TR EBIZOND, the ancient Trapc:us, a town situated on the Pontus Euxiuus, in the eastern corner of Pontus in' Asia Minor. Trapezus was a colony of Sinope, a town founded by the Milesians. Xenophon with his 10,000 Greeks came to Trebizond in his retreat (` Anabaais,' iv. 8). During the wars between the Romans and 3lithriclates, Trebizoud fell into the hands of the Romans, and henceforth belonged to the Roman empire. Hadrian ordered the port to be secured by n mole. Trebizond was a free town and bad its own coins : on some of these there is on one side an anchor, and on the other the prow of n ship, two emblems which seem to prove the importance of the com merce of this town. During the reign of Valerian, Trebizond was a large and opulent town, but it was taken, plundered, and partly destroyed by the barbarians. During a long period Trebizond seems to have been only the shadow of its former splendour • but it recovered during the wars with the Persians in the reign of splendour; This emperor ordered the public' buildings to be restored by him (Ibid., p. 234). Trebizond afterwards became the capital of a province which contained the ancient country of Pontus, and some times also some adjacent tracts of Armenia. The Genoese repaired Hadrian's mole, which is now destroyed, with the exception of the foundations.
At present Trebizond belongs to the Turkish empire; its Turkish name is Tbarabezun or Trabezun. It is the capital of the eyelet of Trebizond vol. i, 506-7], the seat of a pasha, and of a Greek archbishop. its population is variously estimated from 24,000 to 50,000, chiefly Mohammedans, with about 4000 Greeks, and 2000 Armenians. The Christian part of the population lives without the walls. Among the public buildings the most remarkable are, the
castle or citadel, partly of ancient, partly of modern construction, situated in the middle of the town on a steep rock, the summit of which is flat se a table (TpireCa, bones the name of the town); the bazaar ; public bath-houses of marble, and of a beautiful architecture; the ruins of a temple of Apollo, part of which has been converte into a Greek church. The commerce of Trebizond baa much increased since the navigation of the Black Sea has been opened to all nations. The town has regular communication by steam-boate with Constan tinople, Odessa, and the Danube ; and it may now be eaid to be the first commercial port on the Black Sea ; however, the ancient port is almost filled up with sand, and larger vessels are obliged to cast anchor in the road. The commerce of Trebizond with Armenia, Persia, and Georgia is very extensive. The exports from these countries, consisting of silk, wool, tobacco, wax, gal-nuts, oil, opium, drugs, honey, timber, carpets, shawls, saffron, cotton, Ac., amount to about a million sterling a year. The imports arc composed of Euro pean manufactures, Inch as cotton fabrics, hardware, glass, fire-arms, ste. • together with iron, corn, wine, tin, salts, apices, and colonial The value of the imports is nearly two millions sterling ; the greater part is sent to Persia. Surrounded by a range of high and woody mountains, the town presents a beautiful appearance from the sea. Trebizond is the birthplace of Cardinal Bassarion, who was born here in 1395. [Anstexia.]