COLONEL LAKE'S ICARS AND CAPTIVITY IN RUSSIA. * THE "Kars" of

Colonel Lake occupies about two-thirds of his book ; and consists of private letters written from the ciyto families or friends by the late Captain Thompson, General Wil- liams, Colonel Lake and Major Teesdale. The " Captivity " gives an account of ;he reception of the officers by General Mou- ravieff after the surrender, of their arrival and brief sojourn at Tiflis, and of the subsequent journey of Colonel Lake and Captain Thompson across the Caucasus to a gay provincial town near Moscow called Penza, where they remained till the conclusion of the peace.

Dr. Sandwith's book and the correspondence published at various times in the newspapers have pretty well forestalled the information of the letters so far as regards the siege and the cir- cumstances connected therewith. The necessity of putting the very best face upon things as the blockade wore on, lest the let- ters being intercepted should encourage the enemy, and perhaps a desire to lessen the anxiety of friends, have indeed so softened the terrible sufferings of the siege, that the book on this head would give an insufficient account of the heroism of the garrison and townspeople. The interest arises from the pictures of everyday life and feelings under peculiar and exciting circumstances, the cheerful spirit with which dangers are prepared for and encoun- tered, the hope not only of successful resistance but even of ad- vance and conquest, and the sanguine reliance upon relief from some quarter almost to the last. The abrupt close of the corre- spondence before the capitulation, though dramatic in itself, pro- ballly arises from not a messenger, it was supposed, being able to pass. The indignant comment wrung from Major Teesdale when all was over fitly closes the letters.

"If you can believe such a thing, it is only within the last few days that

° Kars and Our Capticily in Russia : with Letters from General Sir W. F. Williams, Bart., of Kars, K.C.B. ; ilajor Teesdale, C.B. ; aid the late Captain 27tompeon, C.R. By Colonel Atwell Lake, C.B., one of lier Majesty's Aides-de- camp. Published by Bentley• the dreadful certainty of this happening has broken upon us. Even so late as a week before our surrender, we were buoyed up by hopes from more than one quarter' and, like drowning men, we clung to every straw, and forced ourselves to believe even the impossible ; until at last, a little note in cypher, from a reliable source, showed us that our fate was sealed ; that all we had heard of troops marching to our relief, of provisions being ready to be thrown in, and many other stones, were false ; and it is now evident, that they were only concocted by those to whom every day of our misery was a day's more security and idleness. So we were left to perish ; the poor men getting weaker and snore wretched day by day, until at last the state of the troops was so fearful that they would not have had the strength to march for an hour, and any attempt to march out would positively have been utterly useless, and would probably, have resulted in a massacre of those brave men who have watched and fought their strength away, and who, betrayed and abandoned, are now lying about in heaps, dying and disgraced—prisoners to those whom they conquered—the property, :to say, of the power they have so long defied. Still, even in our degradation, I cannot help feeling that the disgrace lies with those whose duty it was to help us' and not with us, who, I believe in my heart, have done what men could do. But it. matters little as to causes, now we have only the result to occupy us, so do not be surprised at any bitterness on my part : it may have been from the policy of governments, or from the passions of one 'bad man' or from bad generalship without the town ; it little matters now : Kars has fallen. The Russians have gained half a province, and would have had the greater part. of Armenia without a struggle, had not our resistance been sufficiently pro- longed to let the winter be far enough advanced to prevent any more operations.

" Have the Allies ever thought, I wonder, how much it would have cost them to redeem all this ground, or what they will have to pay even for what we have lest? The whole business passes my comprehension, and I can scarcely yet believe that all our trials have ended thus ; that six months of endless toil, misery, privation, and, at last, moral agony, should have such a termination. I cannot look at the old place we so dearly cherished. The Russian flag, once driven down those hills in disgrace and flight, must be now waving over the castle ; and it is too hard to bear. There may be a chuckle over our fate in the Bosphonis ; but a reckoning will come some day, if not before man, before God, who best knows the secrets of evil hearts, and a heavy one it will be. "But enough of these regrets. It is past."

The letters of General Williams have less of the personal than those of the other writers, though the impulsive zeal which ap- pears in his speeches is shown in his correspondence. The late Captain Thompson's and Colonel Lake's epistles are the most familiar and the fullest ; they deal more too, in the little things which make up our daily life—" meat, lire, and clothes "—though the fire could not always be got, and the meat in Thompson's case was dirtily cooked ; but Colonel Lake was taken care of by a capital servant bight Schaller. Read by the light of his early death, Thompson's letters have something prophetic about them, in his continual yearnings for home, mixed with a matter-of- course resolution to do his duty to the end, and the passing notices of his failing health as the hardships increased and the winter crept on. The sportive allusions to his tare indicate the delicate appe- tite of impaired health.

I"I made a glorious salad yesterday out of an old cabbage, which was eaten with much relish. That little cookery-book which E— gave me has been of immense service. My breakfast has been just sent away untouched, being of too disgusting a description for even a hungry man to eat. The rice was intermingled with small stones about as big as swan-shot, and the meat and eggs were so highly oleaginous and dusty that they had been cooked, I suppose, upon the kitchen-floor.

"I am prepared, then, to come forward with the following sums, viz, to any party who will bring me two pounds of Dieppe eharcuterie, (Turkey, with truffles of course, preferred,) but pork not objected to, 10/. 10s. ; and to any party bringing me two quarts of good bitter beer or ale, R. Oh! for some bread and cheese ! I find it hard to have to labour day and night when I don't get enough to eat. In India, when you are with your regiment, no matter where, you are sure of your breakfast, dinner, and tiffin, to say no- thing of good beer; and here, almost in civilized Europe, you can get no- thing. The Turks eat a composition of meat, eggs, and astuiftetida, com- bined with onions and sweetmeats and dirt, that I cannot stand."

On the part of the Turks there is perhaps some compliment here. Captain Thompson's own experience, we believe, is true ; or, where the " foreigner's sobriety" is greater, it is from want of means.

"We have received intelligence today that Omar Pasha, at the head of a large army, is about to land at Batoum. When I see him and his army, I will believe it ! The Turks say, It must be true, because an Englishman has written it ' ; which I take to be a great compliment to the veracity, of our countrymen. They say that the French and the Russians are the fathers of lies, but that an English private soldier will always speak the truth, although he gets drunk and abusive at times. While I was at Constantinople I do not think I saw more than three English soldiers tipsy, whilst I saw hun- dreds of 'foreigners' rolling about the streets."

Notwithstanding the suggestions of active and passive heroism connected with Kars, yet the pettiest details of the troubles of life were not suspended. The Russian circumvallation and the ex- pectation of attack could not protect the debtor from the attack of the dun. Captain Thompson tells this story in July.

"You may imagine what a state this army is in from the following cir- cumstance. 'Yesterday I ordered my horse, to go into the town and forage for some barley ; when my interpreter, who is a lieutenant in the Turkish army, begged to be allowed to remain behind. On my inquiring the rea- son, the poor fellow told me that he had received no pay for eighteen months, and that he owed 400 piastres in the town, and consequently his creditors insulted him on every occasion. Can you imagine such a state of things ? I have given him the money, about 3/. 41., and he can now hold up his head. Poor fellow, he is one of the unfortunate Hungarian refugees, and I will try my utmost to get him promoted in his service, and to have his ar- rears paid up. He is a very hard-working, good young fellow, and does not presume upon my 'Excellency.'"

The interest of the " Captivity " chiefly refers to the reception of the prisoners by the Russian officers and Russian society ; for the travels, made for the most part through a bleak and barren country in the depth of winter, are as monotonous in description as they were painful and tedious in reality. As three out a the four officers were more or less affected in health by the siege-- General Williams in fact being confined to his bed at Tiflis, and for some time unable to move—the conduct of the Russian Govern- ment in compelling them to travel over the Caucasus and across the Steppes during the depth of winter was not very considerate, nor their reasons very intelligible. Colonel Lake echoes the panegyrics of his leader as to the courtesy, kindness, chivalry, &c., of the "enemy." This gratitude is dictated by an amiable and knightly feeling, and is no doubt well-founded as regards individuals. The facts of the narrative, we must confess, do not impress us with anything of the kind as regards the Government, or, according to the phrase in fashion to evade personal responsi- bi]ity, "the system." There was a melodramatic and costly sort of hospitality or " reception " at two or three towns, got up for the sake of an imposing display. Beyond that, the journey was as comfortless as it was possible. A winter journey across moun- tains of steep ascent and descent, bordered by precipices where an accident is death, or over wastes of snow continually swept by Arctic winds, and where tolerable accommodations are few and far between, cannot indeed be other than comfortless. It strikes us that, whether from accident or design, the discomforts were needlessly increased. The carriage was ill-adapted to the pur- pose—the travellers often had to walk ; horses were earned off before their faces, by a man not superior in rank, we should think, to themselves, but provided with an overriding order,—by which means they were delayed in wretched post-houses. In these things there is nothing to complain of beyond the compulsory journey —prisoners of war must expect to rough it. But we see no rea- son for the almost adulation which has just been offered up to all that is Russian ; especially when poor Lieutenant Royer was charged with toadying, and something like treason, for doing the same thing, though he really had better grounds for 'what he said. The Russians had not at that time been lowered by defeat, and the necessity of peace was not visible ; Mr. Royer's journey too was really comfortable, and made at a comfortable time of year.

As Colonel Lake had no interview with the Imperial Family, and he does not record any introduction to the Ministers at St. Petersburg, General Mouravieff is the most important public man he saw, and the most interesting. Of him he invariably speaks highly, and notes accomplishments not always to be found in old soldiers. This is the first dinner after the capitulation.

"When a form had been solemnly concluded between General Mouravieff and the Turks, in which they gave up their colours to him, they were marched into the camp, and regaled with bread and soup which had been prepared for them. Some of the poor famished creatures ate so voraciously that even this simple fare was fatal to them, and they died of repletion in a few hours. Our temptation to indulge was greater than theirs ; for, at five p. m., we were entertained by General Mouravieff at his own quarters, in the most sumptuous style. The banquet had its skeleton as of old,—for outside the quarters where we were feasting waved the captured banners we had so long defended. Amidst the gayety of conversation, and the (to us) unwonted inspiration of the wine-cup, some sad thoughts of our new condition would intrude ; some anxious Yearnings after home, and those most dear to us; some disquietudes as to the conduct of courts and cabinets on the question of peace or war. "If there was anything calculated to chase away such gloomy associations, it was the hearty and pleasant manner of our host, and the interest he dis- played in all that had occurred at Kars. He seemed much annoyed when I told him that I had destroyed the plan I had made of the fortifications, un- der the impression that I should not be permitted to keep it. One of my engineer-officers is going to make one, and you shall have a copy of it,' he said. Nothing could exceed his courtesy and kindness to us all : Teesdale and myself he thanked warmly for our efforts to save the wounded Russians on the field of battle from the ferocity of the Turks. Of our defence of Kars he spoke almost rapturously; and his ryes were suffused with tears when he remarked that, although the bodies of our men were emaciated from the sufferings they had undergone, their eyes were bright, and sparkling with courage and animation."

Here is the old chief at Tiflis.

"The next event which disturbed the placidity of Tiflis was the arrival of General Mouravieff. A great demonstration was made to receive the suc- cessful warrior of Asia Minor, and the town was very gaily illuminated. Two days after he arrived, we all dined with his Excellency, and found him as agreeable and attentive as ever. I ought before this to have said, that in addition to his endowments as a great general, he is an accomplished mu- sician and linguist. Upon the day that he first entertained us in his camp, he spoke fluently French, English, German, Turkish, or Russian, conver- sing with his various guests and acquaintances in their own languages with perfect case."

Of the kindness of individual Russians (not Georgians) Colonel Lake speaks favourably, as well as of the whole of his sojourn at Penza. There, indeed, a sort of public honour was offered him ; but it was after the peace was certain, if not signed.

"The next service which I heard in this building was for the present Emperor's birthday ; after which I attended a general guard-mounting pa- rade, which had been ordered expressly for my inspection. The troops marched past in slow and double time, and did it well. They are admirably dressed and accoutred, and were very steady under arms. Colonel Kami- shansky, the officer in command, sent me a written invitation. General Arapoff was also present. The officer on duty came up, and gave me the written parole ; and, in short, every compliment was paid to me. There was a vast concourse of people to witness the affair. My comrade was un- well, and could not attend.

" On the morning of the 30th, the Governor of the place sent for me, and told me he had just received orders to inform us that we were no longer prisoners of war, and that we might proceed home by any route we liked. Despite all the kindnesses we had received and the pleasures we had en- joyed, we were home-sick enough, and soon determined upon returning via Moscow and St. Petersburg, as quicker and more agreeable than by Odessa. There was something very gratifying in the sensation of being once again not only in name but in reality 'a free Briton.' I felt this, notwithstanding the fact that our captivity had been almost nominal.

"Everything had been done to lighten even the imaginary chain of our bondage, and I shall ever think of Penza with lively feelings of pleasure and gratitude."