KUM ISS is the name of a beverage made of fermented mare's milk, and originally used by the Tartars. A full account of the process of making it may be found in the Edinburgh Philosophical Transactions, vol. i. p. I 8l. It is prepared nearly in a similar way in Orkney and Shetland. Sce also Pallas' Travels ; and Clarke's Travels, vol. I. An account of this beverage, and the method of manufacturing it among the Calmucks, will be found in our article CAL MUCKS.
KUR, or Cvaus, is a celebrated river of Asia, which rises a little to the west of the town of Khars, in Armenia, and falls into the Caspian Sea. It has been written Cyr nus, Cyrtus, Kyrus, Kyrros, Koros, and Koro, of old. At present it is called Mttkwari by the Georgians, and Kor, Kur, Kourr, or Kourra; but all these varieties generally sub side into Kur, or Cyrus. According to Reineggs, the source of the river is a number of springs situated twelve miles south-west of the Turkish city, Aghalzighe, or Akis ke ; and, after enlargement by several streams, its course is due north, until passing this city and Borgami, in Upper Kartel, it turns eastward through the plain interposed be tween the southern Caucasian mountains and the most northern range of Ararat ; where, meeting the mountains which divide Georgia from Shirvan, the river takes a southern direction, and twenty miles from the Caspian sea divides itself into numerous branches, by the mouths of which it is disembogued below Sallian.
The Kur, in general, is yellowish and turbid, owing to the quantity of calcareous matter which it holds in solu tion. Its course, for the most part, is tranquil, but rapid, and flowing between hanks so steep in some places, that, it is remarked, a traveller may journey " for hours with out the possibility of quenching his thirst in summer, though the river be constantly before his eyes, if not pro vided with a leathern drinking flask, and a long cord, to draw up the water." It receives numerous tributary streams, as the Aragwi, 25 miles above Teflis, whose in termixture imparts a greenish hue for a certain space, the Ktsai, Alasan, and chiefly the Araxes. After the union of this celebrated stream, about 66 miles from its mouth, the Kur enlarges to the breadth of 140 yards, and is naviga ble to the Caspian. Higher up it is also navigable for part of its course to Teflis, by means of rafts, whereby various commodities are carried from the fertile domain of Mughran. But this inode of conveyance is dangerous, and productive of frequent accidents. At the month a very profitable fishery is carried on by the Russians, but there are comparatively few fish here, and in most of the other rivers in the country, owing to their rapidity. From their scarcity in tne Kur at Tcflts, whet e it is rapid, the Geor gians are said to to call it Mquinari, or the Blind.
The banks of the Kur are partly covered with forests, wherein the vine is uncommonly plentiful, together with various other fruits ; but towards its mouth there is a great barren plain, whole districts of which are overspread with dwarf marine plants, from which soda is extracted. Here
the tortoise is seen, and is supposed to live on snakes. It has been affirmed, that these reptiles are in such abundance on the right bank, both of the Kur and Araxes, as to pre elude a passage across the plain of Mogan. But this pre judice, which even enlightened persons entertain, is as ancient as the days of Plutarch, who relates, that Pompey was prevented from marching down by the Kur to the Caspian sea, on account of the number of serpents. The panther repairs to the banks of the river from Gillian, taking refuge where they are covered with reeds and underwood. The wild boar inhabits the mashes at its mouth ; while the lynx and hymna are sometimes seen in the neighbourhood. Jackals are numerous, and the forests are full of deer. The Caucasian pheasant is frequent among the bushes ; and the francolin in low and reedy places.
The Kur, in its course, passes several celebrated towns and fortresses, as Airludzighe, on which the Russians some time ago made an unsuccessful attempt, and a little below which it traverses a narrow ridge called Bedreh, de fended by a castle on each side.—Tsgetta stands at the union of the Aragwi, where the Kur is crossed by a bridge ; and it intersects Teflis, the capital of Georgia.—Sallian, near the mouth of the river, is denominated a city, though composed only of several villages. Thus it appears, that the whole course of the Kul-, from its source to the efflux, is through the kingdom of Georgia, and the province of Shirvan. But the source not being many miles from the eastern shores of the Black Sea, a plan is said to have been entertained by Seleticus Nicator, of uniting the latter with the Caspian. As canal navigation, of late years, has been carried to a great and beneficial extent, this project was revived some time ago. It was proposed to unite the river Tscharuck, which flows into the Black Sea, with the Kur, as their iespective sources are not far asunder, by means of a navigable canal. However, all projectors seem to have overlooked, that the two rivers are separated by a chain of mountains—that the Tscharulk is scarcely navi gable in any part—and that the Kur is not nearly so throughout.
Plutarch relates, that Pompey, who forded the Kur in one place, conveyed his army across it at another on 10,000 skins. This plan of crossing rivers is not abandoned in the East. The Arabs, dwelling on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, support themselves on inflated skins, in which manner whole families may be seen floating. The cele brated Persian usurper, Nadir Shah, provided a number of inflated skins, on which were laid planks, or other mate rials, whereby his armies crossed in their march to India. Tamerlane was enabled to pass the Kur along with his ar my, on a bridge formed of branches and reeds. (c)