1834.] Persia, and Mesopotamia. 273 



committed national suicide, they taught the Les-guys the passes of their 

 country. The Iberian chiefs, in times of civil discords, subsidized 

 these warlike barbarians to fight their battles, who in their turn tramp- 

 led on these lords, and soon reduced a people who had such inefficient 

 leaders. Hence, the country sunk under oppression, and the peasantry 

 gave themselves up to despair, from which its present possessors are 

 neither calculated, nor willing to rouse them. 



Towards dusk, we reached a post called Dimoorchikal, where we 

 took an escort of Cossacks, having to go some distance to attain our 

 proposed sojourn for the night. We had not advanced more than a 

 mile or two, ere it became quite dark ; yet, I could distinguish that the 

 deepening gloom was occasioned by the closing in of a valley, the hills 

 of which drew so close to each other, as to exclude all trace of the 

 road ; and W3 had nothing to guide us from stepping into the Koor, that 

 was lashing the rooks at our side, but the warning noise of its course, 

 and now and then a glimmering of light from the moon through some 

 friendly chasm in the rocky canopy above us. 



At ten o'clock we arrived at Beerchaly, a wretched village, situated 

 on the banks of the river Gram, which flows from the Koor, thus form- 

 ing two sides of a triangle. The former is an insignificant stream, but 

 the latter requires a particular notice in this place. This noble river 

 (the Cyrus of the classic ages) has its source in the mountains which 

 form the western boundary of the province of Akiska near Kars, and 

 which are a ramification of Mount Caucasus. From the recesses of 

 this branch issue several small rivulets, which uniting a little to the 

 eastward of Akhalzikh, flows through a part of the Turkish territories, 

 and gradually augments its stream by the reception of several minor 

 rivers in its course. Although its windings are very capricious, its 

 general direction is to the eastward, rolling onward through fertile and 

 extensive plains in its course to the capital of Georgia. From this 

 point it takes a south-easterly direction, and is considerably augmented 

 by the Alazan from the north-east, and the Araxes from the south, 

 when it becomes navigable for large boats. On nearing the Caspian, 

 it divides itself into two branch^;, and flowing onward through the 

 province of Mogaum, unites its waters with the sea. 



From the accounts of ancient authors, it would appear that the Cyrus 

 was formerly navigable to a much higher point than it is at present, 

 Pliny, in particular, describes the route by which goods were conveyed 

 from India to the Euxine. " Having arrived at Bactria," he observes, 

 •• the merchandize then descends the Icarus, as far as the Oxus ; and 

 is thence carried down to the Caspian. They then cross that sea to 

 the mouth of the Cyrus, where they ascend that river, and, on going 



N N 



