They tell us that several of these poor creatures have been hanged at Simpheropol, that others have been sent off in exile, and that more are condemned to work on the roads for life. Could not a word be said to avert the -wi-ath of Russia, and to induce her to extend her clemency to the remnants of this miserable race? During the recent exciu'sion of General Windham, in the Banshee, to Kertch and back, an incident took place which C1U5IEA. sliows very clearlj'- the real character of the Russian Government, and demonstrates the worthlessneas of the professions whicli it makes. Prince (lag'arin, who holds a command on the south coast, was exti-emely polite in all his communications with.
Major-General Cunynghame and the other English officers at Kei-tch and Yenikale, and promised them every facility should they be desirous of visiting the interior, or proceeding to Sebastopol by land. He also specially invited all English officers to visit him at Kaffa (Theodosia) in their way. General Windham, being informed of these little politenesses, resolved to pay a visit to Kaffii on his way back from Kertch. On entering the bay on which the town is situated, they were astonished to perceive a fleet of many sail of merchant vessels lying in quarantine, and they soon were made to understand that the Banshee was in a similar disagreeable situation. Most of these ships had gone up the Sea of Azoff to Tagam-og, and had been sent back again all the way to Xaffii to perform quarantine.
The usual quarantine station for the ports in the Sea of Azoff is Kertch, but, as that place is in the hands of the allies, and as the Government establishment is destroyed, the Eussian authorities have for the present selected Kaffa as a sub- • stitute, and vessels bound from the south and east will have a considerable detour to make from the true course, but that is better than being sent back altogether. This is a valuable commentary on the statements which have been made that the Czar has given orders to the Minister of the Interior, &c., to remove all resti'ictions on trade — exports and imports. When General Windham and staff were permitted to land they were placed in a small room with bars to the windows like a wild beast cage — a regular quarantine prison in fact; and when he had prepared a note for Prince Gagarin it was taken fi-om him through the bars by a pair of tongs.
The Prince, all gold lace and feathers, soon made his appearance, and received his visitor with great cordiality and politeness thi'ough the bai's. He regretted that his orders were so strict; he dared not permit the General to ^^sit the tovm without performing quarantine, but if he came round by land he should be most happy to receive liim. Meantime he had sent off a letter to the General Commanding-inChief, and an answer was speedily returned to the effect that the General's orders from the Ministers were so exceedingly stringent that he could not relax them, notwithstanding his most earnest wishes to do so. Genei-al Windham in the course of his interview tliought it necessary to apprize Prince Gagarin that he had seen enough to convince him it would bo riglit to advise the Commander-in-Chief to keep possession of Kertch till all our stores were \\athdrawn — an intimation which seemed not a little to perplex and confound his Excellency.
It appears that General Liiders had expressed a \vish that, in the interest of trade, Kertch should be evacuated as speedily as possible, and that steps were being taken to remove the Turkish troops, whose presence was especially objectionable; but, as General Windham observed, if the port were handed over to the Russian authorities before all the stores were removed, the vessels which were sent for them would be placed in quarantine, and great annoyance and delay would be experienced. Our excursions into the Crimea are becoming rarer as curiosity becomes satisfied, and leave more difficult to be obtained for lengthened absence. General Codrington has paid a visit to the Alma, and most of us who could go have performed a pilgrimage to the same place.