Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1855-10-25
What is the Crimea7
FROM THE NEw BEDFORD MERCURY.

Homer calls it the land Of the Lasbrygoni.
ans. who were giants and ate mems flesh, and
from whom the "much-enduring" Ulysses es.
capped with some difficulty. The Crimea is al.
so knoWn to tragedy as Tauris, and the custom
Of sacrificing all strangers upon its alters, which
then prevailed, shows that from the earliest a.
ges it was dangerous place for fOreiguers.-
Then it was called Cimmeria. the land Of dark
ness. IL the sun loving islanders Of the Egg.
can night and storm and eternal winter dwelt
beyond that Euxine sea which only few ad-
venturous mariners dared to penetrate. Gin
meriai there is meaning in that name. II is on
ly Crimea in its full development. 1t was one
of the hats of the Caucasian tribe in their first
western migration. The Tarters (Scythians
they were then called drove them out, and on
they went, these wandering Cimmerians They
called themselves Cimbri when they are
rived in Europe. A portion of them in Wales
with fantastic legends of the fall Troy in their
early and mythical history, are still known as
the Cimbri but they are the parents of all
the race of the Celts; and now the invaders,
English, French, Scotch, and Irish, are only
seeking their ancestral place and making them
selves at home after a tolerably long absence.
They have found there the old Scythian tribe
who elected them. To be sure their former
conquerors have not been in possession the
whole time, nor much of it. Little more in
fact than half century is it since they finally
took it into their keeping for, after driving
out the Cimmerians. they (these Scythian Tar
tars) were themselves expelled ; but they have
come back and got the .tart of the original
owners. who now, after near two thousand
years, have just returned to look after the old
homestead.
There IS another little association with the
Crimea that to us Americans is interesting
One John Smith, the same John Smith, the ad
venturous captain Of Virginia, was also war
rior against the Turks or Tartars. He cut off
several Moslem turbans with heads inside of
them, but was unluckily captured and sold as
a slave, He was carried up the the Straits
of Kertsch and into the Sea of Azof. Some
where in the Crimes or thereabouts bis captiv'
ity ceased. He killed his master, seized bis
horse and clothes, and rode for dear life and
the nearest Russian post, at that time to him
nearly synonymous ideas. He was kindly re-
ceived, and passed along from one Muscovite
station to another back to friends and cviliza-
ton. With every step new installment OF
gratitude became due from him, which he duly
discharged through bis heirs and assigns for
he founded Virginia. Virginia one day, with
her sister colonies. became the United States
of America. England was at war with France
and her own revolted colonies. The house of
Bourbon and the house of Guelph had no lei
sure to look eastward. In fact, there was not
an Eastern question" at all. Catherine Of
Russia stepped in with her armies, and the
Crimea was hers. France came to the rescue
only too late. English country gentlemen
were too full Of the Middlesex election and the
American war, the 'no-popery' riots and the ma.
tiousl debt TO think much of the schemes Of the
Czarua. Their Indian empire was but just be-
ginning, and no Napoleon had taught them the
value Of the paschalik Of Egypt to the over