CIRCASSIA, a country of Asia, situated between 40 and 50 degrees E. Long. and between 45 and 50 degrees N. Lat. It is bounded on the north by the river Don ; on the east by the Caspian Sea, and the mouths of thc Volga ; on the south by Mount Caucasus, and the Black Sea ; and on the west by part of the Black Sea, and the Lake of Azof. The face of the country is pleasantly di versified with mountains, valleys, woods, lakes, and ri vers, and in respect at least to its natural state, the soil is far from being devoid, in a reasonable degree, of the ele ments of fertility. The defects that in this particular present themselves, appear to be the consequence chief ly of a want of proper culture.
Circassia is inhabited by a warlike race of people, who having expelled or subjected to thcir dominion the greater part of those tribes, which at earlier periods had obtained possessions in it, spread themselves by degrees over the whole region. They now constitute one of the most considerable of the seven nations inhabiting the Cau casian mountains, and the territory in thcir environs. Among this people, there scents to be established a com plete system of feudalism, not unlike that formerly exer cised, though with still greater severity and cruelty, by the German knights, in Prussia and Livonia. The princes and nobility here, accordingly, may be consider ed alone to constitute the nation, who, both in their inter•• course with one another, adhere rigidly to the principles of a feudal subordination, and arc guided by the same views in the treatment of their subjects. The latter al rnost uniformly are captives, subjugated in war, but from adopting the language, and accommodating themselves to the wishes of their conquerors, they are usually treat ed with lenity. The chiefs and knights among thc Cir cassians pursue ordinarily no other business or recrea tion, than war, pillage, and the amusements of the chase. They live a lordly life, wander about, frequent carou sals, and concert and undertake frecbooting, or military excursions. The knights keep the lower classes of the people in a due state of order and submission, but are themselves no otherwise subject to the chiefs or princes, than by the obligation of yielding their personal service in war. Vassals, or boors, are considered as hereditary property, and are bound to yield an implicit obedience to their masters, holding, indeed, at their disposal, not bare ly their possessions, whatever these may be, but even their persons, and their lives. Few instances, however, occur of their being actually sold into bondage ; for ge nerally, though not restrained by any positive laws, the prince considers it his interest to secure the affection of his subjects, and entitle himself to their fidelity in war, by a liberal and benevolent conduct. The peasantry,
consisting of vassals naturalized, and slaves more recent ly taken in war, who fall afterwards into the same class, plough the land with large ploughs drawn by six or eight oxen ; they attend to the pasturage of their flocks, carry the necessary timber and fuel from the forest, build the houses, get in the harvest, and make hay, which (luring winter is commonly consumed on the spot. In the time of harvest, they are assisted in their labour by the women and grown up girls. When in the course of such occu pations, these people have occasion to remove to some distance from the villages, they immediately construct huts, by joining poles, which they cover with branches of trees and long grass, so that they almost resemble hay stacks. It is in huts of a construction somewhat simi lar to these that the princes encamp, when in the course of their constant expeditions, and equestrian rambles, they are obliged at any time to remain for a season sta tionary.
It is an established usage here, that each male of the peasantry is obliged to work three days at hay-making either for the prince or nobleman, to cut wood in the fo rest for three clays, to carry both the hay and wood to their habitations, and for every bullock that he possesses to deliver a cart load or seven sacks of millet. A bride groom of this class is under the necessity also of giving to the lord of the manor two cows and two oxen, in re turn for obtaining his consent to marry. The inhabitants of the mountains, consisting of several subordinate tribes, which the Circassian princes have succeeded in subject ing more or less to their authority, give, in general, for each family, only one sheep, or its value in felts, felt cloaks, cloths, copper vessels, or other articles like these, of primary and indispcnsible use. Every boor who pos sesses sheep, whether his flock be large or small, is re quired during the encampment in summer, to contribute one sheep to the prince's household, who is thus ena bled to maintain continual hospitality. It will be under stood, that the Circassians, like the other Tartars in their vicinity, are accustomed to quit their towns in sum mer, and to encamp in the fields, occasionally shifting their stations, along with their flocks and herds. In these excursions, the women and children are carried in waggons, which are a kind of travelling houses, and drawn by oxen or camels; horses, notwithstanding the excellent breeds of these animals in this country, are never used here for draught.