frogs, one of them was attacked by a huge snake, nay, would soon have fallen a prey to the reptile, but Knivet coming forward, killed it with his club. For this act, upon his return to head-quarters, the officer in charge of his company reprimanded our hero severely, telling him he had been absent without leave. At this, Knivet fired with anger— a quarrel ensued-they fell to blows, and the officer fell dead at his feet. The consequence of this act was, that the Englishman was placed in the stocks, tried, and cast for death, nay, even led to the place of execution. Some of the officers, however, regarding Knivet's crime as a duel and not a murder, interceded with the commander-in-chief for his life, and, notwithstanding they met with a refusal at first, succeeded in getting him off, and in three months more, at the close of the campaign, obtained for him permission to go where he would.

Knivet now continued with his old master, during his war of extermination against the natives, and afterwards returned to the Governor. The latter officer now treated him with kindness; hence, perhaps, the reason that he was soon after enabled to escape in a ship on her voyage to Africa. But again he was seized and sent back a prisoner to the Governor. This time, however, the Portuguese chief only laughed at his attempt, and being himself recalled to Lisbon by his sovereign, mercifully carried our hero with him, where, after a long voyage and one very narrow escape of being shipwrecked, they at length arrived in safety. Whilst living at the Governor's house, Knivet was near dying of a dangerous sickness, and the neglect of his master; but a good nun had him conveyed to a hospital, and well attended. After this he became interpreter to the merchants who traded with Brazil, and accumulated money; but his cup of misery was as yet not full to the brim, for his old master becoming incensed with him for refusing to return to the Indies in the capacity of interpreter, caused him to be cast into a loathsome dungeon, where he languished for many months. "In this distress," says the chronicler, "he continued for a long time, but how long we are not certain, as neither also how he was delivered from thence, but certain it is that he did see England again, and rejoice with his friends after all the various scenes of his disastrous fortune."

THE STORY OF THE DEFENCE OF KARS.

BY WILLIAM H. G. KINGSTON.

【OWEVER averse we may be to war, we must acknowledge that it

HOW

is often a stern, a most cruel necessity; that it is calculated to draw out many of the nobler and most admired qualities which exist in the human heart and mind, and that it exhibits more than most other events a man in his true colours. There were many gallant deeds performed during the late war with Russia; but, taking all things into consideration, none surpass the defence of Kars, or more completely prove what can be done by courage, energy and perseverance, devotedness and unanimity, when directed by wisdom and science. All these qualities were displayed in a remarkable degree by the British officers who undertook the defence of Kars against the well-disciplined troops of Russia, with materials which ordinary men would have considered utterly useless. I feel particular plea. sure in writing a short account of that heroic undertaking, from having soon afterwards met some of the British officers engaged in it in Russia itself. There no longer enemies, but as honoured visitors they were received by the Russians with that respect which their gallantry had won. They were visiting the gallery in St. Petersburg, as I was, of that talented artist and persevering Siberian traveller, the late Mr. Atkinson. While exhibiting his magnificent pictures, Mr. Atkinson gave us a deeply interesting account of his own adventures when he was engaged in making the sketches from which he had painted them, and altogether I look back to that morning as one of the most agreeable spent during a short visit I made, soon after the war, to Russia.

But to our story about Kars. While the British, French, and Sardinian troops were before Sebastopol, the Russians hoped, by sending a powerful army by way of the Caucasus, to attack the Turkish dominions in Asia on the east, and to compel the Allies to dispatch some of their forces to the assistance of the Sultan. The English Government had foreseen that the Russians would do this, and had accordingly sent out Colonel Williams and other officers to put the frontier Turkish fortresses in a state of defence. On the confines of the Turkish dominions in Armenia, and to the south-east of the Black Sea, stands the town of Kars. It is situated under a precipitous and rocky range of hills, running east and west, and in most parts impassable for artillery. This

range of hills is bisected by a deep gorge, through which flows the river Karschai, over which are thrown four or five bridges. On the south side of Kars a fine level plain stretches away for many miles till it meets a range of easy-sloping heights. Kars has a picturesque old feudal-looking castle, built on the summit of a craggy rock, rising out of the gulley, with the brawling river at its base, and commanding the whole of the city. The streets of the town are narrow and dirty, and there are very few even tolerably good houses, while the appearance of the population is sordid in the extreme. Besides the castle, there were no fortifications of any consideration. This was the place which, early in 1855, General Williams, Colonel Lake, Major Teesdale, Captain Thompson, and other English officers were sent to defend, with a disorganized Turkish force, under them, against a well-equipped Russian army, commanded by General Mouravieff. General Williams had received the rank of Ferik or Lieutenant-General in the Turkish army, with the title of Williams Pasha. He and the gallant men with him had numberless difficulties to contend with. The Turkish officers were generally utterly worthless— the neighbouring tribes of Kurdistan broke into revolt-the troops were ill clothed, and ill fed, and unpaid, and the whole morale of the army was at the lowest state, while the town itself was to be placed in a defensible condition, to withstand the assaults of the powerful army advancing towards it. The soldiers were upwards of two years in arrears of paytheir shoes were worn out, their uniforms were in tatters, and a large number were suffering from scurvy, caused by unwholesome food and their long confinement in the ill-ventilated huts of Kars. General Williams and his companions were first engaged in fortifying the town of Erzeroum, which will be found on the map some distance to the west or rear of Kars, and from thence they proceeded to the defence of the latter place. The Russians were at that time assembling an army at Gumri, and were evidently meditating a speedy attack on Kars. No time was to be lost in preparing for it-the English officers set manfully to work to overcome all obstacles, and to put the place in a proper state of defence. All vied with each other in zeal. In all weathers-at all times of the day and night, in the saddle or on foot-they were to be found labouring with head and hand, sometimes in the trenches with spade or mattock, sometimes drilling troops, receiving chiefs, settling disputes, encouraging the wavering, and organizing various departments of the service. Here is a description of General Williams when the enemy had arrived before the town :-"We are all in the saddle at half-past three, a.m., and ride round the works; the troops are certainly full of enthusiasm, and Williams Pasha or Ingleez Pasha is already a great