It will be understood, from the circumstance of the languages just named having been introduced, more or less, among the inhabitants of the Caucasian mountains, that, though not subdued, the original inhabitants of those parts have not escaped all commixture with different fo rc ti the s. In fact the population of these regions, waicrally considered, may be held to consist chiefly of mingled races, made up partly of the primitive settlers, p•m.iy of colonies of those nations by whom, at different times, they have been more or less brought under sub jection. From tie however, of ascertaining precisely the primitive stocks from which all the descrip tions of persons that occur here, or rather the tribes or branches of tribes that constitute the population of those moun•ins, have been derived, it has been usual to com p•ise them all, n ith the exception of the Georgians, un de• the general denonlination of the Alountain-Tartars. This subject has been involved in obscurity., in conse quence of some writers having• admitted amiost as many different races of people, as there are principal names of tribes and families. Guldenstadt is the first trio had the merit of endeavom Mg to reduce the small scattered tribes which occult' in these parts to certain classes, and of combining the names belonging to a particular tongue, by collecting accurate Professor Pallas, proceeding upon his plan, has given a pretty distinct and satisfactory of the nations inhabiting the north ern parts of the Caucasus, to which nations, it is to be observed, lie has chiefly confined his attention, as being those most intimately connected with Russia, and which, at different periods, had in a great measure acknow ledged its sovereighty The following are the tribes comprehended in his enu meration : 1. The small Abasa, or Altikcsck. Under this gene ral designation are reckoned six subordinate divisions, viz. the Shantemir, the Klitsh, the Kesha, the Lou, the Bibert, the Dudaruk. The people of this tribe inhabit the country between the rivulet 1%larankli and the river Podkuma, consequently occupying a part of the Turkish and part of the Russian frontiers. They do not submit to the government of princes, but are ruled severally by the elders of their subdivisions. At a former period they were Christians, but their nobles now profess the \ ahometan religion. Agriculture is not unknown amongst them, but they maintain themselves chiefly by the rearing of cattle, and they possess a beautiful breed of horses.
2. The great Abasa, who occupy a considerable tract of tciritory stretching generally to northward and west ward of that just mentioned. The subdivisions com prehended under this appellation arc, the Beshilbai, the Barakai, the Tubi and Ubukh, the Shapsikh, the Natu kash or Natkhu-Kaitshians. Agriculture and the rear ing of cattle are a little attended to by some of those be longing to this tribe, but generally they are much neg lected. The Beshilbai rear a few goats and sheep, and pay great attention to the cultivation of bees. The Na tukhassians cultivate a small quantity of rye, and occa sionally keep hogs, animals rarely met lvith among the other nations inhabiting this country. The several divi sions of them are given to dissensions amongst them selves, and many of them devoting themselves to a pre datory life, obtain by this means a hard-earned and pre carious subsistence, 3. The n arlike nation of the Circassians inhabit prin cipally the promontory of the Caucasus, extending them selves also to the adjacent beautiful plain, from which they have expelled the ancient inhabitants, and subject ed the greater part of them to their dominion. Front
the superior importance of this tribe, it has been usual, though improperly, to comprise under the same appel lation, several of the contiguous and less important tribes. But the people, in strictness, thus designated, are those who inhabit the part of Caucasus, called the Great and the Little Kabardia, the islands of the lower Cuban, and the southern bank of that river. They denominate them selves Allege, i. e. islanders ; by the Russians they are called Tschcrkessi, and by the rest of Europe by the name here given to them of Circassians. Sec Cinens sm.
4. The Nagais, or the Tartars of the Cuban who dwell among the Citcassians, as well as in their vicinity, and generally lead a pastoral life ; they are the remain der of the Mongolian Tartars, formerly a powerful peo ple, who, after the reign of Zengis-lchan, invaded and governed part of Asia as well as Europe, but have, dur ing the last century, been so much reduced by the vicis situdes of war and their own turbulent rood IRA, (net at present they scarcely deserve the name of a nation. They occur, however, in small numbers, in different pants of the region under consideration, and ale subdivided into the following principal branches: the Naurns, the Kas sai, the Kaspolat, the Kant.hak, the Mangut, or Mams gut, the GMissau, the Dshamboilult, and the Gibshikul ; they arc a restless unsettled poople, whose disposition to robbery has been little reduced, notwithstanding the se verity of the punishments to which they have been sub jected. Their principal means of support are their flocks, though a little attention is also paid to agriculture, particularly to the cultivation of millet.
5. Several separated branches of the Nagais and Tar tars, are scattered on the mountains of the Caucasus, viz. the Kuntyks, the 'Yorke toes, the Kavatashais, and the Tshugems. These people are nearly in the same state of society with those previously mentioned.—Christiani ty seems at one period to have made some progress amongst them. Their attention is chiefly directed to some branches of agriculture, to the rearing of their herds and [locks, or to the produce of honey. 'Hwy turn also to some account others or their' mto,:d pro ductions, finch as iron, lead, nitre, and the skins of wild animals. One of the divisions of this people, the ]'she gems, have received front some writers the name of Zek hi, from the analogy of which name it has been conjec tured that they were Bohemian fugitk es.
6. The Ossetes, or Ir, and according to their own de nomination !Zones, are a very peculiar people, who, hav ing been compelled to retire to the interior parts of the Might mountains, have, for their boundary towards the north, the Caucasus, towards the west the river Urup, to the cast the Teruk, to the south west the river Rion, or Phasis of the ancients, and to the south cast Aragva. The whole tribe is divided into districts, or Korn, and villages or Knu. It is observed that the tongue peculiar to these people has many words in common with the Per sian, German, and Sclavonic languages, as well as ex pressions analagous to the dialect of these nations. The Ossetes are a barbarous, predatory, and miserable race of men, who have always infested the public road lead ing to Georgia through the mountains which they inha bit. The two Most populous and powerful of their dis tricts are those of Dugor and of Durdugor.