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 398 THE DECLINE AND FALL [Chap, xlii Colchos, 76 or Mingrelia, 77 which, on three sides, is fortified by the Iberian and Armenian mountains, and whose maritime coast extends about two hundred miles, from the neighbourhood of Trebizond to Dioscurias and the confines of Circassia. Both the soil and climate are relaxed by excessive moisture : twenty- eight rivers, besides the Phasis and his dependent streams, convey their waters to the sea; and the hollowness of the ground appears to indicate the subterraneous channels between the Euxine and the Caspian. In the fields where wheat or barley is sown, the earth is too soft to sustain the action of the plough; but the gom, a small grain not unlike the millet or coriander seed, supplies the ordinary food of the people ; and the use of bread is confined to the prince and his nobles. Yet the vintage is more plentiful than the harvest ; and the bulk of the stems, as well as the quality of the wine, display the un- assisted powers of nature. The same powers continually tend to overshadow the face of the country with thick forests ; the timber of the hills and the flax of the plains contribute to the abundance of naval stores ; the wild and tame animals, the horse, the ox, and the hog, are remarkably prolific, and the name of the pheasant is expressive of his native habitation on the banks of the Phasis. The gold mines to the south of Trebizond, which are still worked with sufficient profit, were a subject of national dispute between Justinian and Chosroes ; and it is not unreasonable to believe that a vein of precious metal may be equally diffused through the circle of the hills, although these secret treasures are neglected by the laziness, or concealed by the prudence, of the Mingrelians. The waters, impregnated with particles of gold, are carefully strained through sheep-skins or fleeces ; but this expedient, the ground- 76 Besides the many occasional hints from the poets, historians, &<s. of anti- quity, we may consult the geographical descriptions of Colchos, by Strabo (1. xi. p. 760-765 [2, § 14-19]), and Pliny (Hist. Natur. vi. 5, 19, &c). 77 I shall quote, and have used, three modern descriptions of Mingrelia and the adjacent countries. 1. Of the Pere Archangeli Lamberti (Relations de Thevenot, part i. p. 31-52, with a map), who has all the knowledge and prejudices of a missionary. 2. Of Chardin (Voyages en Perse, torn. i. p. 54, 68-168) : his obser- vations are judicious ; and his own adventures in the country are still more instructive than his observations. 3. Of Peyssonnel (Observations sur les Peuples Barbares, p. 49, 50, 51, 58, 62, 64, 65, 71, &c. and a more recent treatise, Sur le Commerce de la Mer Noire, torn. ii. p. 1-53) : he had long resided at Caffa, as consul of France ; and his erudition is less valuable than his experience. [The best description of the Lazic country in connexion with these wars is that of Brosset, Histoire de la Georgie, t. i. Additions, iv. p. 81 553.]