Classified_ad

The people of tlie Caucasus haf e long been known as a warlike, adventurous and semi-barbarous race. This región is about 700 miles long, and varíes in width from 60 to 120 miles. No other country on the globe contains so many different nations or tribes. In Strabo's time seventy dialects were spoken. At present there are more than 100 - Persian, Turkish, Finish and Teutonic words being among thosë" that are found. The prevailing religión is the Mohammedan, put Christians are numbered among them. For a contury and a half they were split up into an infinite uumber of clans or petty tribes, when the aggression of Peter the Great incènsed them into organization, and in 1785 the encroachnients of the Eussians had become so great that the war cry was sounded, and it bas seldom been silenced since. The Kussians have, on the other hand, been greatly inoenaed at the barbarities shown toward the Chfistians of Georgia. In 1791 the Circassian leader Tras made a prisoner and put to death. War folio-wed more bitter and desperate than ever. One of their chieftains, thirty or forty years ago, after years of hard flghting against the Eussians, feil at Himri, with all his friends except one dead around him. This youngsurvivor was Schamyl. He was 37 years of age, and said to have been a silent and earnest man, learned bevond his people, and belk-ving himself inspired frolll Allah. They at'terward called him " The Prophet-Warrior of the Caucasus." His survival of the great conflict at Himri liad so much of mystery in it for his people that he was regarded by them with reverence, and not long afterward he was again the sole survivor of a battle, and eventually established himself in fnll and complete authority over the people. He made his headquarters at a place built upon almost inaccessible rocljs in the mountains, and fortified it with trenches, earthen parapets, and covered ways. So great did his power become against the Kussians that in 1839 the Czar Moliólas, irritated by his boldness and defiance, sent a powerful army against him, with orders to capture Schamyl alive or dead. A great battle was fought, in which the Russians suffered enormous losses and Schamyl's force was annihilated, but Schamyl himself escaped. But it was a Pyrrhic victofy. Every tribe in the Caucasus was enraged and in rama against the Czar, and helped to strengthen the cause of Schamyl. He adopted the guerrilla system of warfare, and in that the mouutains and ravines gave him f urther aid. The Bussians could not cope with him. He continually encouraged them to cross the boundary line. and TVlien they had entangled themselves among the mountains of the ravines the Circassians would shoot them from the overhanging rocks above. On ore occasion the Kussians made a formidable attack, but were repulsed with a loss of 2,000 men. The Czar was greatly mortified, and sent another nrrny and a new General. It was nearly annihilated, and the General Prince came yery near being made a prisoner. Schamyl then assumed the offensive, and in 1848, 1850 and 1853 more irruptions into Bussian territory, at one time driving them back eight leagues. After the Crimean war Russia renewed operatioas in the Caucasus, and continued them until 1859. Her army seized the Circassian stronghold and dt'ove Schamyl to a mountain fort near the Caspian sea. Here he made a last desperate struggle, but was captured and taken to St. Petersburg a prisoner, where he received considérate treatment. The country was conquered - at least Kussia considered that the Georgian Christians would no longer be persecuted - and peace has since prevailed. In 1864 about 200, 000 Circasaians removed to Turkey, and made theif home on the western and northwesterrf shores of the Black sea. English eulogists of those people have called them the handsomest, bravest and noblest of mankind ; others have pictured them as semi-barbarous bands of outlaws, living entirely by plunder, given to polygamy, and selling their daughters in Turkish markets to the number, sometimes, of 1,000 a year. Schamyl did not remain long in St. Petersburg. Eussia assigned him a residence in Kaluga, 100 miles from Moscow, with a pension of about $8,000. In January, 1870, he went to Mecca, Arabia, and soon at'terward to Medina, where he soon died in March, 1871.