C A F 



CAT 



as pnteriiijj info, the Black Sea. This txclufion, however, 

 did not immediately terminate the commerce between Caffa 

 and Genoa ; for the Tartars were fo well apprifcd of the 

 advantag''3 derived from this commerce, that they profecuted 

 it for fome time in their own vefTcIs ; and cariied the fpices, 

 and other Indian goods, which they received by caravans 

 from Alhacan, and which had been brought tliithcr from 

 the oppollte lide of tlie Cafpian Sea, to Genoa ; but the 

 Tinks foon put an end to tliis kind of intercourfe, and thus 

 fecured thenilelves from the tears of feeing a Chriilian ilect 

 in thofe fcas, at leall from Italy. Neverthclcfs, Caffa, iiot- 

 withllandincr all the difadvantages refulting from its fiibjcc- 

 tioii to the TurUifh government, continued to be a place of 

 confiderable trade. Sir John Chardin, who vifited it, A.D. 

 id;' J, relates, that during his rtlidtuce of 40 days there, he 

 faw more than 400 lliips lading in and out of this port. He 

 oblerved alfo fcveral remains of Gcnocfe magnificence. In 

 1774, Catherine II. obtained for Ruffia the pofTelTion of the 

 flraits of Caffa, together with lome other local and commer- 

 cial advantages; and by the convention of 17S;, the whole 

 penlnfui.'i of the Crimea was added to the Ruffian dominions, 

 under tlie name of the province of Taurida, and the Turks 

 having finally ceded their prctcniions to the emprefs, flie de- 

 ^(larcd this a free port in her newly acquired territories, under 

 the appellation of Tticodofia. Caffa was formerly one of 

 the belt built and richefl. places of its fizc in Europe. It 

 Hands at the foot of a fmall hill upon the fca-fliorc ; the 

 buildings extending north and fouth, with long walls ftrctch- 

 ing on both fides down to the fea ; fo that from the port 

 which is large, fafe, and commodious, it exhibits a very 

 agreeable appearance. On the fouth lide is a callle, which 

 ufed to be the refidence of the Turkilli bafhaw. The num- 

 ber of houfes have been elliniated at 5-^oo or 6000, and the 

 inhabitants have been computed at 20,000. According to 

 M. Peyffonnel, (Commerce de la Mer Noire, torn. i. p. 15.) 

 the number of inhabitants amounts to 80, coo. The bay is 

 capable of containing fcveral hundred merchant Ihips ; and 

 the inhabitants are the richelt, and drive the moft extenfive 

 trade in the Black Sea. Tlie produftions of Crim Tartai-y, 

 exported from Caffa and the other towns of the peninfula 

 reforted to by the Greek and Armenian merchants, confifl 

 chiefly in corn, w'v.e, wool, fine black and grey lamb-flcins, 

 and fait. The imports are fine and coarfe linens, printed 

 cottons, nankeen. Ruffian leather, tine cloths, velvets, taffeties, 

 furs, ropes, paper, falted filh, and caviare, tobacco leaves, 

 copper and tin, hardware, gold and (ilver thread, beads, 

 and corals, earthen wares, a coarfe fort of porcelain, and 

 glafs ware, &c. N. lat. 45° 10'. E. long. 35" 20'. 



CAit A, Jlralts of, the ancient Cimmerian Bofphorus, are 

 the narrow pallage, or found, which forms the communica- 

 tion between the Black Sea to the fouth, and the fea of 

 Azof to the north. Near the northern entrance of thcfe 

 itraits are the fortretTes of Kertfch and Ycnikale, which 

 command the pafTage. They take their name from the port 

 of Caffa. N. lat. 45° iS'. E. long. 35-" 45'. SeeBosPHO- 

 F.us and Azof. 



Cakfa, a province or kingdom of Abyflinia, adjoining to 

 the kingdom of Narea, and lituatc to the fouth of it. It is 

 wholly mountainous, without any level ground. It is faid 

 to be governed by a feparate prince, and to have been con- 

 verted to Chrillianity in the time of Melee Segued, fome time 

 after the convcrfion of Narea. The inhabitants of thefe 

 lofty mountains are not fo dark in their complexion as Nea- 

 politans or Sicilians. It has been faid, that fiiow has been 

 obferved to lie on the mountains of Caffa, as well as on the 

 bigh ridges called Dyre and Tegla ; but the fad is dif-- 

 6 



credited by Bruce ; Travels, vol. ii. p. j 13. About N. 

 lat. H". and E. long. 35°. See Narea. 



CAFFABA. SccKaffaba. 



CAFl'ACA, Keffe-kil, in Mineralogy, or earth of Kaf- 

 fa, (corruptly called CafTaca) is a very fine grained white 

 tenacious clayey marl, dug in the Crimea, and formerly fhip- 

 ped from the port of Kafla to Conltantinople, in larye quan- 

 titles for the ufc of the Turkilh women. Being mixed up 

 with water to the confiflencc of thick cream, it was rubbed 

 by hand among the hair, which, when wathed again with 

 wuter, was thus rendered perfectly clean and of a filky 

 fmoothnefs. I'or this purpofe it was greatly preferable to 

 foap, which, though it cleans the hair, is apt to difcolour 

 it, and render it harlh and brittlt. When the Crimea was 

 conquered by the Ruffians, this branch of commerce was 

 flopped, and is not likely to be refumed, Conflantinopic 

 being now fupplied with a white clay from Afia Minor, 

 which is equally good with the earth of Kaffa. Pallas's 

 Travels in the Crimea, vol. ii. 



CAFFA REl.Ll, (Gaetano Majorano, tfct/oj was 

 one of the greatell fingers that Italy ever produced. He 

 came to England in lyjS', the year after Farinelli's depar- 

 ture. He fung in two of Handel's operas, Furamotul, and 

 Ahjjandro Severo. But though he afterwards acquired fuch 

 celebrity on the continent, he was not in high favour here. 

 For though Farinelli, the kill year of his performance in 

 this country, had been negleded, no fucceffor would be lif- 

 tened to of inferior fame, or indeed talents ; for Caffarelli 

 was never in voice or in good humotir, all the time he was 

 in England. The feeds of caprice with which nature feems 

 to have furnlflied him, began early in life to fpring up, and 

 in his riper years, and fame, grew to an amazing height : 

 Many traits of his charadler were current in Italy, long af- 

 ter he had quitted the llage. 



When Gizziello firfl fung at Rome, his performance fo 

 far enchanted every hearer, that it became the general fub- 

 jeft of converfation, which not only contributed to fpread 

 liis fame through that city, but to extend it to the moil 

 remote parts of Italy ; it is natural to fuppofe that the ac- 

 count of this new mufical phenomenon fooii reached Naples, . 

 and equally natural to imagine that it was not heard with 

 indifference in a place where fo powerful a propenfity to 

 mufical pleafure prevails. Caffarelli, at this time in the ze- 

 nith of his reputation, was fo far piqued by curiofity, per- 

 haps by Jealoufy, that he took an opportunity, the firil time 

 he could be fpared from the opera at Naples, to ride poft 

 all night, in order to hear that at Rome. He entered the 

 pit, muffled up in a pelllcc, or fur-gown, unknown by any. 

 one there ; and after he had heard Gizziello fing a fong, \\<i 

 cried out as loud as he poffibly could, " bravo I braviffimo ? 

 Gizziello, e Caffarelli die ti lo dice," 'tis Caffarelli who ap- 

 plauds — and, iinmediately quitting the theatre, he fct out 

 on his return to Naples the fame night. 



When at his bell, Caffarelli was thought by many a fu-- 

 perior finger in fome refpeffs, to Farinelli : among thefe • 

 Porpora, who hated him for his infokncc, ufcdto fay, that' 

 he was the grcatefl finger Italy had ever produced. At the 

 marriage of the prefent King of Sardinia, then prince of 

 Savoy, with the infanta of Spain, who had long been a 

 fcholar of Farinelli, it was with great difficulty that Caffa- 

 relli was prevailed on to go to Turin with the Aflrua, to 

 perform at the royal nuptials, in an opera which the King 

 of Sardinia wilhcd to have as perfeft as poffible. But Caf- 

 farelli, who came with an ill-will, by order of the king of 

 Naples, feemed but little dlfpolcd to exert himfelf ; declar- 

 ing before-hand that he had loft a book of clofes on the 



xw.i.yi 



