172 
ANNI. 
from the obscurity of the events which had occasioned their decay; 
events, which assailing generally, do not strike so deeply on indi¬ 
vidual happiness. But, in the ruins of a poor little village, we 
see nothing but poverty robbed of its pittance ; murder bursting 
the doors of the hovel; and the defenceless inmates put to death, 
or turned out on the waste to perish. Such was the spectacle 
these silent and bare walls conjured up ; and I gladly passed on 
from so sad a memento of human ruthlessness and misery. 
On rising the hill, we entered a wide upland valley, across 
which we took a westward line, while my baggage-horses pur¬ 
sued their way in another direction to the monastery of Kotchivan, 
where we were to quarter for the night. When I made this 
division, my escort told me we had then about ten wersts to ride 
before we should arrive at Anni. The day was far advanced, 
and being eager to reach the place time enough to allow some 
hours of examination, we set off at a very rapid pace. The 
road was exceedingly rough, over low hills, where often a track 
was scarcely visible ; but at length the towers of the ancient city 
appeared at the extremity of an uneven plain, spreading to a 
vast extent along the horizon. Impatient, I spurred on ; and, at 
a nearer view, found its southern and eastern faces protected by a 
deep and impassable ravine, through which flows the Arpatchai. 
The western and northern fronts have been defended by a 
double range of high walls and towers of the finest masonry. 
Three great entrances present themselves to the north. Over 
the center gate was sculptured a leopard or lion-passant; and 
near it, on the flanking towers, several large crosses were carved 
in the stone, and richly decorated with exquisite fretwork. 
On entering the city, I found the whole surface of the ground 
covered with hewn stones, broken capitals, columns, shattered, 
