510 
SUBJECTS OF COMMERCE. 
profit certainly lies on the side of Russia: cotton, fox and wolf 
skins, raw and worked silk, brocades, &c., as sent from Persia, 
falling far short of the quantities of paper, glass, leather, cloth, 
&c., brought into that kingdom from the imperial marts of Tiflis 
and Astrachan. Besides this leading step, avenues for extending 
the commerce of Russia on this her great Asiatic frontier, seem 
to be daily opening, by new facilities presenting themselves for 
transporting her merchandise from the shores of the Caspian 
into the heart of her territories. Excellent roads are con¬ 
structing from the point where the Kur ceases to be navigable ; 
and there the goods which have come up from the Caspian will 
be disembarked, and carried over-land to Tiflis ; thence conveyed 
by the way of Kootaice, the capital of Imeritia, to the navigable 
part of the river Rion, where adequate vessels will receive and 
carry them down to the newly established port of Poti on the 
south-eastern coast of the Euxine. The passage thence to Odessa, 
and other depots of the emperor, is direct; and I need not ex¬ 
patiate on the ease with which the different merchandise may 
be spread, through various obvious channels, all over Europe. 
Russia now commands the whole of the north and the 
greatest part of the western shore of the Caspian ; but notwith¬ 
standing all that extent of coast, persons inclined to disparage 
her consequence, still say, “ That may be all very true ; hut she 
possesses no means of introducing her articles of trade, received 
from China and western Tartary, by any nearer route into the 
south-western markets of her own empire, than via Astrachan, 
and Moscow.” So it certainly was a little while ago, but this 
disadvantage is now in a fair way of being removed, by the 
judicious management of the governor-general of Georgia; who, 
within these two months, has entered into a treaty of mutual 
