90 JOURNEY THROUGH THE SOUTH-WESTERN QUARTER

The laft objeä: worthy of notice, during the journey hithertoperformed through the Heracleotic Cherfbnefus, is the Greekmonaftery of Saint George, called Georgiefskot-Monaßyr. WhenI firft vifited Akhtiar, I crofled the country in a diagonal line,and proceeded dire&ly to this convent, after paffing the farmof Ufhakof. The fpring had unfolded its earlieft flowers,among the firft of which was a fmall Ornitbogalum, greatlyrefembling the luteum: its root confifted of a feries of fmallround bulbs, tranverfely attached to each other. The laft ofthefe globular bodies regularly flowers, and produces a new onefrom its own fubftance for the fucceeding year; while theothers in the row prefent only empty hufks.

The monaftery of St. George is fituated in a flight excava-tion of the fouthern, rocky, and very high fhore of the Cher-

fonefus ;