DAG 



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Daca 



D 



D 



'ACAj or Dacca, a town of Hindostan, in the 

 eastern part of Bengal, is situated upon the eastern 

 Daghestan. branch of the Ganges, about 100 miles from its embou- 

 •— — Y— ■" chure, and is the capital of a province of the same name. 

 As the Daca river communicates with the other inland 

 navigations, and as the country is very fertile, this place 

 has long been the emporium of a great inland com- 

 merce. It is reckoned one of the most disagreeable 

 towns in India, being composed of a prodigious num- 

 ber of thatched houses built with mud, with a few brick 

 .houses in the Moorish style scattered up and down. 

 Daca is famous for the great trade which it carries on 

 in muslin and cotton cloths, and at one time it suppli- 

 ed the coasts of Delhi and Moxudabat, by means of 

 agents resident in the town. Daca is reckoned the 

 third city of Bengal in extent and population ; and it 

 was once the capital of Bengal. The remains of a strong 

 fortress are still to be seen, (iv) 



DACTYLIS, a genus of plants of the class Trian- 

 dria, and order Digynia. See Botany, p. 103. 



DjEMIA, a genus of plants of the class Pentandria, 

 and order Digynia. See Botany, p. 179. 



DEMONIACS. See Demoniacs. 



DAGELET, the name of an island in the sea of Ja- 

 pan, situated at the distance of 20 leagues from the 

 coast' of Corea. It was discovered by the astronomer 

 whose name it bears, and who accompanied the unfor- 

 tunate La Perouse. Excepting at seven small sandy 

 creeks, at each of which there is a landing-place, the 

 island is encircled with a perpendicular wall of rock. 

 The circumference of it is about 9 miles, and the whole 

 of its surface is covered with the finest trees, which, it 

 is probable, the shipwrights of the Corea use for 

 building vessels. La Perouse saw on the stocks several 

 boats of the Chinese form. There were a few huts in 

 the island, but no appearance of cultivation. Krusen- 

 stern, in his late voyage, passed to the east of this island. 

 East longitude, according to solar observations, 130° 

 57' 22", North latitude 37° 22' 18". See La Perouse's 

 Voyage. (;) 



DAGHESTAN, or Dagestan, or Daughestan, is 

 a province of the kingdom of Persia, stretching along 

 the west coast of the Caspian Sea, and lying on the south- 

 ern side of the highest ridge of Mount Caucasus. It is 

 bounded by the province of Schirvan on the south, the 

 Caspian Sea on the east, the province of Kumuk on the 

 north, and Georgia on the west. As the name Daghes- 

 tan implies, the province is almost wholly mountainous, 

 the plain having a considerable breadth only towards 

 Kumuk. 



The districts which compose this province are five, 

 Lesgestan, Schamgol, Uzmey, the khanship of Der- 

 bund, and the domain of Tabasseran. The district of 

 Lesgestan, which consists chiefly of a range of lofty 

 mountains, extends in a south-easterly direction, and 

 forms the whole of the north-east boundary of Georgia. 

 This district, which is very long and narrow, is inha- 

 bited by the Lesgi, or Lcsghaes, a savage race, divided 

 into different tribes. Their houses are perched upon 

 the tops of the mountains, and on the most tremendous 

 precipices. Ravines, and gulfs of unmeasurable depths, 

 are joined by stone or wooden bridges of the greatest 

 strength ; and the most precipitous rocks are crossed by 



roads. Spring water is conducted every where by Daghestaa, 

 pipes, or by canals excavated from the solid rock, and ' 

 the course of streams is turned to answer their purpo- 

 ses. From the poverty of the soil, and the small quan- 

 tity of level ground in the district, the inhabitants form 

 artificial terraces on the sides of the mountains, and 

 thus raise crops on the most barren and inaccessible 

 rocks. The Lesgaes are the scourge of the surround- 

 ing countries, whose villages they lay waste, carrying 

 off the inhabitants as slaves. They are chiefly Mahome- 

 dans, and those who have not yet embraced the faith 

 are sunk in the grossest idolatry. In consequence of 

 their great bravery, the Lesgaes are hired to fight for 

 their neighbours at the rate of 12 roubles a campaign, 

 which lasts only three months ; and it often happens, 

 that they fall by the hand of their own brothers or re- 

 lations. They dress after the Tartar fashion, and their 

 arms are a gun, pistol, dagger, and sabre. The Les- 

 gae women excel in beauty and symmetry all the other 

 females of Mount Caucasus, and bring the highest pri- 

 ces in the market of Constantinople. 



The district of Schamgol, Schamchol, or Schabaal, 

 which lies in the northern part of Daghestan, is about 

 100 versts long, and 55 broad. The plain is cultiva- 

 ted, and produces corn, being well-watered by the 

 rivers that descend from the mountains. The houses 

 of the inhabitants are situated on the mountains, and 

 the sheds for their cattle are erected on the plain. The 

 capital of the district is Tarki, which is situated in north 

 latitude 42 ° 50' on the Caspian Sea, in a narrow glen, 

 through which rims a number of streams of salt water. It 

 is said to contain 10,000 inhabitants, among whom are 

 many Armenian and Georgian merchants. The ^own of 

 Buinaki, or Boinak, situated in the same district, stands 

 on a rivulet of the same name, at its exit from the moun- 

 tains. The district of Uzmey is situated between two 

 small rivers, the Urusai Bula'k and the Little Darbach, 

 and extends about 60 versts along the Caspian, and about 

 the same distance in breadth. It is chiefly mountain- 

 ous, but is well inhabited, and produces abundance of 

 wood and corn. It is watered by three large rivers, 

 the Chamraseni, the Great Buam, and the Great Dar- 

 bach, which are divided into small canals for the pur- 

 poses of navigation. The residence of the Uzmey is at 

 Bashli, a small town upon a river of the same name, 

 between Tarki and Derbund. 



The khanship of Derbund, or Derbent, is only about 

 30 versts long, and 12 broad. It lies between the ri- 

 vers Darbach and the P.ubas, and forms a broad and 

 partly marshy level, intersected by numerous rivulets, 

 and adorned with many beautiful and well cultivated 

 corn fields. Derbund, the capital of this district and of 

 the whole province, occupies the site of the ancient Al- 

 bania, and stands in north latitude 41° 52'. It is en- 

 circled with a wall and towers, and has a citadel erect- 

 ed on the top of a rock, but at too great a distance ei- 

 ther to defend the town or the harbour. A portion of 

 the famous wall of Gog and Magog, which is said to 

 have reached to the Black Sea, is still to be seen near 

 the citadel. It stretches to the west over precipi- 

 tous mountains, and is extremely solid. The splendid 

 aqueducts erected by the Arabians being now in ruins, 

 water is procured very scantily from wells. Derbund 



