against the town. He caused a small number of Bosphorians to be secretly introduced into the town from time to time, and hidden in his palace, where they waited for the feast to seize the city and massacre the inhabitants. The very day before the anniversary, a maid, in searching for her spindle, lifted one of the squares of the floor and discovered in a room below the assembled Bosphorians. Having informed her mistress of the fact, delegates of the town were sent for, to whom Glycia disclosed the astounding news, having first made them promise that she should be buried within the town, contrary to the established custom. The next day she caused the festival to be celebrated gayly, and, after having drugged her husband's wine, ordered fagots to be placed around the building, and the house, with all whom it contained, was burned to the ground. Since this time every kind of refuse and filth has been heaped upon the place stained by treachery, which has ever since been called the "Den of Lamachus." On one side of a small street leading from the market-place are the remains of a large palace, probably one of those mentioned by Nestor; crosses of wood in the ruins close by mark the sites of other churches which have been discovered. Among these, one, found by Lieutenant Kruse, was probably larger than the cathedral, being 53 feet each way, in the form of a Greek cross; it was evidently a Greek temple transformed into a Christian church, as bases and capitals of Ionic columns were built into its walls, parts of which were also of Grecian architecture. In the apse the seats of the clergy were found entire, and the pavement still existed in coarse mosaic work. Not far from Chersonesus is the French cemetery, where all the remains of the French slain in the war were deposited, and near it stands Bracker's House, the head-quarters of the British army. A short drive will bring the traveler to Cape Partheniké, on which is situated the Monastery of St. George. In ancient times all strangers who suffered shipwreck on this coast were sacrificed to the virgin divinity of the Tauri, and thrown by the inhabitants into the sea. At the extremity of the cape an immense rock juts out over the precipice, in the centre of which the INKERMAN. foundations of a large square edifice, built of hewn stones, are to be seen, which probably belonged to a temple erected to the Tauric Virgin. From the edge of the rock her victims were probably precipitated into the sea. The Monastery of St. George stands on a ledge of the precipice, invisible from the plateau just mentioned, and is entered by a door and staircase cut in the rock. It consists of numerous large buildings, several of which are devoted to the reception of strangers. These were the head-quarters of the French army during the Crimean War. From here the road passes over a barren plain, past the village of Karany, until we reach the valley of Balaklava, rendered famous by the charge of the six hundred. Balaklava, eight miles southeast of Sevastopol, possesses but 500 inhabitants. The village and its fortifications were almost entirely destroyed during the war, but an inspection of the ruins and the beauty of the situation will well repay the traveler any fatigue he may have endured. ROUTE 94. From Sevastopol to Baktchissarai, through the valley of Inkerman. This journey may either be performed on horseback or in a post-cart; in the latter case (which is perhaps more convenient, as it enables the traveler to take his baggage) a podorojna, or order for post-horses, must first be obtained. The valley of Inkerman begins about four miles from Sevastopol, and is formed by two limestone chains which run along the northern and southern shores of the Bay of Sevastopol, and, approaching each other not far from the mouth of the River Tchernaya, they form this valley, through which the river runs. The cliffs on the right hand of the river are pierced by numberless caverns of every size and variety, supposed to be the work of the ancient Tauri. Many of these crypts are composed of several rooms, all of which, except the principal chamber, have ledges of stone, which were used as beds. The ceilings all rise to a point, while in the centre of the floor there is generally a hole, two feet across and one and a half deep, used as fire-place and oven. On the summit of one of the cliffs on the right bank are the ruins of a castle built by Diophantes, gen 66 eral of Mithridates, who was sent here a short time before the birth of Christ to help the Chersonians against the Tauro-Scythians. Diophantes made a communication from this castle to the other side by filling the valley with earth and building a bridge of three arches over the river; one of these arches still remained in 1834. On the left side of the river the hillsides are also full of crypts, and from them the valley derives its name, Inkerman being in the Tartar language a town of caverns." Not far from the mountains are quarries of serpentine and marble, which were worked during the construction of ancient Chersonesus, and to which the Romans sent their convicts. Pope Clement I. was among these, and was put to death A.D. 102 for converting his fellow-sufferers to Christianity. A church built in the rock at a later period, and dedicated to him, still exists. There are some curious old wells dug by the Greek princes, one of which, situated in the centre of the old fortress, fifty fathoms above the valley, deserves particular notice. The aqueduct which supplies the docks of Sevastopol with fresh water runs along the valley, and pierces the rocks for a distance of 150 fathoms. It is twelve miles in length, and was constructed in 1832–33. Baktchissarai, 29 miles from Sevastopol, has a population of 13,000. The best accommodation to be had is in the Palace of the Khans, and to this all travelers are entitled who come provided with a podorojna, although it consists only in being given a divan to sleep upon, while food must either be brought with the traveler, or be obtained from a Tartar eatinghouse. Baktchissarai, situated in a deep gorge three miles long, is filled with interesting monuments of the Tartars, although a great portion of the town, destroyed by the Russians in 1736, has never been rebuilt; the date of its foundation is unknown, but in the latter part of the 15th century it became the residence of the khans of the Crimea. The Palace of the Khans, or Khan-Tarai, was restored and furnished in the original style by Potemkin for the reception of the Empress Catharine II. The traveler first enters on a long gallery, with ranges of apartments to the right and left, at the end of which is a second court, on which are situated the principal apartments. The " Iron Gate" leading to these bears an inscription stating it to have been built by Menghli Ghirei Khan, who conquered the Crimea in 1480. In the ball, which is reached by a staircase, are two fountains; one of these, named Selsibil, after a river in Mohammed's Paradise, bears an inscription declaring that it was erected in 1756 by Khan Krion Ghirei. Beyond this hall is the great council-room, which is placed in the centre of a terraced garden. The audience-hall, and a suit of apartments extending down to the river's bank, also lead out of the hall with the fountains. The whole building is richly decorated, but its ornaments suffered a great deal during the Crimean War from its having been appropriated to the uses of a hospital. A small, secluded court, hidden by high trees, marks the position of the harem, which terminated in the "Hawk Tower," from the windows of which the ladies witnessed the fêtes, games, and receptions celebrated in the court below. On the left of the palace rise the two tall minarets of the mosque, next to which is the cemetery, containing the monuments of the khans from the year 1654. One of the principal excursions from Baktchissarai is to the Tepé Kermen, a high hill four miles distant, whose sides, like the cliffs at Inkerman, are hollowed out into numberless crypts and caverns by the hands of men. Although it is impossible to determine the origin of these excavations, they certainly served at one time as places of refuge for Christians fleeing from persecution. The remains of a chapel are to be seen excavated in the rock, with an altar and a cross carved in relief, which, differing as it does from all ordinary forms, can not be ascribed by antiquarians to any known Christian sect. The chapel also contains one or two niches for coffins, while lower down the hill are two large holes filled with human bones. On the summit of the Tepé Kermen are the ruins of a Genoese fortification, whence a fine view of the surrounding country may be obtained. Descending by another path, we pass the cemetery of the Karaïm Jews, close to which is their city of Tchafut Kalé, situated on the summit of lofty cliffs, and only accessible on one side. This city was known in the Middle Ages as the town of "Forty Castles;" the Karaïm Jews affirm that it was built by forty brothers, and call it Kyrkor. They also assert that Tchafut Kalé was founded 400 years before Christ. The place is now nearly deserted, with the exception of its synagogue, which is still in use, but the ruins will well repay a visit. Before reaching Baktchissarai the Monastery of the Assumption is passed, placed high up among the rocks, parts of it being formed by excavations in the cliffs. Another excursion to be made from Baktchissarai is to the rock of Mangup, which rises to the height of a thousand feet above the town. The town of Mangup lies at the foot of the rock, the ascent of which is steep and difficult. Just beyond the cemetery of the Karaïm Jews, which lies half-way up the hill, is the outer wall of the fortress, flanked by square towers placed at very short distances. Still farther on within this wall is a projection of land, inaccessible on all sides but one, which was the citadel. Here there are numerous excavations in the rocks, the view from the windows of which is excessively fine. The remains of a fine palace within the Acropolis are the only memorials of Gothic architecture in the Crimea. On the top of the hill are the ruins of a Byzantine church, with a Turkish mosque and cemetery a little to the left. ROUTE 95.-From Baktchissarai to Simpheropol. This is a pleasant journey over a good road twenty miles in length, which passes through the valley of the Alma, where the allies met with their first success in the Crimean War. Simpheropol, prettily situated on the banks of the Salghir, has a population of 17,000. The surrounding scenery is very beautiful, but there is little to detain the traveler in the town. Not far distant are the ruins of a fortress, called by the Tartars Kermenchik, which is supposed to be the Neapolis built about a century before Christ by Skiluros, the Tauro - Scythian king. The discovery of bas-reliefs and Greek inscriptions bearing the name of Skiluros, as well as of amphora with the mark of Neapolis, tend to confirm this supposition. The place is now partly inhabited by Tartars, who confine themselves VOL. III.-L 2 THEODOSIA, to a quarter of the town entirely apart from the other inhabitants. From Simpheropol the traveler may proceed to Theodosia, eighty-six miles distant, passing through Karasu-Bazar and Stary-Krim, or he may go to Alushta, making the ascent of the Tchatir - Dagh, the highest mountain in the Crimea (5125 feet), and proceeding thence to Yalta, fifty-seven miles from Sevastopol. Hotels, Galakof's and De Yalta; both good. Steamers leave twice a week, going either up or down the coast. The voyage to Odessa is made in thirty hours. This little town, which contains but 1100 inhabitants, is frequented in summer by a large number of tourists and by Russian families, who come here for the purpose of bathing, and also to enjoy the beautiful situation and charming scenery, which is the finest on the coast. Three miles from Yalta is Livadia, the property of the empress, a beautiful estate, which covers about 700 acres. This is the favorite resort of the empress during the summer months. The palace is very simply furnished, the handsomest rooms being the drawing-room, diningroom, and the emperor's studio. The church within the palace is of Byzantine decoration; the frescoes are by Izel. The house next the palace is that appropriated to the grand-dukes. The vineyard, which consists of 170,000 plants, covers fifty acres, and yields the best red wine to be found on the south coast. This amounted in 1866 to about 8000 gallons. ROUTE 96.-From Simpheropol to Theodosia and Kertch. Instead of going from Simpheropol to Yalta, the traveler may prefer taking the road to Theodosia, whence he may go by steamer to Kertch, vessels leaving that port twice a week either for Kertch or Odessa. Theodosia, the ancient Kaffa, contains 9000 inhabitants. It was originally founded by the Milesian Greeks, 500 years before Christ, and from the fertility of the surrounding country was named Theodosia, or God's gift. It was incorporated in the kingdom of Bosphorus in the third century before Christ, and was later annexed to the Roman Empire, but was entirely destroyed in the second century after Christ 891 mantled, and the harbor opened to maritime trade. This, however, has never been very considerable, the inhabitants of the town being chiefly occupied in the raising of salt and in fishing. by the savage hordes that then overran | dominion it remained a military station the continent. Its site remained desert- until 1821, when its fortifications were dised until the thirteenth century, when a new town was built by the Genoese, which they called Kaffa. The Tartars having besieged Kaffa in 1343, a crusade was preached in its favor by Pope Clement VI., and the Genoese were thus enabled to come off victorious. After this siege, high and thick walls, flanked with towers and surrounded by a ditch, were built around the town. The most remarkable of these towers, and the one which commands the whole town, was consecrated to the memory of Pope Clement VI., with an inscription stating the timely succor brought by his preaching to the town. At the present day but little remains of this fine tower, as after the conquest of Kaffa by the Russians in 1771 the walls and towers were dismantled and sometimes thrown down, while all the monuments of antiquity were treated with great negligence, and in course of time little remained but masses of ruins. The ancient Genoese citadel is entirely in ruins. In front of these stands an old Armenian church, constructed in the fourteenth century. This has been converted into a warehouse; but the interior still retains the original distribution-an oratory, a nave, dome, choir, and lateral sacristies, similar to all the religious edifices of Armenia. The museum of Theodosia is an ancient Turkish mosque, at the entrance of which are two lions, brought from Phanagoria. It contains many ancient Greek monuments and some interesting Genoese inscriptions. The ancient town was formerly built round the base of the hill called the Armchair of Mithridates, which rises at a short distance from the shore, and whose summit was once crowned by the Acropolis, of which only the ditches and some parts of the wall may now be traced. The church of Kertch is the oldest Byzantine temple now remaining in the Crimea. One of the columns bears the date of its erection, A.D. 727. The principal gate of the ancient town opened toward the interior of the peninsula on the road leading to Theodosia. About 240 yards from this gate was an avenue of tumuli continuing for two thirds of a mile, and arranged in an irregular manner, several rows deep on each side. These tombs seem to date from the foundation of the town by the Milesians; they abound in every direction in the neighborhood of Kertch. The tumuli of the kings are to be found in the range of hills which rise beyond Mount Mithridates, which are filled with tombs for a distance of six or seven miles. ROUTE 97.-From Kertch to the Caucasus. Travelers desiring to visit the Caucasus may take the steamer of the Russian Black Sea Navigation Company, which leaves Kertch on the same day that the steamer The celebrated marine painter, Avaizow-arrives from Theodosia, touching at Novosky, lives at a short distance from the town, to whose studio we should by all means advise a visit. Kertch, eight hours from Theodosia by steamer, contains (with Enikale) 21,000 inhabitants. In the 6th century before Christ the Greeks established here a colony, which they called Panticapæum, which became later the capital of the kingdom of the Bosphorus. This kingdom was destroyed during the great migration of nations; and after having belonged successively to several savage tribes, among others the Khazars and the Tartars, it fell in the 15th century into the hands of the Turks, who made of it a military harbor. In 1771 it was occupied by the Russians, under whose rossisk, Tuapsé, Sukhum, Kalé, and reaching Poti sixty hours after leaving Kertch. From Poti he may either return by steamers of the same company by way of Batum, Trebizond, and Constantinople, making the tour of the Black Sea, reaching Constantinople in time to catch the steamer for Marseilles, or he may continue from Poti to Tiflis on his road to Persia. Travelers in the Caucasus should provide themselves with a good outfit before undertaking the journey, as in this country all the modern appliances of civilization are wanting. We should advise him also to carry a supply of napoleons sufficient for the entire journey, which he may exchange for Russian money in the different TIFLIS. [RUSSIA.] TIFLIS. towns in order to pay for the post-horses | has shops on either side; the most noticeat the stations on the road. These cost 3 copecks a verst (two thirds of a mile) for each horse; and although no charge is made for the cart, the driver expects a present of 20 or 25 copecks at each stage. Having reached Poti by steamer from Kertch, another steamer may be taken at the mouth of the River Rion, on which the town is situated, which takes the traveler to Maran, a military station fifty-seven miles up the river, where post-horses may be obtained for Tiflis. Tiflis, the seat of government of the Caucasus, and the residence of the imperial lieutenant, has 61,000 inhabitants. Hotels, Caucase and D'Italie. This town is picturesquely situated on the River Kur, and derives its name from the mineral springs which it contains. The principal buildings are situated on a boulevard, which able of these is a square, covered bazar, with shops around it, and the opera-house in the interior. A great variety of costumes is to be seen at Tiflis, of which the Circassian and Daghestan are the most picturesque. A large Persian population occupies the lower part of the town, in which are situated the mineral springs. Travelers may either proceed by land from Tiflis to Teheran, via Ararat and Tabreez, or they may take the steamer at Baku or Lenkeran to Resht or Astrabad, on the Caspian. On the 25th of August, 1873, a treaty was concluded between the Russian government and the Khan of Khiva, by which all the land on the right bank of the Amu was ceded to Russia, as well as the exclusive right of free navigation on the river. 893 |