THE COAST OF THE CAUCASUS. 485 



and whom our felonious attacks on his treasures excited 

 to desperation. This spot witnessed some hard fighting 

 in 1864, when the Abkhasians broke out into open revolt, 

 overpowered and murdered everj man at some of the 

 Russian outposts, and attacked Soukhoum in force. 



Our steamboat, the ' General Kotzebue,' one of the 

 finest in the Black Sea Company's fleet, left on the evening 

 of the 7th. All night and the next day we were running 

 along the Caucasian coast. The shore is lined with grey 

 or white cliffs, behind which the mountains rise in long 

 wooded ridges broken by valleys, through which numerous 

 streams find a way down to the sea. Though on the 

 whole fine, the character of the scenery was not so grand 

 as we had been led to expect. After a short stay at 

 Novorosiski, an unattractive-looking Russian colony in a 

 deep bay, we continued our voyage, the coast of the 

 Caucasus gradually fading in the darkness. During the 

 night we arrived off Kertch, where the boat remained till 

 m.idday, allowing time to visit the town, rebuilt since the 

 war ; the museum, the chief treasures of which have been 

 removed to St. Petersburg, and one of the tumuli in the 

 neighbourhood, containing a curious stone chamber. 



The run from Kertch to Sevastopol occupied twenty- 

 six hours, including stoppages at Theodosia and Yalta. 

 Beyond the latter place the coast-scenery is superb, and 

 the magnificence of the weather enabled us fully to enjoy 

 it. We had pleasant and amusing society on board. 

 Besides the travellers whom we met at Kutais, there were 

 two Russian Generals, types respectively of the two 

 extremes met with in the Imperial Service ; a Georgian 

 youth, splendidly dressed in his full national costume, and 

 a less showy boy (a son of the Suanetian prince who mur- 

 dered the Governor of Mingrelia), both of whom were going 

 to complete their education at the University of Odessa. 



