CUSTOMS AND RELIGION OF THE ARMENIANS. 
429 
day of doom,” the survivors burn incense and lights upon the 
tombs, offering up prayers for their peaceful repose. At the 
head of every grave-stone over the bodies of Georgian or Arme¬ 
nian Christians, we always find a hollow, cut in the stone, for 
the reception of this burning perfume. These funeral remem¬ 
brances do not cease till the anniversary of our Lord’s Ascension ; 
when the whole religious rites of the season terminate in a 
welcome and abundant feast. Wine flows like water, in liba¬ 
tions to the memory of the deceased; while shouts of revelry 
mingle with their cries and lamentations. The women always 
bear their part in these anomalous orgies of Bacchus and the 
angel of death ; as frightful a union, as ever could come into 
the heads of gross-witted men, to bring together. 
The chief peculiarity in the faith of these people, is founded 
on a particular doctrine respecting the divine and human nature 
of our Saviour; which was first promulgated, about the middle 
of the fifth century, by Eutyches, a monk of Constantinople ; 
and, afterwards, industriously propagated by a Syrian, named 
.James. The hierarchy of this church is in the same order as 
that of Russia ; and its few monastic establishments are under 
the same rule, that of St. Basil. But, about two centuries before 
these Eutycliian doctrines were heard of, Christianity was 
preached in Armenia by the great Apostle of its church, St. Gre¬ 
gory, who converted the northern part of the country. He was its 
first Bishop ; and also founded the cathedral of Eitch-mai-adzen, 
near the foot of Ararat, on a spot where he declared he had 
beheld the Divine Presence. Hence it takes its name, Place of 
the Divine Vision. But when the schism of Eutyches agitated 
the church, and the poor Armenians were driven about by the 
“ higher powers,” as well as by “ every wind of doctrine,” the 
