In the spring of 1818 seven Tatars who had been found guilty of various robberies and murders, in the districts of Akmetchet, Theodosia, Kertch, and Port Patch, were sentenced by the Russian law to receive the punishment of the knout* in each of these towns. Having first undergone this dreadful penalty at Akmetchet, they were conducted to Theodosia, heavily ironed, and lodged in the gaol there till the hour appointed for the flogging. They were then taken to the market-place, where hundreds of spectators were assembled to witness the scene ; and from an Englishman present on that occasion, I received the following account of the transaction. The culprits, each in his turn, * The true pronunciation of this word would perhaps be better represented, if it were spelt knoot. were fastened to an inclined post, having a ring at the top, to which the head was so tightly fixed, by means of a rope, as to prevent the sufferer from crying out. The hands were closely tied on either side, and at the bottom were two rings for the feet, which were in like manner secured. The back was then bared, and the plaster, or rag, which had been applied after the previous whipping, was torn off. The Tatar sacerdatal, attended by a Tatar priest, next advanced, and read aloud the crimes for which the offenders were punished, together with the sentence of the law. This took up nearly half an hour.
The knout has a very heavy thong, as thick as a man's wrist, and weighing from two to three pounds. The lash is of leather, about the breadth of a broad tape, and narrowing at the end; the handle is about two feet long. With this weapon the executioner now approached, and giving one cut, walked back again to the distance of about forty yards. He then returned, flourishing his whip, and struck again, till the appointed number of strokes was given. and till it was certain that the poor wretch was all but dead. At every blow the blood spirted from the wound ; but the previous preparation prevented the possibility of exclamation. Each one, when his flogging was finished, was unbound, and having the rag replaced on his back, was removed into a cart, till all had been thus disposed of, having witnessed the sufferings of their comrades, and endured their own. Before they left Theodosia, one ofthem died ; and ofthe seven, I believe, not one lived to undergo the whole of the sentence.
The executioner is a convict, who is suffered to exist for the horrible purpose of inflicting on others the punishment which he has escaped himself; and after the fulfilment of his duty, is reconducted to the prison, from which he is brought for the occasion.
In the case of the murder ofa Jew and his family, which occurred in 1816, at the village ofKaragoss, a subscription was raised at Theodosia, among persons of that nation, in order to bribe the flogger to make sure of the death of the criminal.
The habits and modes ofagriculture of the Tatars are rude and simple. They have not industry sufficient to induce them to labour hard for the acquirement ofwealth, and even wealth itself, from the jealousy which it excitesamong them, can scarcely be considered a desirable possession. The enjoyment of ease and indolence, on any terms, is the summit of their happiness, and he who can command these blessings has no further motive or stimulant to exertion.
Their agricultural implements are as rude as their method of using them. They are made almost entirely of wood, and since iron causes the heaviest part of the expence, they employ as little as possible of that material in their construction. They useabush harrow to cover the seed in the ground; and the creaking of the wheels of their clumsy waggons may be heard at the distance of one or two versts. When asked why they do not prevent this annoyance by the application of a little grease, their usual answer is, that they are no thieves, and are not ashamed that the world should hear their movements. They sow the most inferior sorts of grain, without any regard to the mixture of other seeds which it may contain. This neglect almost always gives them an abundant crop of weeds with their corn, which they would rather lose altogetherthan be at the trouble ofcleaning. They defer cutting their hay till very late, and, as ifdetermined that it shall have no goodness remaining, they commonly leave it until after harvest before they carry it home. This double delay, which is wholly without proper cause, where the weather is always so favourable, arises in some measure, I believe, from their native indolence, which makes them wish to postpone the most laborious part of their year.