Travels in Circassia, Krim-Tartary &c: Including a Steam Voyage Down the Danube from Vienna to Constantinople, and Round the Black Sea, in 1836, Volume 1Henry Colburn, 1838 - Black Sea |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abasia admiration Anapa ancient appearance arms arrived Austrian banks beautiful Black Sea Bombora Bosphorus built Bulgurlu called captain Caucasian Caucasus character Christian Circassians civilization coast command commercial Constantinople corvette costume Count Worrenzow Crimea Danube distant dress effect emperor empire enemy English erected Europe European Euxine exhibited favour feeling fertile fortress friends Galatz garrison Giaour Golden Horn Greeks hills honour horses Hungarian Hungary inhabitants interesting Kertch Khopi Korân Kouban land LETTER Magyar manners ment military Mingrelia mosque mountains natives neighbours never noble obliged Odessa officers Osmanlis Ottoman Pacha passed peasant Pest picturesque political population port possession present pretty princes provinces river rocks ruins Russian government scenery sea of Azov shore sian side situation soldiers Soudjouk-Kalé Stamboul steam navigation steam-boat stranger Sultan Tartar tchibouque thousand tion town traveller tribes tumuli Turkey Turkish Turks vessel Vienna village voyage Wallachia whole
Popular passages
Page 342 - We are Four Millions, but we have unfortunately been divided into many tribes, languages, and creeds ; we have various customs, traditions, interests, alliances, and feuds. We have hitherto never had one purpose, but we have modes of government, and habits of submission and command. The chief chosen by each body during war is implicitly obeyed, and our princes and our elders govern according to the custom of each place with greater authority than in the great states around us ; but from our wanting...
Page 58 - Near this place we found a range of caverns, famous for producing the poisonous fly, too well known in Servia and Hungary under the name of the Golubacser fly. These singular and venomous insects, somewhat resembling musquitoes, generally make their appearance, during the first great heat of summer, in such numbers as to seem like vast volumes of smoke...
Page 344 - Russia — 200,000 alone of our people have been subjected by her during this long contest ; of the remainder, not one has voluntarily served Russia. Many children have been stolen, and sons of nobles taken as hostages ; but such as could recollect a country have made their escape. We have amongst us men who have been favoured, and flattered, and honoured by the Emperor, and who have preferred to that favour the dangers of their country. We have amongst us thousands of Russians, who prefer our barbarism...
Page 337 - THE inhabitants of the Caucasus, instead of being subject to Russia, are not even at peace with her, but have for many years been engaged in continual war. This war they have maintained single-handed. They have received at no period encouragement or assistance from any Power. While the Porte held the supremacy of these Provinces they were left for their means of defence to themselves, but lately the Porte has in every way betrayed and abandoned them.
Page 340 - It is, therefore, with the profoundest humiliation that we have learnt that our country is marked, on all the maps printed in Europe, as a portion of Russia ; that Treaties, of which we know nothing, should have been signed between Russia and Turkey, pretending to hand over to the Russians these warriors that make Russia tremble, and these mountains where her footsteps have never come ; that Russia tells in the West that the Circassians are her slaves, or wild bandits and savages whom no kindness...
Page 251 - ... lately manifested a more determined spirit of hostility; and their attacks, being now conducted with greater military skill and discipline, had proved more murderous to their invaders. They were also said to be commanded by an English officer, who had served in India. But the last, and to me the most extraordinary, piece of intelligence was, that the country was inundated with copies of a proclamation from the king of England, calling upon the Circassians to defend their country ; and that, in...
Page 23 - ... multitude, upon. whom, when the slightest interruption occurred, they glanced with scorn and contempt. Among crowds of Jews, Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Tyrolians, Germans, Sclavonians, Italians, and Hungarian peasants, were groups of Gipsies, their black matted locks shading their wild sun-burnt countenances, exhibiting their dancing-dogs, bears, and monkeys, or playing a lively tune for the amusement of the surrounding multitude, these itinerants being the popular musicians of Hungary. In another...
Page 338 - In all these cases the deputies of Circassia had been instructed to tell to those who, being at a distance, did not know, how intolerable was the oppression of Russia, how hostile she was to the customs, the faith and happiness of all men (or why should the Circassians have fought so long against her), how treacherous were her generals, and how savage her soldiers, — that therefore it was the interest of no one that the Circassians should be destroyed. On the contrary, that it was the interest...
Page 275 - Circassians, with their smoking chimneys and farm-yards surrounded hy groves of fruit-trees, appearing as if the very abodes of contentment and peace ; shepherds in their picturesque costume, with long spears in their hands, tended their flocks and herds ; the agricultural fields were filled with men, women, and children, cutting down the waving corn ; and camels and buffaloes, loaded with the produce, were slowly winding their homeward way through the deep valleys. It was indeed a lovely picture,...
Page 341 - England, to whom our eyes are turned and our hands are raised, think of us at all, f it be to do us injustice. Let her not open her ear to the wiles of the Russian, while she closes it to the prayer of the Circassian. Let her judge by facts between the people that is called savage and barbarous, and its calumniator.