82 TRANSCAUCASIA. 



who wish to read a rationalised view of the early legends 

 of Colchis, and whose feelings can support the intelligence 

 that Jason was, in fact, only the first man who made a rush 

 to the diggings, and that Circe was Medea's niece, a very 

 discreet yonng lady, who put Ulysses' companions into the 

 police-station because they got tipsy and riotous, but let 

 them out on the entreaty of their insinuating and polished 

 commander — will find all this, and much really valuable in- 

 formation besides, in Dubois de Montpereux's ' Caucase.' 

 Meran is the place of banishment of the Scoptsi, a religious 

 sect whose tenets enjoin self- mutilation. There is no 

 mistaking the appearance of one of these men, who have 

 all the look of loutish old boys ; their faces resemble one 

 another, and change little with years. They are said to 

 make honest and intelligent servants, a rare article in Min- 

 grelia, if one may believe the universal report of European 

 residents. 



Our voyage ended at Orpiri, whence a diligence starts in 

 correspondence with the steamer to carry on the j)assen- 

 gers ; but all the places had been secured by telegraph, and 

 not being provided with a 'podorojno,' or order for post- 

 horses, we were obliged to seek some other mode of getting 

 on to Kutais. A peasant's waggon was the only resource ; 

 in this we packed ourselves and luggage, and at 6.30 p.m. 

 started to gain our first experience of road-travelling in 

 Caucasia. Our vehicle was a long and narrow trough 

 covered with a tilt, and had no springs or seat. It was 

 drawn by three horses, which however did not drag it at any 

 great pace. The road was level and straight, and as we 

 jolted slowly along, bumping over every stone, we all in 

 turn felt aweary, and wished we were in bed. Sometimes 

 we passed a village where the lights showed that the people 

 were still awake, and we often met waggons, similar to our 

 own, journeying in the opposite direction ; between times 



