James Stanislaus Bell (9 January 1797 – 10 March 1858) was a British adventurer and writer who participated in the

Russo-Circassian War The Russo-Circassian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Circassia, was the 101-year-long invasion of Circassia by the Russian Empire. The conflict started in 1763 ( O.S.) with Russia assuming authority in Circassia, followed by Circa ...

on the side of the

Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

Bell was involved in a case against Russia known as the

Mission of the Vixen The mission of the ''Vixen'' was a conflict between the Russian Empire and the United Kingdom that occurred in 1836. Russian background Under the treaty of Adrianople, the Russian Empire had been granted the East coast of the Black Sea by the ...

. He was the owner of a ship that was detained by the Russian coast guard, so he remained in

Circassia Circassia ( ), also known as Zichia, was a country and a historical region in . It spanned the western coastal portions of the North Caucasus, along the northeastern shore of the Black Sea. Circassia was conquered by the Russian Empire during ...

from 1838 to 1839. Under the guise of establishing commercial relations, he was aiding the resistance of the Circassians against the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He compiled a description of the local peoples and a map of Circassia. He published his

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

s in 1840.''Journal of a residence in Circassia during the years 1837, 1838 and 1839. Vol. 1–2. London, 1840''

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Further reading