No
places can be had by paying for them.
The commandant prepared my passport and ticket directly. I cannot
avoid remarking in this place that the prolixity of writing by the
Russian government officials far exceeds that of the Austrians,
which I had formerly considered impossible. Instead of a simple
signature, I received a large written sheet, of which several copies
were taken, the whole ceremony occupying more than half an hour.
The steamer did not arrive until the 5th (Russian calendar).
Nothing is more tedious than to wait from hour to hour for a
conveyance, especially when it is necessary, in addition, to be
ready to start at any moment. Every morning I packed up. I did not
venture to cook a fowl or anything else, for fear I should be called
away from it as soon as ready; and it was not until the evening that
I felt a little safer, and could walk out a little.
From what I could see of the neighbourhood of Redutkale and
Mingrelia altogether, the country is plentifully furnished with
hills and mountains, large valleys lie between, and the whole are
covered with rich woods. The air is on that account moist and
unhealthy, and it rains very frequently. The rising sun draws up
such dense vapours, that they float like impenetrable clouds, four
or five feet above the earth. These vapours are said to be the
cause of many diseases, especially fever and dropsy. In addition to
this, the people are so foolish as to build their houses in among
the bushes and under thick trees, instead of in open, airy, and
sunny places. Villages are frequently passed, and scarcely a house
is to be seen. The men are remarkably idle and stupid; they are
tawny and lean. The natives seldom reach the age of sixty; and it
is said that the climate is even more unhealthy for strangers.
Still I believe that much might be done in this country by
industrious settlers and agriculturists. There is abundance of
land, and three-fourths of it certainly lies uncultivated. By
thinning the woods and draining the land, the badness of the climate
would be lessened. It is already, even without cultivation, very
fruitful; and how much this might be increased by a proper and
rational mode of treatment. Rich grass grows everywhere, mixed with
the best herbs and clover. Fruit grows wild; the vines run up to
the tops of the highest trees. It is said that in time of rain the
ground is so soft, that only wooden ploughs are used. Turkish corn
is most generally grown, and a kind of millet, called gom.
The inhabitants prepare the wine in the most simple manner. They
hollow out the trunk of a tree, and tread the grapes in it; they
then pour the juice into earthen vessels, and bury these in the
ground.
