CHAPTER XLVI. A tour into the interior — Aspect of the countr}' — Valley of Bnidar — Crimean Flora — Difficulties of the route — Encampment — Bad roads — Cossacks of the Don — A Tartar village — An liotel — Prince Woronzoffs palace — The Tartar Exodus — The evacuation — Visits — New boundary line between Kussia and Moldavia — British army on the move — Departure of the Sardinians. Camp before Sebastopol, Api-il 25. The impression left upon the mind of every person who has made the little tour which our party has accomplished must be, and is imiversally, as far as I know, that the resources of Russia in men were reduced to the lowest ebb in the course of this wai', and that she would have been utterly unable to maintain an army in the Crimea, or to continue in possession of it, had we made an aggressive movement with all our forces from Theodosia or Enpatoria, or even left her in an attitude of watchfulness along the extended line from the north side of Sebastopol to Simpheropol.
That she still possesses considerable means of transport, and has arabas, telegas, and horses sufficient, in ordinary times and on good roads, for the service of her army, was evident enough; but I was assured, on authority beyond question, that for two whole days this vantcr the troops at Mackenzie were left without food, in consttjuence of the state of the roads. The prices of provisions, allowing very amply ibr the extortions of needy Tartars, of famished innkeepers, and ibr an extremely liberal spirit on the part of English tourists, an.' enormous, and it is almost impossible in many places to procure barley or corn for horses at any sum whatever. The country is deserted, the fields uncultivated, the cares of agriculture unheeded. A few flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were to be seen here and there in the course of a week's ride, but these were the property of the Government or of contractors, and were not for sale: along the soiith coast fresh meat was unINTERIOR OF THE CRIirEA. 44:3 known, and salt fish and salt pork were the food of those in good circumstances.
A mouthful of hay for a horse cost half a rouble or fifty copecs — eggs were 5d. a piece — fowls utterly beyond the means of Croesus. But amid all these evidences of desolation the Cossack is seen here, there, everywhere, singly — in twos and threes, in pickets, in patrols, in grand guards, in Polks, trotting, walking, or more frequently galloping, mounted high on his quaint saddle over his shaggy, long-tailed pony, flourishing with one hand his cruel whip, while with the other he guides the docile animal, above which he towers like a giant, his dirty grey coat fluttering in the breeze and his lance point shining brightly in the sun. He is sown broadcast all over the Crimea. But you do not see regular soldiers in any numbers till you enter the typhus-haunted streets of Simpheropol, or wade through the mud of Bakshiserai; and even here the miserable, jaded, utterly spiritless, ill -clad, iU-fed, and brokendown miiitiam.an seems to be in the proportion of two to one to the soldiers of the line.
The Russian army is on its march from the Crimea as fast as its transport and its legs can caiTy it, and we hear that only one corps d'armee will be left behind to garrison the whole country and to keep the Tartars in order. Poor devils! that will be an easy task. The regulars are almost as badly clad, so far as their great-coats and boots are concerned, as the militia or the Cossacks. Our whole army has just turned out, by way of contrast, in new uniform, and presented itself the other day to General Liiders en (jrande tenue from head to foot. In order to enable your readers to judge with us of the state of the countiy, I shall transcribe from my diary such portions of it during the tour as appear likely to afford information respecting the effects of the war, or give an insight into the condition of the Crimea.
Some other portions, referring to mattei's of less importance, may, however, prove amusing, if not institictive, more from the novelty of the circumstances to Avhich they relate than from any merit of narration or powers of description. April 12. Started at ten o'clock from canip. The party consisted of four officers, two civilians — one of them myself, the other a travelling gentleman — an interpreter, two soldier servants, and one civilian servant. We took with us a strong two-wheeled light cart, drawn by two mules and a pack-pony, and carried in the cart a canteen, a few bottles of spirits and sherry, cases of 41i I'lCACE ONCK MOllE IN THE CRIMEA. preserved beef, two tents, tbwling-jjieces, a fishing-rod, picks and spades, blankets and hor&e-cloths.