The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-11-17

| Homer calls it the land of the J.rsbrygo-
mans, who were giants and ate mems flesh,
and from whom the "much-cnduring" Uivs-
scs escaped with some difficulty. The Cri-
mea is also known to tragedy as Tauris, and
! the custom of sacrificing all strangers upon
its altars, which then prevailed, shows that
from its earliest ages II was "A dangerous
place for foreigners Then il was called
Clmmeria, the land OF darkness. To the
sun-loying islander Of the Egean, night and
storm and eternal winter dwelt beyond that
EuXinc sea which only a few adventurous
mariners dared to penetrate. tImmeria
there is meaning in that name. 1t is only
Crmea in its full Development 1t was one
Of the halts Of the Caucasian in their first
western migration. The Tar,ars (Scythian.
they were then called) drove them out, and
on they went, these wandering Cnmmerians
They called themselves Cimbri when they
arrived in Europe. A portion Of them IN
Wales, with fantastic legends Of the fall Of
Troy in their early and mythical history
, are still known as the Cymbr! and they are
! ttRssmrentsacf ell the race of the Celts; and
now the invaders, English, French, Scotch
and Irish, are only see0ing their ancestral
place and making themselves at home after a
tolerably long absence. They have found
there the old Scythan tribe who elected
them To be sure their former conquerors
have not been in possession the whole time,
nor very much Of it. Little more, in fact,
tnan half century is it since they finally
took it into their keeping; for, after driving
out the Clmmerlans, they Ohese Scythlan
IartarsJ were themselves expelled; but
they have come back and got the start 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
Crimca that to US Americans is interesting.
one John Smith, tie John Smith, the adj
yenturOus captain Of Virginia, was also
warrior against the Turks or Iartars. He
cut of several MOalcm turbans with heads
inside Of them, but was uuluckily captured
and sold as u slave. He was carried up the
Straits Of kcrtsch and into the Sea Of Azof.
Somewhere in the Crimea or thgrCabOuts his
captivity ceased. He killed his master, sci
zcd his horse and clothes, and rode for dear
life and the nearest Russian post, at that
time to him nearly Synonymous ideas. lie
was kindly received, and passed along from
one Muscoyltc station to another, back to
friends and civilization. With every step
new cnS'almcut ofgrltitudc became due from
him, which he duly discharged through his
heirs and assigns; for he founded Virginia
Virginia one day, with her sister colonies
became the United States cf America
England was at war wilh France and her own
rcyOtcd colonies. The house Of bourbon
and the house Of Guelph had no leisure to
look eastward. In fact, there was not an
Eastern question at all. Catherine Of
Russia stepped in with her armies, and the
Crimca was hers. France came to the res
cue only too late English country gentle
men were too fall Of the Mddc-cX election
and the American war, "nO popcry' riots
and the national debt 10 think much Of the
schemes Of the CZarina. Their Indian en-
pire was but just beginning, and no Napo.C-
on had taught them the value OF the pa,cha
lick Of Egypt tO the overland route to the
East. The fall Of the Crimya was but the
annexation OF a barren khantt a rcyO.ted
State Of Turkey. the Austrian Empire
could hardly have taken more lntcrcst}o the
annexation oil Texas than hn2laul then did
in the Crimcan transfer TO Russia. The
seeds Of future calamity are sDwn in silence.
"Ihc tempest is iorctoid by little cloud no
bigger than mans hand, which comes
out OF the sea but to-day the Crmca Is the
centre Of the worlds gaze, aud what is nov
passing on It's soil may be changing the
whole visible current OF Affairs.