Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-04-19
NO. XXIL
what is going or at KnInfat.
Correspondence Gfhe London Morning .Ners.

KALAFAT, March 3.
After long interval of quiet. the Rus!
STATS iii The morning Of he 9th ult. came
down on the village Of Tschapertsin, with
two squadrons of cavalry and two guns. /
have already alluded 10 The exposed posi-
ton of the Turkish troops duartered here,
and expressed my belief that they will one
day or other be cut off and destfoted..-
| They themselves seem 10 share in this q.
pinlon, for they no sooner find the videttes
driven in than they retreat on Kalafat, and
hardly consider themse Ives safe till they
are under The cover 6f The guns. On this
occasion, also, four sguadfohs evacuated
ibr place before half their own number OF
the enemy, they being in ignorance as to
the amount Of support the latter might have
had in their rear. They were even fired
upon in their retreat, and one or two wounds
ed, and three bashi buzuks belonging to
troop which brought Up The rear were made
prisoners.
On the first alarm towards the detached
fort rode outside in the direction of Tscha-
pertsin, and found the entrenchmeDt, which
extends north-westward from the battery,
manned by body Of Arnauts, their colors
fying, kettle drums beating. and their long
guns glittering in the sun, which, combined
with their picturesque costume-huge white
petticoats and embroidered stockings--form-
ed very gay scene. They serve as irreg-
ular infantry and behind entrenchmehts
are capital soldiers, and are generally well
armed, much better than the bashi buzuk
cavalry. In the glen in the rear oftbe fort
lay few companies of regular infantry
their arms piled, and the men seeking shelf
ter behind the hilocks and bitches from this
biting northeast wind. From the parapet
OF the fort on the bill top, there was wido
view of the plain, Tschapertsn and Pojana
in the distance, and the Russian cavalry re-
turning towards the latter at trot. II was
clear nothing further was about 10 be at
tempted, and accordingly, quarter of ali
hour later, the troops returned 10 their quar-
ters.
This affair seems TO have caused The in
habitants of Tschapertsin TO make up their
minds to quit their homes. and seek refuge
on the other side of The Danube. For some
time past they have been subjected to fre-
quent and hairassing alarms, have had their
houses occupied nov BY the Turks and ho%
by the Russians, and knew not the hour
when bloody conflict might take place at
their doors. During the last two days near
y two hundred families have passed through
Kalafat, across the bridge Of boats and into
the Island, to wait there for boats to trahs-
port them to Widin. They carry with them
all their household goods, packed in bullock
carts-pots, pans, bedding, Indian corn,
gourds, in one huge heterogeneous mass
They have formed an encampment close to-
the bank of the river, and are waiting pa
tently for passage, which am sorry to
add, fear they will not get IN haste, as all
the boats available in this quarter are in
constant requisition, for he carriage of wood
and forage and the conveyance of the sick
to the hospitals.
paid visit 10 the spo! on my way 10
Widdin both yesterday and the day before,
and must say it would be hard 10 witness a
more pitiable exempli6cation of the horrors
of this war, brought upon peaceful Europe
by the accursed ambition of the Muscoyite
despot. Exposed without cloak, covering,
or any other means of warmth, beyond scraps
of sheepskln, and in the majority of cases
not even that-to the biting blasts ofa wind,
to which we dare hardly present our noses
above our mnfleis-were groups of women,
many of them with infants a! their breasts
and young children, crouching on the bare
ground, to the leeward of the bullock wsg-
ons, shivering at every joint, and gazing
with vacant air of departing suffering at
the rude but vigorous efforts of the men to
erect some temporary means of shelter.
Many of the young girls and nearly ALI
the children are extremely handsome
Some of the former would excite "a sensa-
ton" in many London drawing-room, If
only their hair had come more frequently
in contact with the comb, and their faces
with soap and water. Their regular fea-
lures, and glowing dark eyes betray their
Roman origin, even if the evidence were
unsupported by the harmonious flow OF their
language. Their petticoats, not very long
even when attired en- grande tenue, are,
when in their everyday dress, as short as
the most enthusiastic admrer of fine limbs
could desire, in many instances not reach.
ing below the knee, the remainder of the leg
being cased in long woolen stockings, which
not being remarkably well gartered,. hardly
ever fail to fall down about The ankle and
to reveal it in state of unadorned nature,
bronzed or Redeemed by sun and wind. The
remainder of the costume consists OF short
gown OF cotton or some similarly light fab
lc, surmounted by sheepskin jacket the
coifure, handkerchief, wrapper carelcssly
or gracefully, according to the temperament
of the wearer, around the head. Like al
the women of the east AMI south, however,
their beauty, like the roses, blooms early and
dies quickly. They are manageable at if-
teen-withered and wrinkled at thirty.
Towards evening on the first day oftheir
arrival in the island they had managed to
screen themselves from the wind by form
ing tents of their bed-cothes, or erecting
barriers of reeds, or Indian corn straw, and
lighted fire on the shcltery side. When
passed that way yesterday each family
had settled itself down with a greater or
less degree of mitigation in their misery,
and space measuring perhaps zoe or 300
yards square, presented very fair picture
of gypsey camp on large scale-children
screaming, dogs barking, the women scold'
ing and shouting with sbrill sharp voices.
and the men cutting brushwood or thrash:
ing the bulocks into locomot:on, and over
all cloud of smoke floating away on the
wind towards the rude homes on the further
shore. which, in all probability, they will
never more behold. To-day the snow is
falling rapidly, and the wind as high as ev-
er, and believe they are in the same state.
as the necessities of the army af KaIafat