COSSACKS. 



267 



the Black 

 Sea. 



Cossack*, quiet anrl useful subjects, or to withdraw from the em- 

 "»- ^v~— ' pire. Some of them took to agriculture and various 

 C^f^of trades, while others went over to the Tartars, or led a 

 wandering life about the Russian frontiers. Many of 

 them, however, afterwards returned and applied for 

 military service ,• and as a reward for then- zeal and 

 bravery in the second Turkish war, the Empress, by an 

 ukase of the 30th of June 1792, ceded to them their 

 present residence, which was then newly conquered 

 from the Kuban Tartars. They enjoy nearly the same 

 privileges as the Don Cossacks. They have the full 

 property of the soil, fisheries, and salt-marshes, and the 

 right of distilling spirits. They also elect their own 

 Atamans, but are immediately dependent on the gover- 

 nor of Taurida. They are, however, much poorer and 

 more uncivilized than the Cossacks of the Don, and 

 seldom quit their country, as they have sufficient employ- 

 ment at home in repressing the inroads of the Circas- 

 sians. The Tchernomorski, according to Dr Clarke, bear 

 no resemblance whatever to the Don Cossacks, either in 

 habit, disposition, or in any other characteristic. " The 

 Cossacks of the Don all wear the same uniform ; those 

 of the Black Sea any habit suiting their caprice. The 

 Don Cossack is mild, affable, and polite ; the Black Sea 

 Cossack is blunt and even rude, from the boldness and 

 martial hardihood of his manner. If poor, he appears 

 clad like a primeval shepherd, or the wildest moun- 

 taineer ; at the same time having his head bald, except 

 one long braided lock from the crown, which is tucked 

 behind the right ear. If rich, he is very lavish in cost- 

 liness of dress, being covered with gold, silver, velvet, 

 and the richest silks and cloths of every variety of co- 

 lour; wearing at the same time short cropped hair, 

 giving to his head the appearance of the finest busts of 

 the ancient Romans." — " They are more cheerful and 

 noisy than the Don Cossacks ; turbulent in their mirth ; 

 vehement in conversation; somewhat querulous; and 

 if not engaged in dispute, are generally laughing or 

 singing." The braided lock on the crown of the head 

 is the characteristic mark of the Tchernomorski, and 

 distinguishes them from every other tribe of Cossacks 

 in the Russian empire. It is preserved with religious 

 veneration, and they would lose their life rather than 

 part with it. This people are most dextrous horsemen, 

 and when mounted have a noble and martial appear- 

 ance. Their officers in general wear red boots, which 

 is their principal distinction, and are otherwise very 

 gaudily dressed ; and still retain their ancient valour 

 and love of war. They are held in little estimation by 

 their neighbours on the Don, and are considered rather 

 as an inferior band of plunderers, but without any suf- 

 ficient reason. They are hospitable to the best of their 

 means ; and the following fact bears remarkable testi- 

 mony to their honesty. When Mr Heber was travelling 

 in this country, his companion Mr Thornton lost his 

 gun, and supposing it to have been stolen, they left 

 Ekatermedara without the least hope of ever seeing it 

 again. To their great surprise, however, when they 

 arrived at Taman, the gun was brought to them, and 

 notwithstanding the length of the journey, being above 

 200 English miles, the person who was employed to re- 

 store it to its owner refused to accept any reward for 

 his labour. 



The soil throughout the territory of the Tcherno- 

 morski is, in general, rich, but very little of it is in cul- 

 tivation. They rear some cattle, and also most kinds 



of grain, as wheat, barley, oats, millet, rye, and maize. Coss ack?. 

 The climate, however, is in many places very unhealthy, v *~~7~~"" 

 and a great number of the inhabitants are annually 

 swept away by malignant fevers. The commerce which 

 they carry on with the Circassians consists chiefly in 

 salt, for which they receive in exchange wood, honey, 

 corn, mats, and arms. Their principal settlements are 

 Taman, Temrook, Atshuef, and Ekaterinedara, or Ca- 

 therine's Gift. This last is their capital, and the resi- 

 dence of their Ataman, and council of war. It has a 

 very extraordinary appearance, consisting merely of a 

 number of straggling cottages situated in the midst of a 

 forest of oaks. The cottages, however, are remarkably 

 neat, with a large area before the door, and an avenue 

 of stately oaks ; and their gardens are well stocked with 

 vines, cucumbers, wall-melons, &c. The number of the 

 Tchernomorski, including both sexes, amounts to abovit 

 20,000, among whom are 15,000 troops well disciplined 

 and equipped. Of these a thousand are stationed along . 

 the lines to watch the motions of the restless Circassians ; 

 as many are kept as a body of reserve in and near the 

 capital ; and about a thousand are employed in the flo- 

 tilla which lies in the Bugas. They have above a hun- 

 dred pieces of cannon of different calibres, some of 

 which are on board the flotilla ; and the rest at various 

 posts. 



The Cossacks of the Volga, as well as all the other Cossacks of 

 tribes of Cossacks towards the east, are a branch of the the Volga. 

 Don Cossacks. They at first only passed their summers 

 on the Volga, and returned in winter to their stanitzas 

 on the Don ; but at last becoming stationary on the 

 former river, they were declared independent of the 

 parent stock in 1734. A few of them, however, only 

 retain their Cossack constitution ; the rest being placed 

 under the usual municipal magistracy, as merchants, 

 burghers, or boors, and consist of two regiments, the 

 Dubofskoy and Astrachanskoy, which are kept in con- 

 stant pay. The Dubofskoy are registered at about 

 1000 men fit for service, though they could easily triple 

 that number. The Astrachanskoy are equally numer- 

 ous, and are almost all in arms. 



The Grebenskoy Cossacks, consisting of 1200 eflec- Greben. 

 tive men in constant pay, are stationed in five fortified skoy Cos- 

 stanitzas along the Zerek, as a defence against the high- sacks ' 

 land Tartars of Caucasus. 



The Orenbourg Cossacks inhabit the stanitzas along Orenburg- 

 the Samara, and the upper parts of the Ural from the Cossacks. 

 Ilek ; and are employed in repelling the attacks, or in 

 punishing the depredations of the Kirghises and Bash- 

 kirs. They could easily bring '20,000 men into the 

 field, but only from 8000 to 10,000 are enrolled for mi- 

 litary service. 



The Cossacks of the Ural,* according to their tradi- Cossacks 

 tion, first separated from the parent stock about the be- the Ural. 

 ginning of the fifteenth century, and established them- 

 selves at the mouth of the river Ural. They afterwards 

 obtained a regular constitution from the Russian govern- 

 ment, with the same privileges as the Cossacks of the 

 Don. They now extend along the Ural from the Ilek 

 to the Caspian, and perform service against the Kiro-- 

 hises. They live chiefly by fishing, and the breeding 

 of cattle ; and their number is computed at 30,000 men 

 fit to bear arms, of whom a corps of 12,000 are always 

 kept properly equipped. 



The Siberian Cossacks had their origin in a preda- gibcri i 

 tory expedition of a horde of Don Cossacks, who pro- Cossacks; 



* They were formerly called the Cossacks of the Yaik, but having joined in the rebellion of Pugatchef in 1773, the Russian govern- 

 ment, in order ta efface the remembrance of it, changed their name, with that of the rivers and their capital, to those which thev now 

 bear. 



