172 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



reproach ^vhich a girl can make to a young man, is to say to him that he has 

 not been able to steal even a cow. 



Hospitality is esteemed a sacred duty by the Circassians, and is fully 

 carried out among them. 



When a child is born to a prince, the father prepares a great festival. If 

 it is a son, he delivers the child, on the third day after its birth, to one 

 of his nobles, to be brought up by him. The guardian obtains a wetnurse 

 for the child, and she gives him a name. The son never visits his father 

 before his marriage, hence the love of both towards each other cannot be very 

 great. The person who inquires after the health of the consort and children 

 of a prince commits a grave offence against the laws of etiquette, and 

 excites great indignation on the part of the latter by such a proceeding. 

 Sons of noblemen are committed to the care of a guardian of similar rank, 

 but not until their third or fourth year. The tutor chooses the consort for 

 the young prince ; and, when the presents which the parents of the chosen 

 bride are entitled to have been offered and accepted, the prince, accom- 

 panied by a friend, kidnaps the lady, the companion taking her before him 

 upon his horse. They then ride at full gallop to the house of the bride- 

 groom's parents, where the friend introduces the bride. She thereupon is 

 conducted to the chamber selected for the newly married couple, where 

 she awaits the bridegroom. The young groom remains in the forest until 

 he is called by his friend, and conducted by him into the presence of his 

 wife, which is not done before all the inmates of the house are supposed to 

 be asleep. 



The Circassians are, in general, well formed, and the men in particular 

 are distinguished for their handsome figures ; and as they employ every 

 means to keep themselves slender, fine forms are very common. They are 

 of medium size, of great nerve, and only very rarely stout. The shoulders 

 and chest are broad, but the lower part of the body is very narrow. The hair 

 and eyes are brown ; the head is high and narrow, the nose thin and straight. 

 The Circassian women are always deemed the handsomest in the entire Cau- 

 casus, yet those of Georgia greatly excel them in beauty. A turned up nose 

 ^nd red hair are not uncommon amongst them, but are never found amongst 

 the Georgians. 



The men wear their beards, or at least moustaches, but shave off the hair 

 of the head. The dress is easy and neat. The head is covered with a 

 cap sometimes higher and melon shaped, sometimes lower, stuffed out with 

 cotton and quilted. People of distinction wear it generally of white color 

 trimmed with gold and silver lace, the lower classes of dark color edged 

 with fancy colors. Upon each side of the breast of the short light coat is 

 found a pocket sewed throughout in such a manner as to form numerous 

 tubular divisions, which are used as receptacles for cartridges. The long 

 trowsers fit closely, and with men of rank are frequently ornamented with 

 gold and silver lace ; and the morocco boots, which might with greater 

 propriety be called socks, are adorned in a similar manner. The lower 

 garment is of fine light stuff, and mostly white. Over this, the man of rank 

 wears a shorter rich waistcoat, either with or without a skirt. The latter, 

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