CIRCASSIAN MEN AND WOMEN.
Our life here is full of quaint contrasts--a curious mixture of
wildness and civilisation. The days are passed in wild rides amidst
the hills and mountains, the dash of danger that attends them adding
zest to the interest of seeing scenery, magnificent in the sublimity
of its savage grandeur, and exquisitely lovely in the tender beauty
of its sequestered valleys and fern-clad forests.
At eight o'clock the scene changes, and we find ourselves in the
midst of a most kind and agreeable little society, where music and
dancing and merry talk make the hours pass much too quickly. The
little world of Soukoum is of course very limited, but it comprises
so many charming and clever people that one cannot help regretting
that some of them should, like the flowers in the desert, be destined
to bloom so far away from the more frequented haunts of men.
General B----, the Governor, is unmarried, but the Admiral's young
wife, Madame G----, aided by her pretty sister, Mlle. Olga J----,
contrives to make her rough Circassian house as attractive as if it
were in Paris or St. Petersburg.
Mr. D---- is an excellent musician, and Count S----'s mazurkas and
valses are so brilliant that a dancing spirit invariably comes upon
all who hear them. Then there is a doctor, the merriest of men, who
plays heartrending melodies upon the flute. Unluckily, however, in
the midst of the plaintive death-strains of Edgardo and Desdemona,
we catch sight of the brightest pair of little black Tartar eyes,
twinkling with such a droll expression over the music, that instead
of crying we all begin to laugh, which, it must be admitted, spoils
the effect the musician intended to produce.
Last, though not least amongst our kind and charming friends, is the
Princess Constantine S----, a young Russian from Moscow, who has
lately married the brother of the reigning Prince of Abasia. Very
young, very pretty, and accustomed to the luxuries and gaieties of
a capital, she has accepted the difficulties of her life here with
a good sense and with a sweetness of temper that have already done
wonders in her Circassian household.
The Prince was, unfortunately for us, with his brother at Shamshesherai
during our stay at Soukoum, but the friendly, even affectionate
hospitality we received from Princess Constantine and her family,
while it gave increased charm to our visit, added much to the pain
we felt when the time came for saying the cruel word, "farewell."
How often we have thought since of the merry hours we spent together
in that barn-like house. Though pretty outside, from the climbing
plants and fine trees by which it was shaded, it would be difficult
to find anything more comfortless than the interior. Great bare rooms,
without ceilings, and where the rats sometimes run across the rafters,
a general untidiness, and often also a want of cleanliness, make
Circassian houses, though the owners may be very wealthy, anything
but inviting to a foreigner. Princess Constantine and her mother had
effected many improvements, especially with regard to cleanliness and
order, but still the aspect of her home was cheerless in the extreme.
The salon was a large, whitewashed room, containing a table, a couple
of sofas, and a few chairs that seemed to add to the dreariness of
the long wall against which they were arranged; but there was a good
piano, though unhappily it had occasionally to serve as sideboard
and as a stand for several books.
The Princess's bedroom was somewhat more furnished, though scarcely
more comfortable. The wooden planks of which the walls were made let
in the wind through every joint, so that immense Persian rugs were
stretched round the bed to keep off the intrusive breezes.
The dressing-table was like an oasis in the desert, so gay was it with
lace and muslin; its grand gold toilette-service and looking-glass, set
with rubies, seeming quite out of place in so comfortless an apartment.
The walls were hung with the Prince's magnificent arms and
accoutrements. Some of the high-peaked Abasian saddles were very
gorgeous, being covered with crimson velvet embroidered with gold. The
arms would have excited the envy of many a Parisian "elegant," so fine
was the temper of the sword-blades and daggers, and so beautiful were
the jewelled hilts and scabbards.
The poor Princess gave a half-melancholy, half-ludicrous account of her
first arrival from Moscow, and of her despair at the poverty-stricken,
desolate appearance of her new home.
She has by degrees succeeded in introducing a little more order
and comfort in the household, and hopes some day to have furniture;
but in the present unsettled state of affairs, it is thought more
prudent to avoid anything like display or expense.
She tells us that her brother-in-law, Prince Michael, who, besides
being very rich, has also a salary from Russia as Governor of Abasia,
keeps up a considerable amount of state at Shamshesherai.
The ladies of the family, though nominally Christians, retain
nevertheless many of their Mohammedan customs. They never appear in
public unveiled, and though allowed to see their male relatives,
they lead a very secluded life, apart from the men, passing their
time in smoking, making sweetmeats, and arranging their dresses. They
receive little or no education, and speak neither Russ nor any other
European language.
Our friend tells us that although very great beauties are sometimes
seen, yet in her opinion Circassian women are not generally
good-looking, and that the Abasians are decidedly plain. Certainly
at present we have not seen one native woman with any claims to beauty.
The national dress, also, does not heighten their charms. They usually
wear loose Turkish trousers, made of white cotton, and a peculiarly
frightful upper garment of some dark cloth, made precisely like the
coats worn by High Church clergymen--tight and straight, and buttoned
from the throat to the feet. A striped shawl is sometimes twisted
round them like an apron. A blue gauze veil is thrown over the head,
and their hair, which is generally long and thick, is worn in two
heavy plaits that hang down behind.
The beauties who obtain such great reputation in Constantinople and
the West almost invariably come from Georgia and the valleys near
El-Barouz. In those districts the women have magnificent eyes and
fair complexions.
It must be admitted, also, that we have arrived too late in the season
to see the good-looking girls. In short, they have all been sold.
Early in the year certain traders arrive from time to time, and it
is rumoured that Circassian parents do not object to dispose of their
daughters for a consideration. It is said also that the fair damsels
themselves, far from making difficulties, are delighted to escape from
the tedium of home-life, and to take their chance of being purchased
by a rich pasha.
Although Prince Constantine's house was so badly furnished, so devoid
of ordinary comforts, still there was a sort of Eastern grandeur in the
multitude of servants and retainers who were attached to the household.
Land here is almost valueless, for Nature is so bountiful that her
wild fruits, and a little Indian corn, with the addition of poultry
that seem to feed and take care of themselves, amply suffice for the
support of the inhabitants.
A great man's wealth is, therefore, estimated by the number of serfs
he possesses, rather than by the extent of his territory.
The serfs are bound to supply their lord with a certain quantity of
wood, poultry, and service, the latter duty being generally compounded
for by one of the family becoming a permanent servant or workman in
the household of their prince. The lord, on his side, bestows land
and protection on his retainers.
Serfdom is not so galling here as it was in Russia, for the owner
has no power, or at any rate it is not the custom, to sell his serfs;
he may remove them from one part of his property to another, but even
such a measure would be considered tyrannical.
In fact, serfdom in Circassia very much resembles clanship as it
was in old times in Scotland. Each man is proud of his connection
with his chief, and the chief considers himself bound to protect and
avenge the wrongs of his followers.
Like the old Scottish chieftains, also, the Circassian princes,
though possessing numerous bodies of retainers, and often vast tracts
of country, are but scantily supplied with coin, and have but little
means at their disposal for the due education of their sons, or for
enabling them to obtain the cultivation of mind, as well as manners,
that can be gained by seeing other countries.
From time to time the Emperor summons some of the young men to
St. Petersburg. They there receive a certain amount of training and
education, but like most half-civilised people, the young princes
are, with few exceptions, so devoted to the wild life they have
been accustomed to lead amidst their native mountains, that going to
St. Petersburg is by no means popular.
Perhaps, also, it is considered but as another name for banishment;
for occasionally, when the reigning family is supposed to be too
influential, pretexts have easily been found for retaining the young
heirs at the Russian Court.
The Prince of M---- and his mother have thus been for years in Russia,
in spite of all their efforts to obtain permission to return to
their own country. They remain in a sort of honourable captivity,
receiving a large pension, while their estates at home are managed
by the Russian Government.
The Princess, we were told, is a woman of remarkable talent and of
very enlightened views. By her judicious measures she had effected
considerable improvement amongst her people, but, unhappily for her,
she was some years ago suspected, or accused, of corresponding with
Schamyl, and was therefore at once removed from temptation. Her
palace and gardens were at one time renowned for their beauty, but
during the occupation of the country by the Turks, the palace was
plundered and the gardens were destroyed, though Omar Pasha did his
best to save them.
The invading army was on the whole harmless compared with the lawless
bands of camp-followers, who, hovering on the flanks and rear of the
Turkish troops, ravaged the unfortunate country, burning and destroying
as they passed, when they found no more booty was to be obtained.
A few days after our arrival, we were painfully reminded of the
insecurity of the country, by the intelligence that the body of a
soldier had been found in the pretty valley we had crossed on our
ride towards the mountains.
A party had been sent out to cut firewood; the unfortunate man
strayed away from his comrades, and was missing when the detachment
returned. His body was discovered this morning, shot through the
head with a Circassian bullet. Though nominally in possession of the
Russians, Circassia is still in a very disturbed state. The mountain
fastnesses are held by the Circassians, and until roads are made,
morasses drained, and the plains and valleys that lie between the
mountains and the sea are inhabited and cultivated, predatory bands can
traverse the country at their will, making it unsafe for any foreigner
to venture beyond the protection of the Russian forts and pickets.
Even strangers can see that Circassia, like a lovely wild animal,
must be tamed rather than beaten, and that roads and harbours will
avail far more towards her complete subjection than the intimidating
presence of a vast standing army.
Though the Abasians have now for some years been Russian subjects,
their sympathies are with their highland brethren, and it is well
known that they aid and abet the guerilla war that so incessantly
harasses the district. The Russian officers declare that this species
of hidden warfare is most trying to the troops. It brings neither
honour nor profit, and the hatred that is felt by the Circassians is
heartily returned by their conquerors.
In Georgia this ill-feeling does not exist. The people have shown
themselves much more amenable to foreign rule. The Georgians are more
indolent and less warlike than their neighbours in Circassia, and
also have a great tie with Russia in being members of the same church.
The religion of the Circassians is shrouded in much mystery. Apparently
they acknowledge no Supreme Being, they have no saints, nor do they
observe any sacred days. Sometimes they sacrifice a chicken, though
to whom, or for what, nobody knows. Some profess, however, a species
of Mohammedanism, though they are absolutely disowned by all good
Moslems, who consider such co-religionists a disgrace, and call them
heretics and pagans of the worst description. They are amongst the
few people in the world who make use of no sort of ceremony, even on
occasion of a marriage. A certain price having been covenanted for,
the father takes his daughter to her new home, and there leaves her,
having received the gun, or horse, for which she is considered the
fair equivalent. A mountain woman is valuable, as she is an excellent
beast of burden, and a very hard-working slave.
From all we hear of the mountaineers, they seem to be a haughty,
reserved people, proud of their poverty, of their unspotted lineage,
and of their dauntless courage. Loving their wild country with
passionate devotion, no reverses dishearten them. War is both their
duty and their happiness, and at the cry of such a leader as Schamyl,
they flock eagerly around his standard, prepared to suffer or to die
in defence of their beloved prince, and of the wild liberty that is
far dearer to them than life.
Few characters of modern days are invested with such romantic
interest--nay, even at one time, with such mysterious interest--as
that of Schamyl. Born in prosaic modern times, his life presents all
the attributes of the hero of the middle ages. Endowed with personal
beauty and strength rare even amongst the hardy tribe of which he
was the chief, Nature had bestowed upon him another gift, yet more
precious. She had given him the rare tact, the wondrous charm that
wins personal love, and that enables men, and sometimes women, to rule
mankind with absolute power. It is that love which makes men rush to
death with heroic rapture, eager to shed their blood at the bidding
of their beloved leader. The very faults also in Schamyl's character
endeared him to his followers, or rather he adroitly contrived that
they should be the means of binding his people still more closely
to him.
Naturally of a morbid and melancholy disposition, he was at times
subject to gusts of stormy passion that awed and subdued all those
who witnessed the terrific bursts of rage which transformed the
stern, calm man into a wrathful demon. Woe to him who aroused the
dread spirit! The strongest men quailed before the furious glance,
the mighty arm of their terrible chief. It is reasonable to suppose
that these outbursts were but the effects of insanity, for during
one attack of ferocious rage the unhappy man slew his young wife and
infant child, to both of whom he had been tenderly attached. It is
said that though in after-years many other wives filled his harem,
never again did any woman gain that place in his heart which had been
occupied by the young girl whom he had done to death with his own hand.
Not only did the great strength and wild fury of Schamyl awe his
people into subjection, he skilfully led them to believe that on
him the mantle of the Prophet had descended, and that in spirit he
was constantly conveyed to the presence of the Almighty, there to
receive the commands of the Divine Will. The wild ravings, therefore,
that fell from his lips were treasured by his followers as direct
communications from heaven.
Schamyl no doubt possessed sufficient control over himself to have some
method in his madness, and contrived that his sentences should convey
threats, encouragement, and orders calculated to strengthen his power
amongst wild and independent people. It is difficult to ascertain,
from the many conflicting statements, whether he was a Mohammedan or
not; probably he found a certain amount of religious fervour of great
utility in augmenting his influence amongst the more distant tribes,
and he succeeded in making them believe in him as in a leader directly
inspired by Heaven.
However visionary may have been Schamyl's claims to be a great prophet,
there is no doubt that his talents as a soldier and as a politician
were of a very high order.
The dark hour passed, who so thoughtful for his people--who so tender
to his soldiers as this wild mountaineer? It is related of him that he
often tended the wounded and sick with his own hand. He lived amidst
his troops, sharing their privations and their danger, and was ever
foremost in the fight. He rushed to the attack with a confidence
that inspired his followers with unlimited faith, and for years it
was believed that whenever Schamyl led in person victory was certain.
Besides this dauntless courage, all the Russian generals agree that he
was a great and skilful strategist. Possessing a thorough knowledge
of his native mountains, his positions were chosen with consummate
judgment, and rarely did he make an attack unless fairly certain of
the result. For years did he baffle the strong force and the renowned
generals that Russia sent against him.
From his stronghold of Dargi-Vedenna, in Daghistan, he issued his
mandates, which were carried out with unquestioning obedience by the
devoted tribes.
At length time, unceasing attacks, and the tremendous power of money
and strength began to tell. What could a few poor, brave, diminishing
highland tribes do against the mighty Empire of All the Russias? The
extent of Schamyl's dominions dwindled to the barren, bleak mountain
sides in the heart of the Caucasus; but here his stronghold seemed
impregnable, and but for treachery, perhaps, he might still be reigning
in his wild mountain fortress. In an evil hour for him, he admitted
to his friendship a foreigner, who basely betrayed the trust reposed
in him, and, after months of starvation and suffering, the noble old
warrior and the remains of his band were delivered over to captivity.
To the credit of the Russian Government, their prisoners were treated
with the utmost kindness and consideration, and Schamyl has found a
friend in the Czar, and a home at the Russian Court.
For the benefit of the country itself, it is greatly to be desired that
Russia should speedily obtain possession of the whole of Circassia,
and its adjacent provinces, but all the romantic sympathies of one's
nature are stirred by the history of the few poor, brave men who fought
to the death to preserve their liberty in their wild mountain homes.
Though the tribes who more immediately owned Schamyl's supremacy have
been mainly destroyed, there are still many others who are as thorns
in the sides of the Government.
The very fact of so distinguished a commander as General B----
being appointed to Soukoum is ominous of more than usual danger and
difficulty. His presence denotes that there are grave apprehensions
entertained that another desperate effort may be made by some of the
most disaffected. It is earnestly to be hoped that the threatening
storm may be averted in time. Such outbursts are most disastrous,
and until they can be effectually checked no permanent improvement
can be made in this lovely country.
Not only is General B---- a brave and distinguished soldier, he is
a kind, generous-hearted man, and having passed the greater part
of his life in the Caucasus, knows both the country and its many
dialects thoroughly.
He has held several military commands, and has also been employed
diplomatically both in Turkey and Persia, for he has the rare talent
of speaking six Eastern languages, besides French, German, and Russ.
General B---- is by birth a Livonian, but has not seen his native
country for nearly thirty years. He is now quite acclimated, and
settled here, and not only have the wild beauties of his adopted home
become very dear to him, but he also loves the stormy, adventurous
life he leads. General B---- speaks in the highest terms of Prince
Bariatinsky, who, he considers, has done more for Russia and for
Russian interests in the last few years than any of the other
commanders-in-chief have succeeded in doing for upwards of fifty.
Besides being an excellent soldier, the Prince is also a forbearing
and judicious governor. The conciliatory measures he has adopted with
the inhabitants of the conquered places have done much (especially in
Georgia) towards establishing a friendly feeling between them and the
Russian Government, and should this good understanding gain ground,
and the distracted people once really know the blessings of peace,
Russia may hope to see the country that has so long been merely a
battle-field, costing treasures of blood and money, converted into
a very mine of wealth, yielding abundance of corn and cattle from
her rich valleys, and a mighty harvest of minerals from the vast
storehouse of her mountains.