The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-08-24

on 6rtgdnd." He says, further, that the name
gwen by the people themselves to the whole
race, from the eastern limits of the Great Ks-
pardah to the district on the coast called Var
dan, is Adighe
| According to Pallas the Osetes, who call
themselves IT. or Irones, from the name of their
country, Ironistan form peculiar tribe, who
altogether dwell among the high mountains,
| and whose frontiers stretch on the west to
| Urup; on the east, to the Terek, on the north
| ern part of the mountains on the west, TO the
| Rion, the Phasis of the ancients and on the
east, to the Aragua. The Ossetes, or Ossetin-
ians, were formerly governed by their native
princes, and inhabited the plains of the Great
and Little Kabardab, and part of the southern
borders of the great chain. They are to be
found in the valley of the river Terek. and
upon the road from Mosdok to Tiflis.
The Suanes live under Mount Elberous, on
the south of that mountain On the eastern
side of the isthmus, between the high ridge of
mountains and the Caspian lies Dsghestan :
and the district westward of Daghestan is in
habited by the Lazss or Lesghians, their terri
tory extending far into the mountains; and it
enjoys the honor of having given birth to the
famous Schamyl. The Abhasians principally
dwell On the western side of the Caucasian
hills, or on that side of the chain which faces
the Black Sea-
The Western Caucasus is completely pirded
round with Russian forts and military posts.
A military line runs from the mouth of the
kouban, TO the mouth of the Terek along the
banks of both those rivers and is guarded by
the Tchemomorskii Cossacks and the Greben-
ski Cossaoks, the latter being also known as
Cosacks of tho Terek Georgienesk. and a
chain of small forts running along the eastern
flank Of this range, connect the northern line
with that of the Terek, on which MOsdok, the
strongest central point, and Kislian, on the
Caspian, are built. On the coast of the Black
Sea, the strong places held, or recently held,
by Russia, are Anapa, SOujouk- kale, Ghelen-
de, Pitzounda, and Souchoum- kale. The south
ern line runs from Pot to Tif1is. The Min
grehans and Smeritians occupy the mountain
GUS districts of Western Georgia. On the
eastern side, the Russians have forts along the
Caspian, from Kisliar through Derbent to
Bakou
Though the Western Caucasus remains un-
conquered and though in Daghestan and the
country of the Lesghiars and Atteghei war
has been raging for thirty years, Russia has
extended her possessions into Armenia and
Persia, and the territory therein acquired is
known as her Transoaucasian Provinces By
the treaty Of Goolistan, concluded in 1914
Persia engaged not to maintain ships of war
acquisitions south of the Caucasus, Georgia,
Smeritia, Mingrelia, Derbent Bakou, and ali
Persian Daghestan, Shirysn, Shekkee, CANA
Karabaugh, and parts Of Moglan and Talish
In 1926 By the treaty of Turcomonchai, Rus
sia still further acquired territory, for Persia
was compelled to cede the opulent provinces
of Erivan and Nukchivan, including the fort
rcsse5 of Erivan and Abassabad-this last
place establishing the Russians on the Araxes
The successors of Mithridates King of the
Bosphorus, were expelled by Russian princes
and at an early period established themselves
in the Western Caucasus, from which they
were themselves driven in the eleventh century
by the Pouloutsi nor did they again enter the
Caucasus till the sixteenth century, when they
returned by the Volga. They held preca-
rioas occupancy of some few districts till I'LL,
when some Russian merchants having been
murdered by the Lesghians, Peter the Great
landed 10 their country from the Caspian, van
pushed them, built a fort, took erbend, and
pl epared to seize aud retain all the western
asst Of that sea. The Empress Anne was
compelled to resign all these conquests to the
famous Nadir Shah, King Of Persia; hut
she built Kisiar on the Terck, where it emp
ties itself into the Caspian. Catharine II
took possession Of Kabardah, and founded
Mosdok. Georgia was ceded to Paul by He
raclius, and the Emperor Alexander, son of
Paul, annexed it to the Russian Empire By
the treaty of Adrianople, Turkey surrendered
to Russia all the littoral Of the Black Sea- from
Anapa to Fort st. Nicholas, by virtue of which
Russia claims fell sovereignty over the West
ern Caucasus; but the CIcassians deny the
soundness of tho title contending that they
have always been independent never having
recognised the Sultan as their temporal prince,
but only as their spiritual chief be being the
supreme head of Islamisn, which they profess.
Hence has arisen the thirty years war, in
which the Murid Schamyl, u Lesghian by
BIRTH has couragoOusly defended the independ-
enee of his mountains. He has now the fleets
and armies of England and France TO protect
his cause, and as the champion of Liberty, he
deserves success. J. ID.