158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 



Among the Caucasian Jews I followed up this enquiry 

 on the identity of the Synagogue music at Frankfort with 

 Asiatic music of to-day. The idea was new to them ; but 

 after a little reflection they said they believed I was right, 

 and that the sounds had come down from the Babylonish 

 captivity. It is even possible, in a land where " rien ne 

 commence : tout se continue " that the motif or style of this 

 singing may go back to before the days of Abraham, when 

 he " dwelt in Haran," in the same valley of the Euphrates. 

 There are tribes of Jews in the Transcaucasus, espe- 

 cially about Kutais, (the ancient Colchis from whence 

 Jason brought the Golden Fleece,) who claim that they 

 have been settled there ever since the Babylonish cap- 

 tivity. They are dark in complexion, and resemljle the 

 Georgians, yet retaining the unmistakable type which 

 leaves no doubt as to their ancestry. 



Besides these there are 21,000 Jews scattered through 

 Daghestan, (Dagh = mountain : Stan = country) — the 

 region to the east and north-east of the Georgian Pass. 

 Most of these live in Aouls, or villages, and are engaged in 

 agriculture. Mahometanism has so far repressed them 

 that they have but little knowledge of the Talmud, "though 

 in one of their villages they have a parchment MS. of the 

 ten commandments, two or three centuries old. 



Some years ago a Hebrew inscription was found at 

 Mzhket, the station at the southern end of the Georgian 

 Pass, through which we have been journeying. The 

 following translation is by the proprietor and editor of 

 the " Kafkaz," the leading journal of the Caucasus, and 

 a remarkably able writer : — 



"Year 131 from the Captivity. Rechabin. 



" '* * to the palace of those who rest eternally. 



"with the just 



" the follower of the law 



"of the Ancient High One 



-;^ # # * # 



" the weak will be exalted " 



\ 



