184

JOURNEY TO TSHORGUNA, BALAKLAVA, &c.

of the waters from the brooks flowing towards Alufhta. Theeaftern, and lefs excavated valley, lies due North, near thefources of the river Salgir, between the lofty hüls of Te~mirdfhi and the Tfhatyrdag. Through this piain a tolerablyconvenient coach-road, leading to Alufhta, was formerly madeby a battalion of chaffeurs. The rapid brook Temirdfhi inter-feds the dale laft alluded to, and difcharges itfelf into the feanear Alufhta. In its vicinity, another rivulet, known by thename of Mefarlik, and coming from the weftern dale, alfo fallsinto the fea, after paffing the villages of Kotnakhoor andKoobukul, at the foot of mount Tfhatyrdag.

The village of Alufhta is fituated between the two laftmentioned rivulets, on an ifolated height, contiguous to thefea. It ftill exhibits veiliges of an ancient Greek fortification,which formerly had a conüderable population, together withan epifcopal fee. There are yet ftanding the ruins of threetowers, and of a ftone-wall twelve feet high, and from fix tofeven feet thick. A large round tower compofed the fouth-eaftern corner fronting the fea, and was raifed on an inclinedplane; whence the wall extended in a direä: weftern line, andwas here fbmewhat ftronger, on account of its more gradualelevation. On the north-eaftern fide, the wall, being thinnerand forming an obtufe angle, was defended by a fquare towerftanding in the middle of fuch angle, and by another placed inthe northern corner, at the diftance of about feventy paces fromthe former. The northern and weftern declinations toward thevalley are fteep, and we here found only traces of walls. Theenclofed fpace is now occupied by a few Tartar huts, rubbifh,or dung-hills; and there is only part of a tranfverfe wallremaining in the centre.