The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-15 00:00:00

Tee principal trades carried on are tanning, dyeing,
morocco (red and yellow), preparing sheepskins for
pelisses, horseshoes and nails, and blacksmiths' and
coppersmiths' work. The greatest security prevails
in transporting goods from and to Trebizond, and
the usual means is on mule or horse back. Asses
are solely employed for the transport of bar iron_
and charcoal. Camels are rarely used because of
the hard and stoney nature of the
ground. .
usual burden of a camel is about 240 okes, or
6801 b. (an oke is 211 b. English), that of a horse or
mule 3401 b., and of an ass 1701 b. The roads, or
rather tracks, are wretched. Some efforts were
made to construct a road commencing from Tre-
bizond, but the war with Russia has caused it to
be abandoned for the present. British manufac-
tures (principally cottons) to the amount of two
millions sterling annually pass from Trebizond.
through Erzeroum into Persia. Provisions of all
kinds are cheap!; the following are the present winter
prices, in summer fully one-third less :—Good whole-
some brown bread (no white to be had), 2d. the oke
(241 b.) • mutton, very good, sid. the oke ; beef,
very inferior, 3d. the oe ; eggs, 3d. the dozen ;
fowls, 6d. each ; pigeons, Bd. a couple ; part-
ridges, 9d. a brace ; best butter, 7d. a pound ;
milk, lid. a quart. Vegetables are three-fourths
of the year very cheap, but at present scarce,
and rather dear. Wood and charcoal is also now
dear: The country also produces rock salt and na-
tive soda. As to liquors, the principal sort used is
an imported spirit called " rakee," made from the
stems of the grape bunch, and flavoured with anis,
of which the Christian population drink great quan-
tities, and the Mussulmans are beginning to follow
their example. The race of horses is small, but
they are hardy and sure-footed, and vary in price
from 5/. to 10/: ; oxen for labour, 5/. ; mulch cows,
1/. to 11. 10s. ; sheep, 9s. to 10s. ; goats, 6s. to 7s.
Very little fruit is grown here, the market being
supplied from Tortoon. There is a weekly post,
established not long ago, for the conveyance of
letters and specie between Erzeroum, Trebizond,
and Constantinople. The presence of European
consuls at Erzeroum has done much towards civilis-
ing the country and bettering the condition of the
rayalis (Christian population), by keeping a check
on the conduct of the Pashas or governors. Twenty
years ago a Frank was rarely seen here, and was sub-
ject to insult and vexation. Now the inhabitants
!lave become completely accustomed to the sight of
Europeans, and every day European innovations
make their appearance among the better classes ;
and, although some of these changes may appear
trifling, still they show how prejudice is disappear-
ing before civilisation. A striking instance of this
is seen in the modern-erected palace or building
(which also contains the police-office, Custom-
house, Alc.), on which a slanting tiled roof has been
placed, the only one in the town, every other
house having a flat cumbrous one. The state of
education in this country, and I believe throughout
Asia Minor, is at a very low ebb. The learning of
the best-instructed Mahomedau does not extend
beyond a knowledge of the Koran and some com-
mentaries on it. Many among the upper classes
cannot write, and when anything is required to be
*.ommitted to paper they apply to public scribes.
Everything at school is learnt by rote, and the
reasoning faculties of the scholars are not exer-
cised and developed. When once they know
how to read and write, their education is sup-
posed to be completed. In fact, it is only
among those who have been educated at Con-
stantinople that one meets with any degree of
literary knowledge. Their ignorance of arithmetic
surprising. Even among the State financiers,
none know more than addition and subtraction,
and, to perform simple operations in multiplication,
they have recourse to long addition. Very few
know what a million is ; indeed, there is not a
word in Turkish to express the sum, and the Euro-
pean word has been adopted. Ignorance on this
point may be thus explained :—Large sums, instead
of being counted by piastres, are reckoned by purses
(kesseh), by loads (yule), and by treasures (hazneh),
the kesseh being equal to 500 piastres, the yuk to
200 purses, or 10,0,10 piastres, and the hazneh to
36,000 purses, or 18,000,000 piastres. The Chris-
tians of Erzerouni are perhaps, comparatively, not
so ignorant as the Turks, but there are among
them also many striking examples of ignorance.
Some of the Armenian clergy actually cannot read,
nor indeed understand their religious books, which
are written in ancient Armenian, though they daily'
repeat their contents by rote.
Erzeroum is altogether unfortified, nothing re-
maining to mark the possession of it by the enter-
prising Genoese but the shattered and decaying re-
mains of an extensive inner and outer wall, sur-
rounded by a deep ditch and a few round and
square towers. It is commanded by a high hill or
mountain called Palan Dukes, so that in the pre-
sent day it never could serve as a check to an in-
vading force advancing either from Georgia or
Persia. Most of the old fortified places which I
have seen bear the same character of indefen-
sibility, on account of their vicinity to command-
ing heights. The great elevation of Erzeroum
above the sea, and its position as to latitude,
account for its extreme coldness and the depth
of snow in winter and its oppressive heat in
summer. The western branch of the Euphrates
takes its rise at a short distance off, and passes
within a mile of the town, under the local name of
Karasoo. There are few diseases that can be attri-
buted to the climate; on the whole, it is a healthy
spot, but the plague occasionally visits this country,
and is supposed to appear every 12 or 14 years. It
raged here in 1829, and again in 1842, and on its.
last appearance carried off nearly 8,000 persons. If the calculation of its usual return be correct, the
period cannot be far off when this terrible scourge
will again spread desolation and sorrow in the homes
of the unfortunate inhabitants.
Erzeroum is distant from Trebizond about 54
hours, or nearly 180 miles, calculating three miles
and a quarter to the hour; from Kars, 36 hours, or
about 120 miles; from Tabriz, in Persia, 110 hours,
or 350 miles; and from Teflis, in Georgia, 76 hours,
or 250 miles.

THE COMBINED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE
TO THE EAST.
The following is from the Morning Chronicle
correspondent :
" MALTA, April 9.—1 now again write to report
further arrivals and departures of English and
French troops to the seat of war. The Cambria
steamer, from Kingstown, arrived yesterday, bring-
ing Major Johnston, Captain uayle, Lieutenant
Wallis, and Ensign Marsh, 115Qnon-commissioned
officers and privates, and three women, of the 33d;
Major Darlton, Captain King, Lieutenants Rock
and Astloy, Ensign Hopkins, and Assistant-Surgeon
Beckwith, 215 non-commissioned officers and pri-
vates, two women and one child, of the 49th ;
Captains Purcel and Gray, Lieutenants Fawcett
and Nowlan, Ensigns Leeds, Tyler, and Diamond,
Paymaster Roberts and Assistant-Surgeon Martel,
232 non-commissioned officers and privates, and
eight women, of the 50th • Capt. Kennedy, Lieut.
Cliawner, and Ensign Vutts, Assistant-Surgeon
Burton, 90 non-commissioned officers and privates,
and one woman of the 77th Regiment ; and the
Niagara and Teneriffe are hourly looked for. I have
already advised the French arrivals and departures
en masse, having had no time to give the details,
but which I now supply. The Panama steamer,
sotv;
with 35 officers and 788 soldiers, arrived from Al-
giershvinog in
on the
the andAluefsttrfioarn Gallipclitranp transport
tobnritg ol
heh
with stores. The Caffarelli steamer, from Stora,
with 16 officers and 596 soldiers, arrived on the
4th, and left for the East on the sth. The Laplace
steamer, with 12 officers and 382 soldiers, arrived
from Bugia on the sth, and at the same
time the
Eclaireur, with four officers and 200 soldiers, from
Bugia ; the Mouette steamer, from Bugia, with
eight officers and 253 soldiers ; the Veloce steamer,
from Stora, with 11 military and 11 naval medical
officers and 339 soldiers ; and the Brandon
steamer, with 10 officers and 230 soldiers, like-
wise from Stora. This latter and the Eclaireur
left for the East on the 6th ; the Laplace,
Veloce, and Mouette followed on the 7th. The
Egyptian steamer, having on board General
Bonat, 22 other officers, and 170 artillerymen, ar-
rived from Marseilles on the sth, and left again' on the 6th. The Gorgone and Coligny steamers
arrived from Algiers on the 6th, the former
bringing oue officer and 312 soldiers, the latter
one officer and 352 soldiers ; and on the 7th the
Meteore steamer, also from Algiers, with 10 officers
414 soldiers. All three proceeded onwards to the
East on the Bth, on the afternoon of which day the
large steam-frigate Asmodee, with 1,000 rank and
file from Algiers, passed Malta, without looking in
for fuel or water, having in tow a French schooner
with horses and fodder. It will be seen from these
details that the French have carried and are carry-
ing out the transport of their contingent to the
seat of war, chiefly by means of French war
steamers, with remarkable diligence and compara-
tive comfort, for, whilst coaling and watering in Malta harbour, which usually occupies from 8 to
12 hours, the officers and many of the men get a
run on shore ; and, I should remark, much to their
credit, not one has been left behind, although the
departures have sometimes taken place during the
night.

"I regret I cannot adviso any such satisfactory
progress onwards of the British troops, most as-
suredly without any blame attaching to the local,
authorities—civil, naval, or military—who have
worked well together, and received very valuable
aid and assistance from the agents and other em-
ployes of merchant steam companies. The defec-
tive arrangements no doubt are a matter for which
the home authorities are blameable.
" The Golden Fleece which left on the 31st of
March, with Bripclior:Queral sir Glecno 131.'1°4