During their long marches, in spite of their distance from the magazines, the troops were well supplied with provisions; and not a single convoy was intercepted, though they had to traverse one of the most difficult countries in the world. The army always carried one month's provisions on carts, and these were replenished by whatever the troops were able to collect. An ingenious plan was adopted, of having mills on waggons, which ground the corn as they marched. They did not indeed entirely succeed, but it was a novel idea, and might be turned to good account, if some improvements were made in their construction.

CHAP. VII.

GENERAL PASKIEWITCH'S DESPATCHES.

SUBMISSION OF

AGAINST ATSKHUR.-IT SURRENDERS.-GENERAL MOURAVIEFF
PROCEEDS TO ARDAGAN. -IT SURRENDERS.
THE COUNTRY IN GENERAL. PROPOSAL OF THE QUEEN
REGENT OF GURIEL.-GURIEL OCCUPIED BY GENERAL HESSE
ADVANCES ON BATOUM. REPULSED BY THE LAZI. DE-
SCRIPTION OF BATOUM.-VENDETTA.-BAYAZEED. THE KURDS
OF ERIVAN JOIN THE RUSSIANS. STATE OF PRINCE PAS-
KIEWITCH'S ARMY. MASSACRE OF THE RUSSIAN MISSION AT
TEHERAN.-CAUSE OF THE CATASTROPHE. THE TURKS HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AFFAIR.

MISREPRESENTATIONS POSITION OF THE RUS

PASHAS OF VAN AND MOUSH.

TRIBES OF THE PROPOSED ATTACK ON AKHISKA.

AND PRINCE BEBU

PRECAUTIONS OF PRINCE PASKIEWITCH
TOFF, COMMANDING THERE. SIEGE OF AKHISKA BY THE

THE

TOWN BURNT.

ADSCHARA AND

TURKS. THEY ARE REPULSED.
GENERAL HESSE. CHARACTER OF THE
LAZI.

GENERAL PASKIEWITCH determined to take advantage of the panic occasioned by the fall of Akhiska, and he despatched Prince Waldbefsky, with five companies of infantry, two regiments of Cossacks and 6 fieldpieces, against Atskhur, a strong fortress commanding a pass leading into Upper Kartuel, and Immeretia. In addition to the inhabitants, there

was in the fort, a garrison of 500 Lazi, who tried to persuade the people to make a determined resistance; but the latter, yielding to the advice of two prisoners of Akhiska, surrendered at the first summons, though the castle was situated on the top of a high and almost inaccessible rock, and had 30 pieces of artillery for its defence, besides being furnished with abundance of provisions and ammunition.

Another detachment was despatched under General Mouravieff, against Ardagan, situated at the junction of the Kars and Erzeroum roads, General Bergmann being directed at the same time to advance from Kars. The latter officer was the first to appear before the town, and he immediately commenced a bombardment. The regular garrison had evacuated the place, and followed the Seraskier and the men of Akhiska; and the inhabitants, among whom were some men of Adschara and some Lazi, finding themselves on the point of being invested by the approach of General Mouravieff, who had been delayed by the difficulties of the road, thought it best to surrender. Thirty-one pieces of artillery were found in the place, with large stores of provisions and ammunition; so great had been the haste of the Turks to gain the western side of the Soganlook Mountains.

EVENTS SUCCEEDING THE FALL OF AKHISKA. 217

Many districts of Akhiska still refusing to submit, General Paskiewitch marched with the greater part of his army to Ardagan, and the report of this movement spread such terror to the gates of Erzeroum that part of the Turkish forces, which had begun to reassemble, retired or dispersed; all the chiefs of the thirty-two Sandjacks of Akhiska sent in their submission, and the authority of the Russians was firmly established.

The Queen Regent of Guriel proposed to General Hesse to occupy that country; but it appears her only intention was to betray the Russians, as she shortly afterwards fled to the camp of Osman Bey, with her minister and favourite; from thence she proceeded to Trebizond, where she is said to have become a Mahomedan, and to have been admitted into the Harem of the Pasha. General Hesse, however, proceeded to occupy Guriel; and the people showed great satisfaction at being freed from the tyranny of the regency. He then advanced on Batoum, but was totally repulsed by the Lazi before reaching it; and the Russians could scarcely have effected their retreat without the assistance of the Georgian militia of Guriel, Mingrelia, and Immeretia, who in a long and well-contested action

suffered more than the Russians. This battle, however, though unsuccessful, had the effect of paralysing the efforts of the men of Batoum.

The port of Batoum has always been coveted by the Russians, though to me it appears a place of little importance. It can scarcely be said to possess a harbour, being open to the north-west winds; but vessels lie close to the shore, and disembark with greater facility than at any other part of the coast. The roads are almost impassable; they either lead over the summits of the mountains, which are covered with snow, or through thick forests and among steep rocks; so that, as a point in a line of communication, the place is worthless, and the climate is deadly to strangers. The people appear in some respects to resemble the Georgians, but their language is different; and till within the last few years the authority of the Porte was merely nominal. The Lazi are considered the bravest infantry in Asia Minor, but are otherwise a lawless banditti, agitated by never-ending death feuds. The doors and windows of their houses are musket-proof; but, like Akhiska, the town might easily be burnt, for they are surrounded by dry thorn hedges, and many of the upper apartments are built of wood, or even of branches of trees. A remarkable instance