Transcriber's Note


Some inconsistent hyphenation and spelling inthe original document has been preserved.





TRAVELS

IN THE

STEPPES OF THE CASPIAN SEA,

THE CRIMEA, THE CAUCASUS, &c.





BY

XAVIER HOMMAIRE DE HELL,

CIVIL ENGINEER,
MEMBER OF THE SOCIETE GEOLOGIQUE OF FRANCE, AND KNIGHT OF THE ORDER
OF ST. VLADIMIR OF RUSSIA.





WITH ADDITIONS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.





LONDON:
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 186, STRAND.
MDCCCXLVII.





C. WHITING, BEAUFORT HOUSE, STRAND.







AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

When I left Constantinople for Odessa my principal object was toinvestigate the geology of the Crimea and of New Russia, and to arriveby positive observations at the solution of the great question of therupture of the Bosphorus. Having once entered on this pursuit, I wassoon led beyond the limits of the plan I had marked out for myself, andfound it incumbent on me to examine all the vast regions that extendbetween the Danube and the Caspian Sea to the foot of the northern slopeof the Caucasus. I spent, therefore, nearly five years in SouthernRussia, traversing the country in all directions, exploring the courseof rivers and streams on foot or on horseback, and visiting all theRussian coasts of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azof and the Caspian. TwiceI was intrusted by the Russian government with important scientific andindustrial missions; I enjoyed special protection and assistance duringall my travels, and I am happy to be able to testify in this place mygratitude to Count Voronzof, and to all those who so amply seconded mein my laborious investigations.

Thus protected by the local authorities, I was enabled to collect themost authentic information respecting the state of men and things. HenceI was naturally led to superadd to my scientific pursuits considerationsof all kinds connected with the history, statistics, and actualcondition of the various races inhabiting Southern Russia. I was,moreover, strongly encouraged in my new task by the desire to make knownin their true light all those southern regions of the empire which haveplayed so important a part in the history of Russia since the days ofPeter the Great.

My wife, who braved all hardships to accompany me in most of myjourneys, has also been the partner of my literary labours in France. Toher belongs all the descriptive part of this book of travels.

Our work is published under no man's patronage; we have kept ourselvesindependent of all extraneous influence; and in frankly pointing outwhat struck us as faulty in the social institutions of the Muscoviteempire, we think we evince our gratitude for the hospitable treatment wereceived in Russia, better than some travellers of our day, whose pagesare only filled with exaggerated and ridiculous flatteries.

XAVIER HOMMAIRE DE HELL.







DEFINITIONS.


Geographic miles are of 15 to a degree of the equator.

A Russian Verst (104-3/10 to a degree), is 1/7 of a geographical mile,1/4 of a French league of 25 to a degree. It is equal to 3484.9 Englishfeet, or nearly 2/3 of a statute mile. It is divided into 500sazhenes, and each of these into 3 arshines.

A deciatine (superficial measure) is equivalent to 2 acres, 2 roods,32 perches, English.

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