OF THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA.

37

have long carried on trade, as well as manufactures, and praotifed the mechanical arts.

Towards the North of this little town, the rifing ground onwhich it is fituated declines into an extenfive piain of a rockyfoil, thinly covered with verdure, and producing on its lowerpart the bufhy Chrift's thorn, or Paliurus. Since the govern-ment of the Khans, a fmall herd of ftags has been allowed toramble at large in this valley; but there are at prefent onlyfourteen of thefe noble animals, of different ages, becaufe manywere killed by the gun in the preceding winter. Hence theJews, according to ancient cuftom, are not fufFered to ere£t anybuildings on this piain, whither they have long wifhed to ex-tend their fettlement. A refervoir of water is provided herefor thofe ftags, which are fed during the winter with hay, atthe expence of Government; and, though not confined withinartificial enclofures, they cannot efcape over the rocky terrace,which forms the border of the whole promontory.

Many foundations of ftone-buildings may be obferved in thispiain, which indicate that it was anciently inhabited ; and thereare feveral caverns in the fteep rock towards the fouth-wefterndale, particularly in the vicinity of the Greek convent. Ac-cording to an account given by Count Tott, and which appearsto be confirmed by feveral inhabitants of Bakhtfhifarai, largebrafs or iron rings have formerly been fufpended from an inac-ceflible part of this rocky precipice ; but the truth of fuch tradi-tion I could not afcertain from my own infpection. Thelateral furface of rocks in the whole valley of the Dfhuruk-fu,like that in many other dales interfected by calcareous moun-tains, prefents every appearance of having once been wafhed bythe waves of the fea, and is in a manner corroded underneath.

In