NOTE. UJE ALEXAXDER B- was a captain in the Rwian dragoon gnarda. For his participation in the insurrection of 1825, he was sentenced to hnrd 1.t - - . - -- - ----"- - I THE DISTINGUISHED PFARRIOR-AUTHOR me Laucaaus. Shortly after his being restored to the rank of an officer, he was killed by the Ckcwsians, but his body waa never found. As a portrait of Beatoujef waa published at the had of his works, not with his name, bat with that of '<Mmlin&.** the Grand.---- Tlnbn-" M;nh=-r-*.,u*=. said .* - - 5 - AND THE GREAT EXILE. to the Czar: "PouwiU surely not dlow that people who have merited C,.n ha, hanged should be thua conspicuonsly exhibited." The Grand Duke possessed, in a high degreeJ the quality ofthose who, YI Voltaire have no mind-lir, the faciliq of making blmdem. up, ha. WITH TfIE MOST PROFOUND VENERATION. Mardinof, the h&d of the ciadetective police, whohaa mntedp.rn&iom to print the portrait of the author-soldier, was disgraced. THIS WORK IS DEDICATED, -- PBlTS1, DlJEZ, UDOD., C~APYIDB, AXn lrHW rPP-T, BLACPB-- iv COSTESTS. CONTENTS. T FAGB FAOX CHAPTER 111. CHAPTER VII. An Equcftrid Excursion on thc side of the Caspian Sea, by Bcstoujef- EXPLORATION OF TEE CAUCASUS. Fernerebe to the Caspian. .............. 39 /' The JIarch of the Ark -Prometheus-The Amazons of Herodotus-Expe& tion of the Argonauts-That of Alexander the Great-Mithridates-Strabo -Byzantius-Arabian Authors and their Knowledge of the Caucaus- CIX4PTER IV. Russian Princes-Invasions of the Mongols-Gengis-khan-Timour - MESATE. Missionaries-Genves Works on the Caucasus. ........ 93 T.... ..viva mi serrana Con su pe' andaluz ; CHAPTER VIII. Ella ei mi sobernna, Mi vida y mi cmz.. .... PRODUCTIOBS OF THE CAUCASUS. Sus ojos son veneno Su mirar mi luz ......... Mineral Kingdom - Vegetable Kingdom -Animal Kingdom - Climate- Industry of the Inhabitants. .............. I05 CHAPTER IX. DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTK~. THE TOWNS OF THE CAUCASUS. Caucasus-Elbrous-Kasbek-Confusion concerning that Name-Ascensions tai+Mout-Kal6-So~chann-Xd8-An~pa - Erivm- -Veneration of the Mountains among the Ossetians--Paitigorsk- - -8tamp~l-Bakon-Derbend-Kouba. ........... Composition of the Chain-Passagcs-The Black and Caspian Seas-The Rivera of the Caucasus-Kouban -Te~k-Kour -Rhion-Koissu- Their tributary Streams-\Vant of Lakes. .......... 73 CHAPTER X. uins and Convents-Disastrous Climates-Mortality in the Russian CHAPTER TI. Garrisons-The Means ta Prevent it;The Temple of Pitzunder-Mzketha ETHNOGRAPHY. - Population-Circassim Race, its beauty-Adighe-Mannem-Lesghhna- CHaPTER XI. - -. Tchetchenes - Abhsses - Ossetians -Allans -Souanes -Ingoushe8 - Kahardians-Georgians, their mode of life-Immcretians, their watume, libations and dancing-Mineelm-Princes Dadiani-Armenians, their qualities-Tnrtars, their language-Koumikes-Cossacks, development of their Colonies or Stanitzaa--Colonies of Kars, of Nadjar, of Vladimirovka. 79 vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. FAGS Marches-DifEcultiea for the Rusaian Amy-EnaampmentsManners of the Soldiers and Officer+Razziaa-Arms of the Circassians-Treatment of Prisoner-Degraded Officers-Deserters-Kouznetzoff-Retreats of the Russians-War in the Caucasus endless ........... 145 CHAPTER XIII. DAGHESTAN. Limita - Inhabitants -- The Lesghiann of Avaria - Saklis - Gardens - Women -Marriages -Mi& - Bridges -The Parcelling of the Land- - Suphism-Retaliation. ................ 159 CHAPTER XIV. RUSSIAN ARMENIA. The different Names of the henians-Their Origin-Conquest of Cyrur - Introduction of Christianity-Schism-Extinction of the Kings- Domination of the Ruesiana-Sanlar Houstein-Emigration-The Patri- arch of Echrnia&in-Insurrection at Eriyan in 1846-The Armenian Language-Ararat-Lakes-Climate. ........... 167 CHAPTER XV. FACTS AND FICTIONS. frirone+Taganl~f-Coss~ck Ivan-Eourinski Soldier-The Prisoner of the Ceucasns--by the Count X. de Maistre-by the Author-by Pooshkinc Brigands-Abdoulah-Bey -The grateful Mullah -Lermontof-Iemael- Bey. 173 a great boon for him, who had returned from - cold Siberia, from the mines, and compulsory labour. Now, what was his crime ? He had courage- ously attempted to seize upon the Czar's thunder- bolt, and to break the chains of his countrymen. PREF14CE. He had robed the light which shone on the iniquities of the Czar's counsellors. Indeed, he of whom Miskiewicz said- Progress of the Russians - Interest connected with the Caucasus -Prediction -A Chief wanted -The Russia~s '' Thak hand which Bestoujef held out to me, had been cannot stop in their Conquests. torn from bis sword and pen, and had been attached by the Czar to the convid'e cart"- s, silently and unperceived by Europe, Ile of whom Schamisso said- er power in the East. Whilst the "Ich bin Bestuscheff, den viele Zungen English were only discovering Archangel, the Ryleiffs Miherschworenen genaant, Dem er sein hohee Schwanenlied gesungen"- . csak Ivan made' the conquest of Astrakhan. The man who had excited universal admira: , by calling the Russian Czar prince tion-has certainly no need of a monument raised .din, was not aware thst he mutilated-the by my feeble hands; therefore my only purpose pa ~abardah. peter I. settled on the Caspian '.. _-__ , the view of opening a road to 1n&a, is to adorn my book with his name ; with a name > -.: e England 6egm to suspect the strength illustrious - in the annals of the exiles ; with the " , - i,' sian Colossus. In fad, the designs of name of the author to whom the Caucasus owes . ' r-' at' monarch are fully revealed by his will, by the description of its fmest regions. ch he urges his descendants to aim -at the ?. - London, June, 1853. -. nquest of the world. PBEPACE. 9 8 PREFACE. - . - bmpire, two gnawing worms-Poland and the Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether Catherine 1;. 'h... Caucasus. 11. would have been able to seize upon the Crimea, * < had she not been supported by Joseph II., and - - There are but few countries where nature by the hatred which then existed in Europe , has displayed so much poetry as in the Caucasus. .. - against the Mussulmans. It was only after the Its generd surface has something more strikingly -..% - partition of Poland that theEuropean powers began beautiful than that of the Alps; and its inhabi- ;" to see clearly into the designs of Russia. Louis f_ . tants are justly celebrated for their beauty and L XV. was heard to say, "That he would have ;?- ~icturesaue~costume. given his last carriage to prevent the accomplish- ment of that iniquity." But France was too far It is now the theatre of events, interesting removed from Russia, and so she was in 1830. :; in the highest degree. It is a noble duty to ; record the: heroic deeds of populations which The press has nobly acted its part, and has maecently teach all oppressed nations how to eloquently called the serious attention of the i' b. fight and struggle for national independence. European powers to the slow and ominous con- B %Faith, it is true, fires the heart of the ~irczmians, questof the Caucasusby Russia. ButtheEngEsh rb : and their fanaticism supdies military tactics government, disregarding the warning of enlight- $>* -. but-their courage is not the less worthy -of our ened politicians, has recognised the right of h idrniration. Russia to blockade the eastern coast of the Black k5, . , Sea. I : / j, According to a Circassian tradition, a powerful . , . - -- .. the w and to hurdble the The conquest of Circassia will therefore be . .-- -. -' padishah of Moscow; but, if 'aTurkish tradition accomplished, but it will be a hard task for . * Russia to maintain under her subjection the va- is .to. be credited, the Ottoman empire is to be E'. a *- .overthrown by a northern power. br'e these two lorous mountaineers of that region. Moreover, 02 . .. she will then have, at the two extremities of her rd, or heither.?. .- 10 PREPACE. PREFACE. 11 Unfortunately the Cirmssiansdiffer with regard to them that an English fleet was destined to to the form of their political government. TT'hilst deliver them have proved to be deceptive, the those of the west have always had a chief, under intercourse between the two contending parties the banners of whom they march against the has, on that account, become yet more frequent. Russians, the Circassians of the east have pre- Moreover, as the beys, Dshighetes and Oubiches, ferred a democratic government. The latter are favourably treated by the Russian generals, are under the impression that Russia cannot among whom we shall mention Mouraief and bribe several leaders watching one another closely. Ivan Bey, who is himself a Dshighete by birth, & But events, as it will be seen, show that their .- ' they naturally feel more and more well-disposed 1". notions are erroneous. towards Russia. No one can doubt that the . Russians mill ably take advantage of the favour- In fact, Shamyl is as inaccessible to corrup- - able dispositions of their neighbours of the i r tion as Khasi-Moullah. Moreover, the numbcr of $ Black Sea. his followers is perpetually increasing, as they r. i-. confide in his wisdom and valour. The Russians are- - carried onward. Will they stop on the road to conquest? The taking The populations of the Black Sea, on the con- 8' + t- of Trebisond presents indeed more diiliculty trary, being deprived of a general leader to direct g. = C by land than by sea, as the &ad which leads the various movements, take adsunseasonably, ;frbm ~rseroumto that city is rendered toilsome and without unity of purpose. .< ** -, ?and. dangerous bv several defiles that are to be , Alre?dY their.beys fraternise with the Bussian I. .chiefs, and their ouzdines with the officers. he Pachalik of Kars would even prove to be : .' 4 CI. The ~ircassiakof the bast visit the Russian bore useful acquisition for them. The climate 'forts, to effect there, peaceauy, the exchange ok .'?that. territory is decidedly more favourable to their productions; and as the promisep held -Russian- garrison than that of Georgia, c.