Having spent two days at Ekaterinadara, our travellers proceeded to the westward, along the Russian line which runs parallel to the Cuban, as far as the spot where the river, dividing into two branches, forms the island of Taman. Here they passed over a ferry to Kopil The whole of this line is extremely unwholesome; and great numbers of Cossacks are annually destroyed by malignant fevers occasioned by the numerous marshes in their vicinity. The troops are also kept constantly on the alert, and they have been compelled to erect, as a substitute for watch-towers, a rude triangular scaffolding composed of tall unhewn trunks of trees, and supporting a sort of basket shaped like a bird's nest, in which a centinel is posted to watch every motion that takes place on the opposite bank of the river. To the evil of incessant fatigue in a destructive climate is also added the vexatious annoyance of innumerable insects and reptiles. Of this last misery Dr. Clarke and his companion had their full share, particularly at Kourky, in the isle of Taman, where they were compelled to pass the night.

'It was near the middle of July. The carriage had been dragged, for many miles together, through stagnant pools: in fording one of which it was filled with water; and the dormeuse, seat, floor, and well, became, in consequence, covered with stinking slime. We stopped therefore to open and inspect the trunks. Our books and linen were wet. The Cossack and Russian troops were sleeping on the bare earth, covered by sacks; and beneath one of these a soldier permitted my companion to lie down. The ground seemed entirely alive with innumerable toads, crawling every where. Almost exhausted by fatigue, pain, and heat, I sought shelter in the carriage, sitting in water and mud. It was the most sultry night I ever experienced; not a breath of air was stirring; nor could I venture to open the windows, though almost suffocated, through fear of the mosquitoes. Swarms, nevertheless, found their way to my hiding place; and when I opened my moutl it was filled with them. My head was bound in handkerchiefs; yet they forced their way into my ears and nostrils. In the midst of this torment, I succeeded in lighting a large lamp over the sword-case; which was instantly extinguished by such a prodigious number of these insects, that their dead bodies actually remained heaped in a large cone over the burner for several days afterwards: and I know not any mode of description which may better convey an idea of their afflicting visitation, than by simply relating this fact; to the truth of which, those who travelled with me, and who are now living, bear indisputable testimony.' pp. 388, 389.

We are now, after a long journey through the deserts of Scythia, arrived at countries long inhabited by the most civilized nation of antiquity; and we should be happy to lay before our readers a much fuller account of our author's remaining travels than we can venture to attempt without the assistance of the beautiful

and apparently accurate maps which illustrate the original. But we are compelled to state very concisely what by multiplying words we could not render more intelligible.

From Kourky, a tortuous road of about 23 miles leads to Temrook, which Dr. Clarke supposes to stand very near the site of the ancient Cimmerium; between which and Taman is Sienna, the Cepoe Milesiorum of Pliny. Taman is certainly the ancient Phanagoria, some traces of which are still visible. On the opposite side of the straits, and near the eastern point of the Crimea is Yeni-kalé, formerly perhaps Pathenium, and a little to the westward of this, the town of Kertchy, once Panticapæum. It is at present a wretched place, principally inhabited by Jews, and only interesting because a few curious medals and other remnants of antiquity are occasionally dug up in its neighbourhood. From hence to the isthmus formed, near the fort of Arabat, by the sea of Azof and the gulf of Kaffa, a tract of country comprehending the once fertile and populous kingdom of Bosphorus, numerous ruins, and a few solid bridges apparently of Tartar construction, are the principal objects which diversify the prospect of a dreary undulated plain, bare of trees and void of cultivation. On this isthmus, the road crosses the ruins of the old Bosphorian Vallum, and leads to Kaffa, which has been supposed to occupy the site of the ancient Theodosia. Of this, however, there is no direct evidence. Kaffa, which the Tartars were accustomed to call Kutchuk Stamboul, (little Constantinople,) and which they represent as having contained 16,000 houses, has been almost entirely laid waste by the Russians. The massive ruins of Genoese edifices are now accompanied by those of mosques and churches, destroyed, as it should seem, in mere wantonness; because their materials are not wanted for any rational purposes; whereas the houses of the inhabitants have at least furnished, by means of their timber, a temporary supply of fire-wood, which is here scarce and expensive. The actual population of the town is, of course, very inconsiderable. Its Tartar inhabitants are few; the remaining Armenians do not exceed thirty families; but it still retains a number of Jews, whose activity and capital may perhaps ultimately revive a part of its once extensive commerce. In the mean time, however, this celebrated capital of a country which was the gra nary of Constantinople, as Égypt was of Rome, is fed with wheat from the Don.

From the vicinity of Kaffa gradually rises that singular chain of mountains which, stretching from east to west, divides the Crimea into two portions perfectly dissimilar in climate and in vegetable productions. The whole shore of the Black sea, and the numerous valleys interspersed amongst the bills, protected by this natural wall from the blasts of the north, and exposed to the direct or reflected

rays of the meridian sun, enjoy a temperature highly favourable to the vine, and to fruits of all sorts; and afford, almost every where, the facility of improving by irrigation the advantages of a soil naturally fertile. This beautiful region, so captivating by its appearance, and so interesting from its connection with the fabulous and poetical as well as with the commercial history of Greece, is of small extent. To the north, the whole extent of the peninsula is one vast steppe, covered with wild herbage, and affording pasture to innumerable herds of cattle, the only species of wealth which the Tartars were solicitous of acquiring. It was therefore on the northern side of the mountains that this people formed their principal establishments. to which, in the first instance, we must accompany our travellers.

About ten miles to the north-west of Kaffa is Stara Crim, at the foot of a hill called Aghermisch, probably the Mons Cimmerius. The Tartars believe this little town, which appears to have once covered the whole side of the hill, to have been the ancient capital of the peninsula. It contains at present only fifty houses inhabited by Armenians, the remnant of a colony who settled there in 1340; but the fine ruins in its vicinity seem to confirm the tradition respecting its ancient importance.

Kara-su-bazar, about 30 miles farther west, placed on the river Kara-su, (black-water) is a town of little importance, containing 4000 inhabitants, chiefly Greeks, Jews, and Armenians. Beyond this, at the distance of 28 miles, is Ak-metchet, (i. e. white mosque) the present capital of the Crimea, or at least the residence of the Russian governor. It is also the occasional residence of Professor Pallas, the celebrated naturalist and traveller, by whom Messrs. Clarke and Cripps were received with all possible kindness and hospitality. In return, Dr. Clarke has, with great propriety, expressed the warmest feelings of gratitude towards his benevolent friend; but we do not distinctly understand the cause of those pathetic lamentations in which he indulges in describing the fate to which that friend has been ultimately reserved. Pallas, when a young literary adventurer, became a candidate for a seat in the Academy of Sciences at Petersburg, where he reasonably expected that his learning would turn to better account than in his native Germany. Neither was he quite disappointed. He was rewarded by the steady patronage of the Empress Catherine, of whom he had voluntarily become the subject; and, when his declining health induced him to wish for retirement from the capital, he was sent, with a grant of lands,' into the peninsula of the Crimea. Here he was possessed of 'a splendid establishment;' his house at Ak-metchet, as Dr. Clarke informs us, 'had more the air of a pálace than the residence of a private gentleman.' It was, we are told, owing to the inter

rest of Dr. Pallas, that much of the injury had been prevented, which Ak-metchet, in common with other towns in the Crimea, would have sustained;' a sufficient proof, we think, that neither want of consideration nor want of wealth is to be numbered among the good Professor's calamities. That he was grown old and infirm was not, we conceive the fault of the Russian government; that the streets of Ak-metchet were narrow, unpaved, and filthy,' and that the water was bad and the air unwholesome, were evils from which he could at any moment withdraw himself, by retiring to his country establishment near Sudak. We are therefore not much surprised that he resisted the earnest solicitations of Dr. Clarke to escape with him to England, and here to complete and publish his Flora Rossica. Our author was perhaps justified in stating that it would be wise and decorous to sacrifice a large fortune to such a project; but we think that Pallas judged wisely in sending to us, as a substitute for his person, the silhouete which Dr. Clarke has prefixed to his nineteenth chap

ter.

As the Professor had the complaisance to accompany our tra vellers during one of their expeditions into the southern district of the peninsula; and as his persevering politeness almost compelled them to pass at Ak-metchet nearly one-third of the whole interval between their first departure from Petersburg and their final embarkation at Odessa; it is a pity that the town afforded them few objects to gratify their curiosity. Something, however, our author did see. He saw the guard turn out. It was Punch with all his family; or a herd of swine in armour; who endured hard blows, kicks, and canes, with perfect patience, but were incapable of activity or effect.' (p. 548.) He also saw the marriage ceremony of the Professor's daughter to Baron Wimfeldt, a Hungarian general in the Russian service. He moreover beheld a Jew. ish wedding; a spectacle much too singular to be omitted.

For two or three days prior to the wedding, all the neighbours and friends of the betrothed couple assemble together, to testify their joy by the most tumultuous rioting, dancing, and feasting. On the day of marriage, the girl, accompanied by the priest, and her relations, was led blindfolded to the river Salgir, which flowed at the bottom of a small valley in front of Professor Pallas's house; here she was undressed by women who were stark naked, and, destitute of any other covering except the handkerchief by which her eyes were concealed, was plunged three times in the river. After this, being again dressed, she was led, blindfolded as before, to the house of her parents, accompanied by all her friends, who were singing, dancing, and performing music before her. In the evening her intended husband was brought to her; but, as long as the feast continued, she remained with her eyes bound.". P. 547.

At the distance of about twenty miles west of Ak-metchet is the town of Baktchi-serai, i. e. the court of the gardens. It was ori ginally a country palace belonging to the Khans of the Crimea, and chosen on account of its singular and retired situation, in a sort of ravine inclosed by precipices; and for the sake of its pure air and excellent water. In the course of about two centuries it gradually increased to a very considerable town, and became the capital of the peninsula. It was entirely ruined by the Russians during Munich's campaign in 1736; but was soon rebuilt; and, before the final occupation of the Crimea, contained at least 25,000 inhabitants, which are now reduced, principally by the emigration of the greater part of the Armenians, to 6,000. The present state of this town is thus described by Mr. Heber.

'Batchiserai is entirely inhabited by Tartars, Jews, and Armenians, and is the most populous place we saw in the Crimea. It has several mosques, besides a very fine one in the seraglio, with two minarets, the mark of royalty. There are some decent cutlers' shops, and some manufactories of felt carpets, and one of red and yellow leather. The hou ses are almost universally of wood and ill-baked bricks, with wooden piazzas, and shelving roofs of red tile. There is a new church dedicated to St. George: but the most striking feature is the palace, which, though neither large nor regular, yet, by the picturesque style of its architecture, its carving and gilding, its Arabic and Turkish inscriptions, and the fountains of beautiful water in every court, interested me more than I can express. The apartments, except the Hall of Justice, are low and irregular. In one are a number of bad paintings, representing different views of Constantinople; and to my surprise, birds were pictured, flying, in violation of the Mohammedan prohibition to paint any animal. It is kept in tolerable repair; and the divans in the best rooms are still furnished with cushions. One apartment, which was occupied by the Empress Catherine, is fitted up in a paltry ball-room manner, with chandeliers, &c. and forms an exception to the general style. The Haram is a mean building, separated from the other apartments by a small walled garden, and containing a kitchen, with six or eight small and mean bed-rooms, each of which (as we were told by our guide, who was a Jew, and remembered it in the time of the Khans) was usually occupied by two ladies. In the garden is a large and delightful kiosk, surrounded by lattice work, with a divan round the inside, the center paved with marble, and furnished with a fountain. The word Serai, or Seraglio, which is given to this range of buildings, seems, in the Tartar and Turkish language, to answer to all the significations of our English word Court; being applied indifferently to the yard of an inn, or the enclosure of a palace.' Heber's MS, Journal.

From Baktchi-serai our author made a short excursion to Dschoufout-kalé (the Jews' fortress), situated on the summit of a mountain, at the distance of about two miles from the city. The fort is of Genoese construction, and inhabited by about 1200 Jews, of the sect of Karaï. The difference between their creed and that of