MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
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the husbands, to eradicate all remains of female reserve, and its 
sacred domestic consequences, from the characters of their 
ignorant, but pretty wives. When the women walk abroad, they 
still so far retain the old custom of concealment, as to wear its 
costume; and we see them tripping along, enveloped from head 
to foot in the large Asiatic veil, called a chadre; and, when any 
of these females happen to be standing at the doors, without 
this safeguard, I must do them the justice to say, that I have 
seen more than one retreat hastily into the house, on observing 
herself to be attentively looked at by a man. The beauty of the 
Georgian women cannot be disputed ; having fine dark large 
eyes, very regular features, and a pleasing mild expression of 
countenance; and, from these characteristics being general, if 
there be any thing in physiognomy, we must conclude that they 
are naturally sweet-tempered and amiable. The dress of the 
higher ranks is splendid, and carefully adjusted; but the lower 
order of females, notwithstanding they share the same taste for 
the ceremonies of the bath, and regularly go through them all, 
wear clothes which seldom make acquaintance with soap or 
water; consequently they appear often in rags, and always 
in dirt. 
In going towards the citadel, through the bazar, I saw several 
women of different degrees, flitting about under shelter of the 
impenetrable chadre , and it was not easy then to find out 
whether it covered riches or poverty. While passing along, my 
attention was arrested at a baker’s shop, by the singular way in 
which the owner was forming and baking his bread. He first 
rolled it out, to the length and breadth of a common chamber- 
towel, and not much thicker ; then taking it up over the palms 
of his hands, threw it with admirable dexterity against the side 
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