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

THE WAR IN ASIA.

Th© following is from the Timcs correspondent,
dated Erzeroum, Feb. 12 :

" After a most tedious and difficult journey of 11 days,
owing to the accumulation of snow, and tho 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 Boufanti, an intelligent young American in the
Turkish service, at 11 a.rn. of the 31st of January, with five
horses and two gentlemen who joined us, also with five, mak-
ing ten, the Cateijee 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 s,ccial mission of inquiv into military and civil affairs (to
whom I was introduced the day after my arrival at Trebi-
zoud, 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 valleys 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 all 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 couotry 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
and;lea,d our ho; ses 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
d•ilgerous. 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 proy-
ing. At a khan we encountered the harem of Abdi Pasha,
the deposed Pasha of Kars ; and about an hour after the Pa-
sha hims if 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 iu 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 cle it the way over the Raias-dah, or White
Mountain, which iu the usual winter months takes three
hours to cross ; but this day we were nearly five
hours in doing it, foroing 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 Erceroum, the other to Trebi-
zoud, amounting to upwards of SOO hor3es, 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 and jackalls. This passage of caravans
is the chief support of the inhabitants of the villages, most of
them dividb,g 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.