864 Sir J OH N Cha 
fo called, becaiife it was firfl: inhabited by the Scythians 
of Mount Taurus. It is thirty-five Leagues from North 
to South, and fifty- five from Eaft to Weft. The 
Ifthmus, that joins it to the Continent, is not above a 
League in Breadth. It is inhabited by the Crim Tartars^ 
who dwell in Cities and Towns j whereas their Neio-h- 
bours the Nogajs and Calmuc^^ dwell in Tents, as the reft 
do on the Continent. 
Caffa is a great Town built at the Bottom of a little 
Hill, upon the Sea-fhore, and encompaffed with ftrong 
W alls, that advance a little into the Sea. It hath two 
Caftles, the one, which ftands on a rifing Ground on 
the South-fide, is large, and commands all the Parts 
thereabouts, and is the Refidence of a Balha ; the other 
is not fo big, but is well furnifhed with Guns. They 
reckon about 4000 Houfes in it, of which about 3200 
are Mahometans., Turks., and Tartars., and the reft Chri~ 
Jiians^ Greeks., and Armenians. The Houfes are fmall, 
and built of Earth •, as are alfo their Bazars, Mofques, 
and Baths. The Soil about it is dry and fandy, beam- 
ing little Fruit, and the Water is bad, but the Air is 
very pure and wholefome. All Provifions are very 
cheap and good, Mutton being not above a Fanhing a 
Pound, and other Things proportionable. The Road 
of Caffa is fhelter’d from the Winds, except on the 
North and South-Eaft Sides, and the Ships lie clofe to 
the Shore fafely in ten or twelve Fathom Water. There 
is a great Trade driven here in Salt-fifh and Caveare, 
which being taken out of the Lake Mceotis, that is 
twenty-fix Miles diftant from it, in great (^antities, 
are tranfported into Europe., and as far as the Indies. 
They alfo export Corn, Butter, and Salt, with which 
they furnifh ConSiantinople, and feveral other Places, for 
the Caffa Butter is the beft in all Turkey. 
From Caffa he went in a Ship bound for Colchis., 
Aug. 30. and the next Day arrived at Bonjlow., or the 
Salt-pits, fifty Miles from Caffa, on the Shore. Here 
are great Marflies of Salt, which is made by letting in 
the Sea-water, and fuffering it to congeal by the Sun. 
The People fay, that two hundred Veflels are laden 
here with Salt yearly, paying only 3 j. a Day to thofe 
that load it. About a Mile from the Shore is an Ha- 
bitation of the Tartars, where there is not above ten 
or twelve Houfes with a little Mofque, and round about 
it a great Number of Tents, with leveral Wagons clofe 
cover’d, which ferve them inftead of Houfes. The 
Tents for themfelves are very handfome, being made 
with Poles, and cover’d with large light Furs well- 
ftretched upon them j their Infide is commonly hung with 
Tapeftry, and the Floor is laid with the fame. Every 
Family hath two other Tents belonging to them, co- 
ver’d with a great Sarplar of Wool, one for their Ser- 
vants, and Kitchen, in which is a Pit five Foot deep, to 
make a Fire in to drefs their Meat, and the other for 
their Horfcs and Cattle. 
They ftore up their Corn and Forage in Magazines 
under Ground, which they cover fo exadly, that none 
can find them but themfelves. They can remove their 
Tents with a fmall Trouble, and in a very little Time, 
and carry them away in Carts drawn by Oxen and 
Horfes, of which they breed a great Number. They 
profefs the Malmnetan Religion, but mix with it ftrange 
fuperftitious and ridiculous Opinions of Fortune- telling 
and Divination. From Bon/low he fail’d all along in the 
Channel to Cape Cuodos, which Ptolemy calls Cirocondo- 
rna, where the Coafts that bound the Lake Mceotis, 
w^hich are very high Lands, are feen at about thirty 
Miles Diftance. 
4. From the Channel of the Lake Mceotis, to Mingre- 
lia, is reckon’d 600 Miles along the Coafts, which con- 
fift of pleafant Woods, inhabited by a Sort of Tartars, 
called Circaffians, and by the Turks, Cherks, but fo thinly, 
that the Country looks like a Defart. The Ancients 
called them Zagaans, or Mountaineers ; and Pomponius 
Mela, Sargacians. They are neither Subjefls nor Tri- 
butary to the Port, becaufe their Country producing no- 
thing valuable, the think it not worth the Toil 
of conquering it. The Vefiels that come from Conjtan- 
tinople to Mingrelia trade with this People, but with 
their Arms in their Hands, and by Hoftages, for they 
R D I Nh Travels Book HI. 
are Infidelity and Perfidioufnefs itfelf, and will never 
fail to fteal where they find an Opportunity. The 
Trade with them is managed by Exchange, the Cherks 
bringing down Slaves of all Sexes and Ages, Honey 
Wax, Leather, Jackals,^ Zandava, and other Beafts 
Skins, for fuch Coni modi tics as they want. 
Circaffia is a pleafant Country, and the Soil is very: 
Luitful, bringing forth great Plenty of all Sorts of 
Fruit without Trouble, as Cherries, Apples, Pears, Wal- 
nuts ; but their chief M^ealth confifts in Cattle, as well- 
fhaped Horfes, which are fo fwifc and good, that they 
will tire the wild Beafts, and catch them in plain Courfe ; 
Goats, Deer and Sheep, the Wool of which is as fine as 
that of Spain, which the Mufcovites fetch to make Felts. 
They fow no Grain but Millet for their own Bread* 
and Barley for their Horfes; and their Women till and 
manure their Ground : Their Drink is Water and Boza, 
Vv'hich is a Liquor made of Millet, as intoxicating as 
Wine : They live in wooden^Huts, and go almoft°na- 
ked. Every one is a fworn Enemy to thofe that live 
in the Provinces round about him. Their Beds are 
made of Sheep-Skins fowed together, and fluffed with 
Millet- Leaves, beaten in the Threfhing as fmall as Oat- 
chaff. They were formerly Chriftians, but now have 
no Religion ; no not fo much as the Light of Nature 
among them, fave what they place in the Obferving 
certain iuperffitious Ceremonies, borrow’d both from the 
Chriftians and Mahometans. 
The Abcffs Border upon the Cherks, poffeffing about 
an 100 Miles upon the Sea-Coafts, between Mingrelia 
and Circaffia. They are not fo favage as the Cherks, 
but are as much inclined to Thieving and Robbery ; fo 
that the Merchants trade with them with the like Cau- 
tion, and after the fame Manner. September the loth, 
he arrived at Ifgaour, a Port in Mingrelia, where all the 
Veffels that trade thither lie. It is a Defart Place, with- 
out any Habitations, only the Traders that come thither 
build themfelves Huts and Booths of Boughs for the 
Time of their Abode, which is ufually as long as they 
find themfelves fafe from the Abcad%. 
5. Colchis or Mingrelia is fituared at the End of the 
Black Sea : It is bounded on ^ the Eaft by the little 
Kingdom of Imeretta, on the South by the Black-Sea, 
on the Weft by the Abca*s, and on the North by Mount 
Caucafus. The Corax and Pbajis, two famous Rivers in 
the ancient Hiftories, now called Coddours and RionCy 
part it, the firft from the Abends, and the other from 
Imeretta. The Length of it is about 110 Miles, and 
the Breadth fixty. It was once fortified againft the 
Abca^s, by a Wall of fixty Miles in Length, which is 
long fince demolifhed, and become a thick Foreft. 
The Inhabitants of Caucafus, that border upon Col- 
chis, are the Alanes, Suanes, Gigues, Caracioles, or Cara- 
Cherks, i. e. Black Circaffians, fo called by the Turks, 
not from their Completion, for they are the faireft 
People in the World, but from their Country, becaufe 
it is always darken’d with Fogs and Clouds. They were 
alfo anciently Chriftians, but now profefs no Religion, 
but live by Robbery and Rapine, having nothing that 
can entitle them to Humanity but Speech. They are 
very tali and portly, and their very Looks and Speech 
ftiew their Savage Difpofitions, being the moft relolute 
Affaffins, and daring Robbers in th^ World. 
The ancient Kingdom of Colchis was much larger 
than Mingrelia now is, extending itfelf to the Lake 
Mesotis on the one Side, and Iberia on the other. The 
Country itfelf is uneven, full of Hills and Mountains, 
Valleys and Plains. It is almoft covered with Woods, 
except the manured Lands, which are but few, and 
thofe preferved by grubbing up the Roots, that are con- 
tinually Ipreading into them. The Air is temperate, as 
to Heat and Cold, but very unwholfome, by Reafon of 
the continual Wet, which being heated by the Sun, 
breeds Peftilences, and feveral other Diftempers. It 
abounds with Waters, v/hich defeend from Mount Cau- 
cafus, and fall into the Black-Sea. The principal Ri- 
vers are the Coddours, of old called Corax ; the Socom 
called by Arrian, Terffen, and by Ptolenry, Thaffaris ; the 
Langus, of old Aftulphus ; the Cabi called by Arrian, 
Cobo 5 the Cianifeari, called anciently, Cianeus ; the 
Tacheur 
