7 OCTOBER 1854, Page 26

ROYER'S ENGLISH PRISONERS IN RUSSIA..

" SPEAK as you find "; and the representative of the English pri- soners in Russia gives the most favourable account of that country which has been published of late. From the time the crew of the Tiger landed at Odessa till Lieutenant Royer received his freedom from the lips of the Emperor, everything, as far as he could ob- serve, was first chop. The governors, the officials, the officers, lavished upon the prisoners the " most delicate attentions." The citizens were uniformly kind; and left upon the gallant seaman a much better impression than the Turks, who it seems train their children to spit upon the Giaonr—at least Jack was often distin- guished in that way by the urchins of Constantinople. Some of the citizens' kindness might originate in novelty and triumph— the good-nature which springs from a sense of superiority : pro- bably there was an eye to influence upon European opinion in the Imperial and official conduct, as we know was the ease when a nobleman like the late Lord Londonderry has been caught, or a tufthunting Democrat like Judge Douglas. Still, after every allow- ance for trick and claptrap, kindness was shown by all parties with whom the prisoners came in contact, and that under circum- stances which might well have led to a strict interpretation of the laws of war. The manner of the higher classes, too, was good,— frank, kind, free, and not condescending, which sometimes happens to be the case nearer home. This kindness had its influence upon a body not readily humbugged by pretences, though very open to kindness.

"As an instance of the satisfaction the men felt at the kindly manner in which they bad been treated, I would mention the fact of their having, at the end of their twenty-one days' probation, subscribed, of their own ac- cord, to present a ring to one of the commissaries of quarantine—a fine hale old man of eighty-four, who had spent his life in that branch of the service."

It must, however, be observed, that Lieutenant Royer was forced to look as it were through official spectacles, and could rarely see anything that was not shown to him. His short month's sojourn at Odessa was nearly all passed in quarantine, and his knowledge of the world beyond the lazaretto was just nil; while Odessa itself, we should remember, is the freest and most advanced city of the empire, as well as one of the richest. The journey from Odessa to St. Petersburg was made without any pause not absolutely indis- pensable, and under surveillance of the most friendly kind; still the traveller was never left. The same thing took place at St. Petersburg; and likewise on to Warsaw, where the gentleman

• The English Prisoners in Russia; a Personal Narrative of the First Lieutenant of H. H. S. Tiger : together with an Account of his Journey in Russia, and his In- terview with the Emperor Nicholas and the Principal Persons in the Empire. By Alfred Boyer, Lieutenant R.N. Published by Chapman and Hall.

companion took leave, and the freed captive was dogged to the fron- tier by a vulgar spy.

Enough peeps out, as well in military as in civil matters, to in- dicate that the unfavourable pictures drawn by travellers are not very wide of the truth. The officers-were to.retain their property; but when the authorities took possession of the Tiger, all their vigilance " was insufficient to prevent the depredations of fel- lows who found their way on board and ransacked the ship," so that " nothing of value was forthcoming" for the prisoners. A_ Russian officer showed Lieutenant Royer his regulation-sword, which bent backwards and forwards like a pewter weapon of the toy-shop. When the Lieutenant travelled, everybody's carriage or business was put aside at the sight of his companion's aiguil- lettes—" Boot, boot, Maier Shallow ! Let us take any man's horses : the laws of England are at my commandment." The cap of the Lieutenant with its bit of lace excited respect. He saw his coachman cuff other coachmen who got in the way or came too closely between the wind and his nobility. Mr. Royer deems it necessary " to warn those who may have friends in Russia, situated as we were, of the disservice they may render them by sending newspapers containing politidal matter. It is also true that the gallant officer seems to have a little leaning towards Russian regulations himself, and would extend the discipline et the quarter-deck to civil matters; for he thus remarks on the pub- lic droshkies at St. Petersburg.

"The drivers sometimes try to impose on a traveller, as our cabmen do, and refuse to take a fare they think not likely to be remunerative ; but there is this difference, that if brought before a magistrate, they get the knout for an offence which would bring on cabby only the punishment of a small fine."

The chief attraction of this little -volume lies in its .pictures of persons or events about which every one just now feels interested; but it has a character of its own apart from temporary circum- stances, and could be read at any time as a rapid and lively narra- tive of a stirring action—for the story begins with the fog during which the Tiger struck—of the bustle of the city, the procession of captives, and their imprisonment, as well as of a rapid journey across Russia, and a picture of the court and capital. The ac- count of the treatment of the prisoners as given in the newspapers was generally true in its outline ; but " our own correspondent" added various matters " out,of his own head." Such was the story of Captain Giffard having called his officers and crew about him in articulo mortis, to inform them he would have blown -the ship up had he not been disabled. The tale of the Greek pilot, who per- haps intentionally ran the ship aground, was of the same stamp; the pilot was a Turk. After the surrender of the Tiger and the landing of the crew, they were all marched off to the lazaretto ; it being a long time before Baron Osten-Sacken could be made to comprehend the an- dacity of the request that the prisoners should not go into quaran- tine : even the Emperor must go.

" The crew was formed into a long column five or six deep ; and, accom- panied by a strong guard, we started on our march to the Quarantine es- tablishment ; which appeared much further than it really was, and took us upwards of two hours to reach, although only about four miles in a straight

line; weather being oppressively hot, and all hands much tired and ex- cite. We had been without refreshment of any kind since the.previous evening ; nor was it till seven o'clock that welled our first meal in cap- tivity. " Besides our escort of mounted Cossacks, with their long lances, we were accompanied by a great many droshkies on each side of the road, filled with fair ladies and bearded gentry, who did not allow the lower classes to mo- nopolize the curiosity of the country, and crowded as near to us as thetroops would allow them. The villas on each side of the road also swarmed with eager faces as we passed ; but they abstained from every expression of ex- ultation or triumph. " Besides the Cossacks, who were mounted, we had a guard of about two hundred men of the Thirty-first Regiment of Infantry : these poor fellows were so overpowered by fatigue, that it was found requisite to halt on the way for some time, to give the troops and the prisoners a little:est.

" Our halting-place was an open space in a field, on the left of the road, near the rampart of a ruined fortress, in which is situated the Quarantine establishment ; close to us were the acacia trees which form a continuous avenue round the city. The crowd still pressed on the troops surrounding us ; and here we first experienced that kindness of which we afterwards received so many proofs during our residence among our little-known enemies.

" An old officer, accompanied by some ladies, came forward, and, taking possession of the baskets of the cake-vendors and of those selling bread, handed the contents to our men ; and, at the request of the First Lieu- tenant, water and wine were procured, with which the men were refreshed. Whether the cakes were paid for, of course we cannot say ; but of this we may bear witness as a fact, that as the bearers went away, others came with fresh supplies of their pastry ; which, however palatable, was not sufficiently substantial to appease the hunger of so many beef-eating Jack tars, who re- quired something more solid after so desperate an engagement " The example •of the old officepwas followed by many others, who kindly came forward with whatever cakes they could procure from the crowd, and distributed them among the men. One, in particular, offered to the officers of the ship the brandy and water which he carried with him for his own use ; but, as the weather was sultry, they refused his generous offer ; he then sent off to the nearest house, which was within a few hundred yards, and procured some light wine instead. Cigars and cigarets were handed round in abund- ance to all who ehose to smoke ' • but care was taken, in allowing the prison- ers to light them, that the regulations of quarantine should not be infringed by the contact of the paper cigarets."

The following instance of self-established discipline and regu- larity on the part of the men might furnish an example to some officers, " The good effects of habits of order and discipline were strikingly shown, and in a manner very creditable to the men. As they were deprived of the surveillance of their officers, who were in another building at some dis- tance, and could not see them without a written permission, they ap- pointed, of their own accord, one of the petty officers, who could speak French, as superintendent ; and he, in conjunction with the others, established regulations for the cleanliness and order of the reomai arranged the messes, abolished smoking in the bedrooms, and prescribed the extinction of lights at ten o'clock at night. These arrangements—which- tended greatly to their personal comfort, and secured the good-will of those to whose care they had been consigned— were submitted to the First Lieutenant for his approval, and any infringe- ment of the rules was reported to him. Culprits might have been treated according to the Russian scale of punishment ; but the authorities kindly permitted the officers to impose.such penalties as they thought sufficient. It was found that exclusion from the society of their messmates for a few days was sufficient to bring any of them to a proper sense of their misconduct. The quarantine regulations rendered solitary confinement impossible, as a guardian must always.be in the same ward with the guarded."

The journey from Odessa to Moscow was made. post ; from Mos- cow to St. Petersburg by rail; and, according to our traveller, the railway accommodation was, as it usually is everywhere, much better than in England.

" The carriage allotted for my special use was about ten feet square ; it was furnished with two sofas and chairs, a small card-table, and two side-tables. On the sofas I could have reclined at full length,—a convenience very de- sirable, and generally denied us on English railways : the sofas and chairs bad air-cushions, and were very comfortable. I looked into several first and second class carriages, and they all appeared nicely fitted up, although not like the one assigned to me : the second-class carriages had seats and cushions superior to those of the first class on English railways, and afforded plenty of room to each individual, allowing of his sitting without cramping his knees upon those of the person opposite.to him. We left Moscow at eleven o'clock precisely ; Mn Sharman, my servant, and myself, occupying this little room to ourselves; our luggage was:towed away in another carnage.

" I was pleased.to perceive that there was no unnecessary hurry in the railway movements, such as those which annoy the English traveller : plenty of time was allowed at every station to the passengers to take their meals, andin each there was all that could be required in the way of refreshments. " The time allowed. for the train to pass from one-station to another is carefully fixed for the driver, who dare not arrive a minute sooner or later ; so that in some cases we had to go very slowly in order not to arrive before the time. This, however, is not unpleasant, as people on the Continent do not give way to that nervous hurry which fidgets us and shortens our lives. Who in England has time to look around him ? Rich and poor seem to be urged along by an imeetus which prevents their thinking of anything. except of their next appointment ; and as soon as that is kept, their thoughts fly to the next."

There are various passing pictures of ministers and officers at St. Petersburg, leaving• an impression that the upper classes of Russians can behave very well if they like. The following is the account of the interview between Lieutenant-Royer and the. Arch- duchess and. Archduke Constantine.

"I was standing, leaning over a chair and looking out of a window, with my hack to the door, when I heard these words, in a pleasing tone and in good English, with a slight foreign accent, You are waiting for the Grand Duke, I suppose ? ' I turned round, and, a little to my confusion, saw three ladies standing close by me. I bowed respectfully to the lady in advance, and replied that I had been directed to meet his Imperial Highness at eight o'clock. The Grand Duchess, for it was no other who now honoured me with her conversation, was accompanied by two of her .ladies-in-waiting. Her Imperial Highness said she-had heard of my having been unwell, and expressed a hope that I was better. I replied that I had only risen from my bed. in. obedience to. the commands of the Grand Duke. Her Imperial Highness then informed me that it was uncertain when the Grand Duke would return ; and. added, in the most naïf manner, that I-might know who was addressing me, 'Even I do not know, and I am his wife!' I again bowed ; when she said that she should certainly hear if he was detained, and would let me know : she recommended me, in the meanwhile, to wait, saying that she would send me some tea, and the last English newspaper, which_hadjust come to hand. She then retired, with her attendants, by the.door at which she had entered. * * *

"Presently a servant entered with the-usual tea apparatus,—one tea-pot

over another, as already described. quite enjoyed this refreshing drink, in the thirst which I suffered from the fever; and it was very apropos, as I had to wait till ten.o'clock. At this hour I heard a stir among the servants in the ante-room, and concluded that his Imperial Highness had just ar- rived. I looked out of the window, and.saw a gentleman in uniform with a lady coming through the garden, followed at some distance by an officer in an aide-de-camp's uniform with another lady on his arm. Presently the Grand Duke entered alone with his aide-de-camp, and, coming up to me, held out his band to shake hands: he addressed me in English, hoped I was better, and regretted my having had to wait so long. He then motioned me to enter another apartment, the door of which had just been opened by one of the servants. Here.we were left alone, and I was put quite at my ease by his Imperial Highness's affability : he requested me to sit down, and ordered tea and wine, which were brought and set on two separate tables placed by us : he took some wine, and asked me to help myself, while he smoked the amber-mouthed pipe presented to him by the attendant. "The conversation first turned on the loss of the Tiger, into the details of which he entered minutely : he was well acquainted with them, having read the official report that I had addressed to the Admiral from Odessa, a copy of which had been forwarded to him; in addition to this, he had the report of the authorities of that city relative to the circumstances that succeeded. He put a number of questions to me ; among others, he asked why we had not taken to our boats. I replied, that no naval officer ever thinks of abandon- ing his ship, and that we had defended the Tiger hoping to the last to get her off the beach, until it was too late to escape in the boats. * * *

"I was much pleased with the ingenuous manner in which the Grand Duke Constantine spoke of the exploits of the Arrogant and Heels. He said, Have you beard what your countryman has . done ? ' I replied, that I had not. ' Well,' said his Imperial Highness, of all bold and seamanlike opera- tions, this of Captain Hall's—taking his steamer seven miles up a creek of intricate navigation, in an enemy's country—is the most daring I could have imagined ; I cannot but admire such gallantry, even in an enemy.'

"His Imperial Highness wished to know how it was that Sir Charles Na- pier carried a blue flag at the main : for,' said he, ' by the despatches I see that he signs only as Vice-Admiral: has ho been promoted? ' He in- formed me that he had received that very day a report from Finland, stating that the Duke of Wellington and some other ships had steed in to the coast, whence the flag he named had been seen at the main. I was not able to account for this circumstance, and suggested that it might have been merely a signal.

" While we were thus conversing, the Grand Duchess entered ; on which I rose and bowed. The Grand Duke said, 'You have already made the ac- quaintance of my wife.' She came forward and referred to the newspaper she had given me, inquiring about its contents. She always spoke to me in English, evincing a desire to acquire that facility of expression which only

practioe can give ; and on her making a slight and very natural error, his Imperial Highness corrected her, as he is perfectly acquainted with the lan- guage ; which, he informed me, was taught to him and the Imperial family by Dr. Law, respecting whose health he made some inquiries, and expressed a great esteem for that gentleman.

"It was now late, (past eleven,) and her Imperial Highness doubtless thought it time for our interview to close. She went round and said some- thing to the Grand Duke; on which he used the word stoppi, which, as I have explained, signifies 'proceed,' i. e. Let us alone. Her Imperial High- ness then left us. I observed that she was now in a different costume ; she wore a large Leghorn straw hat, a rich crimson velvet boddice fitting quite close, and a white skirt. Soon after her departure, the Grand Duke rose, and, shaking hands, dismissed me, saying he was afraid I must be fatigued.';

Here is the interview with the Emperor.

"The Emperor was standing in the middle of the room, dressed in a plain dark-blue uniform of a general-in-chief, and wore a simple white en- amelled cross at the button-hole on his chest. This, I believe, was the cross of the order of St. George—an honour conferred only upon persons who have rendered important services to their country. I imagine that his Imperial Majesty has not yet assumed the decoration of the highest class of the order, which is worn by such men as Paskewitch, Woronzoff, &c., and which was described to use as different in size from that worn by the Emperor. I ex- pected to see a fine tall man, but was not prepared to find his Imperial Ma- jesty so much superior to the generality of men in height and appearance. He certainly did not look more than fifty; nor were there any particular signs of care on his countenance, at least not more than one sees in every man of his age. His features were fine and regular, his head bald in the centre, and his eye expressive of mildness, quite in accordance with his words.

" I was aware that his Majesty spoke both English and French, and hoped that he would address me in my native tongue. As I bowed and stepped forward, he addressed me as ' Monsieur le Lieutenant,' and inquired after my health, whether I had got rid of my fever' and how and where I had caught it. He asked me about the loss of the Tiger, and inquired why we had not anchored, being so near the land. I replied, that the fog was very thick, and that by our reckoning we were some distance from land when the vessel struck. He asked if I was married ; made some kind inquiries re- specting the family of my late captain ; and informed me that Mrs. Gifford was gone to Odessa to join her husband, not having heard of his death.

"His Imperial Majesty then said, that it had been his intention to grant the captain his liberty ; but as that was now impossible, he would extend that grace to me as the next in command; and asked me how I should like to go home.

"I was quite taken aback by this announcement, as, although I had been told at Odessa that I should have my liberty, still I did not anticipate that it would be granted so soon and so freely. I was therefore unprepared to answer the question as to my intended route, and said that I really had not thought of it : upon which his Imperial Majesty burst into a fit of laughter, much amused at my surprise and embarrassment, and said, Allez done, pensez-y, (Go and think about it,) and let me know this evening, through the Minister of War, what road you would like to take.' He then bowed me out of the room,—turning to the Prince, to whom he made some remark in Russian, and the latter followed me."