696 



SHAMYL. 



SKINNER, THOMAS H. 



edged successor of Kasi Mollah ; but, in his ab- 

 sence, another Circassian chief, Hamsad Bey, 

 had gained the position, and Schamyl, like a 

 true patriot, put himself under his orders 

 without a murmur. In 1836, when Hamsad 

 Bey fell the victim of a conspiracy, Schamyl 

 was chosen chief by acclamation. Three years 

 of varied successes and failures followed, at the 

 end of which he had defeated and routed the 

 Russian General Ivelitch, and repulsed General 

 Hafi. This success brought upon him a large 

 Russian force, and he was driven with the 

 remnant of his army into the fortress of Ark- 

 ulgo, which was stormed, captured, sacked, 

 and razed, but the warrior-prophet had made 

 his escape and presently reappeared at the 

 head of a formidable force. In 1843 he con- 

 quered Avares, and subsequently defeated the 

 Russians in numerous engagements. In 1844 

 he established his capital at Dargo, and was 

 the undisputed sovereign of more than a mill- 

 ion people. But the following year the for- 

 tunes of Gircassia began to wane ; the Russians 

 increased their forces, and, though not always 

 successful, gained possession of some important 

 points, which commanded the avenues of sup- 

 ply, and thus gradually reduced the Circas- 

 sians to great distress. The Crimean War 

 would have given Schamyl an opportunity to 

 recover himself, had not his people been too 

 much exhausted to make it possible. After 

 its close, the Russians were generally success- 

 ful in their attacks upon the Circassians. In 

 1857 the Russian General Eudoniikoff captured 

 a citadel commanding the fortified pass of 

 Gaitinir. The next year the pass of Argun was 

 surprised and a hundred villages destroyed. 

 The Circassians fought a battle with the Rus- 

 sians under Mishchenko, August 11, 1858, and 

 were defeated. In April of the next year 

 Weden, the centre and citadel of the power of 

 Schamyl and his followers, was captured, and 

 the old chief was driven back into the moun- 

 tains. Deserted by the bulk of his forces he 

 shut himself up, with four hundred faithful 

 followers, in the mountain fortress of Ghunib. 

 This stronghold was on the crest of a moun- 

 tain, and was defended on three sides by its 

 craggy and precipitous natural walls. On the 

 fourth side was a heavy and high wall, de- 

 fended by six guns. But the Russians sealed 

 the crags on a very dark night ; the chieftain 

 was captured, September 7, 1859, and carried 

 to Moscow, where he was treated with kind- 

 ness and distinguished courtesy by Czar Alex- 

 ander II., being allowed to retain his women 

 and treasure. Here he had a fine residence, 

 and an establishment befitting his former sta- 

 tion and character. In 1866 he and his sons 

 took the oath of fidelity to the Czar and the 

 Grand-duke at Kalooga. 



In person Schamyl, at the time of his cap- 

 ture, was tall, broad-shouldered, with deep eyes, 

 long, dark -red beard, slow in motion, dignified 

 and impressive, an eminent example of the 

 people over whom he ruled, who have always 



been renowned for physical beauty and de- 

 velopment. His conversation was singularly 

 eloquent and imposing, but,besides his personal 

 beauty and his eloquence, he had a charm of 

 manner almost magical in its effects. Com- 

 bining in one the character of prophet, law- 

 giver, chief-magistrate, and general, his career 

 has no parallel in modern times. 



SKINNER, Rev. THOMAS HAEVEY, D. D., 

 LL. D., an American clergyman, professor, and 

 author, born at Harvey's Neck, North Carolina, 

 March 7, 1791 ; died in New York City, Febru- 

 ary 1, 1871. He prepared for college in Eden- 

 ton, N. 0., and entered Princeton College, N. J., 

 at the age of fourteen, graduating thence in 

 1809. Returning to Edenton, he commenced 

 the study of the law in the office of an elder 

 brother, then a distinguished lawyer, but, 

 when nearly ready for admission to the bar, 

 was converted, and decided at once, despite 

 the strenuous opposition of his brother, who 

 knew his great abilities, to enter the Christian 

 ministry. He was licensed to preach in De- 

 cember, 1812. In June, 1813, he was ordained 

 as co-pastor with Dr. Jane way, in the Second 

 Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Three 

 years later he became pastor of the Fifth Pres- 

 byterian Church of Philadelphia, and remained 

 in that charge until 1832. Removing thence 

 to Boston, he was appointed in the following 

 year Professor of Sacred Rhetoric in the Theo- 

 logical Seminary at Andover, Mass. In 1835 

 he received a call from the Mercer-Street Pres- 

 byterian Church in New York, to which he re- 

 sponded, and for upward of twelve years he 

 officiated as its pastor. In 1848 he was elected 

 Professor of Pastoral Theology in Union The- 

 ological Seminary, the people of his late pas- 

 toral charge endowing the professorship at the 

 time. He was not only laborious and success- 

 ful in the duties of his department, but his em- 

 inently spiritual character gave great force to 

 his instructions. Every year added to the 

 ripeness of his Christian experience and to the 

 lustre of his Christian life. As a preacher 

 in his prime, he had a high reputation for 

 pulpit eloquence, and in his teaching he 

 seemed to infuse a remarkable power and 

 vigor into the hearts and ininds of his stu- 

 dents. J)r. Skinner was first known as an au- 

 thor in 1839, when he put forth two small 

 volumes entitled "Religion of the Bible," 

 and " Aids to Preaching and Hearing." Since 

 that time numerous theological works have 

 proceeded from his pen, including essays, 

 discourses, and discussions. "Religious Lib- 

 erty" and "Hints to Christians" appeared in 

 1841 ; " Thoughts on Evangelizing the World " 

 and the "Religious Life of Francis Markoe," 

 at a latter date. In 1854 he published a 

 translation of "Vinet's Pastoral Theology," 

 and in the following year gave the work of the 

 same author, on " Homiletics," in attractive 

 English dress, and accompanied it with valua- 

 ble editorial notes. His last work was "Dis- 

 cussions in Theology," published in 1868. He 



