EIVAL INTERPEETERS. 75 



army during tlie camj)aign in the Crimea. No sooner 

 liad we acquainted the landlord with our plan of travel, 

 than a candidate for the post of interpreter appeared in a 

 good-looking- man, showily dressed in Caucasian costume. 

 His acquirements, by his own account, were marvellous ; 

 he spoke perfectly at least seven languages, including 

 English. We thought he was too much of a dandy to 

 appreciate such rough work as we meant to undertake, 

 and were moreover unpleasantly reminded of dragomanic 

 tyranny by his way of saying, ' I am sure you cannot get 

 on without me ; you will be very sorry if you do not take 

 me.' We fortunately had an easy answer to his impor- 

 tunities in our jjrevious understanding with Mr. Palgrave, 

 and we started off through the rain to find the dragoman 

 of the English Consulate, for whom we had letters. He at 

 once sent for the Mingrelian whom Mr. Palgrave had re- 

 commended to us. He was a handy-looking fellow, young 

 and active, dressed in ordinary European clothes, and he 

 was quite ready to accept such an engagement as we 

 offered him ; so a bargain was at once struck with him, 

 and he promised to be ready to start on the following day. 

 On Wednesday we had a pleasant walk to an old Byzan- 

 tine church, mutilated and whitewashed by the Turks, 

 outside the town. Trebizonde itself is a picturesque 

 place. Its houses rise in terraces a,bove the water, on the 

 lower slope of a bold green hill, backed by finely-shaped, 

 well-wooded mountains. The modern town has spread 

 along the coast on either side of the old fortress, the walls 

 of which are stiU perfect ; t-\vo ravines, which cut it off from 

 the adjacent slopes, make it a very fine and strong position. 

 The great article of manufacture seems to be wooden 

 cradles, very gorgeously decorated ; we saw store after 

 store full of them. The bazaars are well stocked with 

 game, among which we noticed some woodcocks, from the 

 neighbouring hills. When we were there the place was 



