I catch careless people and tell them to protect them from oppression. They bring butter, cheese and milk.
Crimean Tatars from the time of the conquest of the Caucasus.
"I'm starting to come up with different plans. Having gotten bored with everything, what's so good about it, why shouldn't I stay here? I'll transform these Tatar Muslims by turning them over drink wine, and I will give my house the appearance of palaces, which sailors will look at from afar; I will build 8 grape pavilions with colonnades and balustrades that will hide their roofs. I immediately draw up a plan for everything to be done immediately...
"Evening is coming. The shadows of the night are already beginning to darken the daylight, the sun is leaning towards the west; the herds, grazing near me, call the Tatars, who calmly come down from their roofs, drive them home to lock them up with their wives, who have been locked up all day. Screamers from the top of their minarets call to the mosque. Hand on heart, I bless the endless and say goodbye to them, leaving them equally surprised to see me as their ruler, and to know my wish that they always govern themselves.
"I calm my troubled spirit, collect my scattered thoughts. With heartfelt tenderness I look at these lovely places, which I will never see again, and which brought me the day of hiding in my life. The suddenly cool wind that rose did not allow me to go to the boat that would have taken me by sea to Feodospyu. I sit on the Tatar horse, and obeying my guides, I surrender to the dangers of the night, the road and the river, in order to cross the high mountains, and there to find Their Majesties in Karasubazar.”
XX. SEVASTOPOL.
Meanwhile, Catherine and her entire court arrived from Bakhchisarai to Inkerman. “Here,” says Segur, “high mountains semicircle around a wide and deep bay, where the ancient cities of Chersonesos and Evpatoria once stood... The Empress called this pier Sevastolol.”...
Here Potemkin prepared his main surprise. “Their Majesties were sitting at the table, listening to the sounds of beautiful music, when suddenly the doors of the large balcony opened, and a majestic sight was presented to our eyes: between two rows of Tatar horsemen, we saw a bay, 12 versts in the distance and 4 versts in width; in the middle of this bay, in sight of the royal dining room, a formidable fleet lined up in battle formation, built, armed and fully equipped at the age of 2, the Empress was greeted with a volley of cannons, and their roar seemed to announce to Pontus Euxinus about the presence of his mistress and that in no more than 30 hours, the flags of her ships could fly in sight of Constantinople, and the banners of her army would be hoisted on the walls. him." This unexpected spectacle was also intended for Gosif CPU to show him how Ross had prepared for a new war.
After the Obfda, both Majesties were given a boat, specially ordered from Constantinople, exactly the same as the one the Turkish Sultan rode in, and they went to Sevastopol; They were met with cannon fire from the ships. “We went down into the bay,” Segur told the story, “Catherine looked around at her ships, and marveled at the depths and widths of the bay, dug by nature, as if with us we could build the most beautiful pier in the world. built for the storage of goods, the admiralty, the city fortifications, 400 houses, crowds of workers, a strong garrison, a hospital, piers, trade and quarantine - everything gave Sevastopol the appearance of a rather significant city. It seemed incomprehensible to us how Potemkin found it possible to build 2 thousand miles from the capital, in a recently acquired region. melting the building, build a city, create a fleet, establish a port and settle so many inhabitants: this was truly half a feat of extraordinary activity.
"The ships that were lowered to Kherson with us, and the others from Taganrog were supposed to arrive here soon. But meanwhile, a squadron of 25 warships was already in the bay, fully armed, equipped with everything necessary and ready at the first sign of Eka: terin to immediately set sail."
Catherine wrote to Grimm: “Really, all this is so similar to a fairy tale from 1001 nights that you don’t know whether you are in reality or in a dream.” Count Falkenstein seems to be very pleased with everything he sees...