These country seats on the Cnmean coast are maintained at an enormous cost, and the proprietors of some estates will spend on them from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles more than the estates bring in. Wliims are indulged in, to be sure, without the least regard to expense. The owner of Ym-suff, for example, thought it would be a fine thing to have a fishery in his own bay, and wrote accordingly to Malta for a fisherman, to whom he was obliged to promise an exorbitant salary. As the Russians are, however, simple enough to fancy that foreigners can perform miracles, he had no doubt that the Maltese would fish him up half the sea, and discover heaven knows what treasures in its bosom. At length the nets were thrown, but not a fish would enter them. The Maltese declared it was because the nets were new, and that he must first procure a certain herb, for which he knew only the Maltese name, to rub them over, in order to entice the fish. The whole house and all the neighbourhood were roused immediately to procure some of the magic herb, known to them only by his description. When, after long search, some was brought, that he affirmed to be the genuine, he once more cast his nets, and brought up — first, a quantity of sea-weed, and then a cargo of young sharks, and other abominations, which, nmch as he longed to eat fish out of his own bay, the master could not swallow, and the Maltese, who knew nothing whatever of the fishery of the Crimea, received his dismissal, after the experiment had cost several thousand rubles.
Great as was the pleasure and variety afforded by our journey, we could not be insensible to the fact that it was obtained at the cost of some inconvenience, if not of suffering. The sun was burning hot, and we not only eat aU the mulberries we could find, but even devoui'cd the leaves like caterpillars. When we reached a Tartar village, our intense thirst made us forget the warnings we had received that the fruits of the Crimea are apt to produce fever, and by eating every thing juicy that we could meet with, much increased our torment, while the bright-blue sea lay temptingly spread out in our sight, affording coolness and refreshment to millions of creatures, yet refusing to grant us so much as one quickening breeze.
We were overtaken by the night before we were able to reach Alushta. Whilst we were in Yalta, we had heard of a certain hospitable old general, Borosdin, who had lived many years on the coast of the Crimea, and who took such especial delight in entertaining travellers, that when a new road was made, passing at some distance from his house, he was as inconsolable as an innkeeper whom a new railroad threatens to deprive of the visits of the accustomed troop of guests. When therefore a Tartar pointed out an estate to us as that of a General Borosdin, we immediately rode towards it in thejoyftd hope of preparing an agreeable surprise to its benevolent master. We soon found, to our consternation, that tliis was not the true General Borosdin, but only his brother, who only visited the place occasionally, leaving his lands usually to the care of his steward, gardener, architect, &c. It was however by this time too late to turn back, and Ave resolved to try and smuggle ourselves into the house by some means or other.