situated near the western face of Mount Ararat: before the occupation of the Russians it might have contained a mixed population of 8000 or 10,000 inhabitants, the greater part of whom were Armenians. The houses are built on very broken ground, the different quarters being separated by ravines, and, where most accessible, defended by some trifling intrenchments; but the place has always fallen after a slight resistance,—even the citadel, which is built upon a rock and contains the palace of the Pasha, being incapable of resisting artillery.

The Pasha of Van succeeded in bringing about 10,000 men and 7 guns to the attack, and, after a hard contest, he drove the Russians from all their outworks into the old and new castles. The Turks then made four determined attacks on the Russian posts, now much reduced by a loss of 400 men and 4 guns; they were, however, repulsed, after having lost in the actions between the 6th and 29th of June nearly 2000 men. The Pasha of Van, retired to his government with the remnants of his forces, but continued to harass and molest the Russian position as far as Erzeroum.

CHAP. IX.

POSITION OF PRINCE PASKIEWITCH.

ORGANISATION.

ACHMET BEY.

BAIBURT.

PRINCE PASKIEWITCH ADVANCES AGAINST KHORT. RUSSIANS REPULSED. —KHORT AGAIN ATTACKED, TURKS DEFEATED. SUICIDE OF THE LAZI.GENERAL RIEVSKY. MANEUVRE

OSMAN PASHA-APPARENTLY SKILFUL

GA

HIS SURPRISE AT ITS BEING CONSIDERED SO. -INSUFFICIENCY OF GENERAL PASKIEWITCH'S ARMY. MISCH KHANA SURRENDERS. THE FORTIFICATIONS OF BAIBURT DESTROYED. SUBMISSION OF KURDISH TRIBES. SURRENDER OF KHULI. ILL SUCCESS OF GENERAL OSTEN SACKEN. CLIMATE OF ERZEROUM.

DESIROUS OF SENDING SOME OF HIS TROOPS BACK TO THE TURKS IMAGINE THEY ARE RETREATING

INTELLIGENCE OF IT

CONCEALED BY THE PASHA OF
THE OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION OF THE TREATY OF ADRIANople.
GENERAL PASKIEWITCH RETURNS TO ERZEROUM. -RUIN
BROUGHT ON THE INHABITANTS BY THE WAR. ASSISTANCE
GIVEN THEM BY THE RUSSIAN GENERAL. EMIGRATION
RUSSIA OF NINETY THOUSAND SOULS FROM THE TURKISH TERRI-
TORY.- CHARACTER OF PRINCE PASKIEWITCH. -CONCLUSION.

ΤΟ

PRINCE PASKIEWITCH was now in possession of the stronghold of the Turkish power in Asia; the Ottoman forces were defeated and dispersed, and

their commanders taken prisoners; the Russian communications were free, and a sufficient quantity of provisions had been captured to supply the wants of the army. Nothing apparently could arrest their advance; but they had no army of reserve in Georgia, and the promised body of recruits, amounting to 20,000 men, had not yet crossed the Caucasus; so that not only was their further progress prevented by the very extent of their conquest, but a less able and enterprising chief than the one at the head of the Russian army might well have felt some doubts of being able to maintain even his actual position with a force of hardly 15,000 men. We may here observe, that the smallness of the force the Russians have ever been able to bring into the field, either in Europe or Asia, is really surprising. The army of the Caucasus at the time we are speaking of amounted to 80,000 men, yet more than 25,000 were never assembled for offensive operations, either against Persia or Turkey. The Russian army was said to have amounted to 150,000 men before crossing the Danube, yet when peace was signed at Adrianople there were not more than 25,000 or 30,000 of all arms. Both armies were unequal to the object contemplated, and must

JUDICIOUS MEASURES OF PRINCE PASKIEWITCH 277

have failed in the conquest of Constantinople, if one particle of its ancient courage and energy remained to the Turkish people.

Undeterred by the difficulties he had to contend with, General Paskiewitch now commenced the organisation of Erzeroum and such of the neighbouring districts as had voluntarily submitted to the Russian government. His arrangements were simple, well conceived, and just, contrasting strongly with the acts of his predecessors in Georgia; and the success they met with was complete. They differed but little from those he had made at Kars. All the local and district authorities were either continued in their offices, or replaced by others chosen by the people, the choice never appearing to be influenced by the Russians, and indeed it very rarely happened that they in any way interfered. Prince Bekowitch, a Circassian, and who had acted in a similar capacity at Kars, was with the Mollah Bashi placed at the head of the regency, aided by a council of the principal people. The usual courts of Turkish law were to perform their duties in the accustomed manner, and on any very particular occasion their decisions were to be referred to the council. General Penkratieff was appointed military governor, but he had no

control over the civil government. Many of the most oppressive taxes were abolished, and the equality was established between the Mahomedan and Christian population; the regular revenue was also more easily and regularly collected than it had been under the rule of the Seraskier. Confidence was thus immediately and completely restored; the usual caravans frequented the bazaars, as if no change had taken place; and the population in general, but especially the Kurds and the Christians, would have been perfectly content to remain under the Russian government.

The Seraskier and Osman Pasha, Abischa Abdulla and Achmet Abdulla, who had surrendered as prisoners of war, had entertained the extraordinary idea that they would be continued in the government of Erzeroum, and, forgetting the position in which they stood, demanded to be sent to Constantinople. This was of course refused; and shortly afterwards, on their being detected in a secret correspondence with the Turkish government and an attempt to excite revolt, they were sent to Tiflis. No effort was made, either at Erzeroum or on the road, to set them at liberty, although they travelled under a very slight escort. Achmet, Bey of Adschara, and the Kia or Lieutenant of the Seraskier,