CASPIAN SEA. 



can, who resort to this place for the convenience of 

 trading with the neighbouring Tartars. The last 

 "Y"^*' port worthy of notice belonging to the Russians, is 

 Kit/li.ir, sifiaied at the mouth of the Terek. There 

 ,o a fortress, which covers the frontiers of 

 the empire towards Persia. The ships bound for 

 this place, used formerly to go quite up to it by the 

 southern branch of the river, but as its mouths have 

 been choked up with sand, goods are now commonly 

 landed in a little bay at a considerable distance from 

 the town. There are brought hither from Astracan, 

 the European commodities wanted for the Persian 

 trade, also corn and other necessaries of life for the 

 Russian colonies on the Terek, and for the inhabi- 

 tants of the neighbouring chain of the mountains of 

 Caucasus. Besides those branches of legitimate 

 traffic, there is moreover carried on by some of the 

 inhabitants of this place, a smuggling trade to Sha- 

 machie, Dcrbent, and even as far as Teflis in Geor- 

 gia. 



The Persian havens are, 1. Derbent, in the pro- 

 vince of Shirvan. Owing to the rocks and shoals 

 that prevail in this quarter, vessels can rarely ap- 

 proach the shore, but are obliged to lie at anchor 2 

 or 3 miles off. On this account, not more than 3 or 

 4 Russian ships come annually to this place, which 

 are usually laden with oats and rye, bringing with 

 them likewise iron, steel, and lead, for the Lesghees, 

 and other Tartarean nations dwelling on the eastern 

 chain of the Caucasus. There is here a fortress sur- 

 rounded by high brick walls. The inhabitants are 

 chiefly Persians, Tartars, and a few Armenians. A 

 little corn is produced in the neighbourhood, but 

 not in sufficient quantity to answer to the consump- 

 tion. It is asserted, that a peculiar sort of grass 

 grows between this place and Terek, on which all 

 the quadrupeds feed with avidity, and that to the 

 horse alone the eating of it is fatal. The town of 

 Derbent lays claim to a high antiquity, a part of 

 it, as is alleged, having been built by Alexander 

 the Great. 2. Niescovaia Pristan, or Nizebad, in 

 the same province, is a port that was formerly much 

 frequented by the Russians. The merchants, par- 

 ticularly from Shamachie, come hither in great num- 

 bers with European commodities, to supply the 

 surrounding country. Near to the harbour there 

 are several wretched villages. 3. Baku is reckoned 

 the safest, if not indeed the only proper harbour 

 of the Caspian. Ships may lie here at anchor in 

 seven fathoms water. In some places, however, the 

 entrance is dangerous, on account of shallows, islands, 

 and sand-banks. The fortress is of a similar con- 

 struction with that of Derbent. The inhabitants 

 of this place are Persians, Tartars, and a few Arme- 

 nian merchants. The trade here is not considerable, 

 and chiefly centres in the neighbouring districts. The 

 principal articles of export by which its traffic is sup- 

 ported, are the naphtha and the fine rock salt, both 

 of which are obtained from mines on the east of the 

 bay. Saffron and cotton are cultivated by the in- 

 habitants, but not with any considerable advantage. 

 It is supplied with raw silk and silk stuffs from 

 Shamachie, an inland town, and the capital of this 

 province of Shirvan, which is situated from Baku, 

 one also of its towns, at the distance of only 6G 



1 



miles. It was to the silk trade that Shamachie owed 

 its former commercial importance, and by the same 

 mean, it it* ttill prr&erved from ruin, though its traf- 

 fic has been greatly reduced, in consequence of the 

 exorbitant exactions of the khans of Nuba, and, in 

 the same proportion, the numbers of its inhabitant^ 

 diminished, and the manufactures of the place even 

 within a short time have greatly degenerated. Baku 

 is usually the residence of a Russian consul. 4. Ein- 

 y.ellee, though the most frequented by the Persian tra- 

 ding vessels of all the ports of this sea, is yet but a 

 moat wretched place. An entrance into its bay, was 

 formerly found through a particular channel which 

 communicated with the sea, but that passage having 

 been obstructed by an accumulation ot sand, the ves- 

 sels which now come hither must remain at anchor in 

 the road. Einzellee, situated on the south-west coast 

 of the Caspian, consists of an old and new town, the 

 former inhabited by Persians, and the Armenians sub* 

 ject to the jurisdiction of the sophi ; the other by 

 Russian merchants, and such Armenians as acknow- 

 ledge the authority of the Russian government. A 

 Russian consul resides here, who has under him a gar- 

 rison of 30 soldiers ; and the Russians trade to this 

 port to great advantage. It is happy in its position, 

 as it lies in the province of Ghilan, the district the 

 most noted for those articles, which have always been 

 chiefly in request with the traders who have engaged 

 in the commerce of these parts, silk, viz, and silk 

 stuffs. Commodities go from hence to Reshd, through 

 which a supply of European- goods is thus furnished 

 to the bordering provinces of Persia, and the neigh- 

 bouring independent states as far as Georgia. The 

 remaining part of the supply for those more north- 

 ern states, is derived immediately from Astracan, 

 through Kitzliar and Mosdok. A portion is also 

 sent from Shamachie, for the use of the Lesghee 

 Tartars, and other independent tribes in that vicini- 

 ty. In the town of Einzellee, there are churches be- 

 longing to the Russians and the Armenians, and 

 about 300 houses formed mostly of reed. It is the 

 refuse only of the Persian and European commoditiea 

 that is sold here. The great mart in this quarter is 

 Reshd, where there is a concourse of merchants from 

 Tauris, and the principal cities of Persia, Armenia, 

 and Turkey, for the purchase of these, and of the raw 

 silk and the manufactures of Ghilan. Here, accord- 

 ingly, the Russians dispose very advantageously of 

 their European commodities, obtaining in return for 

 them the rich productions of this province, which are 

 esteemed the best of their kinds in Persia, and which 

 for the last 50 years have been in such reputation, 

 that Reshd is become one of the first commercial 

 towns in this part of Asia. The finest sort of the 

 silk of this province is usually white, and is chiefly 

 sent to the inland cities of Persia, or is sold to the 

 Turks. The inferior kind is yellow, and is princi- 

 pally disposed of among the Russians. From the 

 great and constant demand for these silks, their price 

 has for some time past been rising every year. 5. 

 Farabat, and 6. Medshetizar, on the southern coast, 

 in the province of Mazanderan, are mere villages. In 

 the latter, however, a considerable trade was for some 

 time carried on, owing to its vicinity to Balfrush, the 

 chief town of the province, whither the Russians and 



