C I R C A S S I A. 



Tubes. 



though tome of them were formerly Christians, and 

 otbcrt Mahometans, and the rite of circumciiiun it itill 

 in u*e here, they have neither priests, Alcoran, or mosque, 

 <>thcr Mahometan*. Every one offer* hi* own sa- 

 at pleasure, on certain c*.iyt, however, appro- 

 priated to that purpote, more, indeed, from custom than 

 liirqnciice of any positive command. The moat 

 solemn aacrifice it that of a he-goat, which it offered 

 upon occasion of the death of near friends. At tuch 

 time*, both men and women meet in the field, to be 

 preieiit at the celebration of the tolemnity. Then, the 

 animal being killed, it it flayed, and the skin, with the 

 head and burnt, it ttretched upon a cross at the top of a 

 long pole, placed commonly in a quickset hedge, to keep 

 the cattle from it. Near to thit tpot the sacrifice i* of- 

 fered, by boiling and roasting the flesh, which i* after- 

 ward* eaten. When the feast is over, the men rise, and, 

 having paid their adoration to the skin, and muttered 

 over certain prayers, they are left by the women, and 

 conclude the ceremony with drinking a great quantity 

 f aq ua vittr, which generally leads to a quarrel before 

 their final separation. The ttate of degradation in this 

 country, at to virtue and morals, is at least fully in pro- 

 portion to the smallness of the attention paid in it to 

 religion. The Circassians are accused of frequent per- 

 juries, and violation of treaties. Oaths taken on the 

 Bible, or the Koran particularly, it is said, they break 

 without scruple. Yet there are certain forms of oaths, 

 it is alleged, as well as certain places, supposed to be 

 the remains, or 'spots in the neighbourhood of the re- 

 mains, of Christian churches, wluch are more respected 

 amongst them, and which ensure their fidelity. The 

 courage of this people, great as it is, it may be remark- 

 ed, it not proof against religious terrors ; and, like all 

 barbarou* nation*, they believe, that what is called acci- 

 dent, may be influenced in respect to the manner of its 

 occurrence, or retarded or prevented through the use of 

 particular ceremonies. 



There are several distinct tribes of the Circassians. 

 The designations of the principal of them are the follow- 

 ing : The Kabardines, the Beslene, the Temirgoi, the 

 Psbedukhs, the Hattukai, the Shani, the Shagaki, and 

 the Mukhoshians. These tribes, occupying respective- 

 ly their particular territories, and subject to the autho- 

 rity of their own rulers, agree in the main as to the lead- 

 ing outlines in their condition and character. Gene- 

 rally, they apply themselves more or less to agriculture, 

 and to the rearing of cattle. Some of the tribes are 

 wealthy and powerful. The resources of others are less 

 considerable. In various degrees they are addicted to 

 robberies, and frequently are involved in broils, either 

 amongst themselves respectively, or with one another. 

 The amount of the population of this whole country it 

 i* difficult accurately to ascertain. From some data, 

 however, on the subject, there seems reason to believe, 

 that the Kabardines alone can bring into the field a 

 power of about 10,000 private*, and 1500 usdens. The 

 Temergoes, with their allie* of Beslene, Mukhoshians, 

 and F'.hrdukh, are stated to possets, when united, a 

 force of at least 5000 effective men. When to these 

 number* i* added the population of the other tribes men- 

 tioned, it may be readily understood how much, but for 

 the prevalence of divisions among themselves, the neigh- 

 bouring powers would have occasion to drrad their too 

 Pear approaches. Neither is this danger grounded solely 

 on the consideration of their numbers. They are a gal- 

 lant and warlike people, and are bound by every tie to 

 follow their prince into the field, and zealously and faith- 

 fully to yield an implicit obedience to his commands. 



U it obviout bow very formidable thii people would 



become, were they ever to be united under the govern- Ciremssi*. 

 ment of one chief. A nation of mountaineers, however, "^"Y"""' 

 it it to be observed, who are forced, for the sake of pas- 

 ture and water, to fix themselves upon the banks of the 

 detached rivers, soon forget their origin, and are divided 

 into separate and hostile tribes. This i- so much the case 

 with the Circassians of the Cuban, and their power is 

 therefore so inconsiderable, that they .ire scarcely known 

 even to the Russians, but by the general appellation of 

 Cuban Tartars, in which they are confounded with their 

 neighbours the Archaseaos and the Nagair. 



The branch of this nation most interesting to the his- Khar- 

 torical inquirer, is that usually called the Great and the dines. 

 Little Kabarda ; and this, both in respect of its own 

 importance, and of its varied intercourse of war or 

 peace, particularly with the adjoining great empire of 

 Russia. The Kabardines, it is to be ubseived, hold 

 themselves to be of Arabian origin ; and not improbably 

 they are the remains of the armies formerly sent by the 

 caliphs against Caucasus ; others deduce tin m from the 

 Mamelukes. General tradition, confirmed by .-.till sub- 

 sisting names, shews, that they formerly inhabited the 

 Crimea. At what period they extended th.ir posses- 

 sions along the banks of the Kuban, and in the c.iuntry 

 of the Beshtan, cannot, at present, be easily discovered. 

 It is probable that they were first subject to the rukrs of 

 Georgia, together with a considerable part of the Cau- 

 casus. After the separation of that kingdom in the six- 

 teenth century, and particularly after the defection of 

 the provinces of Mmgrelia, Guricl, and Abasa, they be- 

 came subject to the Khan of Crimea. In the same cen- 

 tury they submitted to the protection of the Czar, 

 Ivan Vassilizvitch, who, about the year 1560, married 

 a princes* of their country. In the 17th century they 

 again acknowledged the sovereignty of the Crimea ; and 

 when, in the beginning of the 18th century, they at- 

 tempted to shake off this yoke, the Khan penetrated in- 

 to their territory, and drove them before him to the 

 mountains extending towards the source of the Baksan, 

 where they fortified themselves with stone mounds erect- 

 ed in the defiles, which, to this day, have retained the 

 name of the Crimean walls. Having, by a piece of the 

 most nefarious treachery, extricated themselves from the 

 dangerous sit nation in which they were thus placed, they felt 

 the necessity, in order to avoid the consequences, of soli- 

 citing anew the protection of Russia. While they recog- 

 nise the superior authority of this power, the Kabardines 

 have continued to live in a state of immediate submission 

 to their native princes, the three families of which rank 

 acknowledged amongst them, they pretend have all been 

 derived from the same source. The nobles, or usdens, 

 are divided into the ancient equestrian nobility, and such 

 as hold that dignity from others, or the usden of usden. 

 Ttie third class is that of the vassals, or people, some of 

 the circumstances in whose condition have already fallen 

 under observation. A certain number of these is allotted 

 to, and placed under the jurisdiction of each princely- 

 family. In these divisions respectively, the eldest indivi- 

 dual is considered as chief of the family, judge, protec- 

 tor, and father of all the vasals attached to it. Out of 

 this order, the princes have the privilege of raising whom 

 they please to the rank of nobility, but they are equally 

 empowered to deprive them, it they see fit, even of every 

 thing that they possess. 



The Circassians are understood to have been descend- History, 

 cd from the Alanians, who settled on the northern side 

 of the Caucasus soon after it had been occupied by the 

 Yazamates. By them, or by races collaterally related to 

 them, possession was gradually taken of the southern re- 

 gioni adjacent to the Ituban, During the empire of the 



