Edward Backhouse Eastwick, Journal of a Diplomate's Three Years' Residence in Persia (1864) - Part 4

Edward Backhouse Eastwick (1814 – 1883) was a British orientalist, diplomat and Member of Parliament. Born into an Anglo-Indian family, he was educated at Charterhouse and at Merton College, Oxford. He joined the Bombay infantry in 1836, but, in light of his knowledge of multiple languages (including Persian and Sindhi), was later moved to a diplomatic service. In 1845 he was appointed professor of Hindustani at Haileybury College and spent the next fifteen years pursuing an academic career, translating Persian and Indian texts. In 1860 he returned to diplomatic service and became a secretary to the British Legation in Tehran. He travelled widely over the next three years, eventually publishing The Journal of a Diplomate's Three Years' Residence in Persia. In 1866 he became private secretary to the secretary of state for India, the future Marquess of Salisbury, and in 1867, was sent on a government mission to Venezuela, later publishing "Sketches of Life in a South American Republic". From 1868 to 1874 he was Member of the British Parliament. He died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight, on 16 July 1883.

In his journal, Eastwick described how he travelled from Britain to France and then, by sea, to Istanbul before arriving at Poti. After visiting Kutaisi and Surami, he turned south to Borjomi, where he met Aleksandr Baryatinsky, Russian Field Marshal (from 1859) and governor of the Caucasus. After spending a day in Borjomi, Eastwick and his companions decided to venture further south, to Abastumani.



At 10 A.M. on the 18th we mounted a couple of ragged ponies, and started with Prince _______, an officer of Cossacks, for Abbas Tumun [Abastumani]. It still rained a little, and the road was six inches, and in some places a foot, deep in mud. After crossing the wooden bridge, we turned to the south-west, and rode up a hill, which seemed to be composed of nothing but filth, passing the foot of Akhaltzik on our left, and the native town on our right. We then rode along by the river over several hills, and then for two versts up the side of a mountain. From the top there was a fine view, and below it appeared a village, four versts from Akhaltzik, where a sharp fight took place during the late war. The Turks were besieging Akhaltzik, in which was a single Bussian battalion, while they had several thousand men and sixty guns; at least so said our Cossack guide. They had also a number of ropes ready to hang the Russian garrison for attempting to hold out in a defenseless position. Indeed, the poor Russians had been three days almost without food, and were disposed to surrender; all but the commandant, who went down to the magazine, and swore he would fire it unless the troops promised to hold out, which at last they did. Meantime, four Bussian battalions came up to relieve the place, and the Turks encountered them at the village, four versts off, where they had placed their sharpshooters among some tall reeds on the river's bank. The Russians suffered some loss in crossing, but once over they got among the Turks with the bayonet, and routed them. 

The hero of the day was Prince Tarkanoff, who is the Bayard of the Army of the Caucasus. He himself believes that his life is a charmed one, and that, under the protection of his patron saint, he cannot be killed. Accordingly, though his clothes have been riddled with balls, he has never been wounded, and on this occasion he performed very remarkable exploits. In a former battle, when Prince Bebutoff commanded, and Prince Bariatinski was chief of the staff, Tarkanoff, with his single battalion, charged a regiment of Turks, who were strongly posted; he killed the Turkish colonel in single combat, and cut down the standard-bearer and another officer. His horse was shot under him, but he kept hold of the flag he had won, and shouted to his men to come on and take it. They rushed headlong on the enemy, and carried all before them. For this feat Tarkanoff was allowed to distribute the rewards to his men himself, and whatever honours he applied for for his officers were granted. 

Our guide further informed us that but for the English the Russians would have captured Kars in a few hours, and that the army of the Caucasus was incomparably superior to the other Russian troops. He added that Tarkanoff had led the storming party at Gounieb, when Schamyl [Imam Shamil] was made prisoner, and that under him the Caucasian regiments would stand against either English or French! 

The route now lay over bare hills till within five versts of Abbas Tumun. Thence the scenery improved and began to resemble that of parts of the Indian ghats. Thick woods clothed the heights, which rose once more to the dignity of mountains on each side of the valley of the Kur. After several steep ascents and descents we came upon what is called a carriage road by the side of a river, along which we galloped, passing the remains of a bridge, and also a spot where the Avars descended from the hills and almost captured the son of Prince Woronzoff. According to our Cossack guide, they did take him, but B_________ affirmed that he was saved by the fleetness of his horse. These Avars are a wild race, who are even now rather troublesome, and formerly used to carry off travelers and keep them till they were ransomed. 

Abbas Tuman is situated in a defile thickly wooded. A small fort, now in ruins, on an eminence, marks the entrance to the defile. There are mineral springs of three temperatures. The hottest is about 

100° of Fahrenheit. We alighted first at a room about eight feet square, where the police officer dwells among flies innumerable. We then went on to a lodging in a dirty wooden hut, where there were two wooden bedsteads full of bugs. The walls were literally black with flies, but the fleas were still more numerous. After killing three or four each moment for some time, I left off in despair. It now began to rain violently, and I sat cooped up in this horrible den of insects, dolefully speculating on the miseries of the coming night, and sometimes, in a half doze, imagining myself one of those wretched mendicants in India, who sell themselves for a quarter of a hour at a time to the Banyan's hospital for vermin, getting so much for allowing the insects to dine off them. On venturing out for a little in spite of the rain, I discovered that the lanes, besides being knee-deep in mud, were guarded by bands of ferocious dogs, as numerous as those at Stamboul [Istanbul], but larger and stronger. At night a stranger would be torn in pieces by these brutes. 

Meantime, B____ came to tell me that he had met a Polish lady of his acquaintance. In fact, on some pretence or other, she very soon showed herself, a sort of Lola Montes [a stage name of Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert, Irish-born Spanish dancer and courtesan] only a blonde, with a cigarette in her mouth, and a very peculiar coiffure. How that delicate, rose-bodied (as the Orientals would say) creature could exist in the place in which we were, remains to me to this day a marvel. As night fell, such hosts of insects came out that I was smarting all over my body at once. My face and hands swelled up, and I really thought I should have been driven distracted by the torture. This was the only place I had ever been at where the flies, having maddened every other living being during the day, refused to rest at night, and continued their attacks in spite of the darkness. In addition to the flies, fleas, and bugs, there were innumerable black-beetles, and a good many centipedes ; and I could see one of the latter gentry in the leaves of the boughs which formed the roof, just over my head. In spite of all this, B______, blessed with the hide of a buffalo, was soon fast asleep. In the morning, by dint of walking about in my heavy boots, making as much noise as possible, and by opening the doors and windows, so as to create a damp, unpleasant draught, I managed to waken B____ and his servant Yakub. I insisted that we should start back immediately for Burjan; but, as it still rained heavily, he objected, and proposed instead that we should walk down and look at the springs. These are close to the river, and it is curious to see jets of water, quite hot, in such close juxtaposition to the cold stream. The taste of the mineral water was not unpleasant, and it was clear and very abundant. A number of invalid soldiers were located around the springs in tents of so flimsy a texture that they must have been poor protection against the sun, and still less efficacious against the pouring rain.

On returning from the springs, as B____ said he would not start, and pretended that horses were not procurable, I determined on setting off alone, and on foot. Just as I was going, B_____ struck his flag, and sent for the horses, and we mounted and rode back to Akhaltzik under a steady rain the whole way, and through such mud that we could not get our steeds out of a walk. We alighted again at the house of Prince Tomanoff, and B_____ then declared that he should go to see the monastery of Saphar [Sapara Monastery], which is ten miles to the south-east of Akhaltzik, among the mountains, and only to be reached by a very difficult path. Weary and wet, I was determined not to allow myself to be beaten, so I said I would accompany him. Luckily, we got two capital horses, and off we set at 6.80 p.m., with one of Prince Tomanoff's servants as our guide. The road was a mass of mud with deep holes, but we rode briskly along, having the fear of returning in the dark to stimulate us. Presently we came to a stream, which we crossed three times, and then began, to ascend a mountain. After a mile or so, our guide proposed a short cut, and we rode up the almost perpendicular side of the mountain off the path, and where, had our steeds slipped, we should have rolled down hundreds, or it may be thousands, of feet. The poor brutes seemed to know the danger, and, by super-equine efforts, managed to get upon more level ground. We then came to a small hamlet, where we procured a couple of guides. These men took us down a very steep declivity, at the end of which we had to ascend a staircase of rock. B______ here showed himself a most accomplished horseman, for he rode down the slippery steep and up the rocky ladder without a blunder. We now passed along the side of 

a mountain by a path so narrow that it looked like a ribbon before us. On our left was a tremendous ravine, which deepened as we ascended, till it was, I should imagine, 2,000 feet from where we rode to the bottom.

After winding along some two or three miles, we at length came in sight of the monastery, magnificently situated in the centre of a crescent shaped curve in the mountains, between 2,000 and 3,000 feet above the plain, and with a castle frowning over it from a giant rock some 200 feet higher still than that on which the monastery is placed. The passage to the latter from the mountain on which we were, was by a narrow ledge of rock, certainly not more than a yard broad, and broken and uneven. A single false step might have sent even a man on foot down into the abyss, and I had no sooner cast my eyes upon it than I dismounted. Not so B_____, who, with wonderful skill and nerve, crossed it on horseback. At one place his horse slipped a little, and sent a great piece of rock thundering down, and I [was] sure he was gone, but he did not lose his presence of mind in the least. When we were over, the men, who were with us, expressed their admiration of his horsemanship, and I heartily joined in.

Sapara Monastery in 1899

The precincts of the far-famed monastery of Saphar are entered by a stone portal, from which a strong wall, 150 yards long, leads up to the main building. Between it and the precipice on the far side of it, is a slip of ground, perhaps 200 yards broad. The monastery resembles that at Timotismani, and indeed all others in Georgia, but is far larger and handsomer. On each side is a square stone building with a trap-door in the centre, leading down a great distance. These were secret ways of access and egress, known only to the monks, and by no means free from danger even to their practised feet. At the back of the principal building is a row of fine Saxon-looking arches, well carved and with a long Greek or Georgian inscription. On the reverse side is a fountain of beautiful water. The view down to the plain is magnificent. For a long space there is a tableau of the tops of hills, ridges, and peaks, and beyond these the river; while farther still, huge dark mountains shut in the view. Unfortunately the sun was about to set, and such a ride as we had before us was not to be accomplished without light. So, tearing ourselves away from the beautiful scene, we set off for Akhaltzik at a great rate, and actually arrived at 8 P.m. During the latter part of the journey I trusted entirely to Providence, as I suffer from Nyctalopia, and had no idea where I was going, insomuch that but for the sagacity of my horse, I might easily have broken my neck.

B_____ was delighted with his journey to the monastery; his heart expanded with wine, and he told me the history of the fair Pole we had encountered at Abbas Tuman. Marie N , daughter of a colonel, was forced by her friends into a marriage she detested. She was separated from her husband by an amicable arrangement, and came to live at Teflis. When B_____ went to Constantinople, she set off for Poland with 500 roubles in her pocket. She had a Russian soldier as her servant, who robbed her of her all. She gave him into custody, and as there was circumstantial evidence against him, he would be kept in confinement till he confessed the whereabouts of the money. None of it would ever return to its rightful owner, cela va sans dire. "Quant a Marie," added B_____, "elle trouvera des amis." He then enlarged on this theme, and spoke of the economy of such arrangements. "Mon dieu !" said he, "on epargne comme ca la moitie de ses appointements!" I replied with a sermon, the truth of which B____ frankly admitted. "But," said he; "man is frail; disons qu'on peut resister pour deux mois, on finit par succomber. A quoi bon, done, de lutter contre un joug sous lequel on doit courber la tfite a la fin des fins?" This morality was new to me, and while I was thinking of a reply, I went to sleep, which was, perhaps, the most reasonable thing I could have done.

At 10 A.m. on the 20th of August we started from Akhaltzik for Burjan and Teflis. The road was deep in mud, but we had the very pick of the post-horses for our carriole, and went our twelve versts an hour very easily.

We reached Akshur at a quarter to twelve, and got three fresh horses, with which we went on immediately to Burjan. After going a few versts, we met Prince Tomanoff and his wife, a most lovely Georgian. I tried to converse with her, but as she had no French, and I no Georgian, it was a failure. However, the attempt amused her, and she displayed a set of teeth which surpassed anything I had ever imagined in that line. Her husband was worthy of her, handsome, well built, and with a sweet expression of countenance.

We reached Burjan at 2.80 p.m., and found there two English clergymen, who were going to visit Wardy, a city of Troglodytes [Vardzia, a cave settlement] sixty miles to the south of Akhaltzik.

On the 21st we took leave of Prince Bariatinski and started in the dormeuse [a private traveling carriage] at 10.15 a.m. from Burjan, for Teflis. We reached Suram at 1.16 p.m., and had to stop at that detestable place three hours for horses. At last about four in the afternoon, we started, and reached Gargarieff, twenty-five versts from Suram, at 6.80 p.m. Here no horses were to be had, and to add to our ill-luck, the station had tumbled down, and was being rebuilt. There was nothing for it but to pass the night a la belle etoile [under stars]. I slept in the dormeuse, and B_____ on a cot under a wretched shed. The night was bitterly cold, but like other miseries, it passed. 

At 6 A.M. on the 22nd, I got up, or rather out, cold and stiff. A cup of tea refreshed me a little, and I looked on while the horses were being put to for Prince _____, commanding a regiment of five battalions, and, as B____ remarked, so like the [Russian] Emperor Nicolas, that he might well be mistaken for his son. I had not seen the prince, but for some time I had heard a load snarling noise, and was in doubt whether it proceeded from some animal, or from a human being. Presently I found it was the prince, who was abusing all about him with a ferocity that reduced his voice to an absolute snarl. At length the horses were harnessed, and the prince then called the subaltern in charge of the station, and reviled him savagely for not having the horses ready before. He then struck him repeatedly with his fists, and drawing a whip out of his pocket, lashed him furiously over the body, face and head, and finally kicked him with his heavy boots with all his force. This was the first time I had seen a soldier so treated, and it seemed impossible but that he would turn on his assailant and knock him down. He did not however, show his resentment by any overt act but stood up and received the blows without flinching, though the expression of his features was marked enough. As for me, my blood was boiling in my veins, and I had much ado to keep silence. 

At 6.30 A.M., we got our horses and started for Gori. Throughout this stage we had on our left the splendid snow-capped mountains, which end the range of Imeretia. We reached Gori, twenty-five versts, about 9.30 am., the near fore-wheel of the darmeuse going smash just as we entered the town. 

Gori is a place of 6,000 inhabitants, with a picturesque fort on an eminence, built in the twelfth century, and a monastery perched on a far loftier hill. The great mountain of Yelburz, or Elburz is seen from the town, covered with eternal snow, and 14,000 feet high.

After lodging ourselves at the very excellent station, the chef de district, M. Gregorieff, invited us to his house. He had just recovered from typhus, and all his servants were laid up with fever. His wife, pretty, thin, and an invalid, was taking daily baths in the river for her health. She said the water was very cold. These kind people did all they could for us. A room was shown me to make my toilette in, containing a cracked ewer and basin, a good linen towel manufactured in Russia, a bottle of excellent eau-de-Cologne, a hair-brush and comb, which had seen better days, and the most venerable of toothbrushes, all which were placed absolutely at my disposal. We had an eatable breakfast, and some good cigars, and madame lent me a handkerchief, which I returned from Teflis, with a fan that cost me many roubles. The said fan, however, I fear never reached the quarter for which it was intended, for bearers of articles of luxe as presents are in Russia subject to a disease called _____, perhaps I had better not name it.

We now left the dormeuse, and getting into a carriole, started at 3 p.m. for Gori. B ___'s servant, Yakub, had been drinking our healths to such an extent that he could hardly see. He had bundled our things into the carriole in a way that rendered it impossible to sit, and after crossing the river from Gori, we had to alight and re-arrange matters. It was well we did, for the road was a succession of the deepest and hardest ruts I had ever seen. The jolting was so fearful that we could hardly keep our seats, though we held on with both hands, and every other available part of the body.

At 5 p.m. we reached a beautiful village belonging to Prince Tarkanoff, the renowned soldier. This is sixteen versts from Gori, and is by far the cleanest and neatest station all the way between Poti and Teflis. We here found a Russian officer of Cossacks, a gentlemanly, sociable fellow, who gave us tea, and offered us seats in his fourgon, which was tolerably comfortable for two, but horribly the reverse for four, as we found.

We started at 6.30 p.m. on a vile road, and every jerk sent our heads together, and against the top of the carriage. After nine versts, we met an officer coming from the station to which we were going; he kindly changed horses with us. Meantime, night was coming on fast, and our progress was slow.

The Cossack officer beguiled the way with his stories. He was about thirty-six years of age, very thin, but well-made, and wiry, and an inch or so above the middle height. He said that lately, in the vicinity of Gori, a tiger had killed and devoured a man, and was shot by two of his comrades. It measured from the neck to the insertion of the tail two archines and a half, or about seven feet six inches, and was, consequently, a royal tiger of the largest size. He said he had himself killed at Prince Tarkanoff's village, at a spot which he pointed out, three large wolves...

It had now grown quite dark, and suddenly crash went some part of the vehicle. As we could not discover what was wrong, we got out and walked a verst and a half to the station, which is eighteen versts from Prince Tarkanoff's village. It was a most miserable place, with two rooms, one occupied, and the other lately whitewashed, and the bed soaked with the droppings. A dirty woman declared herself the attendant, but all she could furnish was one tallow dip, for which she asked an enormous sum. We supped on some preserved meat, which was eminently nasty. After this we dozed as well as the insects would let us, and started the next morning at 6.30 a.m.

This stage of eighteen versts was a descent the whole way through a beautiful mountainous country, for the most part along the lofty banks of the Kur. We saw several timber rafts descending the river, and the Cossack officer said that he had once gone on a raft from Burjan to Gori in three hours. The flood was then at its height and there was considerable danger. About two versts from the station, which we reached at 8 a.m., another river falls into the Kur and swells it considerably. At this place a new station was being built, and was nearly finished. It seemed quite a palace in comparison with the places at which we had lodged. The spot is lovely, and there is, as usual, a monastery at the confluence of the rivers, for in Georgia, as well as in Europe, the monks chose all the most picturesque places for their residences. We passed several hermitages, square holes hewn in the face of the mountains, and apparently inaccessible. At the station we all deserted the fourgon, the Cossack officer and a friend getting into one carriole, and we into another.

We now travelled at great speed, and on sighting Teflis, about six versts off, our cars began to race. The Cossack's coachman stopped for a moment, when we cut in before him, and he, trying to regain his place, set off at a tremendous gallop; all he could do, however, was to bring his horses' heads into the small of our backs, as there was not room to pass. As this was excessively inconvenient, I administered some tolerably hard taps to the nose of the middle horse behind me; thereupon an altercation arose between the coachmen, and while our man was discharging some ponderous Russian oaths at the other with his head turned round, we came full tilt into a bullock-cart, and our things were thrown out, though the carriole did not upset. Altogether it was a fine confusion, for the drivers of the bullock-cart, expecting to be beaten, ran off as hard as they could across the fields, and our servants, fancying they were making off with some of our traps which had fallen on the road, pursued them, while the coachmen fought it out on the spot, and B____ and others swore in Russian, Armenian, and a diversity of tongues, each more inharmonious than the other!

We reached Teflis, fourteen versts, at 9 a.m., and I took rooms at the Hotel de Caucasie, a bedroom and sitting-room for myself, at 4 roubles and 50 kopeks, and a room for Rahim at 2 roubles and 20 kopeks (about one pound two shillings) a day.