90 SAVAGE SVANETIA. 



next day in engaging horses, and an inter- 

 preter, presented to us as a friend by the 

 governor. It was when introducing our in- 

 terpreter to us that the Baron ventilated a 

 theory, of which we found him very full, that 

 the whole of the tribes of the Caucasus are of 

 Jewish origin, adducing in favour of his 

 theory their personal appearance, the fact that 

 some of the oldest princely families of the 

 Caucasus claim Jewish descent, and that the 

 Jews themselves aver that the Tables of the 

 Law, given to them at Sinai, are now hidden 

 in the Caucasus, three expeditions having 

 been already sent from Amsterdam to seek 

 and recover them. Besides this he alleafed 

 that all antique relics found in the Caucasus 

 were Hebrew, and that on every Tcherkess 

 prince's tomb of bygone days you will find 

 the incription, ' Potomka Sudaria Davida ' — 

 descendant of the Lord David. Besides this, 

 ' Oori,' which is used in Persian and all Can- 



