458 ON MOUNT CAUCASUS. 



Xehawc. Caficar is alfo called Cajhtwar, which denomi- 

 natioH is generally diftorted into Ketwer dii^d Cuitore by 

 Perf,an authors and travellers. The town and diftrift of 

 Kei^jjcr^ mentioned in the lifeof ^w/r-TiMUR, is differ- 

 ent from this, and lies about fifteen miles to the north- 

 weft of" Cbaga-Seraiy on a pretty large river, which comes 

 from Vahi-gdlamh: it is generally pronounced Catowr. 

 Pliny informs us* that mount Caucafus was alfo call- 

 ed Graui^afus; this appellation is obvioufly Saiifcrit ; for 

 Grdva, which in converfatipn, as well as in the fpoken 

 <liak(3:s, is invariably pronounced GraUt fignifies a 

 mountain, and being a monofyllable (the final being 

 furd) according to the rules of grammar, it is to be 

 prefixed thus, Grd^im-Chafay or Grau-Chafa. 



Is}DOsustfays,thatC^K£-^2/z/j,in theeaftern languages, 

 fignifies ivhite I and that a mountain, clofe to it, is call- 

 ed Cafts by the Scythians, in whofe language it fignifies 

 fnow and whitenel's. The Cafis of Isiborus is obvi- 

 oufly the Caftan ridge of Ptolemy; where the genuine 

 appellation appears ftript of its adjunc!:!:. In the lan- 

 guage of the Calmack Tartars, Jdfu and C'hdfu fignify 

 fnovj; and in fome dialed:s of the fame tongue, towards 

 Badacjhdn, they fay yujljo. and Chujhd. Tujhd and Tuchd or 

 Tvca. Thefe v^^ords, in the opinion of my learned friends 

 here, are obvioufly derived from the Sanfcrit Tvjhdray by 

 dropping thefinal ra: this is often done in the vulgardia- 

 lecls: in the fame manner we hywkalejeg, calfySccAor 

 ivhalur, legr^ and ealfry which prevailed, it feems, in the 

 ancient Gothic language. The words Chafu or Chufa are 

 pronounced Chcija or Cas; Chufa or Cufa, by the inhabit 

 tants of the countries between Bahlac and the Indus ; for 

 thev invariably fubftitutc r/f or ^ in the room of^j. Thus 

 they fay C'hchr for S,hchr^'^\\\<:\\'\nFerfian fignifies a /oww, 

 &^c, but the words Chafu or Cas never fignified ivhite^ 

 or whitenefs, unlefs by implication: and this is in fome 

 meafure confirmed by Pliny, who feems to hint, 



* Pliny, B. 6. C.zo. f Isidor. Oiig. B. i.^. C.28. 



that 



