- 
 quaintance was, beyond rendering him the 
 slightest service of a lift on his road (which he 
 amply repaid by engaging a pilot for us at the 
 head of Scutari Lake), I associated no further 
 with him. Yet a paragraph appeared in a Vienna 
 newspaper, a few weeks later, announcing that my 
 wife and I, "when travelling through Albania 
 and Montenegro, had brought with us the 
 notorious , the agitator ! bearing a letter from
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 273 
 
 the Czar to the Prince, and now engaged in 
 stirring up the Albanians and Slavs." 
 
 My first visit to Greece was in the winter of 
 1 88 1 and spring of 1882, when the delimitation 
 of the new frontier from the Gulf of Arta to Volo 
 was going on, and the new elections took place. 
 The country had been madly excited by the 
 prospect of war. The King had made a tour 
 through Europe in the hope of obtaining the 
 sympathy and support of the Great Powers. 
 M. Coumondouros was Prime Minister, but public 
 feeling was against him, and there was great dis- 
 like to certain members of his Cabinet. The 
 result of the election placed M. Tricoupis in 
 power, and of all men that modern Greece has 
 produced, he is perhaps the ablest, the most 
 honest and far-seeing. It is largely due to his 
 efforts that brigandage is abolished, and that the 
 material prosperity of the kingdom as well as the 
 social condition of her people have signally im- 
 proved. Greece has had much to struggle 
 against ; the poorest end of the Continent, and 
 none of the richest provinces, were given to her ; 
 her freedom attracted to Athens and elsewhere 
 a host of adventurers and demireps from the 
 Levant ; and those who sought to govern her 
 were often fortune-hunters rather than statesmen 
 and patriots. The acquisition of the Ionian
 
 274 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Islands was a great help to her ; and as regards 
 these I would say, in passing, that although 
 Corfu has felt the loss of the British occupation, 
 I could find no evidence that the islands have 
 become less prosperous since Greece took them 
 over. The new territory given her under the 
 Treaty of Berlin will also be of great advantage 
 to the little kingdom. No one can fail to be 
 impressed with a feeling of gratification at the 
 signs of social advancement amongst the people. 
 There are faults too patent to be ignored. The 
 Greeks in their own land lack industrial activity, 
 and are too fond of politics. There is a great 
 future before Greece in the products of her vine- 
 yardssome of the best white wine I ever tasted 
 came from near Athens the soil generally is 
 admirably suited to the cultivation of grapes and 
 currants, and, following the successful lead of 
 Italy, she should largely develop this industry. 
 France is now importing quantities of red wine 
 from Corfu and other parts of Greece, finding that 
 it mixes well with her own vin ordinaire. The 
 improvements in the port of the Piraeus have been 
 succeeded by a railway enterprise the object of 
 which is to connect Athens with Thessaly. The 
 inhabitants of Epirus would certainly be glad to 
 join the kingdom of Greece. But the Greeks 
 must exercise patience, and by continuing to im-
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 275 
 
 prove what they have got strengthen their claim 
 to more. 
 
 Apart from the fact of Hellenic independence, 
 the statesmen of Germany, Austria, and Russia 
 perceive that the existing Turkish Empire is 
 doomed, that the movement of the races, be- 
 coming every day more powerful within and upon 
 her borders, must eventually upset the Ottoman 
 Government. The Triple Alliance is understood 
 only to provide that the third Power should 
 oppose any outside Power which might interfere, 
 in the event of the other two Powers included in 
 the alliance falling out between themselves. What 
 is certain is that the aim of Germany is to preserve 
 peace, and that if, notwithstanding her efforts, 
 war did ensue between Russia and Austria, she 
 would abstain from interference unless the con- 
 test spread. The completion of the railways 
 through Austria, Servia, and Turkey, to Salonica 
 and Constantinople, is of the greatest consequence 
 to German interests and traders, and forms a 
 central feature in the policy of Prince Bismarck. 
 What is the position of England in Eastern 
 Europe ? The English name stands higher 
 throughout the East than that of any other 
 nation. In Albania, Epirus, Bulgaria, on the 
 Danube, in the Crimea, in Lazistan, throughout 
 the Caucasus, and in Armenia, the people trust 
 
 T 2
 
 276 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 an Englishman's word, and the name of his 
 country is a power. Apart from sentiment, what 
 interest have we ? Our merchants hold the chief 
 share of trade through the Bosphorus, up the 
 Danube to Braila and Galatz, and with the Black 
 Sea and Sea of Azov ports. This trade would 
 be endangered if a hostile Power held Constanti- 
 nople and the Dardanelles, or if a strong fleet 
 loomed on our north-eastern flank and threatened 
 our Indian trade and communications. 
 
 Our first and paramount object must be to 
 reinforce and support our Indian Empire. In 
 view of this necessity it is difficult to understand 
 why Cyprus was annexed, unless for the purpose of 
 checkmating a possible design of Russia's towards 
 the Mediterranean at the Bay of Scanderoon. 
 There can at least be little doubt that an island in 
 the Archipelago, either Milo or Mitylene, would 
 be better adapted for the maintenance of British 
 interests. Those who rule the destinies of this 
 Empire should remember that, by stopping the 
 natural advance of Russia southwards on her 
 western side, they encourage her approach to- 
 wards our own East. I have heard the selfish 
 view argued and the opinion expressed that 
 British policy should foment the animosities 
 among the other Powers interested in these 
 questions. We certainly cannot ignore the fact
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 277 
 
 that the Turk is feeling the pressure of the 
 Mahdi. The rising of the Pretender is sufficient 
 to show the weakness of the Ottoman power. 
 If we recognise this growing debility it is a 
 hopeless task to endeavour to maintain that 
 power ; it would be wiser in my opinion, to 
 pursue a policy, which, while upholding our own 
 interests, would aid in placing the countries im- 
 mediately concerned in a better position socially, 
 commercially, and politically. 
 
 England's mission in the countries at which 
 I have now glanced is that of mediator. If 
 the crying demands of the oppressed nationalities 
 cannot be met, if the chaos in which their internal 
 administration is carried on cannot be turned 
 into order, if their civil and religious liberty 
 cannot be granted, and if some of the fairest 
 portions of God's earth now neglected cannot 
 be given the blessing of a settled Government 
 without resort to the cruel arbitrament of war, 
 statesmanship will be discredited, history ignored, 
 and Europe disgraced. The interests of France 
 and Italy tend in the same direction. Their 
 object is commerce, freedom, and civilisation. 
 Will war assist us ? Will a struggle between 
 Austria and Russia, or the decimation of the 
 Turks, or the conflict of creeds and tribes, 
 further this object ? These neutral Powers,
 
 278 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 if I may so designate them, although they fought 
 bitterly and bravely thirty years ago in support 
 of the Turkish power, cannot defend it in future. 
 They have no territorial interests of their own 
 to guard, they have no mixed races and creeds 
 within their borders whose views they must 
 consider. Their policy should be changed from 
 that of suppressing Russia and bolstering up 
 Turkey, to one which would further the interests 
 of humanity by giving a wise, just, and permanent 
 Government to the countries from the Adriatic 
 to the Bosphorus, and to Asia Minor. If a 
 suitable pension were provided for the Sultan 
 and his family, he might be induced to quit 
 Constantinople and select a residence somewhere 
 in the south. If Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia 
 were united, if Greece received Epirus and 
 Southern Albania, and Montenegro had Northern 
 Albania, there would still remain a large part 
 of Turkish Roumelia to be added to Asia Minor 
 under a new Government. The army should 
 be abolished, and a gendarmerie formed, com- 
 manded chiefly at first by foreign officers, for 
 the maintenance of order throughout the country. 
 Civil and religious liberty to all races and creeds, 
 whether Armenians, Mahomedans, Slavs, or 
 Greeks, should be guaranteed by the Powers. 
 Theoretically this is simple enough ; but
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 279 
 
 how and under what form of Government is 
 practical effect to be given to these reforms ? 
 Whether delegates or members should be elected 
 in each district to form a legislative body, and 
 a supreme council, to which official members 
 could be appointed by the guaranteeing Powers, 
 and a governor over all nominated by them, 
 in a somewhat similar position to our Viceroy 
 of India, or whether a patriot prince could be 
 found strong and able enough to rule as king, 
 are points difficult and doubtful. But whatever 
 that form of Government might be, the appoint- 
 ment of honest district judges and governors 
 is of the first importance. Whatever lines the 
 supreme power may be cast upon, the face of 
 the country and the condition of the people can 
 only be improved by better local and judicial 
 administration. Salonica, the Dardanelles, and 
 the Bosphorus, Trebizonde, Smyrna, and other 
 ports should be made free to all nations, and 
 railways through Bosnia, Herzegovina, Servia, 
 Bulgaria, and Roumelia, be connected with the 
 European ports. Unquestionably behind the dis- 
 agreement between the Porte and Baron Hirsch 
 about the Eastern railways there is pressure 
 from other parties which may assume serious 
 proportions. Austria is said by more than one 
 well-informed correspondent, to have insisted
 
 2 8o TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 upon Turkey fulfilling her obligations concerning 
 the Balkan railway, upon which the advisers of 
 the Sultan retaliated by contending that the 
 Baron, as an Austrian subject, had no right to 
 form a foreign company, and threatened to 
 sequestrate the railway and the junction works. 
 Baron Hirsch claims many millions of francs from 
 the Porte, and he protested against the seques- 
 tration of the railway, which protest the Austrian 
 Embassy received instructions to support. It 
 has been also rumoured that Osman Pasha, 
 Minister of War, had been ordered- to seize the 
 whole line, and that the manager had made 
 preparations for removing the books, papers, and 
 money belonging to the company. The latest 
 report is that the Sultan had personally interfered, 
 and ordered the Porte to desist from the contem- 
 plated seizure, to examine the railway question 
 once more, and to do nothing in the matter without 
 reporting beforehand to him. There is every 
 indication that great importance is attached to the 
 question, and that a determined policy has been 
 decided upon by Austria, with a view to settle 
 it. The important declarations made recently 
 by Count Kalnoky before the Foreign Affairs 
 Committees reveal the anxiety with which matters 
 are regarded by him. He dwelt upon the ad- 
 vantages of consolidating the friendly relations
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 281 
 
 of the Austrian Empire with Russia, and of the 
 unanimous desire of the three Emperors and their 
 Governments to maintain peace. The "alliance" 
 with Germany was established on the firmest 
 basis, and the " good relations " with Russia had 
 been "strengthened by a general understanding." 
 He said that one object in view was the con- 
 sideration of the Balkan States in the interest 
 of Austria and the States themselves ; nor did 
 he speak with uncertain sound when he described 
 the conduct of the Porte about the railways as 
 unjustifiable, and when he declared the state of 
 affairs in Albania as unsatisfactory. This is strong 
 language, which might even be taken to hint 
 at an agreement between the three Empires for 
 the partition of Turkey ; but undoubtedly it 
 means a resolution not to permit a much longer 
 continuance of matters in their present condition. 
 Would it not be the best to settle them by taking 
 up at once the main question, the future of the 
 Ottoman Empire, and by agreement among the 
 Powers to decide this ? 
 
 The local administration of the southern 
 Austrian provinces proves that, under proper 
 guidance, the people can be orderly, contented, 
 and prosperous, although professing opposite 
 creeds. The leaders of Europe are men of 
 advanced years, deeply absorbed in pressing
 
 282 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 questions elsewhere. The majority of English- 
 men know little and care less about the political 
 storms agitating the East, but there are signs of 
 a wider knowledge being demanded of our leaders. 
 Lord Salisbury was not happy, as one of the 
 negotiators of the Berlin Treaty, in saying re- 
 cently at Glasgow that " the Montenegrins are 
 a people whose fate matters as much to us as that 
 of the people of Mongul Tartary." The Prime 
 Minister was taken to task some years ago for 
 hinting that any further advance on the part of 
 the Empire in the East might elicit the cry of 
 " Hands off, Austria ! " But far more dangerous 
 and uncalled-for were Lord Salisbury's cynical 
 references the other day to "the virtuous Govern- 
 ment of Russia ; " to " their correspondence 
 marked by the highest moral character ; " and the 
 eventuality when " circumstances will be too 
 strong for them." There is nothing noble in this 
 language, and there is an absence of knowledge 
 in the similes and of the subject. But another 
 consideration should be present in our minds ; we 
 ought not to be blind to the watchful attitude of 
 the Mahomedans when we remember the connec- 
 tion we have with them in Egypt and India. 
 They are almost desperate ; eager to turn in any 
 direction to follow any leader or Mahdi, on the 
 chance of improving their position. Occasional
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 283 
 
 defeats do not crush them, and are only temporary 
 checks. The evil at the foundation can only be 
 obliterated by improving their government, a step 
 which no one can deny would favourably affect 
 the position of England elsewhere.* 
 
 Two years nearly have passed, and many 
 storms have ruffled the political surface of Eastern 
 Europe. The Emperors have met and exchanged 
 vows of eternal friendship, and their chancellors 
 busy themselves to make everything smoother all 
 round for their masters and themselves. Eastern 
 Roumelia revolted, and diplomacy proceeded to 
 patch the Treaty of Berlin in order to join it with 
 Bulgaria ; whereupon Servia went to war and 
 Greece armed ; the former State failed and proved 
 the fighting powers of the Bulgars, raising to a 
 considerable reputation the military genius of 
 Prince Alexander, the hero of Slivnitza ; the 
 latter kingdom spent a lot of money under the 
 guidance of a mad Prime Minister, Delyannis, 
 and eventually was brought to her senses and her 
 ports blockaded by the Great Powers. The Czar 
 has declared he no longer recognises Batoum as 
 a free port, and Lord Rosebery on behalf of 
 
 * Reprinted from the Fortnightly Review, Dec., 1884.
 
 284 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 England has protested, receiving a reply that the 
 Treaty of Berlin had already been broken ; then, 
 when every one was flattering himself that as things 
 were going so well and serenely there must be 
 some excellent steersman at the helm, Prince 
 Alexander is forcibly kidnapped and extradited 
 from Bulgaria, returns amid the ovations of the 
 people, telegraphs submissively to the Czar, gets 
 a snub in reply, and thereupon abdicates. The 
 Emperors understand each other extremely well, 
 and Russia has gained her point. The Conti- 
 nental Press hailed Lord Salisbury's accession as 
 Foreign Minister in 1885, praised Lord Rosebery 
 in 1886 for following on the lines he had laid 
 down, declaring that at last a change of ministry 
 in England had not broken the continuity of our 
 foreign policy. The same Press, when in last July 
 the Bulgarian crisis disturbed the peaceful aspect 
 of affairs though the Tories were in office, with 
 Lord Iddesleigh as Foreign Minister following 
 a similar policy to his predecessors went into 
 ecstasies of joy at the discomfiture of England, 
 and of the interests we had defended ! Happy Mr. 
 Gladstone ! If the late Prime Minister had been 
 in office what wrath would not have descended 
 on his head and shoulders through the thunder- 
 bolts of nine-tenths of the London Press in 
 condemnation of himself personally, and of his
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 285 
 
 policy ! It is all right in the eyes of those who 
 write on foreign politics in the English Press, 
 as long as Lord Salisbury and not Mr. Gladstone 
 is in power, to keep us on good terms with Berlin. 
 No praise was great enough for the admirable 
 way we were getting on ; at last we had a foreign 
 policy worthy of the name ; our relations were 
 so cordial ! Alas ! at a moment's notice we are 
 hopelessly "chucked." Beyond some mild pro- 
 tests that if Berlin and Vienna are indifferent, 
 Bulgaria does not concern England, the critics in 
 the Press are dumb dogs all ! We may do the 
 dirty work of Europe in leading the blockade of 
 Greece, but the Triple Alliance will cut and carve 
 the Balkan peninsula, without considering us, or 
 the Treaty of Berlin. This may be very dis- 
 tressing to our pride, but we should be content, 
 for it all means peace ; each Emperor gets what 
 he wants, and there is peace ! 
 
 Does this blessing vouchsafed to Europe, rest 
 upon a sure foundation ? Or is it likely for long to 
 continue ? 
 
 Authorities on the Continent shake their heads 
 doubting the peaceful result of the Triple Alliance. 
 Where will the present policy of " laissez faire " 
 end ? Is the Balkan peninsula divided by ar- 
 rangement between Austria and Russia ? 
 
 The crowned heads and diplomatists met at
 
 286 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Gastein with gloomy forebodings ; they separated 
 with cheerfulness. Not a Pomeranian grenadier 
 was to be sacrificed, only " the Battenberger " 
 must go to appease the Czar ; and the mot cTordre 
 went forth to the semi-official Press to pitch into 
 England and English policy. 
 
 The following letter was written on the day after 
 the news reached London of Prince Alexander's 
 deposition. 
 
 To the Editor of " The Times." 
 SIR, 
 
 Returning from the Continent, where every one was 
 talking of the critical situation of affairs, and the certainty 
 almost that Russia was intent upon a " raid " on Bulgaria, I 
 was relieved to find no reference in the Queen's Speech last 
 Thursday to foreign affairs, and to hear the Prime Minister 
 say that he " did not think there was any cause for perplexity 
 in the East of Europe." 
 
 The expected blow has fallen. Prince Alexander is de- 
 posed, and the Bulgars are praying for Russian protection. 
 
 The Berlin Post hastens to argue upon these events as a 
 blow to England, because the Prince " had made himself the 
 representative of English interests," and then significantly 
 adds, " in the hope that the Eastern question might be solved 
 by an Austro-Russian conflict, without sacrifice of English 
 blood and money." 
 
 The old game again ! England is to be hailed as the 
 greatest of nations if she will but decide to spend blood and 
 money in thwarting, and if necessary, fighting Russia. 
 
 But, sir, whatever opinions may be held regarding the 
 interest of England in the Eastern question, there is one 
 lesson to be learnt from the present crisis. Diplomatic deal- 
 ing with Turkey in its present condition is impossible ; we 
 cannot be sure that the policy adopted by the Sultan on one
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 287 
 
 day will be maintained and continued by him and his Ministers 
 during the next twenty-four hours. While Sir William White 
 was at Constantinople the policy of the Western States so 
 influenced the Sultan as to induce him to favour their advice 
 regarding the junction of Eastern Roumelia with Bulgaria ; but 
 since the change of our ambassadors at the Porte, M. de 
 Nelidoff's power became ascendant, and gradually the policy 
 which Germany, Austria, Italy, and England recommended to 
 Turkey has been undermined and overruled. Meanwhile, 
 Russian agents and roubles have been hard at work in 
 Bulgaria. The coup d'etat succeeds. Turkey is humbugged 
 and outwitted; the Bulgars and Roumeliots are assured "that 
 the great Czar will not leave their country without his powerful 
 protection ; " instead of securing Bulgaria as an independent 
 State under the suzerainty of the Porte as a buffer against 
 Russia (which was, I take it, the object of Lord Beaconsfield,. 
 Mr. Gladstone, and most European statesmen), that country 
 becomes practically a Russian province. 
 
 Is (in Lord Salisbury's words) "the integrity of the 
 Turkish Empire as defined by treaties of great importance to 
 the interests of this country ? " If so, it behoves us to know 
 how that Empire stands. 
 
 Unusual forces of Russian troops are being concentrated 
 at three points in Southern Poland (where manoeuvres on a 
 large scale, to which no foreign officers are to be invited, take 
 place next month), in Bessarabia, and in Asia Minor, opposite 
 Erzeroum, where separate corps d'armee are being formed. 
 
 Are we to read of a march across the Danube, with a large 
 force prepared to oppose Austria if she interferes, or of a dash 
 into Armenia ? 
 
 Without being an alarmist, it is desirable to know where 
 the integrity of the Turkish Empire begins and ends as regards 
 the interests of England. 
 
 I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 HUNTLY. 
 Reform Club, Pall Mall, S.W., August 23.
 
 288 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 The Power that has pursued a distinct aim 
 and a definite policy, never turning to the right 
 or left, undismayed by defeat in the field of battle 
 or diplomacy, is successful. Whatever we -may 
 say, Russia intends to be predominant in Bulgaria. 
 England, they say, will only "sit on the rail, and 
 protest." Rumour has it that Sir William White 
 has been appointed British Ambassador at Con- 
 stantinople, and assuredly no better representative 
 of this country could be found. 
 
 The Queen's Speech at the prorogation of 
 Parliament says : " In answer to a communication 
 addressed by the Porte to the Signatory Powers, 
 parties to that Treaty (Berlin), I have stated 
 that so far as this country is concerned, there will 
 be no infraction of the conditions guaranteed by 
 treaties to Bulgaria. Assurances to the same 
 effect have been given by other Powers." By 
 other, but presumably not by all the other 
 Powers ! 
 
 We shall not break the treaties ; but we 
 cannot say that they are not already torn to 
 shreds ! General Kaulbars has his instructions : 
 if the Bulgars object, or disobey, will Turkey, 
 supported by us, rise in opposition to the will of 
 Russia ? Lord Salisbury's words are important 
 and significant. 
 
 If they mean anything, they mean that our
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 289 
 
 interests are endangered, if and when these 
 treaties are broken. General Kaulbars has 
 demanded that the state of siege in Bulgaria 
 should be raised, the parties implicated in the 
 coup d'ttat released, and the elections to the great 
 Sobranje postponed. Russian agents everywhere 
 in the Press are denouncing the Bulgarian 
 Regents as having been illegally nominated, as 
 being Nihilists of old, but chiefly because they 
 are opposed to the wishes of the Czar. What 
 a proof of the power and influence of Russia 
 is this mission of Kaulbars, especially after the 
 loudly - expressed devotion of the Bulgarian 
 army, and the majority of the nation to Prince 
 Alexander ! 
 
 Bulgaria is under the suzerainty of the Sultan, 
 guaranteed by the signatories to the Treaty of 
 Berlin. Is not the open expression of the Czar's 
 " desire " and of Russian authority over Bulgaria, 
 an infringement of the Berlin Treaty, and a blow 
 at the integrity of the Turkish Empire ? Have 
 the important (?) British interests concerned in 
 this integrity been involved or affected ? Let 
 us face the position and acknowledge our defeat 
 through the want of support of our supposed 
 allies and sympathisers ; but let us be determined 
 not to be humbugged in future. 
 
 If there is any foundation for the rumour
 
 290 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 that when Russia gets possession of Bulgaria 
 and Constantinople, Austria is to be gratified 
 by the permanent annexation of Bosnia and 
 Herzegovina, with a further extension of territory 
 southwards and the port of Salonica, we should 
 not allow ourselves to be taken unawares. What- 
 ever division of the Balkan peninsula might be 
 determined upon by the two Empires, backed 
 by the third, it is out of the question to imagine 
 that England would fight to prevent their 
 schemes. The eventuality that such a division 
 may take place, must be present to the minds 
 of our statesmen and diplomatists. Austria is too 
 honest to propose such a course ; but she may 
 be driven as an alternative to accept it with 
 a fair share of the spoil, in order to maintain 
 her position alongside her powerful neighbour. 
 The Russian intrigues in Servia have weakened 
 Austrian influence in that country ; King Milan's 
 throne is reported in a tottering condition ; the 
 Queen and the Prime Minister favour a pro- 
 Russian policy which is fostered by Panslavic 
 agitation. The idea of forming an alliance 
 between the Balkan States, with or without 
 Greece, and backed by Turkey, is propounded 
 in several quarters ; Balkanic unity is the latest 
 product of diplomatic schemes : too late ! The 
 patchwork involved in the formation of such
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 291 
 
 union, would be rent before the iron will and 
 determination of Russia, and the purpose of 
 such a Power pursuing its aim by every scheme 
 and shift imaginable ! The will and the power 
 always gain in the end ; a policy which you will 
 not fight in support of, is not worthy of the 
 name. Let us make up our minds, before it is 
 too late, on a definite and distinct policy. 
 
 Madame Novikoff, with the keen advocacy 
 of a partisan, can see nothing alarming in the 
 advance of Russia. She says : " Russia has often 
 been at war with the Turks ; but if you look on 
 the map, you will see how little territory we 
 have taken from them this century. Both 
 Austria and England, the friends of the Porte, 
 have taken more of its possessions than we, its 
 hereditary foes." To admit this argument, one 
 must indeed be blind. The Crimea, Sukkum 
 Kal6 with Circassia, Batoum and Lazistan, 
 with Bessarabia, are no small additions to an 
 Empire round the Black Sea coast, without 
 including other annexations in Asia Minor. We 
 must not approach this subject, feeling a senti- 
 mental liability regarding a past policy, and the 
 sacrifices we have made to maintain it ; nor 
 should we be imbued with predilections in favour 
 of Slavs, Turks, or Greeks. Acting as mediator, 
 England can do much ; but a combatant position 
 
 u 2
 
 292 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 few believe this country is prepared to assume 
 among them. 
 
 Of the three races named above, the Slavs 
 are most difficult to deal with ; across the penin- 
 sula from Montenegro on one side to Roumelia 
 on the other, a ceaseless intrigue is pertinaciously 
 carried on by agents among them promoting the 
 national idea of Panslavism ; it cannot come yet, 
 it may come ; meanwhile a restlessness is pro- 
 duced by agitation, both open and secret, which is 
 subversive of, and fatal to, the good and peace- 
 able government of the countries concerned. 
 
 The Turks as a potent force in Europe are 
 gradually becoming weaker, their spirits are broken ; 
 they know intuitively that if the Central Euro- 
 pean Powers advance on the Balkans, England 
 will not spend blood and treasure in fighting for 
 them. They may have one despairing struggle, 
 but they recognise defeat beforehand. The 
 Mahomedans elsewhere in Arabia, Egypt, and 
 other parts of Africa, care little for the Turk or 
 the Sultan's authority. In India it is doubtful if 
 the majority of our subjects holding that creed 
 take any interest in, or notice of, events at Stam- 
 boul ; it would be the same thing to them if the 
 Sultan resided at Braussa, or Mecca. But the 
 situation is different in Asia Minor : English 
 interests are certainly more complicated in
 
 EASTERN NOTES, 293 
 
 Anatolia than in Roumelia ; the Euphrates valley 
 and the shores of the Mediterranean in the hands 
 of a hostile Power are contingencies relating to 
 our Indian Empire which must be considered and 
 faced by our statesmen ; he would be a bold man 
 who would say that England should calmly look 
 on at the establishment of Russian authority over 
 Asia Minor, the finest recruiting ground any 
 Power could have in the East. 
 
 I admit that the wholesale condemnation 
 I expressed of " the Turkish official world," two 
 years ago, was overdrawn, and I admit that the 
 present Sultan has honestly endeavoured to im- 
 prove the administration of the Empire. His 
 Imperial Majesty is, however, too timid ; he 
 expresses the greatest disinclination to fight, 
 and the Turk is useless as an ally except for 
 warlike purposes. He is desirous of following 
 our policy as long as he thinks we can back 
 him up. Experience has taught him that we 
 go the length of advice only ; in despair he 
 acknowledges the inexorable " kismet," and 
 shuffles along, waiting for the crash, sending 
 circular letters and protests from the Porte to 
 the Powers of Europe. I admit also that the 
 retirement and pensioning of the Sultan cannot 
 in the existing state of politics and affairs in 
 the East be brought about ; if his Imperial priest-
 
 294 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 hood could be recognised and his suzerainty 
 retained, with an elective power from the people 
 supporting a Governor at Constantinople, the 
 "buffer policy" might have some chance; it 
 has none now. England's energies and diplomacy 
 are wasted in supporting or creating buffers with- 
 out backers ! 
 
 Several clever articles have appeared from 
 time to time in a weekly London periodical, 
 showing conclusively that the argument against 
 the Turk retaining Constantinople is the strongest 
 in his favour, because being weak he is the 
 fittest to be the custodian of so important a 
 position. There is much to be said for this 
 Palmerstonian theory, and except the danger it 
 may lead us into, probably no better hand-to- 
 mouth policy can be found. Could we not make 
 up our minds clearly as to what are British 
 interests, and where they would be seriously 
 affected ? 
 
 If " the integrity of Turkey as defined by 
 treaties is of the greatest importance to the 
 interests of England," we should recognise our 
 liabilities so as to be ready to meet them. There 
 is nothing to show that the non-intervention 
 platform, which is supposed to be engrained in 
 the Radical creed, would be carried by the 
 Democratic classes in the United Kingdom to
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 295 
 
 the extent of not protecting real British interests 
 if endangered. Rather the reverse ; for the 
 anxiety shown as to the condition of our navy, 
 and the desire expressed that England should 
 maintain a preponderating position at sea, come 
 as much from one political section as from all 
 parties in the State. 
 
 The largest share of the maritime commerce 
 through the Dardanelles is at present carried on 
 under the English flag. Presuming that this 
 trade is of importance to us, we first should 
 take care that we had a powerful and sufficient 
 fleet to protect it ; and secondly, that whatever 
 arrangements were entered into by the great 
 Powers, the neutrality of the Dardanelles and 
 the Bosphorus should be assured. If we made 
 up our minds to this, it would be odd indeed 
 if we could not insist upon and maintain our 
 point. 
 
 England had better retire from the European 
 concert, absolve herself from all liabilities, and 
 carry out the true spirit of non-intervention by 
 minding her own business, but always with the 
 proviso and upon the understanding that if that 
 business is attacked we should defend ourselves. 
 Nothing can be more deleterious to the nation, 
 individually and collectively, than being mixed 
 up in treaties and declarations which we support
 
 296 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 by despatches, but which are broken by our 
 allies and tacitly by ourselves ; and then we bark 
 without biting. 
 
 I cannot see the practical value of such a 
 despatch as Lord Rosebery's about Batoum ; 
 perhaps this may arise from my conviction from 
 personal examination that a free port could not 
 remain free which only benefited a parcel of 
 houses or a few acres of land, where the duties 
 levied at the cordon round this strip, and on 
 leaving the port, were so heavy and irksome as 
 to be, though quite legal, equally impossible^ 
 Still, the action of the Czar towards the other 
 Powers in declaring the agreement void was de- 
 serving of censure. It wanted manners, that 
 great fault in education which the extra penny is 
 supposed to provide, but seldom does. The only 
 excuse to be made for the Czar is that there are 
 three ways of doing things a right way, a wrong 
 way, and a Russian way ! 
 
 What a " coup " England might have made, 
 presuming that our Foreign Office had been 
 properly posted and advised, as it should have 
 been, if our Government had sounded Russia 
 suggesting an arrangement for obviating the diffi- 
 culties of the free port. We are always the day 
 behind the fair. 
 
 Another Russian way of dealing in Eastern
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 297 
 
 matters, which, unfortunately, must be mentioned, 
 is the common belief that bribery of Turkish 
 officials frequently occurs when all other expe- 
 dients fail in attaining the end in view. It was 
 the current talk at Gastein, Vienna, and Berlin, 
 that the delay in settling the Eastern Roumelian 
 question was caused by roubles acting powerfully 
 on the cupidity and actions of the representatives 
 of the Porte. Here is what one of the best 
 informed correspondents telegraphed from Vienna 
 to London : 
 
 Since the news of the Bulgarian Revolution reached 
 Constantinople, M. Nelidoff and Said Pasha have been in 
 frequent conference. Gadban Effendi, whose constant reports 
 to Constantinople were to the effect, " All is well in Bulgaria 
 and Roumelia," is suspected of having been won over by 
 Russia. Madjid Pasha, and also Effendi, whose arrival in 
 Roumelia gave the signal to the revolutionary movement, are 
 only accused of blindness to the situation. 
 
 What a very odd conjunction of circumstances! 
 If gossip is a lying jade, Russians and Turks are 
 much maligned. 
 
 The Greeks (of the three races named above) 
 appear for the moment to be out of the running. 
 They acted impulsively last spring, forgetting that 
 discretion is the better part of valour. Their 
 humiliation has been galling to them in many 
 ways. The sympathy of most people, and the
 
 298 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 friendly feelings of all the Powers are with them ; 
 yet sympathy is of little practical value without 
 active aid in some shape. To prevent her run- 
 ning her head against a brick wall, Europe had 
 to put a strait-waistcoat on poor Greece. Let 
 us hope her national claims and aspirations will 
 not be forgotten when the scramble in the East 
 takes place. My advice, or rather suggestion, to 
 Greece would be to offer to lease Epirus and part 
 of Macedonia from the Porte, guaranteeing the 
 fixed income to be paid by each district, and 
 acknowledging the suzerainty of the Sultan. Is this 
 an impossible solution for diplomacy to achieve ? 
 
 The jottings in these papers and letters, dis- 
 jointed and cursory as they are, do not pretend to 
 be more than the reflections of an interested 
 traveller who has no pretensions to speak with 
 authority. 
 
 There is a strange controlling Power in 
 European politics which overawes the policy 
 many would adopt, and influences others. 
 
 The Emperor of Germany and Prince Bis- 
 marck live in dread of another conflict with 
 France ; not that they doubt the power of the 
 Empire to hold its own, but from their experience 
 of the disasters of war. They hope to avoid for 
 themselves, and to prevent their neighbours from 
 adopting, the arbitrament of the sword. Dreading 
 the turbulence of France, and the prospect of the
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 299 
 
 Republic's alliance with Russia, any move which 
 pleases either is played. 
 
 Great Britain was let into the hole over Egypt, 
 and our " sore " with France there is industriously 
 worked against us. 
 
 We thought we were following a joint policy 
 in Bulgaria with Austria, the firm ally of 
 Germany; but the game is thrown up at the order 
 of Russia, and England is laughed at. 
 
 It is most amusing to read the controversies 
 carried on in the semi-official Press in Germany, 
 Austro- Hungary, and Russia, conveying warnings 
 to one or other of the Imperial allies amid sar- 
 castic remarks regarding Great Britain. The 
 personal opinions of certain statesmen too fre- 
 quently predominate in these articles which, to be 
 of value, should come from independent sources : 
 to show, however, that all is not so serene as 
 could be wished at Berlin, it is worth quoting from 
 the Vienna New Free Press of a few days ago, as 
 follows : 
 
 If Germany's attitude in the Eastern question be explained 
 by a reference to the possibility of a Russo-French alliance, 
 then the argument is lame. If such danger exist, then it was 
 a mistake to take Russia into the Austro-German alliance. 
 The fact that Russia's power is increasing ever more and more 
 in the East does not make the danger less, but greater; and 
 the relation between Germany and Austria-Hungary is in 
 danger of suffering by it. If the Berlin Cabinet dread a 
 Russo-French alliance it must render the relation with Austria-
 
 300 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Hungary more intimate, and must attract Italy and England 
 to itself. The apprehension that Italy and England are not to 
 be taken into account in arranging a great alliance does not 
 serve to eliminate them from the list of the Great Powers. 
 Prince Bismarck's diplomatic skill may patch the rent in the 
 entente of the Imperial Powers ; but the day is not far distant 
 on which Berlin will have to choose between Austria-Hungary 
 and Russia. 
 
 Nous verrons ! 
 
 I now pass on to the declaration announced by me in 
 1868, when I first had an opportunity of speaking on the 
 question. I pronounced my own private opinion that, should 
 changes have to be made in the East, our interests would 
 require that the nations living there should develop themselves 
 into independent States corresponding to their individualities. 
 In agreement with our Foreign Office, I am of opinion that 
 to-day also such a policy responds best to the interests of 
 the Monarchy, and that the latter, rejecting all desires of 
 aggrandisement or conquest, must concentrate its whole 
 endeavours and all its influence with a view to promote 
 the independent development of those States, and to prevent 
 the establishment of a protectorate not provided by treaties or 
 the permanent influence of any single foreign Power there. 
 
 The Government, moreover, abides by its repeatedly 
 expressed opinion that by existing treaties no other Power has 
 the right to interfere in the Balkan peninsula single-handed 
 with armed force or to establish a protectorate, in case of 
 Turkey not availing herself of the right accorded her. The 
 Government in general maintains that any modification in the 
 conditions of the Balkan countries, in so far as they relate to 
 the right of States or their proportions of power, cannot be 
 made, except with the assent of the Signatory Powers of the 
 Berlin Treaty.
 
 EASTERN NOTES, 301 
 
 Since the above words were spoken by M. 
 Tisza in the Hungarian Parliament on September 
 3Oth, events have occurred which show at least 
 that the decided opinion expressed by the Hun- 
 garian Prime Minister is giving way before 
 some occult influence, and to use a homely 
 expression, the courage of the statesmen of 
 Austria- Hungary is " oozing out of the heels 
 of their boots." 
 
 Is this caused by German pressure on Austria, 
 controlling the more ardent feelings of Hungary ? 
 
 We have seen the dictatorial mission of 
 General Kaulbars to Bulgaria, his protests 
 against the elections to the great Sobranje, M. 
 Necklindoffs protests to M. Nacevics against 
 alleged ill-treatment of Russians or Russian 
 partisans in Bulgaria, and now we hear of Gadban 
 Effendi's delegation from the Sultan to back up 
 Russia's objections. It would be interesting to 
 know whether the Foreign Office of the dual 
 kingdom is concentrating " its whole endeavours 
 and all its influence," with a view to promote 
 the independence of Bulgaria, or whether a 
 superior Power has not influenced it to such 
 an extent as will allow it tacitly to submit "to 
 the establishment of a protectorate," not provided 
 for by treaties, and the permanent influence of 
 Russia over Bulgaria ?
 
 302 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Sufficiently startling was Kaulbars' career. 
 The General, it must be remembered, is intimately 
 acquainted with the position of Austria- Hungary 
 from his residence as a diplomat in these countries. 
 On September 29th, starting in his circular to the 
 Russian Consuls in Bulgaria with this : " The 
 time for mere words is at an end ! " he made 
 demands which only a sovereign Power should, 
 or had a right to make, unless to a feudatory State. 
 The Bulgarian Government of the Regency stood 
 firm, and replied respectfully to the Russian agent, 
 but did not yield to his demands. 
 
 Defeated in a policy of bluster, the General 
 commenced a tour through Bulgaria, addressing 
 deputations, and intriguing with the friends of 
 Russia, landing finally at Rustchuk, where he is 
 supposed to be informing the Czar of the con- 
 dition of Bulgaria. He will probably return to 
 Sofia, deliver an ultimatum to the Government 
 not to convoke the Sobranje, and then break off 
 relations with them. 
 
 Meanwhile M. Necklindoff is not idle at 
 Sofia, hurling accusations against the Govern- 
 ment of the Regency of dreadful crimes committed 
 by the "representatives of public order"; and 
 after calling upon the Government to be energetic, 
 he says, " on you and on those governing the 
 country will fall the whole responsibility for the
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 303 
 
 consequences which might be brought about by 
 the continuance of this state of things." 
 
 Even if the charge were not clearly " trumped 
 up," the threats implied are quite inconsistent 
 with the proper legal position of Russia towards 
 Bulgaria, and as one of the co-signatories to the 
 Treaty of Berlin. 
 
 Russia has either determined to provoke a 
 quarrel and occupy Bulgaria at all hazards, or she 
 is trying to obtain a pretext for such occupation 
 which will satisfy the easy-going conscience of 
 the "honest broker" of Berlin, being assured 
 beforehand of, in that case, Germany's neutrality 
 and of the acquiescence of Turkey. Gadban's 
 mission almost premises the latter ; he is a 
 notorious Russophile, with a doubtful character 
 for integrity. The Sultan would hardly have 
 sent him, unless Russian influence were again 
 predominant at the Porte. Already the Vienna 
 and Buda-Pesth papers are asking "what is the 
 consequent outlook for the Hapsburg Empire ? " 
 
 It is supposed that Germany's support of 
 Russia has so terrified the Sultan that he has 
 been induced to throw himself into the Czar's 
 arms. Will it be left to Russia and Turkey to 
 settle the Eastern question between themselves ? 
 
 The suggestion sounds strange, but the task 
 is not so impossible or improbable as that of
 
 304 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 mixing oil and vinegar. What may be considered 
 as certain is that the Regency government in 
 Bulgaria will not be able to stand its ground, and 
 remain in power under the several and varied 
 pressures Russia brings to bear upon it, and the 
 hostility of the Porte. Without the support 
 of Turkey as the Suzerain Power, one stone 
 of the foundation goes ; without the promise 
 of active support, with only the benevolent 
 advice of those Powers who advocate the 
 " buffer " policy, another stone is gone ; the 
 postponement of the convocation of the Sobranje 
 at the order of Russia will place Bulgaria in 
 the power of that Empire ; their authority 
 undermined and sapped, their country bullied 
 and deserted, the Regents may be compelled 
 to yield ; it is naturally asked, why does not 
 Russia propose a candidate for the Bulgarian 
 throne ? The humiliation of the Bulgar is not 
 complete ; until Russian influence is again the 
 most potent and recognised force in Bulgaria, 
 the Czar's game is to delay matters, to postpone 
 the choice of a ruler, and not to make any 
 suggestion on the subject. 
 
 For the same reasons it is not probable 
 that Russia will precipitate matters to a crisis ; 
 her present policy, all round, will be to cajole 
 Turkey, to kill every spark of independence
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 305 
 
 in Bulgaria, to hoodwink Austria- Hungary, and 
 by general obstructions to turn everything into 
 an impossibility, until her occupation of the 
 Balkans becomes inevitable. How hollow sounds 
 Lord Randolph Churchill's boast at Dartford, 
 that Lord Beaconsfield's policy in 1878 "had 
 rescued the young liberties of the peoples in 
 the Balkan peninsula, who, having been saved 
 from the frying-pan of Turkish misrule, are in 
 danger of falling into the fire of Russian auto- 
 cracy " ! Big words ; but are they to be followed 
 by big deeds ? The cold reception, and even 
 bitter criticism accorded to this speech by the 
 Vienna and Buda-Pesth Press are evidences of 
 the disappointment felt in those countries at 
 "the decline of England's policy and power" (?) 
 which must be especially galling after the en- 
 thusiastic outburst, and prophecies of spirited 
 co-operation with which they hailed the accession 
 of the Tory Ministry to power in England. 
 
 One cannot be astonished at the belief on the 
 Continent in the feebleness of Great Britain when 
 the leader of the House of Commons declares 
 that the foreign policy of the Government is 
 " subject always to the cardinal necessity of main- 
 taining the union of the Unionist party at 
 home ! " 
 
 And what severer comment on the policy of
 
 306 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 nine years ago can be made, than in the words of 
 the Morning Post of October 2nd : " We cannot 
 sail our ships over the Balkans, and it is only just 
 to expect that some other policeman should keep 
 the peace in that district : we therefore look to 
 Germany ! " 
 
 The Chancellor of the Exchequer looks else- 
 where, and quoting Lord Salisbury's declaration 
 at Manchester in 1878, "the Austrian sentinel 
 is on the ramparts," he added, " The liberty- 
 giving policy of the Treaty of Berlin will, without 
 doubt, be carefully and watchfully protected ! " 
 The sentinel has already given the alarm ! Is the 
 guard turning out ? Are the troops hurrying to arms 
 to defend these sacred ramparts which Lord 
 Beaconsfield is supposed to have erected ? 
 
 We should turn to consider what is to be the 
 policy of England in the East of Europe in the 
 present condition and aspect of affairs. 
 
 A short review of the different interests, past 
 and present, is necessary before answering this 
 question. Our policy up to ten years ago might 
 shortly be said to be alliance with Turkey in 
 support of the Ottoman Power as necessary to us 
 in connection with our Indian Empire and our 
 Mussulman subjects. The Russian campaign 
 exposed the weakness of Turkey in Europe ; 
 when the Russians reached the gates of Constan-
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 307 
 
 tinople, and the Treaty of San Stefano electri- 
 fied statesmen in every country, a congress at 
 Berlin was summoned, and the Great Powers 
 agreed upon a treaty under which a new 
 departure was taken towards forming the different 
 Christian peoples of the Balkans into separate 
 States. Thenceforward our policy has been to 
 extend this idea, to foster these States (presum- 
 ably also under agreement and with the sympathy 
 of our co-signatories to that treaty Germany, 
 Austria- Hungary, France, and Italy), to promote 
 the interests of these nationalities as natural 
 opponents, when assured of their independence, 
 to Russian aggression. 
 
 If this had been the policy of England and of 
 Europe at the time of the Treaty of Adrianople, 
 how different would the position of the people of 
 the Balkans, of Macedonia, of Albania, of Epirus, 
 Thessaly, and Greece have been now ! 
 
 But action towards making a permanent settle- 
 ment always appears in the history of the East to 
 be taken when the proper period for it has passed. 
 The tree had for long required pruning ; the 
 gardener neglected it, and when taken in hand 
 his efforts to restore its vigour and fruitfulness 
 failed. Russia took too prominent a part in the 
 emancipation of Bulgaria for her ever to allow 
 that State to rise and move apart from her in-
 
 308 TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 fluence ; this, I hold, as a paramount factor, both 
 national and sentimental, which every Russian 
 from the Czar downwards will obstinately cling 
 to ; but, at the same time, I object strongly to 
 the methods and manner employed by Russia in 
 prosecuting her claims to that position. 
 
 There is a peace party as well as a war party 
 in Russia ; the latter, unfortunately, most influen- 
 tial with the Emperor ; the former know full well 
 that the Empire is running a great risk by its 
 present policy, and that an European war would 
 be very disastrous. Private letters from Southern 
 Russia speak of the almost desperate condition of 
 affairs ; money and securities depreciated ; com- 
 merce idle ; the army, which is being mobilised 
 at several points, badly equipped and quite un- 
 ready; the vaunted Black Sea Navy as consisting 
 of two ironclads and two old Popoffkas. Defences 
 there are none ; Sevastopol remains as it was in 
 1856 ; Batoum has only the old earthworks of 
 the Turks with but few guns in position. If 
 Russia is to be fought and checked, Europe 
 will never find her so unprepared and inefficiently 
 armed as the Empire is at the present time, not- 
 withstanding all the sensational stories about her 
 naval and military armaments. 
 
 If checked, however, we must remember it 
 will only be a question of time ; ten, fifteen,.
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 309. 
 
 twenty -five years may elapse, and Russia's 
 policy will remain the same throughout ; another 
 effort will be made, another defeat perhaps in- 
 curred, but with relentless purpose she will pursue 
 her definite aim. Unless the other Powers of 
 Europe choose to unite in opposing Russia in 
 Europe, no one can say that it is England's 
 interest to enter the lists. Turkey is so weak, 
 that whichever Power firmly pursues a distinct 
 policy, and shows the most determined front, 
 in the end secures control over the Sultan and 
 his Ministers ; the divided counsels of the 
 other Powers of Europe are unavailing with the 
 Turk. It may be that we shall wake some day 
 to find unanimity ; but until that is assured, the 
 Porte knows perfectly well that individual though 
 friendly advice is of no practical value. 
 
 Austria- Hungary is at the present moment 
 divided in an almost hopeless way ; she challenges 
 England to defend British (?) policy, i.e., to pull 
 the chestnuts out of the fire for. her! The 
 Monarchy is all for action, the Empire is led 
 by the nose by Prince Bismarck. Eighteen 
 months of continuity in the direction of England's 
 Foreign Office (which was to elevate our voice 
 in the councils of Europe) have only shown 
 how little we can rely on the disinterested 
 motives of the statesmen now predominant in
 
 3 io TRAVELS, SPORT, AND POLITICS. 
 
 Germany and Austria. They will play their 
 cards for their own hands, and even try to force 
 their partners' ! We must therefore make our 
 own game. 
 
 A combination of the Balkan States, of Rou- 
 mania, Servia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece 
 has been suggested, but is practically impossible 
 through individual jealousies and separate inclina- 
 tions towards the rival Empires. 
 
 Apart from the consideration that Great 
 Britain has the strongest claims to be heard in 
 any settlement of the Eastern question, from pre- 
 cedent on account of our sacrifices in 1854-56, 
 and the frequent leading part we have taken in 
 the affairs of all the interested countries, there 
 remain the important trading relations under our 
 flag. In dealing with the land settlement, it 
 seems impossible for us now to assume any other 
 part than that of mediator, and as such we should 
 exercise a pacific influence which should prevent 
 war, or at least localise any quarrel that may arise. 
 
 If the Porte could be induced to see that an 
 arrangement of Turkey's European provinces 
 Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus, and Albania upon 
 similar lines to that of Eastern Roumelia, which, 
 while recognising the suzerainty of the Sultan, 
 would ensure the payment to Turkey of the 
 existing revenue under the contract and manage-
 
 EASTERN NOTES. 311 
 
 ment of neighbouring States, the solution might 
 be found in that direction (backed by United 
 Eiirope) and upon these lines. 
 
 As regards our trade we are bound to protect 
 it ; the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles must be 
 free to us, whatever happens ; if closed or 
 threatened our fleet should be strong and power- 
 ful enough to blockade the straits ; to take and 
 hold the island of Mitylene, or any other place 
 preferred, until a free passage to the Black Sea 
 and the Danube was secured to us ; our determi- 
 nation to this effect should be clearly and un- 
 equivocally expressed. A firm declaration of our 
 position would do much to clear the horizon ; the 
 clouds now hanging over the East are caused 
 as much by the irresolution of statesmen in 
 England, France, Austria, and elsewhere, as by 
 the troublous storms in Eastern Europe itself. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.
 
 ii, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. 
 
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 SARTOR RESARTUS. j LATTER-DAY PAMPHLETS. 
 
 FRENCH REVOLUTION. 3 vols. LIFE OF SCHILLER. 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN STERLING. 
 
 OLIVER CROMWELL'S LET- lovols - 
 
 TERS AND SPEECHES. 5 vols. 
 
 ON HEROES AND HERO 
 WORSHIP. 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 THE EARLY KINGS OF NOR- 
 
 CRITICAL AND MISCELLA- 
 
 FREDERICK THE GREAT. 
 
 WILHELM MEISTER. 3 vols. 
 
 TRANSLATIONS FROM MU- 
 S^EUS, TIECK, AND RICHTER. 
 
 2 vols. 
 
 WAY ; Essay on the Portraits of Knox ; 
 
 NEOUS ESSAYS. 7 vols. and General Index. 
 
 SARTOR RESARTUS. Cheap Edition, crown 8vo, sewed, is. 
 
 SIXPENNY EDITION. 
 
 4/0, sewed. 
 
 SARTOR RESARTUS. Eightieth Thousand. 
 HEROES AND HERO WORSHIP. 
 
 ESSAYS : BURNS, JOHNSON, SCOTT, THE DIAMOND NECKLACE. 
 The above in I vol.) cloth, 2s. 6d,
 
 CHAPMAN &> HALL, LIMITED. 31 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. 
 
 ORIGINAL EDITIONS. 
 In demy 8vo. 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. With Illustrations 
 
 by S. L. Fildes, and a Portrait engraved by Baker. Cloth, 75. 6d. 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. With Forty Illustrations by Marcus 
 
 Stone. Cloth, i is. 
 
 THE PICKWICK PAPERS. With Forty-three Illustrations 
 
 by Seymour and Phiz. Cloth, i is. 
 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 Cloth, 1 is. 
 
 SKETCHES BY " BOZ." With Forty Illustrations by George 
 
 Cruikshank. Cloth, i is. 
 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 Cloth, i is. 
 
 DOM BEY AND SON. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 Cloth, 1 is. 
 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 Cloth, 1 is. 
 
 BLEAK HOUSE. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. Cloth, 
 
 1 is. 
 
 LITTLE DORRIT. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. Cloth, 
 
 t is. 
 
 THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP. With Seventy-five Illus- 
 
 trations by George Cattermole and H. K. Browne. A New Edition. Uniform with 
 the other volumes, i is. 
 
 BARNABY RUDGE : a Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty. With 
 
 Seventy-eight Illustrations by George Cattermole and H. K. Browne. Uniform with 
 the other volumes, i is. 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS : Containing The Christmas Carol ; 
 
 The Cricket on the Hearth ; The Chimes ; The Battle of Life ; The Haunted House. 
 With all the original Illustrations. Cloth, izs. 
 
 OLIVER TWIST and TALE OF TWO CITIES. In one 
 
 volume. Cloth, i is. 
 
 OLIVER TWIST. Separately. With Twenty-four Illustrations 
 
 by George Cruikshank Cloth, us. 
 
 A TALE OF TWO CITIES. Separately. With Sixteen Illus- 
 trations by Phiz. Cloth, 95. 
 
 %* The remainder of Dickens' s Works were not originally printed in demy 800.
 
 BOOKS PUBLISHED BY 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 LIBRARY EDITION. 
 
 In post 8vo. With the Original Illustrations, 30 vols., cloth, 12. 
 
 t. d. 
 
 PICKWICK PAPERS 43 Illustrns., 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY 39 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT 40 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 OLD CURIOSITY SHOP & REPRINTED PIECES 36 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 BARNABY RUDGE and HARD TIMES 36 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 BLEAK HOUSE 40 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 LITTLE DORRIT 40 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 DOMBEY AND SON 38 ,, 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD .'. 38 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND 40 2 vols. 16 o 
 
 SKETCHES BY " BOZ " 39 i vol. 8 o 
 
 OLIVER TWIST 24 i vol. 8 o 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS 17 i vol. 8 o 
 
 A TALE OF TWO CITIES 16 i vol. 8 o 
 
 GREAT EXPECTATIONS 8 i vol. 8 o 
 
 PICTURES FROM ITALY & AMERICAN NOTES 8 i vol. 8 o 
 
 UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER 8 i vol. 8 o 
 
 CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND 8 i voL 80 
 
 EDWIN DROOD and MISCELLANIES 12 i vol. 8 o 
 
 CHRISTMAS STORIES from "Household Words," &c. 14 ,, i vol. 8 o 
 
 THE LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS. By JOHN FORSTER. With Illustrations. 
 Uniform with this Edition. IDS. 6d. 
 
 A NEW EDITION OF ABOVE, WITH THE ORIGINAL ILLUSTRA- 
 TIONS, IN CROWN 8vo, 30 VOLS. IN SETS ONLY.
 
 CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED. 33 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 
 THE "CHARLES DICKENS" EDITION. 
 
 In Crown 8vo. In 21 vols., cloth, with Illustrations, j *&* 
 
 t. d. 
 
 PICKWICK PAPERS 8 Illustrations ... 4 o 
 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT 8 ... 4 o 
 
 DOMBEY AND SON 8 4 o 
 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY 8 ... 4 o 
 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD 8 ... 4 o 
 
 BLEAK HOUSE 8 ... 4 o 
 
 LITTLE DORRIT 8 4 o 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND 8 ... 4 o 
 
 BARNABY RUDGE 8 ... 3 6 
 
 OLD CURIOSITY SHOP 8 ... 3 6 
 
 A CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND 4 ... 3 6 
 
 EDWIN DROOD and OTHER STORIES 8 3 6 
 
 CHRISTMAS STORIES, from "Household Words"... 8 ,, ...3 6 
 
 SKETCHES BY "BOZ" 8 3 6 
 
 AMERICAN NOTES and REPRINTED PIECES ... 8 ...3 6 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS 8 ... 3 6 
 
 OLIVER TWIST ... 8 ... 3 6 
 
 GREAT EXPECTATIONS 8 ... 3 o 
 
 TALE OF TWO CITIES 8 ... 3 o 
 
 HARD TIMES and PICTURES FROM ITALY ... 8 ...3 o 
 
 UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER 4 ... 3 o 
 
 THE LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS. Numerous Illustrations. 2 vols. 7 o 
 
 THE LETTERS OF CHARLES DICKENS.. 2 vols. 8 o
 
 34 BOOKS PUBLISHED BY 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 THE ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY EDITION. 
 
 Complete in jo Volumes. Demy 8vo, los. each ; or set, 15. 
 
 This Edition is printed on a finer paper and in a larger type than has been 
 employed in any previous edition. The type has been cast especially for it, and 
 the page is of a size to admit of the introduction of all the original illustrations. 
 
 No such attractive issue has been made of the writings of Mr. Dickens, which, 
 various as have been the forms of publication adapted to the demands of an ever 
 widely-increasing popularity, have never yet been worthily presented in a really 
 handsome library form. 
 
 The collection comprises all the minor writings it was Mr. Dickens's wish to 
 preserve. 
 
 SKETCHES BY " BOZ." With 40 Illustrations by George Cruikshank. 
 PICKWICK PAPERS. 2 vols. With 42 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 OLIVER TWIST. With 24 Illustrations by Cruikshank. 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 OLD CURIOSITY SHOP and REPRINTED PIECES. 2 vols. With Illus- 
 trations by Cattermole, &c. 
 
 BARNABY RUDGE and HARD TIMES. 2 vols. With Illustrations by 
 Cattermole, &c. 
 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 AMERICAN NOTES and PICTURES FROM ITALY. i voL With 
 8 Illustrations. 
 
 DOMBEY AND SON. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 BLEAK HOUSE. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz . 
 
 LITTLE DORRIT. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 A TALE OF TWO CITIES. With 16 Illustrations by Phiz. 
 
 THE UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER. With 8 Illustrations by Marcus Stone. 
 
 GREAT EXPECTATIONS. With 8 Illustrations by Marcus Stone. 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Marcus Stone. 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS. With 17 Illustrations by Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A., 
 Maclise, R.A., &c. &c. 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. With 8 Illustrations by Marcus Stone. 
 
 CHRISTMAS STORIES. (From "Household Words" and "All the Year 
 Round.") With 14 Illustrations. 
 
 EDWIN DROOD AND OTHER STORIES. With 12 Illustrations by 
 S. L. Fildes.
 
 CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED. 35 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 
 THE POPULAR LIBRARY EDITION 
 
 OF THE WORKS OF 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS, 
 
 In 30 Vols., large crown Svo, price 6 ; separate Vols. 4^. each. 
 
 An Edition printed on good paper, each volume containing 16 full-page 
 Illustrations, selected from the Household Edition, on Plate Paper. 
 
 SKETCHES BY "BOZ." 
 
 PICKWICK. 2 vols. 
 
 OLIVER TWIST. 
 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. 2 vols. 
 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. 2 vols. 
 
 DOMBEY AND SON. 2 vols, 
 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD. 2 vols. 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS. 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. 2 vols. 
 
 CHRISTMAS STORIES. 
 
 BLEAK HOUSE. 2 vols. 
 
 LITTLE DORRIT. 2 vols. 
 
 OLD CURIOSITY SHOP AND REPRINTED PIECES. 2 vols. 
 
 BARNABY RUDGE. 2 vols. 
 
 UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER. 
 
 GREAT EXPECTATIONS. 
 
 TALE OF TWO CITIES. 
 
 CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 EDWIN DROOD AND MISCELLANIES. 
 
 PICTURES FROM ITALY AND AMERICAN NOTES.
 
 36 BOOKS PUBLISHED BY 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 HOUSEHOLD EDITION. 
 
 In 22 Volumes. Crown \to, cloth, 4 8s. 6J. 
 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, with 59 Illustrations, cloth, 55. 
 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD, with 60 Illustrations and a Portrait, cloth, 53. 
 
 BLEAK HOUSE, with 61 Illustrations, cloth, 53. 
 
 LITTLE DORRIT, with 58 Illustrations, cloth, 53. 
 
 PICKWICK PAPERS, with 56 Illustrations, cloth, 53. 
 
 OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, with 58 Illustrations, cloth, 55. 
 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, with 59 Illustrations, cloth, 55. 
 
 DOMBEY AND SON, with 61 Illustrations, cloth, 53. 
 
 EDWIN DROOD ; REPRINTED PIECES ; and other Stories, with 30 Illustra- 
 tions, cloth, 55. 
 
 THE LIFE OF DICKENS. BY JOHN FORSTER. With 40 Illustrations. Cloth, 53. 
 
 BARNABY RUDGE, with 46 Illustrations, cloth, 45. 
 
 OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, with 32 Illustrations, cloth, 43. 
 
 CHRISTMAS STORIES, with 23 Illustrations, cloth, 43. 
 
 OLIVER TWIST, with 28 Illustrations, cloth, 33. 
 
 GREAT EXPECTATIONS, with 26 Illustrations, cloth, 33. 
 
 SKETCHES BY "BOZ," with 36 Illustrations, cloth, 33. 
 
 UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER, with 26 Illustrations, cloth, 33. 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS, with 28 Illustrations, cloth, 33. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND, with 15 Illustrations, cloth, 35. 
 
 AMERICAN NOTES and PICTURES FROM ITALY, with 18 Illustrations, 
 cloth, 35. 
 
 A TALE OF TWO CITIES, with 25 Illustrations, cloth, 35. 
 HARD TIMES, with 20 Illustrations, cloth, 25. 6d.
 
 CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED. 37 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 
 THE CABINET EDITION. 
 
 Now Piiblishing. 
 
 To be completed in 30 vols. small fcap. 8vo, Marble Paper Sides, Cloth 
 Backs, with uncut edges, price Eighteenpence each. 
 
 A Complete Work will be Published every Month, and each Volume will 
 contain Eight Illustrations reproduced from the Originals. 
 
 CHRISTMAS BOOKS, One Vol., 
 MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, Two Vols. 
 DAVID COPPERFIELD, Two Vols., 
 OLIVER TWIST, One Vol., 
 GREAT EXPECTATIONS, One Vol., 
 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, Two Vols., 
 SKETCHES BY BOZ, One Vol., 
 CHRISTMAS STORIES, One Vol., 
 THE PICKWICK PAPERS, Two Vols., 
 BARNABY RUDGE, Two Vols. [/*/>. 
 
 MR. DICKENS'S READINGS. 
 
 Fcap. 8vo, sewed. 
 
 CHRISTMAS CAROL IN PROSE, is. 
 CRICKET ON THE HEARTH, is. 
 CHIMES: A GOBLIN STORY, is. 
 STORY OF LITTLE DOMBEY. is. 
 
 POOR TRAVELLER, BOOTS AT THE HOLLY-TREE 
 
 INN, and MRS. GAMP. is. 
 
 A CHRISTMAS CAROL, with the Original Coloured Plates, 
 being a reprint of the Original Edition. Small 8vo, red cloth, gilt edges, 53.
 
 38 BOOKS PUBLISHED BY 
 
 DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS. Continued. 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS'S CHRISTMAS BOOKS. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM THE ORIGINAL PLATES. 
 
 Fcap. cloth, is. each. Complete in a case, js. 
 
 Illustrated by JOHN LEECH, D. MACLISE, R.A., R. DOYLE, 
 
 C. STAN FIELD, R.A., &c. 
 
 A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN PROSE. 
 
 THE CHIMES : A Goblin Story. 
 
 THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH: A Fairy Tale of 
 
 Home. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF LIFE. A Love Story. 
 
 THE HAUNTED MAN AND THE GHOST'S STORY. 
 
 The Cheapest and Handiest Edition of 
 
 THE WORKS OF CHARLES DICKENS. 
 
 The Pocket-Volume Edition of Charles Dickens's Works. 
 In 30 Voh. small f cap. 8vo, 2 53. 
 
 SIXPENNY REPRINTS: 
 
 (i.) 
 
 READINGS FROM THE WORKS OF 
 CHARLES DICKENS. 
 
 As selected and read by himself and now published for the first time. Illustrated. 
 
 (II.) 
 
 A CHRISTMAS CAROL, AND THE HAUNTED MAN. 
 By CHARLES DICKENS. Illustrated. 
 
 (in.) 
 
 THE CHIMES: A GOBLIN STORY, AND THE CRICKET 
 ON THE HEARTH. Illustrated. 
 
 (IV.) 
 
 THE BATTLE OF LIFE: A LOVE STORY, HUNTED 
 DOWN, AND A HOLIDAY ROMANCE. Illustrated. 
 
 The last Three Volumes as Christmas Works, 
 In One Volume, red doth, 2s. 6d.
 
 CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED. 
 
 THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. 
 
 Edited by FRANK HARRIS. 
 
 'T'HE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW is published on the ist of 
 * every month, and a Volume is completed every Six Months. 
 
 The following are among the Contributors : 
 
 GRANT ALLEN. 
 
 SIR RUTHERFORD ALCOCK. 
 
 MATHEW ARNOLD.. 
 
 PROFESSOR-BAIN. 
 
 SIR SAMUEL BAKER. 
 
 PROFESSOR BEESLY. 
 
 PAUL BERT. 
 
 BARON GEORGETON BUNSEN. 
 
 DR. BRIDGES. 
 
 HON. GEORGE C. BRODRICK. 
 
 JAMES BRYCE, M.P. 
 
 THOMAS BURT, M.P. 
 
 SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL, M.P. 
 THE EARL OF CARNARVON. 
 
 EMILIO CASTELAR. 
 
 RT. HON. J. CHAMBERLAIN, M.P. 
 
 PROFESSOR SIDNEY COLVIN. 
 
 MONTAGUE COOKSON, Q.C. 
 
 L. H. COURTNEY, M.P. 
 
 G. H. DARWIN. 
 
 SIR GEORGE W. DASENT. 
 
 PROFESSOR A. V. DICEY. 
 
 M. E. GRANT DUFF, M.P. 
 
 T. H. S. ESCOTT. 
 
 RIGHT HON. H. FAWCETT, M.P. 
 
 EDWARD A. FREEMAN. 
 
 J. A. FROUDE. 
 
 MRS. GARRET-ANDERSON. 
 
 J. W. L. GLAISHER, F.R.S. 
 
 SIR J. E. GORST, Q.C., M.P. 
 
 THOMAS HARE. 
 
 F. HARRISON. 
 
 LORD HOUGHTON. 
 
 PROFESSOR HUXLEY. 
 
 PROFESSOR R. C. JEBB. 
 
 PROFESSOR JEVONS. 
 
 ANDREW LANG. 
 
 EMILE DE LAVELEYE. 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 T. E. CLIFFE LESLIE. 
 
 MARQUIS OF LORNE. 
 
 SIR JOHN LUBBOCK, BAST., M.P, 
 
 THE EARL LYTTON. 
 
 SIR H. S. MAINE. 
 
 DR. MAUDSLEY. 
 
 PROFESSOR MAX MULLER. 
 
 GEORGE MEREDITH. 
 
 G. OSBORNE MORGAN, Q.C..M.P 
 
 PROFESSOR HENRY MORLEY. 
 
 RT. HON. JOHN MORLEY, M.P, 
 
 WILLIAM MORRIS. 
 
 PROFESSOR H. N. MOSELEY. 
 
 F. W. H. MYERS. 
 
 F. W. NEWMAN. 
 
 PROFESSOR JOHN NICHOL. 
 
 W. G. PALGRAVE. 
 
 WALTER H. PATER. 
 
 RT. HON. LYON PLAYFAIR, M.P. 
 
 LORD SHERBROOKE. 
 
 PROFESSOR SIDGWICK. 
 
 HERBERT SPENCER. 
 
 HON. E. L. STANLEY. 
 
 SIR J. FITZJAMES STEPHEN, Q.C 
 
 LESLIE STEPHEN. 
 
 J. HUTCHISON STIRLING. 
 
 A. C. SWINBURNE. 
 
 DR. VON SYBEL. 
 
 J. A. SYMONDS. 
 
 THE REV. EDWARD F. TALBOT 
 
 (WARDEN OF KEBLE COLLEGE). 
 SIR RICHARD TEMPLE, BAST. 
 W. T. THORNTON 
 HON. LIONEL A. TOLLEMACHE 
 H. D. TRAILL. 
 PROFESSOR TYNDALL. 
 A. J. WILSON. 
 THE EDITOR. 
 &c. 
 
 THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW is published at zs. 6d. 
 
 CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED, II, HENRIETTA STREET, 
 COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
 
 NEW WORKS TO BE ISSUED 
 IN MARCH. 
 
 CHARLES READE, D.C.L., Dramatist, Novelist, and 
 Journalist. 
 
 A Memoir compiled chiefly from his Literary Remains. 
 By CHARLES L. and the Rev. COMPTON READE. 2 vols. demy 8vo. 
 
 SPORTS, AND ANECDOTES OF BYGONE DAYS in 
 
 England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, & the Sunny South. 
 
 By C. T. S. BIRCH REYNARDSON, Author of " Down the Road." 
 With numerous Illustrations in Colour. Demy 8vo. 
 
 TRAVELS, SPORTS, AND POLITICS IN THE EAST. 
 
 By the MARQUIS OF HUNTJ.Y. 
 With Illustrations by the MARCHIONESS OF HUNTLY. Demy 8vo. 
 
 SADDLE AND MOCASSIN. 
 
 By FRANCIS FRANCIS, Jun. Crown 8vo. 
 
 THE MEMOIR OF CHARLES MORDAUNT, EARL 
 OF PETERBOROUGH. 
 
 By Colonel FRANK RUSSELL, Royal Dragoons. 
 2 vols. demy 8vo. With Illustrations. 
 
 MUSIC AND MANNERS : Personal Reminiscences and 
 Sketches of Character. 
 
 By W. BEATTY-KINGSTON. 2 vols. demy 8vo, 305. 
 
 ITALY: PRESENT AND FUTURE. 
 
 By ANTONIO GALLENGA, Author of " South America," &c., &c. 
 2 vols. demy 8vo, 2 is. 
 
 CH \RLES DICKENS AND EVANS,] [CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.
 
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