Mr. Douglas W. Freshfield publishes a letter in the Times
de- scribing the condition of the Russian districts in the Caucasus. It is too long and too minute to condense, but its substance is that the Circassian power in the mountains has been broken by the great emigration, that the brigand tribes remaining are not strong enough to interrupt communications, and that the Russian strength has enormously increased since Omar Pasha made his expedition to rouse the Circassians. Mr. Freshfield considers Russian rule in these regions beneficial, and says the most genuine grievance of the mountaineers is their loss of the privilege of rapine. No rising in this direction can be formid- able to Russia unless it extends to Daghestan, which has hitherto remained perfectly quiet, the inhabitants, who were the bravest opponents of Russia while the resistance lasted, having been also the most forward to accept defeat.
Previous page
