Near the Seminary is the Ragged School; instruction, but seldom with any encouraging results, is given at both institutions in the Russian langu^e, writing, and arithmetic, and French is also taught at the Seminary.
All girls' schools in the Caucasus are under the patronage of H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Olga Fe6dorovna, the consort of the Governor- General; the lady of the Governor of the province being the visiting patroness.
We called at the residence, where the Countess Lcvaschoff received us in her boudoir, a pretty apartment tastefully fitted with richly carpeted taklCtas, 'lounges,' and in which were many ' Chanlin, ymrnal, &c,, i. p. Ijo.
by Google native ornaments and curiosities, including the chaste soura and d'lioky, flagons of terra-cotta peculiar to Imeritia. The Governor, with much courtesy, kindly promised to make arrangements for facihtating my contemplated tour in Swannety, for which district I was anxious to start with the least possible delay.
Whilst I was conversing with his Excellency, a courier arrived with the reassuring intelligence, that a daring robber and manslayer who had been the terror of the valley of the Rion for seme time past, and who was no less than a ' used up ' native prince, had been captured by the militia after a desperate resistance. Half ao hour later the brigand was brought to the palace enclosure under a strong escort, having one arm in a sling and some other nasty wounds, for he had fought, though single-handed, with the greatest determination, and the militiamen were complimented on their individual bravery.
The nobles of ImeritiS are frequently in troubled circumstances. ' Why do you not sell your com and wine.* ' I observed to one who complained that, although his possessions were lai^e, he never had any ready money, even after a good harvest ' If the harvest is good,' he replied, ' of course others are equally well provided with myself, and do not need to buy; how, therefore, can I sell! So we entertain each other, feasting and drinking. If the season is a bad one, naturally enough I must not sell, for I should be depriving myself of what I required for my own consumption; so you will understand how difficult it is for any of us ever to have money in' hand! •
At Koutals, I had the pleasure of meeting for the second time four members of the Alpine Club,' who had lately arrived from
' MessiK. F. Gardiner, F. C. Gwvc, A. W. Moore {secrelary to Ihe dub), nn-l II. Walker. An account of tlieir a.icimxiun or Elbrouz appeared in the 'Alpine Joum^'
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England and were bound on an expedition up some of the big mountains of the great range. I enjoyed their society at the hotel for a couple of days, and should have been right glad to have travelled with such excellent messmates, but 4s_the object we had in view was dissimilar, and my road and theirs lay in different directions, I had to bid them good-bye with no little regret, and found myself once more alone. They were to start at daylight on foot, for Ony, in the district of Radtcha.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
IHE 'PAPANAKY.'
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CHAPTER XXX.
FOKTY-FOL'RTH AND FORTY-FIFTH DAY.
Abhase carts— Monastery of Gbelaty— Frescoes and mosaics— Valuable reUca— Queen Thamar— A miracle — The moituarj chapel of kings — David, 'ihe Resloret'— An — Lengthened occupalion of the throne— Dynasties in Georgia — Metzamely motasieiy— PrepaiBtions for Swannely— The Chief of that district— Hia courtesy.
At II A.M. we left Koutals for the celebrated monastety of Ghelaty, being accompanied by an officer of the Imeritia militia sent to us by His Excellency the Governor, an agreeable and intelligent companion, who spoke Russian fluently.
On leaving the town we passed through the Jewish quarter, where we saw some pretty faces, notably amongst the children,and thence the road gradually ascended between luxuriant hedges of rhododendron, laurel and holly, the banks being covered with numerous flowering plants. We met a number of two-wheeled carts drawn by oxen, which make an excruciating sound from the axles never being grea.sed. The wheels are solid without spokes, and from the middle of the axletree extends a heavy shaft, ' at the end of which is fitted diagonally a second and lighter shaft, where the yoke is fixed, the other extremity resting and dragging on the ground, and answering the purpose of fore-wheels; these carts of Abhase origin are in use in Imeritia and Gouria. Long strings of them frequently checked our progress on the narrow
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]