g6 JOURNEY TO TSHORGUNA, BALAKLAVA, AND ALONG

Hne towards the South-weft, on the imperial road by whichthe Emprefs viftted Akhtiar, Balaklava, and the celebrated valleyof Baidari. After pafling the Belbek, at the diftance of abouttwelve verfts from Bakhtftiifarai, we began to afcend, at firftgradually, but afterwards over fteeper eminences, the loftycalcareous mountain already mentioned, and the continuationof which I fhall more particularly defcribe in the fequel. Itsfoil in thefe regions is well covered with trees, efpecially withthe Carpinus minor, or Dwarf Yoke-Elm, bearing fmall leaves,and being the moft common produttion of the Crimea. Thistree is interfperfed with the Paliurus, with Sloe-trees, theCornus mas, Viburniim Lantana, the fhoots of which affbrd thetubes for tobacco-pipes that are in great requeft; with theOxycedrus, Ligußrum; and, in a few places, with the CVraV, orJudas-tree. On the northern fide, the large-flowered Primulauniflora was now in blofibm, and uncommonly abundant;bearing in general white, lefs frequently pale yellcw, and morerarely pale violet flowers. The Dentaria pentapbyllos, VeronicaTeucrium, and Euphorbia Jylveßris, were beginning to blow ;but the Scilla hyacinthioides had already flowered. The beautifulCrimean Wood-Piony, or Pceonia triternata, was in füll vigour.Abundance of fage, and of the Sefeli dichotomum, was confpi-cuous on the South fide of the dry chalky mountain. Pre-vioufly to our arrival at the fummit, we obferved on the left,at the diftance of about three-quarters of a verft from our road,the tower of an ancient fort, called by the Tartars Tfherkefs-Kermen, or the Circaffian Fortrefs, and which has given itsname to a village formerly inhabited by many Greek families,but at prefent exclufively by Tartars. The moft remarkable

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