103 



CAUBUL CA UCASUS. 



grants to him alone a superiority over himself. In 

 sportive composition and in epigrams, when he keeps 

 within the proper limits of tliat species of poetry, he 

 is a model. He succeeded, also, in heroic verse, as 

 in his beautiful episode of Ariadne, which appears to 

 have inspired the poet who afterwards sung of Dido. 

 1 1 e \vas the first of the Romans who successfully im- 

 itated the Greek lyric poetry. The four odes of his 

 tliat remain to us make us feel a lively regret for the 

 loss of the others. A weighty objection, however, 

 against most of his writings, is their licentiousness 

 and indelicacy. The common opinion is, tliat he died 

 57, B. C., In the thirtieth year of his age. Scaliger 

 maintains, but without sufficient proof, that he died 

 in his seventy-first year. The edition of his works by 

 Volpius (Padua, 1737), and that of Dcering (Leipsic, 

 1788 90, 2 vols.), deserve honourable mention. 

 His poems are usually published with those of Tibul- 

 lus and Propertius. 



CAUBUL, or CABUL. See Afghanistan. 



CAUCASUS ; a chain of mountains in Western 

 Asia, extending from south-east to north-west, and 

 occupying the isthmus (containing 127,140 square 

 miles) between the Black and Caspian seas. The 

 length is computed at 644 miles ; the breadth is 

 various ; from Mosdox to Tiflis it may be estimated 

 at 184 miles. Torrents, precipices, and avalanches 

 render the mountains almost impassable. The Cau 

 casus is divided into two parallel chains. The cen- 

 tral ridge, from which the mountains fall off on each 

 side, consists of various sorts of granite. The sum- 

 mits are covered with snow and ice, and are mostly 

 barren ; the lower parts are clothed with thick for- 

 ests. On the western declivity is the Elburs, which 

 a Russian measurement makes 16,700 feet high. 

 The Casibeg is 17,388 feet high. The most elevated 

 summit (the Snowy mountain) is on the eastern side, 

 west of the Cuban. It was first ascended by an Eu- 

 ropean traveller in 1810. It is also called SchaA- 

 fiagh (King's mountain) and Schah-Elburs ; Elburt 

 being the common name of all the high, conical sum- 

 mits rising from the chain of the Caucasus. The 

 limit of perpetual snow on these mountains is 1890 

 feet higher than on the Alpine regions of Savoy and 

 Switzerland. Two of the passes, or gates, as they 

 are often called, are remarkable the Caucasian pass 

 and die Albanian or Caspian pass. Most of the 

 rivers, which take their rise in the Caucasus, flow in 

 an easterly direction to the Caspian sea, or in a wes- 

 terly course to the Black sea. On the northern de- 

 clivity, the Terek flows easterly into the Caspian, and 

 the Cuban westerly into the Black sea ; beyond these 

 rivers, the mountainous chain sinks down, by degrees, 

 to the sandy plains in the south of Russia. On the 

 southern declivity, the Kur flows easterly into the 

 Caspian, and the Rioni (called by the ancients the 

 Phasis) westerly into the Black sea : beyond these 

 rivers rise the mountains of Turkish and Persian Ar- 

 menia, which connect the Caucasus with the other 

 chains of Western Asia. The highest ridge of the 

 Caucasian chain is rugged and barren, but the south- 

 ern declivity is extremely fruitful. The whole sur- 

 fece of the country abounds in forests and fountains, 

 orchards, and vineyards, corn fields, and pastures, in 

 rich alternation. Grapes and various kinds of fleshy 

 fruits, chestnuts, and figs, grow spontaneously. Grain 

 of every description, nee, cotton, and hemp flourish 

 abundantly. But agriculture is much neglected ; 

 partly owing to the indolence of the inhabitants, and 

 partly to their want of numbers and of security, as 

 the people of the mountains, particularly the Lesghi- 

 ans, in their plundering expeditions, rob the cultivat- 

 ors of the fruits of their industry, and carry off the 

 men for slaves. There are multitudes of wild ani- 

 mals of every description here. The pheasant is a 



native. The mineral kingdom is full of the richest 

 treasures, which are nearly untouched. Mineral 

 waters abound, and there are fountains of petroleum 

 and naphtha in many districts. Some fountains 

 throw up a slime with the petroleum, which, being 

 deposited, forms hills, styled by the natives growing 

 mountains. The medicinal baths of Caucasia are 

 called by the general name of the baths of Alexander. 



The inhabitants consist of small tribes of various 

 origin and language Georgians, Abassians, l.oghi- 

 ans, Ossetes, Circassians, Tasclikents, Khists, In- 

 gooshes, Chafabulaks, Tshetshenzes, Tartars, Armen i- 

 ans, Jews, and, in some regions, wandering Arabs. 

 Some of them are Greek and Armenian Christians; 

 others are Mohammedans ; others, Jews ; and others 

 worship stars, mountains, rocks, and trees. Many 

 of the tribes are distinguished for the beauty, sym- 

 metry, and strength of their frames, particularly the 

 Circassians and Georgians, who are the handsomest 

 people in the world ; hence the charming Circassian 

 and Georgian females are sought for by the Eastern 

 monarchs for their harams. The Caucasians (about 

 900,000 in all) are partly under petty sovereigns, 

 who often rule over a few villages, and partly under 

 elders. The most famous are the Lesghians, who 

 inhabit the Eastern regions, and are the terror of the 

 Armenians, Persians, Turks, and Georgians. Free- 

 dom makes them courageous and formidable to all 

 their neighbours. They are forced, by the want of 

 the most common necessaries of life, to resort to 

 plunder. Hence their weaker neighbours seek to 

 appease them with presents. The rocks and crags, 

 on the other hand, protect the Lesghians effectually 

 from all external assaults. This tribe entirely ne- 

 glects the arts ; and their agriculture and pasturage 

 togel-her are insufficient for their support. The 

 management of domestic affairs rests wholly with the 

 females. These prepare, from soft and fine wool, 

 cloth dresses and coverings of various kinds. The 

 men have no employment but war and plunder, 

 whereby to procure the necessaries of life. Every 

 prince in the neighbourhood can purchase their aid, 

 by furnishing them with provisions and ten or twelve 

 rubles of silver a-piece. They undertake private ex- 

 peditions, lull their enemies into security, and then 

 attack them unawares. They show the greatest for- 

 titude in enduring hardships and reverses of fortune. 

 Among them, and, in fact, throughout the Caucasus, 

 hospitality and an implacable spirit of revenge pre- 

 vail. No stranger can travel in their coimtry with- 

 out having a friendly native or Kunak to accompany 

 him, by whom he is everywhere introduced, and 

 kindly received and entertained. 



All the regions on and about the Caucasus are 

 comprehended under the name of Caucasian coun- 

 tries (containing 116,078 square miles and 1,673,500 

 inhabitants). Since the peace concluded between 

 Russia and Persia, in 1813, they have belonged to 

 the Russian empire, though without being complete- 

 ly subject to it ; for only a small portion, the Geor- 

 gian territories, have a well ordered government, 

 mostly military. The Caucasian provinces are, at 

 present, six in number : 1. The province of Tifiis or 

 Grusia, also called Georgia (17,630 square miles, and 

 390,000 inhabitants ; the capital, Tiflis, q. v.). 2 

 Imiretta, called by the Russians Mtlitenia (13,667 

 square miles, and 270,000 inhabitants ; capital, Co- 

 tatis). 3. The province of Circassia, (32,526 square 

 miles, and 550,000 inhabitants). Here are Russian 

 military posts (to guard against the attacks of the 

 independent princes of the mountains), the Great and 

 Little Kabarda, Besghistan, &C.4. Daghestan, 

 i. e., the mountain land on the Caspian sea (9196 

 square miles, and 184,000 inhabitants; Derbent is 

 its capital). 5. Schirvan (9429 square miles, 133 000 



