OF THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA.

<7

twelve paces in length, leading eaftward to another open grottonear the precipice of the fea-coaft.

At a diftance of fcarcely one hundred and thirty-three fathomsthence, and not quite bordering on the fteep terrace of thefhore, we took notice of a quadrilateral ftru&ure compofed ofbulky free-ftone, and meafuring thirty-feven feet by thirty-two;of which, befide the foundation walls, three rows of ftonespiled one upon another are ftill remaining. Two diftin£tfoundations of ftone-work, forming an angle of unequal fides,lie parallel to the South-weftern wall of the fquare, at thediftance of from five to eight fathoms, but no farther con-tinuation of them can be traced. In the vicinity of the North-weftern wall of the fquare above alluded to, we perceived twopits encompafled with ftone-work, and refembling tombs thathad been opened.

About fixty-feven fathoms from this place, the fhore formsa precipitate, rocky angle, the lofty top of which is rugged.We travelled hither along a low tract of ground, which con-dudled us to a fteep bufhy acclivity, where we could notperceive the craggy precipice tili we arrived at its edge. Theextreme point prefents on its furface a few calcareous flats ofthis horizontal ftratum, whence the profpecl: over the fea istruly terrific. On the northern declivity of this eminence,the furface of which uniformly exhibits a naked rock, we per-ceived in fome places various circular layers of ftone-work,which I fuppofe to be tombs of the ancient inhabitants of theCherfonefus. They lie befide one another without any apparentorder, are from four to five arfhines in diameter, and on alevel with the ground. Similar relics are difcoverable in other

k 2 parts