The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-07-21
From the Correspondence Of the London
Times.
Pillaye, PIunder Violation and Murder at
kertAch.

hcIthCus
In the afternoon of the day on which we
occupied Ycnikae the crews Of some mer-
chant ships from Ambelaki landed AMI be-
gan to break into three or four houses which
had been closed aud fastcndd up, and to pill
lage the contents. As they could not re-
move the heavy furniture they smashed it to
atoms. Toward evening Turkish stragglers
from the camp and others who had fallen out
of the line Of march, ilockcd into town, and
perpetratcd the most atrocious crimes. To
pillage and wanton devastation they added
violation and murder. The Tartars who
were in the town hailed the arrival Of the
Osnanli with delight, and received them as
liberators, and us brethren to whom they
were bound by the ties Of religion, Of Ian
guagc, and OF hatred to the Russians. They
led the few Turks from house to house, point
cd out, as victims to their cupdity and lust,
those who had made themselves obnoxious
to their ignorance or ianatcsm, and fed fat
their ancient grudges to the Russian trades.
people and merchants. The French patrols
,ndravored to preserve order. and succeeded
to some extent, but not till they had killed and
wounded several Turks and TartarS. One
miscreant was OF as he came down the
street in triumph, waving sword wet with
the blood Of poor child whom he had
hacked to pieces. Others were slain in the
very act OF committing horrible outrages.
Some were borne oil wounded to the prison
or the hospital, and at last respect of life was
established by its destruction. There was
not, to DC sure, q general massacre. Even
savascs would have rclrained from slaughte.
ring the inhabitants of town which had
submitted, and thrown itself upon their
mercy.
1t was with difficulty, however, that the
French controlled the exccsses Of the Turks,
and of some Of their own cOuntrymen.
Some English merchant sailors next day aid
ed in the work Of pillage and destruction.
On remarkable conical hill at the back of
the town are two buildings, one Of which is
said to mark the resting place Of fMithridates
the other, of modern date, but incOrpora-
ting some Of the pillars Of an ancient TEN.
pie, which were found on the site, is built
after the model of the Parthenon. 1t has
been used, if not originally intended. as o
museum, and was iull Of cinerary urns, and
of antique relics collected amid the ruins Of
the ancient Bosphor, Of statuary, and Of the
contents Of tumuli, which were opened in
the neghborhood.
1t is impossible to convey an idea Of the
scene within this place. The museum. or
whatever it was, consisted Of large room,
with glass cases along the walls, aud inches
Of statuary, and rows Of stands parallel TO
them, which once held the smaller antiqui.
tics. At the end opposite the door, large
ledge, about 80 feet from the ground, ran
from side to side. and supported u great
number Of cinerary urns, most probably
dug out Of the tumuli which abound in the
neighborhood. 1t was reached by winding
staircase through one Of the pillars at the
end Of the room. One might well wonder
how the fury of few men could effect such
prodigious amount Of ruin in 10 short q
time.
The floor Of the museum is covered for
several inches in depth with tho dsbris Of
broken glass, Of vases, urns, statusry. The