The sculptured marbles of its ancient Grecian inhabi tants had not shared a better fate. All that even Maho metans had spared of bas-reliefs, of inscriptions, or ar chitectural pillars, were broken by the Russians, and sold as materials to construct their miserable barracks. We found the identical marbles, described by Odcrieo, broken and exposed for sale in the ruins of the old Ge noese fortress. These were of peculiar interest, because they related to the history of the town. It was in vain that we solicited to become purchasers ; the request was immediately denied by the general officers. Strangers, he said, are not permitted to take any thing out of the country." The roadstead of Caffa is protected by a promontory from almost every wind, except those from the north and south west. Ships can anchor very near the shore in a slimy bottom. Its commerce is so inconsiderable, that a small number of merchant ships can scarcely find cargoes in it. Fishing is carried on to some extent in the bay of Caffa, and the sea of Azof affords a great quantity of sturgeons, the spawn of which, when salted, is called caviar, and forms a considerable article of trade.
The city of Caffa was so flourishing under the Genoese, that it obtained the name of Crim-Stambul, or the Con stantinople of Crimea. It first came into their hands in A. D. 1226, and continued in their possession till the year 1475, when it was taken from them by Mahomet the Great. A considerable trade, however, was still
carried on between GL noa and Caffa ; and in 1672, when the city was visited by Sir John Chardin, 400 vessels ar rived and cleared out in the space of forty clays. After this the commerce of Caffa was entirely lost, and the Thracian Bosphorus shut against foreign vessels When Caffa, along with the rest of the Crimea, was ceded to Russia by the convention of 1783, Catherine restored the ancient name of Thcodosia, and seemed desirous to pro mote its commercial interests. A quarantine was con sequently established, and encouragement held out for merchants to settle in the town ; but these attempts seem to have failed, as the town contained only about fifty fa milies in 1800, when visited by Dr Clarke, ant in some instances a house contained more than one family. In 18C/3, when this town was visited by Reuilly, the number of houses did not exceed 100,* which were chiefly inha bited by Greeks. In former times, Caffa contained 36,000 houses within its walls, and including the suburbs, not less than 44,000 houses. See Chardin's Travels ; Reuilly's Travels in the Crimea in 1803, chap. vi. ; but particularly Clarke's Travels in various Countries of Eu rofir,Asia,and Africa, vol. i. chap. xix. p. 445. See also CRIMEA. (0)