THE STREET CEOWD. 101 



obtained the previous year, at Paris, for the excellence of his 

 workmanship. The number of wine-skins exposed for sale 

 is another curious feature of the bazaars. The skms are of 

 all sorts and sizes, from that of an ox to that of a sucking- 

 pig. The wine kept in them is generally Kaklietie, the 

 produce of the grapes of the Telaw district, which is very 

 cheap, and is said to have the jDeculiar properties of 

 curing gout and never causing headaches. Despite these 

 recommendations, the flavour imj)arted by the skins will 

 prevent most travellers from partaking largely of the 

 commoner sorts. The best quality, after being kept some 

 time in bottles, is a full-flavoured wine much resemblino- 

 Bui'gundy. 



We were struck with the entire absence of any Turkish 

 element in the crowd, and the consequent want of the 

 bright fezzes which give such colour to the streets of 

 many Eastern cities. Theii' place is poorly supplied hj the 

 tall cloth-caps of the Persians, or the conical sheepskins 

 of the Georgian and Armenian merchants. On the whole, 

 we did not see such variety of costumes here as at Kutais. 

 In a town full of government offices the Russian uniform 

 of course predominates, and the number of unhappy 

 creatures doomed to walk the streets with a sword always 

 dangling between their legs is very great. An occasional 

 turbaned mountaineer from Daghestan, or a handsomely- 

 accoutred Ossete, may of course be met, but here, as at 

 home, the domestic servants are pre-eminent for gorgeous 

 apj)arel. A Tiflis major-domo is got up regardless of 

 expense ; his belt and dagger-sheath are massively Avi-ought 

 in silver, and his cartridge-pouches and fur hat are of the 

 most elegant and expensive kind. Such a costume costs 

 from 25?. to 401. Winter is the Tiflis season, and tlien, I 

 am told, the variety of di-esses is really marvellous. As it 

 was, Georgian, Armenian, Persian, Eussian, and German 



