Star.
London, England, 1802-01-07 00:00:00

YOURNET TO cmor IN PERSIA.

ACCOUNT OF • joiramirr FROM THR FORTRESS OF
sarnexijA, AT TIIII NORTHRRA FOOT OF MOUNT
CAUCASrS, TO CHOI' IN PIRSI• ; WITH A DE-
SCRIPTION OF TIFLIS, THE CAPITAL OF GEAR-

CIA. BY P. F. INGILM•Ii *.—[Phitfipbical Ma-
:Asir.]
We let out on the 14. th of January, and crolTed
the Tcrek at bloldok, accompanied by the Perfian
ansbailador t with his attendants, and having in
our luite two officers and fix Coffees of the Cau-
callan legion, and an interpreter for the Perfian,
Turkith, and Georgian or Grntinian languages.—
The caravan confilTed of twenty-three horfes for
carrying our bag2,age, and twenty-feven riding
horics. The whole company were on horfeback,
becanfe it is not poffible to travel through the
mountains in any other manner. By way of ef-
cort through the narrow 4efilcs to the borders of
Georgia, we were furniflicd with a guard of fifty''
regular Coffacs and rutty chafteurs.
-On the TO; we croffed the Letter Kabarda,l
which is ruled by feveral princes fubje4 to the
Ruffian Government, and next day arrived at
Wladi-kaukas' a fortrefs lately conarnaed at the '
bottom of the higher Caucafian ridge, in order to I
protea our communication with Borgia ; from
which we proceeded on the 17th to afcend the
mountains.

Comoros, which the Perfians, Indians, and
Arabians call Kukas, extends from the Black to
the Cafpian Sea. This ridge of mountains we had
to.crors in its whole breadth to the capital of
Gtorgia, from which the chain proceeds to Ana-
tolia and along the Euphrates. Its greatefl length
is from the mouth of the river Kuba to Derbent.
A chin of fnow mountains runs along the middle
of this ridge from the Black to the Cafpian Sea.— 1
Two rivers Row from thee fnow mountains in
this neighbourhood : one of which is the well-
known Terek, that throws itfelf into the Cafpian
Sea below t Ruffian fortrefs of }Cider ; the other,
called Aragui, runs towards the fowls, and falls I
into the Ku; near the town of Zcheta, at the dill!
tance of about fifteen werfts from Teflis. ,Along
the Kur and the Terek a commodious road was
condruaed, about two years ago, in order to open ,
a free communication with Georgia ; and this
route in the fummer-time is paffable for carriages;
but in the winter it is not pollible to travel in that
manner through the fnow mountains, as the road
bztween the mountains is covered with (now, and
the travellers arc obliged to pars over ridges and
eminences which are praaicable only for perfons
on horie back or on foot. Along this rood the high
rocky mountains rife in pyramidal forms, and like
two walls of rock on each fide; the valley, which
forms a patfitge between them, where broaden,
:nay be about 300 yards. The people who inha-
bit the country in the neighbourhood althis road,
in the mountains, and fornetimes on the river Te-
rek, where the rituatiott of the mountains willed.
snit of it, are called Offi or Offetines. The former
n:une teas known in antient times, and is Rill ufed
among the people thethfelves, but by the Ruffians
they are called Ofretiniy. Their language has two
affinity to any of the Artatic dialeas but the Per.
lian. Thofe who live to the north are Rill pa.
gans, and worship dogs, cats, and various other
animals which have been flruck by lightniroz.—
Their habitations are all like font:cites, and6fur.
rounded by antique round towers, &c.
On the 18th we arrived at the fnow mountains,
after being attacked at a narrow pars on our way
by the above mentioned Ofleunes. The pre-
tended caufeiwas, that they demanded toll from
us ; but, as it had been fettled by all the princes
refiding among the mountains, that every thing
belonging to RuEia &sold be luffered to pals free,
our commander would not comply with their de-
mand, nor pay them a tingle farthing. When the
°defines found that they could obtain nothing,
they began to roll down on us aftonifhing large
*talks of rock • and they difcharged alto their
fire-arms, bat ;without doing us any hurt. Our
ambaffador, however, was fo ineenfid, that he
commanded 6o of the chafteurs and Igo of the
Coffees, who formed our cfcort, to march againft
them ; but they could not reach them brit by a
circuitous rout of about forty welds. When the
'Offetines raw that tltis party were going round to
attack them in the rear, they folicited torgivenefs,
and fulfered us to paf. unmolested. •
On the t9th we continued to afcend the fnow
mountains, where we were much Amara at the
flulden change of the climate. Hitherto the wea-
ther had been temperate. and we had enjoyed the
moll beautiful views, highly piaurefque on ac-
count of the different colours of the rocks, which
in many places were ornamented with a fort of
eryftallized figures. In the month of March,
Catteafus moll be areal paradise ; for the Monk-
like juniper trees, thechefnut, and other beautiful
trees, are every where found mixed in the molt
agreeable manner. Travelling, however, through
the fnow-mountains was not fo plearaswt. Where
we eroded them they confided of about fire ridges
running parallel to each ocher, the middlensoll or
highelt of which rote above -the clouds. Each
ridge is from a half to three quarters of *Zee-
man mile in breadth. When we reached the sum-
mit of the firft mountain we experienced a moR
violent cold, and the (now lay on the ground
above an arfehine and a half in depth. As this
mountain was not very flee* we paired it without ,
much difficulty. When -we reached the bottom we
had to crofs the river Terek; but no bridge was
peccary, for the river -continually frozen, and
the ice is coveted by fnow accumulated for many
years, and which never difh"ves in fuminer•how•
ever hot the weather may be ; and if it mecca,
for the prodigious noire which the water makes,
no one would fitted that fo rapid a them Rows
tinder it.
We then patted the second ridge, which, how.
aver, teemed to be far more dangerous, as it is re-
y irkably Req. Whin we had afccaded half way,
• F Arai N.• 40, 2.,,,wer, by yrokfor Pallas, voL vL
Tt• mow avow/Ask:lt, so cooduCtor of the caravan,
Pih loldras and Kahan en a no-
" .I.l.fatat wflo
" kit".
at fools *misnames
Rosa' utilise, Drs eke, all
Web le* P 'A 44 an r°4441 Ws**
•

the road became A 3 saws* that between the per.
pendicular rock on the one fide, and the preci-
pice, more than 400 fathoms lb depth, at to bot-
tom of which is the Ind of the river, only two nr
three feet were kft for us to pate. While in this
lunation a violent wind arok, as is commonly the
cafe, and drove down a prodigious qoantity of
fnow, which, as misfortune would have it, fell
upon our Ambs(fador, his &ward, and a riding
boy, and hurried them altogether, with their
horfes, to the bottom. Luckily there happened
to be in this place a projetion of rock, on which
they all three fell ; but to covered with fnow, that
for fame minutes they could not be Peen, until
they hadforced their way from the fnow with
their heads. We immediately let down to them,
by means of ropes, a few Co(facs and Offetines'
who are very expert on inch occafions. There
people, having defended in this manner at leaft
t.to fathoms, helped the Amhadidor and the other
two perfons from the fnow, and, having made
them fall to ropes, they were drawn up without
any further accident. Amidft fear and terror we
proceeded with the caravan through this dan-
gerous place, dreading every moment that a new
fall of (now, rolling down from the mountain,
would hurry us to the bottom of the precipice.
By the proteaion of Paov mew cs,however, we were
preferred, and arrived in fafety at the top of the
mountain. Our Ambaffador was not hart 13.
.1
his fall, but greatly frightened. Two of the
horfe., contrary to all expeaation, found means:
to clamber up the (tee p fide of the mountain; and
though they often fell among the fnow, fo that
nothing of them was to be teen except the head,
they made' their way through it; but the third
was too weak ; and while exciting the laft remains
of his firength by a hidden fpring, he fell back
and rolled down the precipice, fo that we faw no
more of him.

We now defcended the mountain, the road being
neither very Steep nor long, till we arrived at the
next ridge, which is, as it were, placed upon the
former. This third and highell (now mountain
was fo Steep, that we almolt defpaired of being
able to pats it. We found it now impoffible to
ride; for, though the mad was here and there
two feet in breadth, we were frequently obliged,'
for the diftance of half a werit and more, to cam-1
bcr over the rocks fometimes up to the middle in
Snow. When we had, at length, with great la-
bour, pain, and fatigue, got to the fummit, we
ohferved the clouds rolling under us, and could
no longer fee any thing of the furrounding coup.
try. We now travelled above an hour, involved
in a fort of thick fog, expofed to die wind and
(now, and to a more penetrating cold than we
ever remembered to have experienced at Peterf
burgh.
When we began to defcend from this high ridge,
and had got about half way down, three of the
mules, laden with the fervice of Silver plate, def-
tined as a prefint to Perini, fell into a (mall fiilbre
near the road, which, at firit, as we law their
beads above the &ow, did not appear to be of
much confeeptence. Thefe' animals, however. ex-
erted their whole Strength to extricate themfelves,
and two of them were fortunate enough to fiic-
ceed ; but the third, which had approached• too
near to the declivity of the mountain, by its exer-
tions fell deeper into the (now ; and, getting Rill
nearer and neater to the edge of the precipice,
rolled down the fide of the mountain to the dcpth
of about aoo fathoms from the road. The boxes
containing-the plate broke look by the violence of
the fall, one rolling down on one fide, and the
other on the other; and one of them, being
dallied ageing the projeaing point of a rock, bunt
in two; but the other fell unhurt bit a fmall emi-
nence, which was at the dihiance of two hundred
fathoms from us. In that fituation we were•
obliged to leave it, as it was impoffible to approach
it on account'of the iteepnefs of the mountain.—
A Grufinian (Georgian) prince, whom the-Czar
fent to meet us on the frontiers, promifed, as loon
as the weather would permit, and the new Snow
' Should be melted, to fake proper care that the OP
felines, in the next village, Should bring up the
box which remained whole, and ittfo Zollea the
Scattered plate which had fallen from the box that
had burg, and which could not fink into the old
hardened fnnw, as it is fo Song even in rummer
as to bear the weight of a horfe. On our return,
intieed, one of the boxes with the plate was brought
to us at Teflis, and ail the plate which had fallen
from the broken one was again found, except fix
gilt laver dilhes, with one large and two dozen of
!mall Myer Spoons; of the gold dart ferviee, (even
knives and fume fmall Jiffies were recovered; and,
of the gilt, thirteen knives and lonic forks*.
;laving again proceeded on our journey, we at
length, about one o'clock in the morning; after
street pain and difficulty, on account of rite Snow,
rivhich was continually rolling down from the
mountain, arrived without further accident at a
village at the bottom of the ridge dillant about
eighteen merits, which had colt ns eighteen hours
from the-village where we bad (pent the
`.pmeading night. This village was one of the
poorell anchnolt ermaithed in-all Georgia; but to
us it was .a erelcomeidadrufrefrelliment, where
we remained dewing .our twentieth WHIT, day,
and, after three days journey :snore; amved in
fafety na the area of jimmurrat Tiflis, the agsital
of Georgia. This place werenched atmidnight;
and thought_ it sets (o dark that we could not fee
a yard bane us, we egualndsd from die dirt and
narrownefs of the Streets, and films the difagreea-
lace:Amin which Jailed a* from every corner,
that. when Am-light nppearecl, we Should find
muffles' 'with., in a ,Ihnlierwor a Drefden e and
this Wood was the oafs, its will appear from the 1
following defeription.
But we Mull heseifirfiliire &Shaft view of the
provhsce of Tuoletti, which we travesfed in our
way from the fuolrmonnsainsto Teas. At about
the difiance of twenty-five werfis ftom the fuow
mountains the country begins to be exceedingly
pleafant, as the:mounter ns gradually become lower,
and are covered with wand to the tops. The val.
ley along the river, which forms the principal

• As theta articles were &Rifled ass pretax to an einem
prince who ate rice with his hind, It 4Cvs nos appear that they I
would hare been of mush nick) lass

fage from Raffia tO Cbbrgia,ll' 31Wtows wider the
nearer it approaches the *apical ; fo that, where
the Aragui difchterges itfelf into the Kurt; ',kith
runs through Teflis, about twenty welds from
that city, the breadth of the valley is froth five to
feven wefts. In other places its breadth varies
from a half to a whole werd, and is every where
interfperfed with the atoll beautiful groves of
beeches, chefnut, apple, and pear-trees. Between,
theft fruit-trees vines ihoot op, and the brufh-wood
is of that kind generally feen in Europe. Through
this woody vale the Aragui flows en different
branches, and the route in winter and the end of
fummer goes through the woods. No profiled
more beautiful can be conceived than that of the ,
mountains on each fide of this valley. At about
the half of their height lie in general the villages.,
which, according to the Afiatic mode, are built
with fiat roofs. Where any of the %nieces refide,
the village is furrounded with a high wall,firength-
ened by old round turrets. In this manner, two
of three villages often lie one above the other,
each havi its gardens and fi Zds laid out on the
declivity tithe mountain; fo that it appears Won-
derful how it is poiEble to cultivate them, Rivu-
lets every where fall, in the form of catcades, fibre
the rocky brows' f the mountain; and this difiridt
in an amphitheatrical form, extends above fixty
wafts • with the moll agreeable variety ; To that a
more beautiful landfcape can hardly br found
either in Swifferland or Italy.
When compared with this beautiful neighbour-
' hood, Teflis, the capital, makes a very per.; ap,
pearance, it is about eight waits in circtunfe-
I rence, abd is divided into two parts by the river
Knr, which flows through it. The principal part
of the town lies on the declivity of a high moun-
tain, which terminates at the river with rocky
banks of from eight to eleven fathoms in height.
On the land fide it is inclofed by a wall, built in
the old form, eight fathoms in height, and at the
dillance of every fifteen fathoms, (lands a large
round tower which fupplies the place of a bailion.
On this fide, the city has three gates ; and to-
wards the mountain, which riles almoll• perpendi-
cularly behind the wall, it is prote&ed by an old
cattle, which is exceedingly itrong, and which
exhibits the true old method of building. This
cattle is fitnated at the elevation of at leaft two
hundred fathoms above the level of the city. The
other part of the city is conneded with the former
by means of a wooden bridge, which is only twen-
ty-five fathom' in length; as the river Kur, though
in other places from a hundred to two hundred
and eighty fathoms in breadth, is here confined on
both fides by high rocky bank 3, fo that it never
can become broader ; and its real breadth under
the bridge amounts only to twenty fathoms. This,
part of the city is fortified in the fame manner as
the farmer, and contains the czar's palace, a
church, and a few houfes belonging to the citizens.
In the whole city there are feventeen churches
Georgian and Armenian, with one catholicchurel;
and three marquee. The *timber of the houfes in
proportion to the extent of the ground is very
great, as the breadth of each houfe in front is only
from four to twelve fathoms. They are all irregu-
larly built; tome of them have neither windows
nor chimneys, as the flat roof has in the middle a
fort of cupola with a round aperture in it, which
terve" both to admit light and to afford a paffage
to the finoke. The fire is made in the middle of
the floor, and round it are the fleeping-placts :
people even of the middle clafs refide in houtis of
this kind.

The city is interlined by an allonifhing number
of ftreets, fhort and crooked, and not above two
fathoms in breadth ; one principal fireet only
which is capable of admitting a carriage paffes
through the whole city. In my opinion there kr
not a dirtier place in the world than Teflis ; for
when the fnow fallsin winter it lies fonectimee on
the fiat roofs of the houfes to the depth of two or
three feet, and is thrown down into the Meets by
the inhabitants by means of fhovels, left it fhould
penetrate into the houfes by melting, which gene-
rally taker-place very food. As the beets are not
paved, this fnow occafions Co much dirt, that to
perfons on foot they are almolt impafable. Be-
tides, carrion of every kind, fech m dead tattle,
&eine, dogs, cats, and the like, is thrown oat in•
to the fireets, where it is Witted to become pu-
trid. Even dote to the Czar's Palace I obferved
the remains of a dead cow, which emitted an in-
tolerable Reach, and would hoe long continued a
nuifanee had it not been devoured by the dogs.—
In winter the Bench is not fo offenfive as in funs-
mer during the great heats, when Ili-angers err
Amon fufiocated -by it; and on this account it is
very furprifing that peadential difeafes are not as
prevalent in Te fl i s as at Conftantinople. Strangers
immetiiately on their arrival are linable orthe
impurity of the air, and in confequence of it are
continually fiek. l'lxehealthieft time here is the
autumn, becaofe the ftrong winds which blow
then from the mountains purify the air ; but they
would produce a much better died if the city
were regularly built, for at prefent the Brats
are too crooked and narrow to afford it a free
Patlirge•
TheCiar's Palace fiends on the rocky bank of
'the river ; the lower part of it is built of /tone,
'the upper is of wood andfurrounded bra galkry;
but in other refpe&s it has a very Mean appearance.
In the interior part it exhibits nothing.rentarkAble;
all its ornaments eonfift merely of rich and'beauti-
Cul carpetting. The area before it is often fo co-
vered with dirt that it is impoinbk to approach
the Palace.. The magnificence of the Court is, in
my opinion, much inferior to that which we ob-
ferved at the Court of the Pollan than Azhntet
tdeheen4t, at Eriwan ; who, however, is filhjed
and tributary to the Czar of aeorgia. To defetibe
the etiquette of the Court would be too tedious
ani*ridictdous ;If/tall therefore only obferve, that
Prince Herodias is a prudent, intelligent, and
courageona 'Man, whofe clients are d4layed in
his phyllognonty. He is of a middle nature, and
Rill freih and vigorous though 7o years old. He
has a great many children, the eldeft of whom is
45 years of age. The Czar is exeeedingly polite,
and on days of feflivity invites all the Ruffian

• A van a about 003 WA feet

Officers to his table. I had twice .thi s honour.—
We were ferved in the European manner ; the
ditties however, for thi muil part, a-ere cooked
according to the AGatic tafie,hut exceL'ent of their
kind. On fuck occafsbits the Ciar fats at table, as
the turopeans do, but in common he follows the
Afiatic cult om.
The Czar's Confort and die Princeees e;ten ap.
pear publickly on feflivals ; but tome years ago
they were more relayed, being l'eldom Lea.—
The children are all flout and handfoate.
Of the 'Tartars rabic& to the Czar of Georgie,
and who are diainguithed by the name of Rafiteii,;
1 obtained at Tabs the follbwing information:—
They relide on the rivers 14achatyr,.Telrete,
Achyllaf, Pambek, and Algete. On the firtl lie
levels villages; on the fecund, thirteen; on the
third, five; on- the fourth, fifteen; on the Orb,
Eighteen; and, on the fist!), two. Some of tli.fe
Tartars are of the fe& OfOlisar ; others are Of that
Of Ali, and do not pradife circumcifion. They
acknowledge, befides the Burets.' Bliss five
Saints : David, who had, a hundred wives, anti
therefore hiabomet allowed his follow e s to have
the fame number ; Dfchebrail, who, though ia-
trifible, excites the people to olfsr up their prayers
to GOD ;- Afrail, who by GOD'S command Pets the
foul free from the body ; Michael, who weighs the
fins of the dead, and fends them either to Itell or
to paradife • and, in the Lill place, 'frau!, who;
'when Goo ;hall make the water like the earth, will
found the trumpet to call the dead to judgment.
hlaliomet they do not account a faint, but their
lawgiver, who has commanded them to pray five
times in the twenty-four hours, and to implore
don to forgive their fins; to ptu ify themfelves be.
fore prayery wafting ; to undertake a pilgrimage
to his grave, when poilible ; not to (teal ; not to
work on Friday, but to fall ; to ()Verve the kill.
vals, Sec.

They divide the year into twelve months, and
Kffle to the months an unequal number of days,
winch vary every year except for the month Ka-.
thafan, which always confifts of thirty, ar.3 is
which their principal feftivals fall. Their week
has fever days, and begins with Friday, which
they call Dfchuta : the reft are, DichutaErteffi„
Bafar, Bakr-Ertefri, Chas, Tfcharfchembe, Per
chemise. They have three grand fellivals. The
6141 is in the month Ramafan ; the fecond is called
Kurban, and the third Nattrus-Bairim.
great farts in Ramafan are obl'ervel fo
they fpend whole days in prayer, and tafte noti.sod;
till the evening.
At their marriages no other ceremonies ate Istualat
than, at the time of the betrothing. the male mutt
female friends ;amble at the hr ufe of the br'ttJ
and fang from morning till night, dance, and,
make merry, till the wedding day; after which
they fpend three more days in a fimilar manneN
At the birth of a child, the midwife, after it bask
been wattled, befprinkles it with fait water, and
gives it any name 4he thinks proper. A wonsan,
after delivery, is accounted unclean for forty days;
during which She mutt neither fieep with her huf-
band, pray in the church, nor perform any do-
meftic office. Marriage is forbidden only betvrceas
the firft degrees of confanguinity, fuch as th. a of ,
brother and filter; in all other degrees it is per- '
mitted. A man may keep as many wives as he
choofes ; the firft mutt always.be a maid, but tiro
reft may be widows. If a married woman is guiltr
of adultery, the hufband has a right to put her to
death, as well as the adulterer. If a hufbastd,
however, is unfaithful, the wife has no refourze-
Men are accounted fit for marrlage from the aga
of fifteen to fifty, and women from that of twelve;
to forty. If a man lofes all affeaion for his wife,
he may give her a letter of divorce and fend hex
away; but a woman cannot feparate from km,
hufband without his content.

They bury their dead in the following manner:
The body is washed, and a spdlak, or pneft, is fent
for to accompany it to the grave; the mullah them
recites fome prayers, and the body being depofited
in the grave the relations cover it with cards. T}
relations do wet return to the 'lonic of the decearod
for three days; but at the expiration of that pe-
riod they prepare an entertainment in hanour of
his memory ; and this felbval is leprated on the
fcventh, and again on the fortieth day.—(T, fs
combined.)

BIRTHS.

In MerrionAeare, Dublin, the wife of Jonah Es irricgtoiso
Bfq. of a fen.
On Sunday Siennight, at lath, the lady of the Rev. Mr. Fay.
caner, of a fan.
On Saturday Mrs. Nelfon, of Soinerfet-phee, of a
daughter.

dzi Saturday bit, at Haughley Park, Suffolk, the Udy
George Jerningbaen, E. of a faa and heir.
Oa Sunday loft, at Dalian* Hill,Surrey, thelady atjAr.
Manktatolh, of a daughter.

Latdy, at Fulham, Tearil Leafoni Efq: of BeverlPy.to haft
E. Green, daughter-of the late F. Green, tfq. 016.4 -la-housub
new-road, London.

On Fritiay,Mr. James Oinveronereltailt, to befr Sedgwick.
daaghter of the Rev. Mr. Sedgwiek, late taillike:4r of Newton
Heath and Moller
Mr. Robert Blair, of Smock-alley, Dublin, printer, to Mds
Anse Penh, of Oreat Britain-ftreet.
On their 3th ult. at Norton, near Sestinas, Cuthbert Tay/or.
to Ann.Hutchinfon : the bride walked with a crutch, the bride.-
voom bad but mierstm, the bridegroom's man but seeks, salt
the Slides maid was blid. Never at one time perhaps appeared
fueb a mutilated group before the altar of Hymen.