Georgia 
‘in Asia. 
— 
SIE 
Inhabitants, 
Trade, 
Religion. 
246 
signed to the relief of the most necessitous of the in- 
habitants. 
The Georgians, or, as they are sometimes called, the 
Grusinians, have avoided all:commixture with the Tar- 
tars, and have ever distinguished themselves as the 
most numerous and powerful body of the mountaineers 
of Caucasus. Their manners and customs resemble in 
some degree those of their neighbours the Persians. 
They are brave but ignorant, and indolent in the ex- 
treme, scarcely earning themselves ‘a subsistence, even 
‘in their very rich and productive country. They are 
chiefly in repute as soldiers, in which respect they are, 
perhaps, not surpassed by any other of the Asiatic na- 
tions. They excel particularly in the use of the bow. 
The only virtue of the men, however, is said to be cou- 
rage, while the women, so much praised for their beau- 
ty, love to adorn themselves with paint, and are not in 
high estimation for their modesty. Both men and wo- 
men are said to be addicted to intoxication, and to in- 
dulge freely in the use of strong liquors. 
It is a principle established by the laws of war re- 
cognised in Turkey, that any revolted province should 
be given up to pillage, and the inhabitants reduced to a 
state of slavery. In consequence of this custom, which 
has been generally prevalent throughout Asia, the mar- 
ket of Constantinople has been supplied with slaves 
from Georgia and Circassia. Those supplies have like- 
wise been, in great part, furnished through the Leaghai 
Tartars, who, situated between the Caspian and Black 
Seas, and in the vicinity of both those states, are con- 
tinually at: war with them. They carry over to the 
eastern coast of the Black Sea, the slaves whom they 
take in the course of their incursions, and sell them to 
the Turkish merchants, who come thither at stated 
times with a view to the traffic. The inhabitants of 
this same coast, likewise, seize on their countrymen in 
the neigbouring villages, and sell them. Children also 
have sometimes been sold by their parents, and wives 
by their husbands. : 
Georgia has but little trade. A part of the wine 
which is made in the country is sold into Armenia and 
Persia, especially to Ispahan, for the king’s table ; and 
silk forms a considerable article of commerce with Er- 
zeroom, though the inhabitants are unacquainted with 
the best method of winding it. 
The nobility, which are here numerous, and possess 
an unlimited power of life and death over their vassals, 
treat them with the utmost harshness, levying a tax on 
the farmer to the amount of: at least half the produce. 
This system, in addition to the sanguinary irruptions 
from the neighbouring states or tribes, has naturally 
had the effect of checking the prosperity of the coun- 
try, and wasting its population. The number of its in- 
habitants is said not to amount to more now than about 
320,000 souls. 
The religion of Georgia, when anciently it formed 
one distinct and independant kingdom, was Christiani- 
ty : with this Mahometanism has, since the year 1639, 
been blended, the king of Persia having at that time 
conquered the country, and divided it into provinces, 
cuene the people to embrace the Mahometan faith. 
From the titne that they have been under the protec- 
tion of Russia, they have again, however, avowed them: 
selves Chitistians, following in part the rites of the Ar- 
menian, but chiefly those of the Greek church. They 
are represented, indeed, as not being very tenacious as 
to those matters. The rest of the population consists 
of Jews, Tartags, and Russians, each tribe having its 
peculiar dialect, See Kinneir’s Geographical Memoir. of 
of birds that were seen upon it, receiv: 
GEORGIA. 
the Persian Empire ; Klaproth’s Travels; and 
Tooke's 
View of the Russian Empire, vol. 1. (kK) 
‘GEORGIA, (New or Sourn;) an island inthe south ™ 
Atlantic Ocean, discovered by La Roche in 1675; seen 
‘by Mr Guyot, in the ship Leon, in 1756 ; and explored, 
with much attention, in 1775, by ‘Captain Cook, who 
named it Georgia in honour of his majesty. This is« 
land is situ between 55° 57’ and 54° 57’ south las 
titude, and between 35° 34’ and 38°13’ west longitude. 
It extends south-east by east, and north-west by west, 
being in that direction 31 leagues long, while its 
est breadth is about ten leagues. In the approach to 
‘this island by the last mentioned navigator, > was 
first discovered in south latitude 54°, and west longi- 
tude 88° 23’, a high rock of no t extent, to which 
was given the name of Willis’s Isle. In the vicinity of 
this, there were some other rocky islets; and to the 
eastward about two miles, nearer to the main, was per« 
ceived a separate island, which, from the great hint on 
Bird Isle. This, which igh apie “a 
ird Isle. is, which was not so , Was 0 
er extent than Willis’s Isle. The 5 tikeeh 
these two islands having been cleared, and after a pro- 
gress along i 
direction of east by north, and then for eleven miles 
more on an east and east-southerly direction, Cape Bul« 
ler was gained, and at the distance of four or five miles 
from it, a bay to which was then given the name of 
Possession Bay, situated in 54° 5’ south latitude, and 
37° 18’ west longitude. The land in which this bay 
lies was at first ju to be part of'a great continent, but 
upon coasting round the whole country, it was found 
to be an island about 70 
first projecting point which had been fallen in with, in 
making this circuit, was one in the immediate vicinity 
of Bird Island, to which had been given the name of 
Cape North. Also between Cape Buller and Possession 
Bay there intervenes the Bay of Isles, so named from 
several small isles lying in and before it. To the pro« 
jecting land, which next occurred after passing Posses- 
sion Bay, and which lies from Cape Buller at the dise 
tance of 11 or 12 leagues, was given the name of 
Saunders, beyond which is a pretty be gees d which 
was called Cumberland Bay. In sev parts in the 
bottom of this, as also in some other bays lying between 
Possession Bay and Cape Saunders, there were vast — 
tracts of snow or of ice not yet broken loose. Further 
onwards a jutting point which terminated in a round 
hillock, was named Cape Charlotte, the bay to the west- 
ward of it Royal Bay, and its most westerly point Cape 
George. This last is also the east point of Cumberland 
Bay, lying from Cape Saunders in the direction of south- 
east by east, at the distance of seven leagues. Its dis~ 
tance from Cape Charlotte is six leagues. In the di. 
rection from Cape Charlotte of south by east, and eight 
leagues distant, is an island which received the a 
tion of Cooper’s Isle. This is a rock’ of considerable 
height, and about five miles in circuit. The coast be- — 
tween this and the just named cape forms a large bay, 
which wae denothinated:-Saridwieh. Bay!" ‘A¢*Cnopale 
Isle the main coast takes a south-west direction E - , for the 
space of four or five leagues, to a point which o 
e name of Cape Disappointment 
low, and flat, and lies at the distance from the 
one league. 
of 
curs an island which was named Pickersgill Island, 
beyond which a little way a point came in sight that 
1 : 
in circumference. The © 
Still further onward in the same direc- — 
tion, and at a distance of about nine leagues, there oc- — 
the coast, first for about nine miles in the j 
* 
* 
Off this there are 
three small isles, the southernmost of which is green, — 
