478 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



the favour of one of the most pow- 

 erful, that it may secure a protec- 

 tor and mediator in unforeseen 

 misfortunes or attacks. No one 

 •will then venture to do any mem- 

 ber of it an injury either public or 

 private; nay, it frequently happens 

 that mean families attain power and 

 consequence solely through their 

 friendship with Kabardian princes. 

 Hence neither the A basses nor the 

 Nogays venture to commit depre- 

 dations on the Ckaratschai, lest 

 they should be chastised by the 

 Kabardians ; on the contrary, they 

 are always solicitous to keep on the 

 best terms with them. 



The Ckaratschai, in their per- 

 sons, are some of the handsomest 

 of the inhabitants of the Caucasus, 

 and bear a much stronger re- 

 semblance to the Georgians than 

 to the roving Tartars in the Steppe. 

 They are well shaped, and have 

 remarkably delicate features, which 

 are embellished by large black 

 eyesand a fair complexion. Among 

 them you meet with none of the 

 broad, flat faces, and hollow ob- 

 lique eyes, which are so common 

 among the Nogays, and would 

 prove an intermixture with Mongol 

 tribes. 



In general they take only one 

 wife ; but some have two or three, 

 with whom they live very happily, 

 and, contrary to the practice of the 

 other mountaineers, treat them 

 with humanity and affection ; so 

 that here, as among the Europeans, 

 the wife is the companion, and not 

 the menial servant, of the husband. 

 The wives of the princes have 

 separate habitations, and dare not 

 show themselves to any stranger, 

 and still less converse with him. 

 The husband is not allowed to 

 visit his wife in the day-time, but 



only at night. The same Tscher- 

 kessian custom prevails also among 

 the wealthy usdens or nobles ; but 

 the common man lives together 

 with his wives, and permits strang- 

 ers to see and converse with them. 

 The daughters likewise go but 

 little abroad ; they are occupied in 

 the manufacture of gold and silver 

 thread, and in making clothes for 

 their fathers and brothers. Among 

 them, as among the other Tartars, 

 the parents, on the marriage of a 

 daughter, receive a kaiim, which 

 is here termed the price of blood. 

 The bridegroom, if he is wealthy, 

 sends a complete dress to the 

 bride, who must put it on when 

 she is conducted to him, which is 

 always done in the night. On the 

 wedding-day the bridegroom as- 

 sembles at his house all his friends 

 of the male sex, and gives them 

 an entertainment, at which they 

 eat and drink heartily. A similar 

 treat is given in the house of the 

 bride, but only her female ac- 

 quaintance are invited to it. To- 

 wards evening the young men re- 

 pair to the bride's, to conduct her 

 with her whole train to the habi- 

 tation of her future husband. 

 The festivities last three days ; the 

 company dance, feast, and make 

 merry ; the youths have an op- 

 portunity of forming an acquaint- 

 ance with the girls of the village, 

 and thus commences roany a 

 passion which terminates in a new 

 marriage. At the wedding a par- 

 ticular dance is performed by lads 

 and lasses intermixed in a circle. 



When a young man designs to 

 marry, he does not communicate 

 his intention to his parents, lest 

 they should disapprove his choice 

 and prevent the match. In ge- 

 neral, however, the parents them- 



