CIRCASSIA, sir-lcashi-a, a region in the southeast of European Russia, lying chiefly on the north slope of the Caucasus, partly also on the south, and bounded on the west by the Black Sea. It forms part of the government of the Caucasus, including a great portion of the terri tory of the Kuban and the districts of Sukhum and Tichernomore, but is not itself an official division; and, indeed, the name is now much less seldom heard than formerly, since the coun try has been entirely incorporated with the rest of the Russian possessions in this quarter, and has no longer a separate political existence The whole region is mountainous, and is com posed of the northern masses or western off shoots of the great chain of the Caucasus, the culminating heights of which are those of Mount Elbruz. The mountains are intersected everywhere with precipitous ravines, in the deepest hollows of which flow rock-impeded streams that occasionally become raging tor rents. The chief rivers are tributaries of the Kuban and the Terek, the first of which bounds the territory on the northeast and cast sides, while the Terek skirts the Circassian limits on the southeast side. Circassia is a beautiful though rugged country. The sides of the moun tains are often clothed with thick forests. Its climate is temperate, its inhabitants are healthy and long-lived. There are few manufactures and little trade; but the valuable oil deposits are now being worked.
When Russia took possession of this region the exodus of the inhabitants left compara tively few Circassians proper, and those who remained have now to a large extent lost their national peculiarities. The people call them selves Adighe; the Tartar word Tchertkess be ing a slanderous name applied to them as "rob bers.* The Circassians were divided into sev eral tribes, having three distinct languages or more. Each tribe included five ranks of men, namely, princes or chiefs (pshat); nobles (vork); middle class (thlofokl or tokays); serfs or retainers of the nobles, and slaves— the latter being prisoners taken in war or the descendants of such. All classes except the
slaves were united into fraternities for mutual support; and this union formed the real ground work of the government of the country, which was altogether peculiar, being patriarchal in nature, with a great amount of freedom. He reditary feud, once prevalent, was latterly al most extirpated, and pecuniary compensation. including a mulct upon manslayers for the benefit of the deceased's fraternity, was sub stituted. Crimes of all degrees, and civil causes, were judged either in general or local councils; and petty offenses by district judges and as sessors. • The religion of the country was chiefly Mos lem; but in many cases it formed a jumble of Christian, Jewish and heathen traditions and ceremonies. In no case was it very strict ; al though most of the chief Mohammedan feasts and fasts were pretty well observed. The morals of the people were good. Great crimes were rare; and such as have their sources in poverty with one class and avarice in the other were not common, for property was little cov eted, and money was scarcely known. The commerce of presents was universal; few or none were very rich, and there were no miser ably poor at all. There was no tenure of land in Circassia except what immediate possession, for the purpose of cultivation, gives.
Agriculture is still in a rude state, but the produce of the tilled lands is considerable and exceeds local wants. The forests yield great quantities of fine wood, including oak and all our own best species of timber trees, with (in the southern regions) boxwood, etc. The chief grain is millet; but barley, oats and a little wheat are also raised. There are great numbers of goats, sheep and oxen.
The Circassians, male and female, are a well-formed and handsome race. The males are highly prized as warriors by the Russians, and the females as mistresses by the Turks, a posi tion generally envied by the women themselves. The men are among the finest equestrians in the world, and their horses, though small, are ofgood stock, hardy and intelligent.