Besides the lovely country,
there is to be seen here a fine monument erected in memory of the
Russian ambassador, Gribojetof, who was murdered in Persia on the
occasion of a revolt. A cross, at the foot of which lies his
mourning wife, is very artistically cast in metal.
On Monday, the 5th of September, I received my passport, about 11
o'clock; I ordered the post carriage an hour afterwards. Herr
Salzmann proposed that I should visit some German settlements, which
were situated at about ten or twenty wersti from Tiflis, and offered
to accompany me there; but I had not much inclination to do so, more
particularly as I had heard everywhere that the settlers had already
much degenerated, and that idleness, fraud, dirt, drunkenness, etc.,
was not less frequent among them than in the Russian colonies.
I left Tiflis about 3 in the afternoon. Just outside the town
stands, by the roadside, a cross cast in metal, with the eye of
Providence upon a pedestal of polished granite, surrounded by an
iron railing. An inscription states that, on the 12th of October,
in the year 1837, his imperial majesty was upset here, but that he
had escaped without injury. "Erected by his grateful subjects."
This incident appears, therefore, to have been one of the most
remarkable in the life of this powerful ruler, as it has been
commemorated by a monument. It has, certainly, not been erected
without the approval of the emperor. I am by no means certain which
is the most to be wondered at, the people who placed it here, or the
monarch who permitted it.
I went only one stage today, but it was so long, that I had to
continue my journey into the evening. To go any further was not to
be thought of, as the country, not only here, but in the greater
part of this province, is so unsafe that it is impossible to travel
in the evening or night without the protection of Cossacks, for
which purpose a small company is placed at each station.
The scenery was rather agreeable; pretty hills enclosed pleasant
looking valleys, and on the tops of some mountains stood ruins of
castles and fortified places. There were times in the history of
this kingdom as well as the German when one noble made war upon the
others, and no man was safe of his life and property. The nobles
lived in fortified castles upon hills and mountains, went out mailed
and harnessed like knights, and when threatened by hostile attacks,
their subjects fled to the castles. There are still said to be
people who wear, either over or under the clothes, shirts of mail,
and helmets instead of caps. I did not, however, see anything of
the kind. The river Kurry continued to run along by our road. Not
far from the station a long handsome bridge led across, but it was
so awkwardly placed that it was necessary to go out of the way a
whole werst to reach it.
6th September. The journey became still more romantic. Bushes and
woods covered the hills and valleys, and the tall-stemmed, rich,
green Turkish corn waved in the fields. There were also numbers of
old castles and fortresses. Towards evening, after having with
great exertion travelled four stages, I reached the little town of
Gory, whose situation was exceedingly charming. Wooded mountains
surrounded it in wide circles, while nearer at hand rose pretty
groups of hills. Nearly in the centre of the mass of houses a hill
was to be seen, whose summit was crowned by a citadel. The little
town possesses some pretty churches, private houses, barracks, and a
neat hospital. Both towns and villages here lose the Oriental
character entirely.
When the atmosphere is clear the Caucasian mountains are to be seen
rising in three ranges between the Caspian and Black seas, forming
the boundary between Asia and Europe. The highest points are the
Elberus and the Kasbeck; these, according to a new geography, are of
the respective heights of 16,800 and 14,000 feet. The mountains
were covered with snow far down their sides.
7th September. Today I travelled one stage as far as Suram: I
could not proceed any further, as twelve horses were ordered for an
officer who was returning from a bathing-place, with his wife and
friends.
Suram lies in a fruitful valley, in the centre of which rises a
beautiful mountain with the ruins of an old castle. In order to
dispel my bad humour I took a walk to this old castle. Although it
was considerably ruined, the lofty arches, stately walls, and
extensive fortifications showed that the noble knight had lived
tolerably sumptuously. On the return nothing astonished me more
than the number of animals yoked to the ploughs. The fields lay in
the finest plains, the ground was loose and free from stones, and
yet each plough was drawn by twelve or fourteen oxen.
8th September. The mountains drew nearer and nearer together, the
prospect became more beautiful; climbing plants, wild hops, vines,
etc., twined round the trees to their highest branches, and the
underwood grew so thick and luxuriantly, that it called to my mind
the vegetation of the Brazils.
The third stage was for the greater part of the way along the banks
of the river Mirabka through a narrow valley. The road between the
river and the mountain side was so narrow, that in many places there
was only room for one carriage. We had frequently to wait ten or
twenty minutes to allow the cars loaded with wood, of which we met a
great number, to pass us, and yet this was called a post-road.
