The following morning we left Kylboiiroun, exchanging the horses of our kind host for post-horses at Mahmoud-Soultan, the nearest station, and continued our journey to Yalta, passii^ many little Tatar settlements and cottages, and a few residences of wellto-do Russians, amongst the fruitful orchards which extend the greater part of the way. The lower valley of the Alma, the valley of the Belbeck, and of the Katcha, are all celebrated for their fruit, but the finest qualities grow here on the Salghyr. It is estimated that pears and apples to the value of 1,000,000 roubles, are annually supplied to the Russian markets from these four valleys. We by Google changed horses at Taoushan-bazar,' ' hare market,' at the foot of the Tchadyr-dagh, from which station the winding descent is made above the valley of the Anghy. On the road is a fountain erected in honour of General Koutousoff, Prince Smolensky, who lost an eye on the spot whilst repelling an attack of the Turks, and at a turning a little beyond, the south coast opens out in all its beauty at the lovely valley of Aloushta.
The small inn at Aloushta, is the Prym6rskaya gastynnytza, 'Sea-side hotel,' but we preferred stopping at the post-house, where greater facilities are afforded for obtaining saddle-horses, it being our intention to proceed to Yalta by the sea-shore. The Tatar village is at a slight elevation above the sea, and stands amid the ruins of the fortifications attributed to the emperor Justinian, in whose reign Alustum was a part of Gothia. The walls are ten feet thick, and there are also portions of two towers, which in all probability were circular. In 1384, the metropolitans of Cherson and of Gothia disputed the cure of this parish, and in 1449 the Genoese had a consul at Alusce or Lusce, noted for its vineyards as it is at the present day, for the wine of Aloushta is excellent, and the grape for the table is the best.*
The chaise for a saddle-horse was 3 roubles for the day, inclusive of the glide's services, whose horse was to be paid for at
' At B short distance from this station is the romantic glen of Kyzyl-kobi, ihrougli the length of which a tonent dashes amongst shapeless rochs a( gigantic size, after it isMics from a cave, at the heid of the glen. Near the cave, on an impregnable position, detached masses have been hollowed into chambers and their sides pierced with finiill openings, through which (o point lire-arms a( a hostile party ascending the dale; the work, it is said, of Genoei>e fugitives, who here defied their enemies until reduced by lamine. Near Kyiyl-ltubi is Veny-sali, the property of Mr. Grot, at whose house we were kiixlly entcttained when we viuted the glen.
' Upwards of 1,600 acres of land at and about Aloushta are planted with 5,260,000 tiaes, which yield about 400,000 galloni of wine annually; it includes Risling, Bordeaux, Alicante, Alealico, Merlol, MuKut, Tokay, Zante, Tedro Ximenes, Sautenie and Pctigame.
Dig izsd by Google
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the same rate. We accompanied the ladies on the post-road over the pass of Kastel to Byouk Lambat, where a great chaos presents even a more wonderful spectacle than docs the chaos at Symels, and thence we followed a bridle-path through Karabagh tHe KcEppen property, to the beautiful estate ' of Prince Gagarinn on the sea-shore, where in the midst of a grove of superb cypresses is a mausoleum to the memory of the late prince, governor of Koutals, who was assassinated in l8S7 by Constantine Dadyshkylyany. The Somoff estate,* noted for its Tokay, adjoins that of Prince Gagarinn, and beyond is the small Tatar hamlet of Partenite, which wc reached at 4 p.m.
A most delightful little cove is this of Partenite, and a favo\irite resort o( picnic parties from Yalta. The valley is famed for the good quality of its tobacco and wines — one of the vines, the Isabella, being remarkable for the prod^ious size the leaf attains.* On the Raleffsky estate is pointed out a walnut-tree, beneath the branches of which the Prince de Lign^ was wont to sit and write his letters to the Empress Catherine, to eulogise the beauties of the south coast This once magnificent tree was rent asunder during a storm in the winter of 1861-62, but the old trunk retains life, and the branches still bear fruit.
Within a short distance of this coast, on the road to Yalta, were discovered a few years ago the foundations of an ancient church, erected in the eighth century by the holy confessor John
' On this estate 17 acres are planted out with 57,600 vines, which prodnce i,6oo pUoni of urine annually— such as Bordeani, Hermitage, Tokay, Cbassclat, and ahile Muscat.