The daily gazette., 1876-09-16
Circassians and Their Plunder.

The Work OF OMNIvoRoUs Rob-
BERs-SoME OF THEM CURIoUsLY
| LADEN-HoMEsTEDs DESTROYED
"A DISGRACE TO THE TURKISH
GOVERNMENT.
The correspondent of the London
Standard writes as follows: "A
more weary, tedious day l never
passed. My tent was down, l had
no place to sit down in to write
and my sole amusement was in
watching the Circassians and Bashi.
Bazours come in laden with plund.
er. The selection had been strange
and miscellaneous upon the first
day, but now that the first choice
had been made things were brought
up which event the omnivorous
robbers of the first day had con-
sidered beneath their notice.
Among them was a wooden cradle
Of the toughest construction, q
thing that hedge carpenter could
have knocked together in a couple
of hours, and yet it was carried
upon the head of a Bashi-Bazouk
through four-mile walk under a
hot un,and when here it had to be
| taken as far as Adlieh at least, to
fetch even a piastre! The Turk
ish soldierswere just as much anus.
ed at the procession of plunderers
as English soldiers would be under
the same circumstances, and great
was the chatf with which some OF
them most curiously laden were
greeted, and l am bound to say
that it was, as general thing, re
ceivcd with a cheerfulness which
a hot, tired Briton would not have
exhibited under the same circum
stances. The number of sheep
cattle and goats driven inwas much
greater than uponthe precedingday
and towerd the afternoon theil
arrival increased in number and
extent, for by this time the Cir
cassians had swept the country fol
miles away, and little smoke
wreaths upon the most distant
hills showed where some home
stead had been destroyed. 1t was
in these remote farms that the Cir
cassians had met with the creates
success, as far as focks and herd
were concerned, for probably tn,
owners had only heard of the re
treat of their army in time to fl,
precipitately with the most preci
GUS Of their belongings, leavin:
their goats and cattle behind them
hoping, perhaps, in places far re
moved from the main roads, tina
they would escape the notice c
lplunders. know that, accordin,
tothe practice and estaslibhed regu
lations of that model of Christian
and Europeon armies, that CON
) manded by the German Empero,
all deserted houses and village.
and all animals left untendcd wer
fair plunder; still we are not a
educated yet to regime of"bloo
and iron," and l am happy to sa
that my indignation at this plunde
of peaceable peasants is shared b
the Turkish officers and men of tn
Irregular army. Very many, bot
officers and men, have pointed t
the plumbers, and have said to m
with emphatic shake of the head
"No bono Chirkees, no bono Bash
Bazouk." The employment {
these hordes of irregulars, or, t
j. speak more correctly, ofplunderl
- is u disgrace to the Turkish Coy
ernment. They count absolutel
for nothing in battle; they are
/, scourge to the country, and brin
discredit and disgrace upon til
= Turkish army, whose regular
touch nothing, contrasting moi
D, tavorably in this respect with E,
ropean troops. The Bashi-B,
zouks ought to be all drafted int
the regular army, the Circassiar
, formed into trained cavalry reg
D. ments, which would assuredly /
fullV canal tO anv in tho would