The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-01 00:00:00

EUPATOBIA.

The Moniteur furnishes us with the following
description and later history of Eupatoria, a town
whose name is now well known to our readers, and
is likely to become every day•
of greater interest.
The writer, an officer or passenger on board the
Berthollet, a French man-of-war steamer, says :
"Eupatoria is situated on a law sandy shore, scarcely
above the level of the sea, at the bottom of a bay so shallow
as to compel all vessels of burden to lay off a considerable
distance, and affording a very insecure anchorage when the
wind sets in toward., shore. The town stretches along the
beach, and is seen in alias extent from the ship's deck.
"On the right extends an_immense salt lake, separated
from the sea by an isthmus two or three hundred 'metres in
width, that serves as a natural defence to the side of the
town. But before you reach the town, you come on a com.
plate village of•windmills, planted; as it were, in a row en
the sand. Behind the windmills begins the line of fortifi-
cation* constructed by the allies since their occupation.
" All the old Russian establishments are ranged along a
roadway, in wretched condition, that stands between them
and the beach. The Tartar town is hidden behind those
houses, which are all that can be seen from the sea.
" There are various public bindings now occupied by the
French and English authorities, a very large lazaretto and
a magnificent barrack, nowpartly in ruins. Four objects in
the town merit particular attention. The fret, and most
interesting, is the synagogue, which dates from the eleventh
century, and was founded by Anan-ben-David, a chief a
the Caraite Jews, a sect very prevalent thron.ghout Egypt,
Turkey, the Crime., Russia, and Poland. In the centre
of a gallery, ornamented with inscriptions and paintings in
the Byzantine style, stands a splendid monument of white
marble erected by the present Emperor to the memory of
his late brother and predecessor, the Emperor Alexander.
There are two synagogues in the building, one for men and
the other for women, but both of great richness. The
former eontains an article regarded with the highest vene-
ration—a Jewish Bible of the eighth century, that once
belonged to the founder of the building.
" When the Empress Catherine invaded the Crimea, all
the wealth and commerce of the country was in the hands of
the Caraite Jews, who declared on the aide of the Russians,
and yielded them every assistance. Since then'they have
been particularly favoured by the Russian Court, and their
prosperity
,hat continued to increase. It is not astonishing,
therefore, that the greater number of Jewish families left
Eupatoria at the commencement of hostilities. -
" The second object of interest is the great mosque
founded in the thirteenth century. The interior is in the
Tartar style, which is an offshoot of the Arabian. An in-
scription on the walls relates the principal events in the
life of Ali, the founder of the sect of the Shyites, to which
the Mussulman population of the Crimea belongs. This
explains the little sympathy between the Tartars and
Turks, which last aro of the opposite
Mahonietan sect—
the Sunnites.
_ _ _

"The two other remayroklatbseleabeunillydvinagsst aree t
i, the n Armenian
with r
._......_____.
and Russian churches. The first is very ancient, ad the
and little hillbe on°
Other very richly adorned.
a o stationede e o t Turkish envier
aiewm‘d‘6Wthheitrbe:aututulmalttc'ewoaf moderateidett,i hiceilit:,
Twelve or fifteen hundred metres further off are the Rus-
sian pickets watching them, end cocasionallv exchanging
:Alas. Li the daytime the Tartar's come as far as this in
to pasture their cattle :AA sheep, ran caniel and drome-
daries ; bat the moment the stn eels they he.sten back to
thO town, for the Cossecke loose no opportunity of sur-
prising and plundering them.
" no Tartar costume has not changed for centuries, but
still consists of the black woollen cep, a covering of grey
cloth open in front, Turkish trousers, and wide boots. Tho
women are veiledin the Consteutinople fashion. The type
of the Tartar phyeiegnolny is always the same—a round
vtouedca occupied the Crimea, they have modified their
face and nose, with large eyes. Without having com-
pletely degenerated, they have lost their ancient warlike
spirit, and
" nndtbdeicer
~ a:tunds
fit errs .it
called the town Kosloy, the name it was known by to its
inhabitants. But the Empress Catherine, who affected an
acquaintance with ancient history, restored to it the ap-
pellation of Enpatoria, in memory of Mithridates Eupa-
tor, the deadly foe of the Romanis, who was said to have
been its founder, though recent researches award that
honour to one of his principal generals. Eupatoria un-
doubtedly stands on the site of an ancient eity, and
though no diligent investigation has been made various
relics of antiquity are occasionally found.
"Enpatoria is the chief town of one of the four districts
number
of oxen and sheep, aril fertile lands, part of which only is
intofarm werksiacnhdtbslarenChreirmdes a,
who possessisdivided an immense
divided.
It is
inhabited by
cultivated. The population, which is 9,000 souls in ordi-
nary times, amounts now to 35,000, a great number of in-
habitants of the country ravaged by the Russians having
sought refuge within its walls under the protection of the
Allied Powers. This population, almost entirely com-
posed of Caraite Jews and Tartars, lives Iy trade and
agriculture, one branch of which, that of lanale-skins, corn.
rnonly called lambs of Astrakhan, netwithotansling their
origin, is well known throughout Europe.
"Enpatoria is a military position of the highest
a division the Russians
nos sfi a
cavalry,ns have
ma
a
impor-
tance to the Allies; from which, now well fortified, they
can manoeuvre on the enemy's rear, and threaten kis three
grend centres—Simpheropel, distant 60 kilometres; Behshi.
Semi, GS kilometres ; and Perekop, 104 kilometres. Those
three paints contain all the magazines and the reserves of
the Russian army; and although protected of late by ex-
tensive works of defence, they are, nevertheless, valuer.
able, and may be seriously menaced.
' :
nStianicnes
dt the occupationthe neighbourhoodef
composed of two regiments of Drztgoons, regiments of
Lancers, and a corps of. 1,000 or 1,200 Cossacks, with 32
fiellgune. This division is under the command of Gene_
ral Hizba, who has his head-quarters at Oraz, 10 kilo-
metres distant from Enpatoria. This force has made several
attacks against the feeble write* of Eupatoria, which
have been always repulsed. The Russians destroyed the
crepe, rooted up the trees, burnt the villages, and sacked
all the houses for a distance of nearly 500 kilometres round
the place, and the whole emissary was given up to plunder
and devastation.
year, Commander Os-
" On the 12th of September, last
moni, took possession of Eupatosis in the name of the
French Government, with two companies of the 39th re-
giment of the lino ; having iaetalled in it Tartar authori-
ties, instead of the Russian, who had fled, he retired to
heal-quarters with his troops. On the 19th, however, he i
returned to Eupetosie, to occupy it for the Allies, with
two companies of 3farinels, and was appointed governor
of the place. On the following day the town was pro-
tecte.l against a surprise by an !enceinte continue, by her.
ricados, and military posts stationed at the gates, which
were left open. Istmenee wheat stores found in the town
were sequestered, a mneunted Tartar militia was, organised
to act as seouta oetside the walls, awl a loot militia was
formed for service betas, iutetior.
" On the 10th O, toper an inneease number of Tartars,
flying from the Russian', entered Enpeteria and pieced
themselves under the protection of the French garrison.
On the following day the immigration contineted, and
25,0C° persons. hringin; with them upwards of 100,000
sheep and 20,009 oxen, entered the pew. At one o'clock
p.m. a Russian regiment of cavalry made a reconenh sence,
but a few shells thrown in among them forced there to
retreat. On the 12th, fo it reLinun,ti of cavalry, with four
''''''' ' 0: '4lt:l'.!-:. ,ii•:, :, -.1 D.-. ,t,rl,:. 5:‘,1 ‘,.,,,' enereete_
Lally repulsed by the annul gsri,on. On the 13th, and on
the following days, several batteries were erected, and a
number of guns mounted on the ramparts. Tho Russians
' then blockaded the town, atationod yidettea Rd military