CIRCASSIA is 'the Cherkas of Asiatics. It is a mountainous country in the S.E. corner of Europe, on the northern face of the Cauca.sus, lying between lat. 41° 50' and 45" 20'N., and 37° and 47° 20' E., about 550 miles long and 75 miles broad; area, 40,000 square miles. The highest summits for nine months are covered with snow. —MacGregor. In a small tract not less than seventy-two dialects are spoken. The Cherkess and the Che Chen are the two great tribes. They take the common name of Adighe: but the Cher kess include amongst them the Klutbard Abkhas, Ubiche, and other clans, and number from 400,000 to 500,000 souls. The Che Chen number 150,000 souls. Their religion is a mixture of Christianity, Mahomedanism, and paganism. They reverence Merem a benevolent deity, and Tschible, the spirit Of thunder. There are three social classes, —Usdi or nobles, Tschfokot or freetnen and Pschilt or slaves,—and these grades are hereditary, like the castes of India. When their forts or villages have been surrounded, they have destroyed their women and children set fire to their dwell ings, and perished in the 'flames, rather than sur render.
Their yonng women are famed for their beauty, find are sought for in the neighbouring kingdoms. They are brought up in simple and domestic habits by their mothers, are taught the use of the needle in decorative works, and to make their own clothes, and those of the men of their family, aud are otherwise very carefully reared. They are sold to the bridegroom and to tradem The Cherkes.s or Circassians were typical repre sentatives of the West Caucaainn races. They were the most powetful and warlike of all the western nations. Since their final reduction, in 18G1,
Russia, most of their lands on the left bank of the Kuban have been occupied by their conquerors, the great bulk of the Cherkess having withdrawn into Turkish territory,and dispersed over Armenia, Asia Minor, Syria, and the Balkan peninsula. Similarly, 20,000 Abkluusians migrated to Turkey at the close of the last Russian war, and both races have become predatory. Cherkess are to be found in Aaia 311nor, along with Lazi, where also aro the Yuruk, a nomade Turk race occupy ing the uplanda between Erzerum and the plains of North Syria. Kazzilbash also are there, and are scattered over Anatolia, Persia, and eastwards to Kabul. They call themselves Eski-Turk, or old Turks. The fertile plains of Raz Ova and Ard Ova, near Tokat, and the villages between Angora and Amasia, and between Kam Hissar and Tokat, are the Kazzilbash hc-adquarters. They profess Islam, but avoid all inquiry into their doctrines. The Circassians and Abkhaaians have never found a suitable home in Asia 3finor, anfl are a sericnta disturbing element (Asia, p. 37), being indolent and predatory. The Cherkess and Abkhasians of West Caucasus are Sunni Mahomedans ; the Kabard are Christians ; and these three races number 138,000. In the time of Selim 1., the Mameluks were all slaves of pure Circassian blood. More recently, only the Borgite 3fameluks were of Circassian origin.—Charles Tauschin, Circas sians ; Porter's Tr. i. p. 141 ; Lond. As. Trans.
p. 98 ; MacGregor; A. II. Keane and Sir Richard Temple's Asia.