one of unmitigated satisfaction. In an order of the day issued by the Grand Duke Michael Nicolaïévitch, Commandor-in-chief of the Army of the Caucasus, he says,—
"Soldiers of the Caucasian Army.—It is with sentiments of sincere pleasure, and of high esteem for your valour, that I congratulate you on the conquest of the Western Caucasus, and the termination of Caucasian warfare. By
your intrepidity in battle, the unexampled endurance of fatigue and excessive privations, you have rendered an immense service to the sovereign and the country; neither the savage horrors of inaccessible mountain dens, nor the desperate resistance of their inhabitants, neither biting cold nor torrid heat, nothing has been able to resist your progress; during long years you have surmounted all without being discouraged, and you have attained the goal, in marking every stage with your sweat and blood.
"Let thanks be rendered to the All-Powerful, who has crowned your efforts! Glory and gratitude of the country to you, the conquerors of the Caucasus! Eternal honour to the memory of your fallen comrades at this happy and solemn moment!
(Signed) The Commander-in-chief of the Army of the Caucasus, Grand Master of the Artillery.
The Emperor sent Orders to the Grand Duke and those principally concerned in carrying out the military operations; a gold sabre, enriched with diamonds, with the inscription, "For having three times crossed the principal chain of the Caucasus," falling to the lot of General Grabbe. A similar token of his acknowledgment was sent by the Emperor to the Grand Duke Michael's predecessor, Prince Alexander Bariatiusky, together with an autograph letter thanking him for the services he had rendered in planning the scheme which had been successful in terminating a bloody war that had raged for a century and a half.
A grand religious celebration took place at Tiflis on the 21st of June, for the purpose of thanking the Almighty for crowning their efforts with victory. The principal functionaries took advantage of the opportunity to present their congratulations to the Grand Duke; the mayor presenting, in addition, a carved antique cross of cypress wood, containing relics of St. George the Martyr. After the termination of the religious service a solemn procession started from the Sion Cathedral to the tent prepared for the celebration of the Te Deum. This procession consisted of the Exarch of Georgia and a number of the clergy, preceded by crosses and banners. Before, however, they commenced the thanksgiving, the Exarch delivered a congratulatory address.
At the conclusion of the address, the performance of the Te Deum, and the Grand Duke's reply, all the bells in the city rang out joyful peals, the soldiers shouted, and the artillery shook the town with repeated discharges.
Nor was this the only religious service held to testify the gratitude of the Russians for their victory. At Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere, similar solemnities were performed, and the most exuberant joy manifested. Thus, while their wretched victims were lying in herds of thousands, poisoning the very air about them with the exhalations from their festering bodies, the Russians were thanking God with more or less sincerity for their successes.
JOHANN ZOFFANY.
TO THE EDITOR OF "ONCE A WEEK."
Sir,—In Part lviii., page 402, of your miscellany, appears an interesting paper regarding the late Johann Zoffany, Esq., R.A., and his productions. In this notice of the great artist's paintings no mention is, however, made of a life-size picture, representing "The Last Supper," presented by him as an altar-piece to St. John's Church, Calcutta, about the year 1795. This painting has deservedly been the admiration of many of our countrymen on visiting the Cathedral for the first time, but having, it is believed, been executed in India, its existence is not, perhaps, known "abroad," and it is with the view of bringing it to the notice of "J. W. A." and your readers at home that I address you. In this picture the calm and serene countenance of our Blessed Lord breaking bread, and the mild and confiding look of his favourite apostle resting on his bosom, contrast in a remarkable manner with the deep-set brows of Judas, and the anxious gaze of the other apostles, the whole pronouncing it to be the work of a master hand. Indeed, it could be said that a list of Sir Johann's productions would be incomplete were this picture to be omitted. Through the carelessness of native workmen the picture sustained some injury when the church was last under repairs, but with the assistance of Mr. Bennett, a local artist of some note, it has been restored to its original appearance.
Yours faithfully,
S. R. W.
