300 JOURNEY THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF THE CRIMEA,

The firft objeä, deferving notice in this diftrict, on quittingthe city of Taman, is a fmall building, erected by Order ofthe late Emprefs, among the fand-hills to the fouth of thetown, near a well, for the prefervation of a remarkable flab ofmarble with an ancient Ruffian infcription. This ftone, forthe difcovery of which we are indebted to Major von Rofen-berg, was found at the barracks of a battalion of chafleursftationed at Taman, where it had been employed as one of thefteps leading to the door. Vice-Admiral Puftoflikin, whowas difpatched thither with the fquadron under his command,removed it to Nikolaef; whence it was re-conveyed by anImperial order to the place where it was difcovered; and ispreferved as an hiftorical monument in the houfe above men-tioned. The flab confifts of white marble; is between fevenand eight feet in length; is poliflied on the lower fide andedges, but rough on the upper furface, having a hole foradmitting an iron cramp; and appears to have been placedabove a door or gateway. On the edge of the flab, there isan infcription, which is the more remarkable, as it inconteftiblyproves, that Taman is the ancient Tmutarakan, where afamily of portioned Ruffian princes formerly refided. Manydoubts have prevailed on this fubje£t; but they have beenremoved by Mr. E. R. Stritter, who has compared the Byzan-tine authors with the Ruffian annals. The purport of theinfcription is as follows: " In the year 6576 (1065) Indict. 6.Prince Gleb meafured the fea on the ice; and the diftancefrom Tmutarakan to Kertfh was 30,054 fathoms." The occa-fion of this infcription is by no means evident; as the freezingof the Bofphorus, fo that it may be meafured on the ice, is in

itfelf