The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-24 00:00:00

THE WAR IN ASIA.

The following is from the Times correspondent,
dated Erzeroum, Feb. 12 :
" After a most tedious and difficult journey of 11 days,
owing to the accumulation of snow, and the bad state of what
they call roads, but which are mere constantly varying tracks,
I arrived here the day before yesterday. I left Trebizond
with Major Bonfanti, an intelligent young American in the
Turkish service, at 11 a.m. of the 31st of January, with five
horses and two gentlemen who joined us, also with five, mak-
ing ten, the Caterjee having agreed to take me to Erzeroum
in eight days, Inshalla," please God.' Kair-eddin Pasha, the
Minister of Police at Constantinople, proceeding to Anatolia on
a special mission of inquiry into military and civil affairs (to
whom I was introduced the day after my arrival at Trebi-
zond, and who asked me to join his party), preceded us by
three hours. From tne number of his attendants and fol-
lowers we thought it better to keep a day in his rear,
fearful of coming badly off for accommodation and pro-
visions in the khans and villages in which he would
stop. Our route was at first southerly, crossing a
high hill, and then descending into valleysr well cultivated,
with cattle grazing in extensive meadows, the soil being of a
black peaty colour. After a six hours' ride (about 22 miles),
we arrived at Jevislich, a very small village, at 6 p.m., our
baggage an hour later. The khan and the few houses were
nearly akl occupied by the Pasha and his suite and attendants,
two Polish Generals being in the number of the former, one
named General Brianski, or Asian Pasha (the Lion), and the
other General Besciauonski, or Schahin Pasha (the Eagle), for
every European in the Turkish service is obliged to adopt a
Turkish name. On the road we overtook a caravan of 200
horses, carrying bales of Manchester cotton goods, two large
bales to each horse ; these cotton cloths are all white, and
when they arrive at Teheran are there stamped in various
colours, and passed into the Russian dominions as of Persian
manufacture.

" Feb. I.—We started at eight a.m., the baggage an hour
earlier, and in about two hours came to the first layer of snow
and some small glaciers, the country and scenery being very
like that of Switzerland, passing occasionally through forests
of beech and fir, with the river Dayermendere on our left, and
arrived at Yelkeopee at half-past 2 in a snow storm, which
compelled us to stop.

"-Feb. 2.—Started at half-past 7, passing through a forest
of firs and splendid beech trees for about an hour, always as-
cending, the snow becoming deeper, and the cold increasing.
Thermoter 8 deg. Fahrenheit. About 10 came to one of the
highest and most difficult mountains we shall have to pass.
It was without a tree or a shrub—the snow occasionally up
to the horses' girths; the half-disclosed track made by the
caravans (mostly Persian) was the only mode by which we
could make our way. At places where the snow was
thin the ice lay under, and we were obliged to dismout
andilead our horses with the greatest care, notwithstand-
ing which we had several falls, and the track leading by
chasms several hundred feet deep rendered our course most
dangerous. We saw several horses from a leading caravan,
fall over, and the remains of several poor animals were lying
down in the gorges, on which vultures and crows were prey-
ing. At a khan we encountered the harem of Abdi Pasha,
the deposed Pasha of Kars ; and about an hour after the Pa-
sha himself and his suite, on his way to Constantinople. Ar-
rived at Ardasser at 4 p.m., having for the two previous
hours skirted the river of the same name."

The writer then gives a daily account of the events of his
journey, which chiefly relates to the difficulty of travelling
over the snow-clad country, and the wretched accommoda-
tion of the khans or inns. We give only the following :
" Thursday, Feb. 9.—lt had snowed in the night, but, not-
withstanding the Bey's advice, we determined to proceed, so
at 9 a.m. we started, having the ammunition caravans in ad-
vance to track and clear the way over the Raias-dah, or White
Mountain, which in the usual winter months takes three
hours to cross ; but this day we were nearly five
hours in doing it, forcing our way at times through
snow above the horses backs, slipping and falling in all direc-
tions, the wind blowing the drift into our faces ; my eyes be-
came much inflamed. About 2 p.m., debouched upon an im-
mense plain, about two miles broad, backed by hills, and
extending for three-and-a-half hours' ride to Baicheek, which
we reached at half-past 5. Found three Persian caravans
here, two on their way to Erzeroum, the other to Trebi-
zond, amounting to upwards of 800 horses, which had been
stopping for two days, having lost several men and horses in
the snow. Bodies of the latter we often saw along our route,
half devoured by birds andjackalls. This passage of caravans
is the chief support of the inhabitants of the villages, most of
them dividing their single ground rooms into two portions, one
fourth, a little raised, for travellers, and the remainder for
cattle, which are invariably fed with barley and chopped
straw. No bedding is made for them; they stand and lie
down on their own dry pulverized dung. Wood is scarce in
this part of the country, and dried cowdung is used as a
substitute.

" Friday, Feb. 10.—Having allowed the Erzeroum Persian
caravans of more than 500 horses, and our ammunition one
of 200, to move off to form a track, we started at eight a.m.
Our route was over one continued plain, covered with snow
five and six feet deep, in which, from a thick drift, we often
deviated from the right course. Occasionally, when the sun
shone out and dispersed the thick mist, the scene on looking
back (for we generally kept well ahead) was curious and
animated ; nearly 800 horses, loaded with goods and bag-
gage of all kinds, each horse keeping a short dis-
tance from the preceding one, and men being between
every ten or twelve, shouting and hallooing to make
them move on, lengthened the winding line to such a degree,
that at one period when the atmosphere was quite clear I
calculated it to be full three miles in extent. At length at
half-past two we reached Erzeroum, after a tedious and
hazardous journey of 11 days, sometimes performed (with
post horses and baggage) in five or six days, in bad weather
in eight, and rarely extending to the time we were compelled
to take ; but this is the worst month for travelling in these
elevated and sterile regions, February having the collected
snow of the three preceding months, still falling, and without
any chance of a thaw till the end of next month. Haireddin
Pasha, with all his efforts and the aid rendered him, ar-
rived only two days before us. Erzeroum is at present full
of infantry, 10,000 in number ; and, as they occupy all the
khans and public buildings, we found the greatest difficulty
in procuring a small room to rest our wearied limbs in. I
was frostbitten in my fingers and one side of my face, and
with difficulty, after half-an-heur's rubbing, was circulation
restored ; the skin of my face all blistered, and my eyes so
inflamed and painful that it is with difficulty I have been able
to pen this scrawl. So intense is the cold at and near Kars
that day and night sentries are frequently frozen to
death at their posts. There has been no news of any in-
terest from Kars for some time past, the communication
being nearly stopped, and nothing is expected to take
place till the spring. General Guyon, is, however, hard at
work, organizing and disciplining that portion of the army
intrusted to him with the greatest zeal and activity. He is
named Koorschid Pasha, or Pasha of the Sun. The last ac-
counts, to the 4th, brought in last night, state that there are
many sick.
" Erzeroum is 6,200 feet above the level of the sea, and (as
the crow flies) 180 miles from Trebizond, but we must have
zigzagged at least 220, passing nearly the whole way along
the sierra mountains, and not across them."