BAKU TO TIFLIS.--THE CAPITAL OF THE CAUCASUS.--MOUNTAIN
TRAVELLING.--CROSSING THE RANGE.--PETROLEUM LOCOMOTIVES.--BATOUM AND ITS
IMPORTANCE.--TREBIZOND AND ERZEROOM.--SEBASTOPOL AND THE CRIMEA.--SHORT
HISTORY OF THE CRIMEAN WAR.--RUSSO-TURKISH WAR OF 1877-78.--BATTLES IN
THE CRIMEA AND SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.--VISITING THE MALAKOFF AND REDAN
FORTS.--VIEW OF THE BATTLE-FIELDS.--CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE AT
BALAKLAVA.--PRESENT CONDITION OF SEBASTOPOL.--ODESSA.--ARRIVAL AT
CONSTANTINOPLE.--FRANK'S DREAM.--THE END.
For fifty miles after leaving Baku the railway follows the coast of the
Caspian Sea until it reaches Alayat, where the Government is
establishing a port that promises to be of considerable importance at no
distant day. The country is a desert dotted with salt lakes, and here
and there a black patch indicating a petroleum spring. The only
vegetation is the camel-thorn bush, and much of the ground is so sterile
that not even this hardy plant can grow. Very little rain falls here,
and sometimes there is not a drop of it for several months together.
At Alayat the railway turns inland, traversing a desert region where
there are abundant indications of petroleum; in fact all the way from
Baku to Alayat petroleum could be had for the boring, and at the latter
place several wells have been successfully opened, though the low price
of the oil stands in the way of their profitable development. After
leaving the desert, a region of considerable fertility is reached. The
streams flowing down from the mountains are utilized for purposes of
irrigation, but very rudely; under a careful system of cultivation the
valley of the Kura River, which the railway follows to Tiflis, could
support a large population.
From Baku to Tiflis by railway is a distance of three hundred and
forty-one miles, and the line is said to have cost, including rolling
stock, about fifty thousand dollars a mile. In the work on the desert
portion many of the laborers died from the effects of the extreme
dryness of the atmosphere. The whole distance from Baku to Batoum, on
the Black Sea, is five hundred and sixty-one miles.
[Illustration: LOOKING DOWN ON THE STEPPE.]
Tiflis is thirteen hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea,
and the point where the railway reaches its greatest elevation is
eighteen hundred feet higher, or thirty-two hundred feet in all. The
grades are very steep; there is one stretch of eight miles where it is
two hundred and forty feet to the mile, and for a considerable distance
it exceeds one hundred feet to the mile. It is proposed to overcome the
steepest grade by a long tunnel which would reduce the highest elevation
to little more than two thousand feet.
Our friends reached Tiflis in the evening, after an interesting ride, in
spite of the monotony of the desert portion of the route. Frank will
tell us the story of their visit to the famous city of the Caucasus.
"We were somewhat disappointed," said he, "with our first view of
Tiflis. We had an impression that it was in the centre of a fertile
plain surrounded by mountains; actually the ground on which it stands
is not fertile, and the surroundings consist of brown hills instead of
mountains. The sides of the hills are barren, and there would hardly be
a shrub or tree in the city were it not for the system of irrigation
which is maintained. The prettiest part of the city is the quarter
occupied by the Germans, where there are rows and groups of trees and a
great many luxuriant gardens. The Germans are descended from some who
came here in the last century to escape religious persecution. Though
born in Tiflis and citizens of Russia, in every sense they preserve
their language and customs, and do not mingle freely with their
Muscovite neighbors.
"There are about one hundred and ten thousand inhabitants in Tiflis;
nearly one-third are Russians, rather more than a third Armenians,
twenty-three thousand Georgians, and the rest are Germans, Persians, and
mixed races in general. Most of the business is in the hands of the
Armenians, and many of them are wealthy; nearly all speak Russian, and
mingle with the Russians more harmoniously than do any of the others.
The Persians live in a quarter by themselves, and it is by no means the
cleanest part of the city. The Georgians preserve their dress and
language, and, though entirely peaceful, are said to maintain the same
hatred to Russia as when fighting to preserve their independence.
"Many of the officials in the Caucasus are Armenians, and some of the
ablest generals of the Russian army belong to the same race. Gen. Loris
Melikoff is an Armenian, and so are Generals Lazareff and Tergoukasoff,
as well as others of less importance. The Armenians have four newspapers
at Tiflis, and four monthly reviews. There are nearly a million of these
people in Russia and the Caucasus, and their treatment is in marked
contrast to that of the eight hundred thousand Armenian subjects of
Turkey who have been most cruelly oppressed by the Sultan and his
officers.
"We had read of the beauty of the Georgians, who used to sell their
daughters to be the wives of the Turks, and naturally looked around us
for handsome faces. We saw them among the men as well as among the
women; and we saw more handsome men than women, perhaps for the reason
that men were much more numerous. The Georgians are a fine race of
people, and so are all the natives of the Caucasus. The mountain air all
the world over has a reputation for developing strength and intelligence
among those who breathe it.
"Since the occupation of Georgia and the other parts of the Caucasus by
Russia, the people are no longer sold as slaves for Turkish masters.
Whatever may be the faults of the Russian rule, it is certainly far in
advance of that of Turkey.
[Illustration: VIEW OF TIFLIS.]
"Tiflis may be said to be in two parts, the old and the new. The former
is on the bank of the river, and its streets are narrow and dirty; the
new part is on higher ground, and has been chiefly built by the Russians
since they obtained possession of the country. In this part the streets
are wide, and lined with many handsome buildings; in the old part there
are several Armenian churches and caravansaries, and the greater portion
of the commerce is transacted there.
"We saw a great many Russian soldiers, and were told that a large
garrison is always maintained in Tiflis, which is a central point from
which troops can be sent in any direction. The Government offices and
the palace of the Governor-general are in the Russian quarter, and of
course there are plenty of Russian churches, with their gilded domes
sparkling in the sunlight.
"We visited one of the churches, and also the Armenian Cathedral; we
tried to see the interior of a mosque, but were forbidden admittance
except on payment of more money than we chose to give. We drove to the
hot baths, which are situated just outside the city; they are largely
patronized, and have an excellent reputation for the relief of gout,
rheumatism, and similar troubles. There are many hot springs in the
neighborhood of Tiflis that have been flowing for centuries, without any
change in temperature or volume.
"We wanted to go overland to Vladikavkaz, for the sake of the journey
among the Caucasus, but our plans were otherwise, and we continued by
railway to Batoum. The mountains of this range are as picturesque as any
we have ever seen. The passes are like those of the Alps or the Sierra
Nevadas, and as we wound along the line of railway to the crest of the
divide, every moment revealed a new and splendid picture. We had distant
views of Elburz and Ararat, two of the most famous mountains of this
region, and greatly regretted our inability to visit the latter, which
is revered as the resting-place of Noah's Ark. Mount Ararat has been
ascended by several travellers; they describe the journey as very
fatiguing, but were amply repaid by the magnificent view from the
summit.
"We left Tiflis dry and dusty, and the dry air remained with us till we
crossed the ridge and began our descent. Then we entered the clouds, and
as we passed below their level found ourselves in a pouring rain. The
western slope of the Caucasus is a rainy region, while the eastern is
dry. Baku has too little rain, and Batoum too much; the western slope is
luxuriant, while the eastern is an arid desert, and the fertility of the
former continues down to the shore of the Black Sea.
[Illustration: THE PASS OF DARIEL, CAUCASUS.]
"Grapes and melons were offered at every station, at prices that were
a marvel of cheapness. Two cents would buy a large melon, and the same
money was gladly accepted for a bunch of grapes which would furnish a
dinner for a very hungry man. A great deal of wine is raised in this
region; three hundred thousand acres are said to be devoted to the
culture of the grape in the Caucasus, and about forty million gallons of
wine are made annually. Wine is plenty and cheap; the Russians refuse to
drink the wine of the Caucasus, just as Californians affect to despise
that of their own State. We are told that a large part of the so-called
foreign wine sold in Tiflis and other cities of the Caucasus is really
the product of the country under fictitious labels.
[Illustration: GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF THE CAUCASUS.]
"We have already mentioned the use of petroleum in the locomotives of
the Trans-Caucasian Railway. Where we stopped for fuel and water the
petroleum-tank was side by side with the water-tank, and there was no
sign of wood-yard or coal-heap. A few minutes charged the tender with
petroleum and water, in separate compartments, and then we moved on,
just as on any other railway line.
"It is delightful riding behind a petroleum locomotive, as there are
neither cinders nor smoke. After the fire is started the furnace door is
not opened; the fireman regards the flame through a hole about two
inches square, and regulates it just as may be desired. They told us
that steam could be more evenly maintained than with coal or wood; there
was no excess of steam while waiting at stations, and consequently no
necessity for 'blowing off.' Wonder what railway in America will be the
first to adopt the new fuel?
"The Trans-Caucasian Railway was begun in 1871; its starting-point was
at Poti, which has a poor harbor and stands in marshy ground, so that
fevers and malaria are altogether too common. In 1878 Russia came into
possession of Batoum, which has a good harbor, and immediately a branch
line sixty miles long was built from that city to connect with the
railway. Now nearly all the business has gone to Batoum. Poti is
decaying very rapidly, but for military reasons it is not likely to be
abandoned.
"By the treaty of Berlin Batoum was made a free port, and the Russians
were forbidden to fortify it; but they have kept the Turkish
fortifications, and not only kept them uninjured, but have repaired
them whenever there were signs of decay. On this subject the following
story is told:
"The casemated fortress which commands the port required to be
strengthened in certain points, and the contractors were asked for
estimates for the work. One man presented an estimate which he headed
'Repairs to Fortifications.' The general commanding the district
immediately sent for the contractor, and said to him,
"'There are no fortifications in Batoum; they are forbidden by the
treaty of Berlin. Your estimates must be for "garrison-barrack repairs."
Remember this in all your dealings with the Government.'
[Illustration: RUINED FORTRESS IN THE CAUCASUS.]
"We were only a few hours in Batoum, as we embraced the opportunity to
embark on one of the Russian Company's steamers for Sebastopol and
Odessa. Batoum is growing very rapidly, and promises to be a place of
great importance in a very few years. The old town of the Turks has
given place to a new one; the Russians have destroyed nearly all the
rickety old buildings, laid out whole streets and avenues of modern
ones, extended the piers running into the sea, drained the marshes that
formerly made the place unhealthy, and in other ways have displayed
their enterprise. We were told that there is a great deal of smuggling
carried on here, but probably no more than at Gibraltar, Hong-Kong, and
other free ports in other parts of the world.
[Illustration: RUINED CHURCH NEAR BATOUM.]
"And now behold us embarked on a comfortable steamer, and bidding
farewell to the Caucasus. Our steamer belongs to the Russian Company of
Navigation and Commerce, which has its headquarters at Odessa; it sends
its ships not only to the ports of the Black Sea, but to the Levantine
coast of the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal to India, and through
the Strait of Gibraltar to England. A line to New York and another to
China and Japan are under consideration; it is probable that the latter
will be established before the Trans-Atlantic one. The company owns more
than a hundred steamers, and is heavily subsidized by the Russian
Government."
The first stop of the steamer was made at Trebizond, the most important
port of Turkey, on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It has a
population of about fifty thousand, and carries on an extensive commerce
with Persia and the interior of Asiatic Turkey. Latterly its commerce
has suffered somewhat by the opening of the Caspian route from Russia
to Persia, but it is still very large.
Frank and Fred had two or three hours on shore at Trebizond, which
enabled them to look at the walls and gardens of this very ancient city.
Frank recorded in his note-book that Trebizond was the ancient
Trapezius, and that it was a flourishing city at the time of Xenophon's
famous retreat, which every college boy has read about in the
"Anabasis." It was captured by the Romans when they defeated
Mithridates. The Emperor Trajan tried to improve the port by building a
mole, and made the city the capital of Cappadocian Pontus.
[Illustration: QUARANTINE HARBOR, TREBIZOND.]
The Trebizond of to-day consists of the old and new town, the former
surrounded by walls enclosing the citadel, and the latter without walls
and extending back over the hills. It has two harbors, both of them
unsafe at certain seasons of the year. A few millions of the many that
Turkey has spent in the purchase of cannon and iron-clad ships of war
would make the port of Trebizond one of the best on the coast of the
Black Sea.
Great numbers of camels, pack-horses, and oxen were receiving or
discharging their loads at the warehouses near the water-front. Fred
ascertained on inquiry that there were no wagon-roads to Persia or the
interior of Asiatic Turkey, but that all merchandise was carried on the
backs of animals. One authority says sixty thousand pack-horses, two
thousand camels, three thousand oxen, and six thousand donkeys are
employed in the Persian trade, and the value of the commerce exceeds
seven million dollars per annum.
[Illustration: VIEW OF ERZEROOM.]
"We are only a hundred and ten miles from Erzeroom," said Fred, "the
city of Turkish Armenia, which is well worth seeing. Wouldn't it be fun
to go there and have a look at a place that stands more than a mile in
the air?"
"Is that really so?" Frank asked; "more than a mile in the air?"
"Yes," replied his cousin, "Erzeroom is six thousand two hundred feet
above the level of the sea, and two hundred feet higher than the plain
which surrounds it. It had a hundred thousand inhabitants at the
beginning of this century, but now has about a third of that number,
owing to the emigration of the Armenians after the war between Turkey
and Russia in 1829. It is frightfully cold in winter and terribly hot in
summer, but for all that the climate is healthy."
"How long will it take us to get there?"
"About fifty hours," was the reply. "We must go on horseback, but can
return in forty hours, as the road descends a great part of the way from
Erzeroom to Trebizond. Isn't it strange that with such an immense trade
as there is between that place and this--for the road to Persia passes
through Erzeroom--the Turks have been content with a bridle-path instead
of a wagon-road, or, better still, a railway. Besides--"
Further discussion of the road to Erzeroom and the possibilities of
travelling it were cut short by the announcement that it was time to
return to the steamer. An hour later our friends saw the coast of
Asiatic Turkey fading in the distance, as the steamer headed for
Southern Russia.
Her course was laid for Sebastopol, the city which is famous for the
long siege it sustained during the Crimean war, and for possessing the
finest natural harbor on the Black Sea. Doctor Bronson suggested that
the youths should dispose of the time of the voyage by reading up the
history of that celebrated war, and particularly of the siege and
capture of Sebastopol.
The weather was fine enough to tempt them to idleness, but Frank and
Fred had a rule that when they had anything to do they would do it.
Accordingly they busied themselves with the books at their command, and
made the following condensed account of the contest of Russia with the
nations of Western Europe:
"The Crimea was conquered by Russia in the time of Catherine the Great,
and immediately after the conquest the Russians began to fortify the
harbor of Sebastopol (Sacred City). When they went there they found only
a miserable Tartar village called Akhtiar; they created one of the
finest naval and military ports in the world, and built a city with
broad streets and handsome quays and docks. In 1850 it had a population
of about fifty thousand, which included many soldiers and marines,
together with workmen employed in the Government establishments.
"In 1850 there was a dispute between France and Russia relative to the
custody of the holy places in Palestine; there had been a contention
concerning this matter for several centuries, in which sometimes the
Greek Church and sometimes the Latin had the advantage. In 1850, at the
suggestion of Turkey, a mixed commission was appointed to consider the
dispute and decide upon it.
"The Porte, as the Turkish Government is officially designated, issued
in March, 1852, a decree that the Greek Church should be confirmed in
the rights it formerly held, and that the Latins could not claim
exclusive possession of any of the holy places. It allowed them to have
a key to the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, and to certain other
buildings of minor importance.
[Illustration: TURKISH AUTHORITY.]
"If you want to know how the Christian churches are now quarrelling
about the sacred places in the East, read Chapters XXII., XXIII., and
XXIV. of 'The Boy Travellers in Egypt and the Holy Land.'
"France accepted the decision, though she did not like it; Russia
continued to demand that the Latin monks should be deprived of their
keys, and finally insisted that the Czar should have a protectorate over
the Greek Christians in Turkey. The Porte said such a protectorate
would interfere with its own authority, and refused the demand;
thereupon the Russian Minister left Constantinople on the 21st of May,
1853.
"This may be considered the beginning of the war between Russia and
Turkey, though there was no fighting for several months.
"France came to the aid of Turkey; England came to the aid of Turkey and
France. Representatives of England, France, Austria, and Prussia met at
Vienna and agreed upon a note which Russia accepted; Turkey demanded
modifications which Russia refused; Turkey declared war against Russia
on the 5th of October, and Russia declared war against Turkey on the 1st
of November.
"A Turkish fleet of twelve ships was lying at Sinope, a port on the
southern shore of the Black Sea. On the 30th of November the Russians
sent a fleet of eleven ships from Sebastopol which destroyed the Turkish
fleet, all except one ship that carried the news to Constantinople. Then
the allied fleets of the French and English entered the Black Sea, and
the war began in dead earnest. For some months it was confined to the
Danubian principalities and to the Baltic Sea; on the 14th of September,
1854, the allied army landed at Eupatoria, in the Crimea, and the extent
of their preparations will be understood when it is known that forty
thousand men, with a large number of horses and a full equipment of
artillery, were put on shore in a single day!
"On the 20th of September the battle of the Alma was fought by
fifty-seven thousand English, French, and Turkish troops, against fifty
thousand Russians. The battle began at noon, and four hours later the
Russians were defeated and in full retreat. The Russians lost five
thousand men, and the Allies about three thousand four hundred; the
Allies might have marched into Sebastopol with very little resistance,
but their commanders were uncertain as to the number of troops defending
the city, and hesitated to make the attempt.
"On the 17th of October the siege began. A grand attack was made by the
Allies, but was unsuccessful, and eight days later the famous charge of
the Light Brigade at Balaklava was made. On the 5th of November the
Russians attacked the Allies at Inkermann, and were repulsed. The battle
of Inkermann was fought in a fog by forty thousand Russians against
fifteen thousand French and English. The latter had the advantage of
position and weapons; the Allies frankly credited the Russian troops
with the greatest bravery in returning repeatedly to the attack as their
battalions were mowed down by the steady fire of the defenders.
"During the winter the siege was pushed, and the allied army suffered
greatly from cholera, cold, and sickness. The siege continued during
spring and summer; the Allies made an unsuccessful attack on the
Malakoff and Redan forts on the 18th of June, 1855, and all through the
long months there were daily conflicts between the opposing armies.
"The Russians sunk several ships of their fleet in the harbor of
Sebastopol soon after the battle of the Alma, but retained others for
possible future use. On the 8th of September the French captured the
Malakoff fort, the English at the same time making an unsuccessful
attack on the Redan. The Russians evacuated Sebastopol during the night,
crossing over to the north side of the harbor, burning or sinking their
fleet, and destroying their military stores.
"This gave the Allies the possession of the city, and though the two
armies confronted each other for some time, there was never any serious
fighting after that. Other warlike operations were conducted along the
Russian shores of the Black Sea. Proposals of peace were made by Austria
with the consent of the Allies, and finally, on the 30th of March, 1856,
the treaty of peace was signed at Paris. The Allies had begun the
destruction of the docks at Sebastopol, but so extensive were those
works that with all the engineering skill at their command they were not
through with it until July 9th, when they evacuated the Crimea."
"Will that do for a condensed history of the Crimean War?" said Frank,
as the result of their labors was submitted to the Doctor.
"It will do very well," was the reply. "Perhaps some of your
school-mates who are not fond of history may be inclined to skip, but I
think the majority of readers will thank you for giving it."
"Perhaps they would like a few words on the war between Turkey and
Russia in 1877-78," said Fred. "If you think so we will give it."
Doctor Bronson approved the suggestion, and an hour or two later Fred
submitted the following:
"In 1875 and '76 there were disturbances in Constantinople and in
several provinces of European Turkey. The Sultan of Turkey was deposed,
and either committed suicide or was murdered. There were revolts in
Herzegovina and Bulgaria, and the troops sent to suppress these revolts
committed many outrages. Servia and Montenegro made war upon Turkey on
behalf of the Christian subjects of the Porte; Russia came to the
support of Servia and Montenegro. There was a vast deal of diplomacy, in
which all the great powers joined, and on several occasions it looked as
though half of Europe would be involved in the difficulty.
[Illustration: VIEW OF SEBASTOPOL.]
"Turkey and Servia made peace on March 1, 1877. The principal nations of
Europe held a conference, and made proposals for reforms in Turkey
which the Porte rejected. Russia declared war against Turkey April 24,
1877, and immediately entered the Turkish dominions in Roumania and
Armenia.
[Illustration: RUINS OF THE MALAKOFF, SEBASTOPOL.]
"The war lasted until March 3, 1878, when a treaty of peace was made at
San Stefano, near Constantinople. Many battles were fought during the
war, and the losses were heavy on both sides; the severest battles were
those of the Shipka Pass and of Plevna. The fortune of war fluctuated,
but on the whole the successes were on the side of Russia, and her
armies finally stood ready to enter Constantinople. Her losses were said
to have been fully one hundred thousand men, and the cost of the war was
six hundred million dollars.
"After the war came the Berlin Conference of 1878, which gave
independence to some of the countries formerly controlled by Turkey,
made new conditions for the government of others, regulated the
boundaries between Russia and Turkey, giving the former several ports
and districts of importance, and required the Porte to guarantee certain
rights and privileges to her Christian subjects. England interfered, as
she generally does, to prevent Russia from reaping the full advantages
she expected from the war, and altogether the enterprise was a very
costly one for the government of the Czar."
"A very good summary of the war," said the Doctor. "You have disposed of
an important phase of the 'Eastern Question' with a brevity that some of
the diplomatic writers would do well to study. You might add that for
two centuries Russia has had her eye on Constantinople, and is
determined to possess it; England is equally determined that Russia
shall not have her way, and the other powers are more in accord with
England than with Russia."
The steamer entered the harbor of Sebastopol, and made fast to the dock.
Frank and Fred observed that the port was admirably defended by forts at
the entrance. Doctor Bronson told them the forts which stood there in
1854 were destroyed by the Allies after the capture of the city, but
they have since been rebuilt and made stronger than ever before.
As they neared the forts that guard the entrance of the harbor, a
Russian officer who was familiar with the locality pointed out several
objects of interest. "On the left," said he, "that pyramid on the low
hill indicates the battle-field of Inkermann; still farther on the left
is the valley of the Alma; those white dots near the Inkermann pyramid
mark the site of the British cemetery, and close by it is the French
one. In front of you and beyond the harbor is the mound of the Malakoff,
and beyond it are the Redan and the Mamelon Vert. Those heaps of ruins
are the walls of the Marine Barracks and Arsenal; they are rapidly
disappearing in the restoration that has been going on since 1871, and
in a few years we hope to have them entirely removed."
There was quite a crowd at the landing-place, variously composed of
officers, soldiers, and mujiks; the former for duty or curiosity, and
the mujiks scenting a possible job. Our friends proceeded directly to
the hotel, which was only two or three hundred yards from the
landing-place. As soon as they had selected their rooms and arranged the
terms for their accommodation, Dr. Bronson told the proprietor that they
wished a carriage and a guide as soon as possible. A messenger was
despatched at once for the carriage, while the guide was summoned from
another part of the house.
"I suppose you will go first to the cemetery," said the host of the
establishment.
"We don't care for the cemetery," said the Doctor, "until we have seen
everything else. If there is any time remaining, we may have a look at
it."
"Then you are Americans," exclaimed the landlord. "All Englishmen coming
here want to go first to the cemetery as they have friends buried there,
but Americans never care for it."
Doctor Bronson smiled at this mode of ascertaining the nationality of
English-speaking visitors, and said it had been remarked by previous
visitors to Sebastopol.
[Illustration: RUSSIAN CARPENTERS AT WORK.]
When the guide and carriage were ready, the party started on its round
of visits. From the bluff they looked down upon the harbor, which was
lined with workshops and bordered in places by a railway track, arranged
so that ships were laden directly from the trains, and trains from the
ships. The railway connects with the entire system of the Empire. Doctor
Bronson said that if it had existed at the time of the war, the capture
of Sebastopol would have been out of the question. Russia had then only
a primitive means of communication by wagon-road; she had an abundance
of men and war material, but no adequate mode of transportation. The
Crimean war taught her the necessity of railways, and she has since
acted upon the lesson for which she paid such a high price.
[Illustration: COSSACKS AND CHASSEURS.]
Frank and Fred climbed quickly to the top of the Malakoff, and the
Doctor followed demurely behind them. The lines which marked the saps
and mines of the Allies have been nearly all filled up, and the traces
of the war are being obliterated. From the top of the casemate the guide
pointed out many places of interest. With considerable animation he
told how for twenty years after the war the ruins of the city remained
pretty nearly as they were when the Allies evacuated the Crimea; whole
squares of what had once been fine buildings were nothing but heaps of
stones. But now Sebastopol is being restored to her former beauty, and
every year large areas of the ruins are making way for new structures.
"Sebastopol will be a greater city than it ever was before," said Doctor
Bronson, as they stood on the Malakoff. "It was a naval port before, and
not a commercial one; now it is both naval and commercial, and by
glancing at the map of the Black Sea you can perceive the advantages of
its position."
Then the guide pointed out the new dock-yards and barracks, the
warehouses and docks of "The Russian Company of Navigation and
Commerce," the railway-station close to the shore of the harbor, and the
blocks of new buildings which were under construction.
Then he showed the positions of Inkermann, the Tchernaya, and the Redan,
and indicated the lines of the French and English attack. When the scene
had been sufficiently studied, the party returned to the carriage and
continued their ride. The driver was instructed to go to Balaklava,
stopping on the way to show them the spot which history has made famous
for the charge of the Light Brigade.
As they passed along the level plateau or plain of Sebastopol, they saw
everywhere traces of the camps of the armies that besieged the city. The
guide showed the route of the railway which connected the harbor of
Balaklava with the camp, the wagon-roads built by the Allies, the
redoubts that served as defences against attacks in the rear, and the
ridges of earth which marked the positions of the huts where officers
and soldiers had their quarters during the terrible winter of 1854-55.
Naturally the conversation turned upon the charge of the Light Brigade.
One of the youths asked the Doctor what he thought of it.
"There has been a great deal of controversy about the matter," was the
reply. "It is difficult to arrive at the exact facts, as Captain Nolan,
who brought the order for the cavalry to advance, was killed in the
charge. Comparing the statements of all concerned in issuing, receiving,
and executing the order, it is evident that the order was 'blundered'
somewhere. This was the understanding immediately after the controversy;
Tennyson's poem on the affair originally contained the following:
"'Then up came an order
Which some one had blundered.'
Afterwards these lines were stricken out, and do not appear in the poem
as printed in the editions of Tennyson's works.
[Illustration: BRITISH SOLDIERS IN CAMP.]
"The commander of the French army justly remarked of this charge,
_'C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre_' ("It is magnificent,
but it is not war"). Twelve thousand Russians had attacked the English
with the intention of taking Balaklava and its port, but they were
compelled to retire to the end of the valley. They had re-formed, with
their artillery in front, and infantry and cavalry immediately behind.
By the misunderstanding of the order of Lord Raglan, the British
commander-in-chief, Lord Lucan, who commanded the cavalry division,
ordered Lord Cardigan to charge with his light cavalry.
"In other words the light cavalry, six hundred and seventy strong, were
to attack twelve thousand Russians with thirty cannon on their front.
The charge was over a plain a mile and a half long, and the Russians had
a battery of field artillery on each side of the valley within
supporting distance of that at the end. Consequently there is an
excellent description of the scene in Tennyson's lines,
"'Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them,
Volley'd and thunder'd.'
"The charge was made very reluctantly by Lord Cardigan, as you may well
believe, but he had no alternative other than to obey the order of his
superior. There was never a more brilliant charge. The column advanced
at a trot for the first half of the distance, and afterwards at a
gallop; the Russian cannon made huge gaps in the ranks, but they were
closed up, and on and on swept the heroes, up to and beyond the Russian
cannon--
"'Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke,
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.'
[Illustration: ALFRED TENNYSON.]
"According to one authority, out of six hundred and seventy British
horsemen that went to the charge, only one hundred and ninety-eight
returned. Another authority gives the total loss in killed, wounded, and
captured as four hundred and twenty-six. Five hundred and twenty horses
were lost in the charge."
"Here is Balaklava," said the guide, as the carriage stopped at a turn
in the road overlooking the valley.
Our friends stepped from the vehicle and sat down upon a little mound of
earth, where they tried to picture the scene of the dreadful October day
of 1854. Of the actors and spectators of that event very few are now
alive.
The Doctor completed the recitation of the poem, and his youthful
listeners felt down to the depths of their hearts the full force of the
closing lines:
"Honor the brave and bold,
Long shall the tale be told,
Yea, when our babes are old,
How they rode onward.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade!
Noble six hundred!"
From the battle-field the party went to the village of Balaklava and
hired a row-boat, in which they paddled about the little, landlocked
harbor, and out through its entrance till they danced on the blue waters
of the Euxine Sea. Frank and Fred could hardly believe that the narrow
basin once contained a hundred and fifty English and French ships; it
seemed that there was hardly room for a third of that number.
[Illustration: A BROKEN TARANTASSE.]
On their return journey they passed a party with a broken tarantasse.
They stopped a moment and offered any assistance in their power, but
finding they could be of no use they did not tarry long. When they
reached Sebastopol the sun had gone down in the west, and the stars
twinkled in the clear sky that domed the Crimea. The next morning they
rambled about the harbor and docks of the city, and a little past noon
were steaming away in the direction of Odessa.
A day was spent in this prosperous city, which has a population of
nearly two hundred thousand, on a spot where at the end of the last
century there was only a Tartar village of a dozen houses, and a small
fortress of Turkish construction. Odessa has an extensive commerce, and
the ships of all nations lie at its wharves. Its greatest export trade
is in wheat, which goes to all parts of the Mediterranean, and also to
England. The Black Sea wheat formerly found a market in America, but all
that has been changed in recent years through the development of the
wheat-growing interest in our Western States and on the Pacific Coast.'
Immediately on their arrival they sent their passports to receive the
proper permission for leaving the country. Everything was arranged in
the course of the day, and on the following afternoon they embarked on a
steamer that carried them to Constantinople.
[Illustration: THE BOSPORUS.]
The second morning after leaving Odessa they entered the Bosporus, the
strait which separates Europe and Asia, and connects the waters of the
Black Sea with the Sea of Marmora and the Mediterranean. As they looked
at the beautiful panorama, which shifted its scene with every pulsation
of the steamer's engine, Frank said he had had a dream during the night
which was so curious that he wanted to tell it.
"What was it?" the Doctor asked.
"I dreamed," said Frank, "that England and Russia had become friends,
and made up their minds to work together for the supremacy of the world.
England had supplied the money for completing the railway to India; she
had built a tunnel under the British Channel, and it was possible to
ride from London to Calcutta or Bombay without changing cars. The Turks
had been expelled from Europe; European Turkey was governed by a Russian
prince married to an English princess; the principality had its capital
at Constantinople, and a guarantee of neutrality like that of Belgium,
to which all the great powers had assented. War and commercial ships of
all nations could pass the Bosporus and Dardanelles as freely as through
the Suez Canal, and the restrictions made by the treaty of Paris were
entirely removed. England and Russia had formed an offensive and
defensive alliance, and all the rest of the world had been ordered to
keep the peace. And they were keeping it, too, as they dreaded the
combined power of England's money and Russia's men."
"A very pretty fancy!" said the Doctor. "What a pity it was all a
dream!"
THE END.
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[Illustration: MAP SHOWING THE
RUSSIAN EMPIRE
ROUTES
AS DESCRIBED BY
"THE BOY TRAVELLERS."]