The Caucasian Mountains and their Inhabitants. 93 



was named after or dedicated to the sun. Many places, 

 as well as rivers and fountains, were sacred to this deity, 

 and called Cura, Curia, Curapolis, Curene, Cureschata, 

 Curesta, Curestica regio. In Thessalia, we have the river 

 Cuarius or Curalius; others in Media and Persia. 



There are now no volcanoes in the Caucasus, but suffi- 

 cient evidence of their former existence ; for the secondary 

 parallel chains on the inner side are largely formed of 

 Plutonic rocks. Argillaceous slate accompany them, 

 while the outer side is of limestone. The central chain 

 is of trachite. There are said, however, to be on the 

 coast what they call mud volcanoes. Never having seen 

 any such, I will not attempt to describe them. At Baku, 

 a seaport town at the eastern extremity of this semi-Eu- 

 ropean, semi-Asiatic barrier, the soil is impregnated with 

 naptha ; there are also celebrated fountains of the same 

 substance, and it forms an important article of export. 

 As these fountains sometimes take fire, it is believed, 

 spontaneously, the place came to be regarded as holy by 

 the Parsees. This, however, was not peculiar to this 

 place. Arsina and Arsiana in Babylonia had fountains 

 of bitumen, and hence were sacred places. Also Arsena 

 in Armenia which had a nitrous lake, and Arsinoe near 

 the Red sea, as also near Ephesus, both of which had 

 streams of bitter waters. An Arabian historian, 31esudi, 

 writing of Baku about the year 950, mentions a great 

 volcanic mountain in its vicinity. It can also boast of an 

 oil well, and when on any great festive occasion, an ex- 

 tensive brilliant illumination is required, the oil is poured 

 .upon the waters of the Caspian and set on fire. 



Quite a variety of minerals, those of the most importance, 

 such as iron, lead, copper, with coal and sulphur, are 

 found in the Caucasus ; but I think as yet no gold. Silver, 

 however, had recently been discovered ; or as lately as 

 1848. While I was at the palace of the General, com- 



