THIRD JOURNEY TO THE CAUCASUS. 313 



of our party from the first, also remained our faithful 

 travelling companion as far as St. Petersburg. Tiflis 

 appeared to me not to be much altered externally in 

 the 23 years, which had expired since my last visit, but 

 it had lost its former aristocratic air, and can no longer 

 boast to-day of being the Asiatic Paris. The town was 

 formerly not only a grand-ducal residence, but also the 

 seat of the native Georgian nobility, which especially 

 in winter took the lead in the social gatherings of 

 Tiflis. All that is now changed. No Grand-Duke resides 

 any longer in Tiflis, and even the Georgian aristocracy 

 has almost entirely disappeared. A quarter of a cen- 

 tury ago the town was still Georgian, and the best 

 houses as well as the administration of the town were 

 in Georgian hands. But even then the Armenian 

 nationality began to spread, and gradually the land 

 and landed property passed into Armenian hands. In 

 earlier, warlike times, the brave and vigorous Georgians 

 maintained their possessions and their social position 

 against the crafty and pushing Armenians. That ceased 

 however, when under Russian rule permanent peace 

 and an orderly state of affairs were established. From 

 that time the Armenian element came to the front, and 

 the Georgian was compelled to make way for it. Now 

 well-nigh the whole property of the town is in Ar- 

 menian hands. The proud figures of the Georgians 

 in their dazzling accoutrements have disappeared from* 

 the streets of Tiflis, the Armenian dwells in their 

 palaces and is master of the situation. 



The intermixture of nationalities in the Cauca- 



