I had letters to him, and should have been
glad to have made his acquaintance, as I had heard him spoken of
here, both by rich and poor, as a most noble, just and generous man.
I was, indeed, persuaded to wait his return, but I could not accept
this offer, as I should have had to wait eight days for the arrival
of the next steamer, and my time was already very limited.
In the neighbourhood of the castle is a Tartar village, of which
there are many in the Crimea. The houses are remarkable for their
flat earth roofs, which are more used by the inhabitants than the
interior of the huts; as the climate is mild and fine they pass the
whole day at their work on the roofs, and at night sleep there. The
dress of the men differs somewhat from that of the Russian peasants,
the women dress in the Oriental fashion, and have their faces
uncovered.
I never saw such admirably planted and clean vineyards as here. The
grapes are very sweet, and of a good flavour; the wine light and
good, and perfectly suited for making champagne, which indeed is
sometimes done. I was told that more than a hundred kinds of grapes
are grown in the gardens of Prince Woronzoff.
