A MEDIAEVAL COLONY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 57, 29 August 1911, Page 8

A MEDIAEVAL COLONY

One of those curious Instances of quaint historical survival, of which many occur in Asia Minor, has lately come before official Russian attention in Constantinople. It is the case of a colony of about 3000 Russian Cossacks settled in Anatolia, Asia Minor. The forefathers of these Cossacks left Russia for voluntary exile 35(1 years ago. Their departure was occasioned by an attempt to enroll their names for census purposes in writing. According to the creed of these peasants, the writing down of names jeopardises their chance of salvation, for it involves the curse of Anti-Christ, enabling him to set his seal uuon them.

During the whole of this time the Cossacks have kept their identity absolutely intact. They speak a Russian dialect bearing the same relation to the language of the present.day as does our modern English to that of Chaucer. They wear the Russian dress of three centuries ago, and even grow herbs, uncultivated elsewhere in Anatolia, to make the dishes that were the food of mediaeval Russia. A few months ago this little band of Russian exiles found themselves suddenly faced by the same danger that threatened their ancestors in the sixteenth century. The Turkish Government, having decided to call upon its Christian subjects for military service, demanded the enrolment of those men of the community who were of age, and again they were" in danger of the' seal of Anti-Christ. This time a split occurred amon" the exiles. The young men urged that since they could not avoid enrolment if it were best to serve in Russia among 1 their kindred, but the older members were in favor of remaining. The arbitration of the Russian Consul in Constantinople was invoked, and, through his agency, funds were obtained from the Russian Government to enable those who wished to do so to return to Russia eaying the rest to live on a tinv ethnological island among the rac* of Anatolia.