The Prophet of the Caucasus: an historical romance of Krim-Tatary

Front matter

THE FALL OF THE CRIMEA Go tell the sands, which Syria's plains disclose — Number the drops that gem the flowers of spring — Then mayest thou hope to count the crimes, the woes Which come to earth borne on Ambition's wing. Protector, emperor, president, or king — The name is nought — have paid, for wider sway, Man's blood and ha.ppiness. Yet fools wiU sing Their greatness, virtues. Why not weave the lay, And raiBe the monumental stone to beasts of prey ? Ambition slipped the leash, the blood-hound War Rushed through the world, whose fearful path we trace By wide-spread ruin ; while, behold, afar, The vulture scents the slain ; in death's embrace Lie hushed for ever myriads of our race. Why, then, will man Ambition's praise proclaim, Pursue the brilliant shade with eager chace, Exalt a bubble, gUd with endless fame, Worship, adore, and magnify a breath — a name.

Fron>- Ianthe.— p. THE FALL OF THE CRIMEA BY CAPTAIN SPENCER, AUTHOR OF " THREE*;, RUSSIA, THE BLACK SEA, AND CntCASSIA," " TRAVELS IN THE CRIMEA," etc. etc. eitjj illttsiotifltts. LONDON: G. ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET. NEW T0EK: 18, BEEKMAN STREET. 1854. LONDON SAVILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET.

Preface

. In offering the present work to the public, we feel that a few prefatory remarks are called for. Having been solicited by our publishers to write a history of the war between the Russians and the Tatars, more especially of that eventful period when Catherine II. obtained possession of the Crimea, we found we could not do better than reissue a work which appeared some years ago, under the title of " The Prophet of the Caucasus;" embodying, as it does, all the reliable information that could be obtained from the writings of contemporary historians. The work was then very favourably received by the public Press, and extensively read, which we trust may again be its fate in its present revised, and we hope improved, form; it was also translated into the Turkish and several European languages, and dramatized, both in England and on the Continent.

As the former title was objected to, on account of its ambiguity, we have been induced to change it to the more appropriate one of " The Fall of the Crimea," which event it is intended to illustrate. We may also add that it was written shortly after an extensive tour in the Crimea and the vast steppes of Southern Russia, still inhabited by scat tered remnants of the Tatar race ; and while the places we

PREFACE.

. VI describe, the events connected with them, and the varied information we obtained — in many cases from those who had been eye-witnesses of the scenes we record — were still fresh in our recollection. Moreover, at this eventful moment, when everything relating to the Crimea is invested with a world-wide interest — when perhaps our own gallant soldiers are fighting in it the battle of freedom and European civilization— we cannot but feel gratified to find that a work written with the view of depicting the heroic struggle of an unhappy people against the unprovoked aggression of Russia, may now be read as a faithful account of the " Fall of the Crimea," so little have we deviated from the records left by history. As a descrip tive guide of the Crimea, and its strategical positions, it may also serve as an assistant to the military man when planning his line of campaign, since the most important defensive positions in the Peninsula — its various bays, straits, valleys, defiles, steppes, caverns, rocks, mountains, forts, and strong places — the theatre of so many battles between the Russians and the Tatars, are all indicated in the course of our narrative.

E. SPENCER. Richmond, August, 1854. Illustrations. DRAWN BY ALMARIC SPENCER, FROM ORIGINAL SKETCHES THE CRIMEA IN THE POSSESSION OF THE AUTHOR. OF PAGE Palace of the Khans of the Crimea previous to its Destruction by the Russians in 1780 19, 461 Ianthe, the Princess of Balaclava, and the Khan Selim 69 Rescue of the Bard in the Russian Camp, by the Sultan of the Nogay-Tatars 141 Triumphant Entby of the Khan Selim into Bagtche- Sebai, the Capital of the Crimea 199 Game of the Djebbed, by the Chieftains of Cibcassia, the Crimea, and Daghestan 217 The Hero of the Caucasus manacled, pleading before a Russian Military Tribunal 303 The Princess of Balaclava, a Prisoner in the Palace of Prince Potemkin 377 Arrival of the Empress Catherine II. in the Crimea.

Introduction

. The Crimea, from its central position between Europe and Asia, its salubrious climate, fertility, and noble harbours, has from time immemorial excited the cupidity of every people whose aim was universal dominion. Here the enterprising sons of Ancient Greece founded colonies which continued to flourish in all that contributes to man's civilization and prosperity till the advent of the Romans. The protracted war which then ensued between these conquerors of the world and their heroic opponent Mithridates, the last Grecian ruler of the Crimea, was no doubt at the time a serious hindrance to the improvement of the country; still the in habitants rather gained than otherwise by a change of rulers, since it was ever the wise policy of the Romans, when resist ance was at an end, to amalgamate as much as possible with the nations they had subdued, and to improve the countries they had conquered.

Of this we are furnished with sufficient evidence even in the present day by the net-work of roads, canals for the drainage of lakes and pestilential swamps, aqueducts, and other great works of public utility, which B

INTRODUCTION.

. everywhere meet the eye of the traveller in the Crimea, together with the ruins of magnificent cities, all proving that their rule was at once beneficial and enlightened. On the decline of the Roman empire, the Crimea was doomed to a sad reverse of fortune, from which it has never recovered. Like all the other countries situated on the Euxine and in Asia Minor, it was invaded in regular succes sion by those fierce barbarians, the Celts, Scythians, Goths, and Huns, who poured forth their myriads, now from the gloomy forests of the North, now from the vast plains of Asia, sweeping like a torrent over these homes of wealth and luxury, leaving nought behind them in their frightful passage but wide-spread desolation and ruin. Happily for the Crimea, these barbarians were at length succeeded by the invasion of a more civilized horde than any that had yet issued from the wilds of Asia; these were the followers of the great Tatar chieftain Ghenghis-Khan, a nation of warlike horsemen, who, so long as they remained united under one ruler, were sufficiently strong to overpower what ever force the nations might bring against them, with the hope of opposing their headlong career.

After the death of Tamerlane, divisions reigned in their councils, and having formed themselves into several independent states, a powerful chieftain, a descendant of Ghenghis- Khan, of the name of Gherai, assumed the leadership of the strongest tribe, and, with his millions of followers, perma nently settled in the Crimea and those vast countries on the

INTRODUCTION.

. 3 northern shore of the Black Sea, including Bessarabia on one side, and extending to the shores of the Caspian on the other. Here they continued to maintain themselves for centuries, in defiance of the unceasing hostility of their Christian neighbours, the Poles, Russians, Hungarians, and other nations of Eastern Europe. These warlike tribes — the Tatars — however much they have been maligned by the Christian writers of their day, were, if not highly civilized, at least a humane people, if we may judge from the praiseworthy toleration they exhibited towards all who differed from them in religion, the Crimea being during their rule the only safe refuge for the Jews from the persecution of the Christians, and for these from the cruelties of each other, — now Protestants flying from the terrors of the Inquisition, and then Roman Catholics from the sword of their rivals in creed, the Greeks, — each in their turn, according to the fate of war, obliged to seek a shelter among the followers of Mahomet.

That these sectarians — particularly the Greek, who were the most numerous — grate fully repaid the protection extended to them, we learn from the Rev. Mr. Tooke and M. Castera, contemporary writers, who inform us that during the wars between the Russians and the Tatars, the Christians fought bravely to the last in the ranks of their Mahomedan benefactors. From the remotest antiquity, the Crimea has been regarded by every enterprising people down to the Genoese and the Venetians, as one of the most important commercial b2

INTRODUCTION.

. positions in the old world. The noblest river in Europe — the Danube — brings to it the productions of Western and Central Europe; the Euxine connects it with the rich countries of Central Asia; the Thracian Bosphorus, with Constantinople, Greece, Italy, and the various countries on the Mediterranean. The Isle of Taman and the Kouban unite it with the Caucasus ; the Sea of Azov with the vast empire of Russia ; thus affording openings and channels for a commerce which can never fail, and must continue to increase a thousand-fold, when the blessings of peace, industry, and civilization shall again be restored to the long-neglected countries of Eastern Europe and Asia. Yet this beautiful peninsula, with all its advantages, has been hitherto as little known and cared for by the nations of the West, as if it had been situated in the heart of China.

Nor are the political advantages of this highlyfavoured peninsula less deserving of attention. Besides Sebastopol, now acknowledged by every competent judge to be one of the strongest naval stations in the world, there are several other splendid harbours, equally well adapted either for the purposes of commerce or mari time defensive positions. If we add to this the well-known fact, that the very winds and currents of the Black Sea all favour a descent from the Crimea on Constantinople, how important is it for those nations interested in the termination of the present eventful war, to provide, now that they have the power, against such a dangerous contingency, knowing as they do, that so long as the Crimea remains in the posses-

INTRODUCTION.

. sion of a great military and naval power like Russia, there can be no hope of preserving the Turkish empire, or any other feeble state in its vicinity. But to return to our historical sketch of the Crimea, the Tatars, like their neighbours the Turks, despised every call ins; except that of arms, leaving the cultivation of the soil and commercial pursuits to the care of their Christian and Jewish subjects. Hence, with no enjoyment more exciting in times of peace than the pleasures of the harem, and giving way to the indolence so characteristic of an A siatic, in pro cess of time they lost much of the vigour of their warlike ancestors, without having acquired, owing to their exclusive habits as Mahometans, the knowledge and intelligence of the Christian nations. Acknowledging the Sultan as the head of their church, and being in some measure dependent upon the Ottoman Porte, they were constantly exposed, in consequence of the geographical position of the country they occupied at the extremity of the Turkish empire, to an attack from the Poles, the Hungarians, and more recently from the Russians, in the eternal wars of these various nations with their old enemy the Turks.

Still, however much the Tatars had diminished in numbers, a fatality which seems peculiar to every Mahometan people, they fought long and bravely in defence of their country, and to the last sustained their reputation of being the finest cavalry soldiers of their day. Nay, even when the whole force of the Russian empire was directed

INTRODUCTION.

. against them, if it had not been for their own civil dissen sions — two parties, the adherents of rival khans, contending for the mastery, without any regard for the interests of their country — they might have defied their enemies. Contemporary writers have recorded many interesting traits in the character of the Tatars of the Crimea. In addition to being the most daring horsemen and skilful swords men in the Turkish army, they were celebrated for their social virtues, their truthfulness, and fidelity to their engagements, their humanity and benevolent feelings to each other. Even in the present day, the traveller who journeys in the Crimea will see with pleasure several charitable institutions still existing, founded by different khans and private individuals. After the forcible occupation of Livonia and Courland, for we cannot call it a conquest, Peter the Great having firmly established himself on the Baltic, turned his attention to the other seas at the extremities of his empire, the Euxine and the Caspian, when his far-seeing mind suggested to him that if ever Russia was to rise on the ruins of Turkey and Persia, he must obtain possession of the Crimean peninsula and the Caucasian isthmus ; and with such admirable perseverance did he pursue his purpose, that, by the treaty of 1724, he saw the dominions of Russia extended to the mouth of the Araxas ! while, at the same time, the Crimea and the Cau casus had become the theatre of incessant contests, waged by his invading armies against the independence of these unhappy countries.

INTRODUCTION.

. 7 Strong in the unity and nationality of her people, with neighbours on one side torn by political dissensions, and on the other by the divisions of race and the animosities of rival creeds, it must be confessed that Russia was placed in a position to enable her to turn their disputes to her own advantage ; and in this respect these evils are rather aggravated than otherwise in our day. Still, with that stealthy wari ness so characteristic of Russian policy, she did not venture to extend her territory till the dissensions and civil wars of her intended victims infonned her they had become incapable of resistance, at the same time always carefully avoiding the possibility of involving herself in a contest with any of the leading powers of Europe. The feeble petty states in her neighbourhood were always her quarry, and to obtain posses sion of these it was only necessary to foment discord among the inhabitants, then, under pretence of assisting her allies, step in and take military possession of their country as pro tector, which was certain to be followed by incorporation into her own dominions.

In this manner she obtained possession of Courland, Livonia, Poland, Georgia, Mingrelia, Immeretia, and those vast countries that once formed an appanage of the khans of the Crimea, besides the number of beautiful provinces she tore from the feeble grasp of Persia and Tur key, far greater in extent than France and Great Britain united. But perhaps nothing shows more strongly the craft and subtlety of the Russian mind than the ability displayed in winning over to her views so many of our European sove-

INTRODUCTION.

. reigns when their assistance is required, neither is it the least remarkable feat of Russian policy to make the inhabitants of nearly every country fight her battles. We might easily imagine that the semi-barbarous tribes of Asia would suc cumb to her arts and intrigues, but it appears scarcely cre dible that any one of our European statesmen could be duped into becoming her tool. She has, however, succeeded, and now firmly seated on the Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Cas pian, she ventures to defy the world in arms ; and all this has been accomplished within the space of a hundred and fifty years ! Does history present any similar example of successful aggrandizement 1 Even now, although Russia would appear to have alienated nearly every European state from her friendship, the chances are, that a power which knows so well how to set friends at variance, will not want assistance when she may find it necessary; and assuredly, if she succeeded in winning to her interests Austria and Prussia, by sharing with them the spoils of Poland, there are a sufficient number of potentates in our day who would not scruple to take a part in the division of Turkey.

We shall, however, for the present cease to speculate on the future destinies of nations, and tell our readers, in the course of this volume, how Russia obtained possession of the Crimea; and while we endeavour to blend amusement with instruction, by engrafting the creations of our own fancy on the great truths of history, we will take care that none of

INTRODUCTION.

. 9 our heroes shall be imaginary ones, but real actors in the drama, such as they appeared, spoke, and performed their part, at the period of which we treat The incidents and scenes depicted in the course of our narrative will also tend to make the reader acquainted with the natural features and general aspect of a country at the present moment of the highest political importance; at the same time, all our allusions to the character, manners, and customs of the inhabitants, their martial games, and mode of warfare, may be depended on as faithful pictures of the Tatars at this eventful period of their history. Deserted by Turkey, with all Christendom as their enemies, and deficient alike in the political knowledge of the West, and the science of war, the struggle of this unfortunate race against the well-disciplined hosts of Russia, for all that man holds dear- — his hearth, his home, and family, nay, his very nationality — presents a succession of romantic scenes of valour sufficiently interesting without the creations of the author's imagination.

As a traveller, we learned to know and appreciate the character of this people, conversing as we did with several of the actors, who, though advanced in years, had figured in the war. We also traversed every part of the countries we describe, and made ourselves acquainted with the traditions of the story-teller and the songs of the bard. With this view, where it could be adopted without interfering with the spirit of our tale, or language of the actors, we strictly adhered to the phraseology of the Tatars; and if the reader

INTRODUCTION.

. should consider it too figurative, let him bear in mind it is the language of an Asiatic. Again, should he quarrel with their philosophical or religious sentiments, he must not forget that the creed they professed was Islamism on the one side, and that of the Greek church on the other. Still he must, in any case, admire the virtues of the pious Mussulman— his extraordinary patience under adversity, the beautiful simplicity of his prayers, the truth and wisdom of his proverbs, which might be adopted and practised with advantage by the most exemplary Christian. Without an exception, the whole of the characters intro duced into the work are historical ; and if we have, in one or two instances, substituted fictitious names, it has been done in deference to the feelings of their descendants — gentlemen whose hospitality we enjoyed during our tour in the Crimea and other parts of the Russian empire.

With respect to the Empress of Russia, Catherine II. ; Joseph IL, Emperor of Austria ; the Turkish Sultan, Abdul- Hamed; Poniatowsky, King of Poland; the rival Khans of the Crimea, Selim-Gherai and Chahyn-Gherai; Prince Po temkin; General Suvorof, and other Russian officers and Tatar chieftains, who are brought under the notice of the reader, their characters are already traced in the ever enduring page of history. And if we have made them hold converse and act their part in our drama of the Fall of the Crimea, we have endeavoured to portray in each the pecu liarities for which they were distinguished through life, and

INTRODUCTION.

. 11 in no instance have we outstripped the bounds of modera tion. We also feel assured that the well-informed student in the history of Russia will do justice to the accuracy of our details respecting the dark and hidden machinery employed by the Empress Catherine and her agent Potemkin, for effect ing the total overthrow of the Tatar monarchy. The eventful life of the Bey Mansour, one of the principal eharacters of the work, owing to the mystery with which Russia envelopes her doings in the East, has been little known in Europe. Yet we can glean sufficient from the Russian bulletins of the war in the Caucasus and Krim- Tatary of that period, as well as the accounts left us by Turkish writers, to convince us he was one of the most re markable men of any age or country. Before he elevated himself, by his talents as a warrior, and his eloquence as a preacher, to the leadership of the Caucasian tribes, Russia had the field entirely to herself, and so admirably had she succeeded in setting tribe against tribe, chieftain against chieftain, that all hope of a reconciliation among the moun taineers, or an attempt to recover their independence, appeared, even to the most sanguine, an impossibility; nay, so ignorant were the inhabitants of the real designs of Russia, and so completely won over to her interests, that they laboured themselves in the construction of the forts and military roads intended to enslave them. Surrounded by chieftains, the pensioners of Russia, pursued by enemies, who tracked his passage through the

INTRODUCTION.

. mountains with the tenacity of a bloodhound, this extra ordinary man, with a perseverance almost superhuman, at length succeeded, by the force of his eloquence, in forming something like a union between the rival chiefs of Daghestan, on the Caspian Sea, where he struck the first blow against the power of Russia, by defeating her armies in nearly every engagement. His fame now rapidly spread into every part of the Caucasus, the Crimea, Turkey, and Persia, till the name of Mansour, the Prophet, became as familiar among the people of these countries as that of Mahomet himself. Now here, now there, as if he bore a charmed life, he was to be seen in the Caucasus and the Crimea, in Turkey and Persia, exhorting the inhabitants to union, and preaching resistance to the common enemy of all. He thus paved the way for the brilliant career of his successor, Schamyl Bey, who has so ably carried out his plans for the liberation of the Cau casian tribes from the grasp of Russia, and so deservedly won the titles of his great predecessor — Sultan, High Priest, and Warrior-Prophet of the Caucasus.

In his physical powers and mental resources, as well as in his eloquence as a preacher, and perhaps, as a warrior, when we remember the difficulties he had to surmount, the Bey Mansour was far superior to Schamyl — a fact admitted both by the Russian and Turkish historians. Schamyl also is indebted to the enlightened mind of his predecessor for the promulgation of a more tolerant form of the Mahometan creed, so well adapted to allay the prejudices of the Caucasian tribes, who, for the

INTRODUCTION.

. 13 most part, still adhere to some of the forms and ceremonies of the Christian Church, a circumstance which, no doubt, has contributed to the success of his mission. With respect to the country of which the Bey Mansour was a native, the world is still ignorant. The Russians maintain he was a renegade Pole in disguise. They ground this assertion on the fact of his speaking the Polish and Russian languages with the fluency of a native, and also on his inti mate acquaintance with the various arts and sciences of Europe — acquirements which they believed no Asiatic could attain, however long he might have resided among the Western nations. This assertion does not agree with the accounts left us by the Turkish historians, who tell us that their hero was the descendant of Mansour, the great warrior sultan, who ruled at one time over Persia, Georgia, Armenia, and the adjoining countries.

Be this as it may, we have followed in our narrative, as the most probable, the opinion of the Russians ; and, in doing this, we have not deviated from a tradition very current among the Cossacks, to the effect that he was a descendant of the Piasts, the ancient Kings of Poland. At all events, it is more romantic, and, what is still more important, it does not interfere with our historical details of the fall of the Crimea. E. SPENCER. Richmond, August, 1854. THE FALL OF THE CRIMEA.

Book I

Let other lands their tower'd cities boast, Their smiling vales and bulwarkguarded coast, Their countless herds and heaps of grain in store, Their glittering gems and piles of golden ore, Their Argosies afloat on every sea, Their kingly pomp and royal blazonry : Our boast and pride shall be that honour' d band Who for their country fell with sword in hand ; Our dearest mem'ries of the deeds they wrought ; Our proudest theme, how gallantly they fought ; Dearer to us than gold the drops they shed, Who foremost in the ranks of Freedom bled, Their bones now whitening in the noon-tide blaze, A nobler monument than hands can raise.

Chapter I

Our history of The Fall of the Crimea commences at Bagtche- Serai, the beautiful capital of the khans of Western Tatary, towards which, at early dawn, a traveller slowly approached. An observer on regarding him could not fail being interested by the splendid animal he rode, not only for its rare beauty as an Arabian, but for the colour, an ebon black, which is seldom met with in the East, and always most highly prized, by the warrior, as it indicates, courage, strength, docility, and power to endure fatigue. The rarity and great value of the stranger's steed but ill accorded with the poverty of his appearance and profession, as his green turban, goat-skin vest, mantle of camel's hair, announced him to be one of those wandering imans, so fre quently met -with in Mahometan countries, a harmless class of devotees, universally respected by rich and poor, and at whose approach hut and palace is alike hospitably thrown open.

Still, notwithstanding the sacred calling of the stranger, there was something about him which told more of the energy of a warrior than the meekness of a Moslem saint. At the same time, it was impossible to behold his gigantic stature, and the singularly fierce expression of his eye, without feeling that you had before you a man who would prove highly formidable as an adversary if encountered single handed. Our traveller, on issuing from the gloomy recesses of one c THE FALL OF THE CRIMEA. of those rocky defiles in the immediate vicinity of the capital, and which skirts the whole of the south coast of the Crimea, entered at once upon a wide-spreading plain, when a scene of unusual splendour burst upon his view. There was the city of the Khan, the far-famed Bagtche-Serai, with its innumerable kiosks, palaces, mosques, minarets, temples, and turreted fortifications, here lining the banks of the Djourouk-sou, there rising up in all their lofty grandeur on the summit of a picturesque range of hill, rock, and mountain, all partially shaded with foliage, and glowing in the first bright rays of an Eastern sun.

In front of this, adding not a little to the interest and beauty of the picture, lay a perfect city of canvas, enlivened by a vast army of cavalry and infantry, performing their evolutions to the martial sound of the swelling trumpet and the loud roll of the European drum. A deep flush crimsoned the sunburnt countenance of the solitary, as his eye ranged over the gorgeous scene before him, betraying the strong agitation he could with difficulty control, and which burst forth in an involuntary groan, as he ex claimed : — " Scourge of the nations ! men of blood and fraud ! whose friendship never yet boded good to friend or foe. Hast thou, then, already found means to rule in a country where thy forefathers were hewers of wood and drawers of water ? Go on ! go on ! bloodhounds of Moscovy ! seek the banquet and sleep on silken cushions, — the hour is not yet come, when the injuries of my race, the wrongs of my kindred, shall be avenged !"

After this burst of angry feeling, the deep-knit, furrowed brow of the stern priest gradually relaxed into its natural expression, as the internal agony of his soul became softened ■ and giving the rein to his steed, he did not slacken his pace till he found himself in the midst of a crowd of gay citizens Summer Palace os the Khan of Krim Tartary at Bagtche-Serai.— p. 19. who, dazzled by the pageantry of the scene, were on their way to behold the review, their happy countenances announcing how much they enjoyed the novel spectacle, and how little they reflected that the exhibition they were about to witness might be said to celebrate their own slavery. Again the dark cloud passed over the soul of the stranger, again the ominous scowl settled on his brow, for wherever he cast his eyes, the traitor chieftains of the Crimea met his view, glittering with Moscovite orders, inflicting a fresh pang on a mind already fevered, on witnessing the degradation of a people once so renowned for their martial spirit, their love of independence, and detestation of foreign rule. ■ Poor deluded people !" murmured he, with a bitter sigh, ■ enjoy yourselves for a little time, ye have not yet tasted the cup which Moscovite treachery is preparing for you !

The fruits of Moscovite protection are not yet matured !" His mind occupied with these gloomy reflections, our traveller continued his route along the banks of the Djourouk-sou towards the magnificent summer palace of the Khan, at this time considered to be one of the most interesting buHdings in the world, both for its great antiquity and the singular style of its architecture. It is not recorded by whom, or at what epoch this remarkable palace was con structed, which blended the Chinese, Arabian, and Moorish architecture. That it must have been a very charming residence is most certain, since we find its beauties and wonders still chanted by the bards of the Caucasus and the Crimea, who also tell us in their legends that it descended from Paradise !. Hence its name, Djennet. " Ahi ! ahi !" sighed the stranger, as he surveyed the magnificent structure, and the fairy beauties of the enchanting landscape around it.