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844 COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
The profeflor accompanied Prince Heraclius in a campaign along the banks of the
river Koor, eighty miles into the interior part of Georgia; and returned with him ta
Tefflis. All the houfes of that capital are of ftone, with flat roofs, which ferve, ac-
cording to the cuftom of the Eaft, as walks for the women. ‘The buildings are neat
and clean, but the ftreets are exceedingly dirty and narrow. The town contains one
Roman Catholic, thirteen Greek, and feven Armenian churcbes. Having pafled the
winter at Teillis,.and in examining the adjacent country, he followed in {pring the
Prince to the province of Kaketia, and explored the fouthern diftricts inhabited by the
Turcoman ‘artars, and fubje€t to Heraclius, in the company of a Georgian magnate,,
whom he had cured of a dangerous diforder, In July he went to Imeretia, a country.
which lies between the Cafpian and Black Seas, and is bounded on the eaft by Georgia,,
on the north by Offctia, on the weft by Mingrelia, and on the fouth by the Turkifh do-.
minious, which are under the dominion of the Prince or Tzar Solomon *..
In the almoft unknown dominions of this Prince, who, from gratitude to Ruffia,,
afforded Guldenftaedt every affiftance in his power, the profeflor penetrated into the
middle chain of Mount Caucafus ; vifited the confines of Mingrelia, Middle Georgia,
and Eaftern and Lower Imeretia, and, after efcaping many imminent dangers from bane.
ditti; fortunately returned to Kiflar on the 18th of November, where he paffed the win-
ter, collecting various information concerning the neighbouring Tartar tribes of the-
Caucafus, and particularly the Lefgees. In the fummmer he journeyed to Cabarda Ma-
jor, continued his courfe to Mount Befhtan, the higheft point of the firft ridge of the
Caucafus, infpe€ted the mines of Madfhar, and went to Tcherkafk upon the Don.
From thence he made expeditions to Azof and Taganroc, and then along the new li-
mits to the Dnieper: he finifhed this year’s route at Krementfhuk, in the government
of New Ruflia. In the enfuing {pring he was proceeding to Crim ‘Vartary ; but receiv-
ing an order of recal, returned through the Ukraine to Mofcow and Peterfburgh, where
he arrived in March 1775f.
the drefs of Perfia, and regulated his court after the manner of that country. From the example of the
Ruffian troops, who were quartered in Georgia during the Jaft Turkifh war, he learnt the ufe of platess.
knives and forks, difhes, houfehold furniture, &c. Although his revenues were finall, fearcely exceeding
50,ccol. per annum, yet he contyived to maintain a flanding army. of about fix thoufand men. He was af=
terwards in clofe alliance with Ruffia, and in 1784 one of his fons was colonel of a Coffac regiment. In
1787 he was compelled to renounce his conncétion with Ruffia, and to acknowledge himfelf tributary to
the Porte, but died foon afterwards. Georgia has been recently annexed to the Ruffian empire.
* Solomon, having upon-his acecflion forbidden the fcandalous traffic pra&tifed by the nobles of felling
their peafants, greatly offended the Turks, who gained by that fpecies of commerce. Being by their in=.
trigues driven from his throne, and compelled to find an afylum in the woods and mountains, he lived like:
a wild man, for fixteen years, in caverns and holes, and frequently by his perfonal courage efcaped aflaf-.
fination, until he was reinflated inhis dominions by the Ruffians in the late war. This Prince wore ufually
a coarfe drefs of a brown colour, witha mufket on his fhoulder ; but on folemn occafions put ona robe of:
rich gold brocade, and hung round his neck a filver chain. He was-diltinguifhed trom his fubjeéts. by
riding upon an afs, perhaps the only one in Imeretia, aud by wearing boots. He had ao regular troops».
but collected a defultory army of fix thoufand men, without artillery. ‘Lhefe troops were diawn together
by the found of the trumpet ; m other refpects the Prince’s orders were iflued at the markets, which ate
heldevery Friday. One of his fervants afcended a tree near the place of meeting, and proclaimed the edié
with aloud voice. His fubje€ts were of the Greek religion. Solomon died of the plague in 1784, and
was fucceeded by his nephew David, wlio threw himfelf under the proteétion of Rufia. During my con=
tinuance at Peterfburgh in the winter of 1784, his ambafladors were introduced to the Emprefs, ‘and in the
Eaftern ftyle of homage, threw themfelves on the ground at her fect.
+ For au account of Guldenftaedt, fee Ruff Bib. vol. i p. 491 102. gor. 548. vol. ii. p. 221. 456.
vol ii. p. 72.42. Hit. des Decouvertes, &c. Introd. p. 27, and Naericht von den Lebens-Umftanden
des Herrn Prof. Gulcesitaedt, in Fourn. St. Pet. for 1781.
. On
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