GEORGIA, a country of Asia, subject to the Turks. It is bounded on the north by Circassia, on the east by Daghestan and Shirvan, on the south by Armenia, and on the west by the Euxine or Black Sea; comprehending the greatest part of the ancient Colchis, Iberia, and Albania. About the etymon of the name of this country, authors are not agreed. The most probable opinion is, that it is a corruption softening of Kurgia, from the river Kur; whence also it is supposed that the inhabitants are called by the Persians indifferently Georgi, Gurgi, and Kurgi; and the country Kurgistan and Gurgistan: It is divided by a ridge of mountains into eastern and western; the former of which is again subdivided into the kingdoms of Caker, Carduel or Carthuel, and Goguetia; and the latter into the provinces of Abcassia, Mireta, or Imaretta, and Guriel. Another division is into Georgia Proper, Abcassia, and Mingrelia.
"Georgia (says Sir John Chardin) is as fertile a country as can be seen; the bread is as good here as in any part of the world; the fruit of an exquisite flavour, and of different sorts; no place in Europe yields better pears and apples, and no place in Asia better pomegranates. The country abounds with cattle, venison, and wild-fowl, of all sorts; the river Kuris is well stocked with fish; and the wine is so rich, that the king of Persia has always some of it for his own table. The inhabitants are robust, valiant, and of a jovial temper; great lovers of wine, and esteemed very trusty and faithful; endowed with good natural parts, but, for want of education, very vicious. The women are generally so fair and comely, that the wives and concubines of the king of Persia and his court are for the most part Georgian women. Nature has adorned them
with graces no where else to be met with; it is impossible to see them without loving them; they are of a good size, clean-limbed, and well-shaped." Another traveller, however, of no mean character, thus expresses himself with respect to the women: "As to the Georgian women, they did not at all surprize us; for we expected to find them perfect beauties. They are, indeed, no way disagreeable; and may be counted beauties, if compared with the Curdes. They have an air of health that is pleasing enough; but, after all, they are neither so handsome nor so well shaped as is reported. Those who live in the towns have nothing extraordinary, more than the others; so that I may, I think, venture to contradict the accounts that have been given of them by most travellers."
Georgia abounds with woods and mountains, intermixed with a great number of beautiful plains.
The only rivers of note in this country are the Cyrus, Cyrenus, Corus, or Kur, and the Aragus. The first springs from the Moschian mountains, which separate Colchis from Armenia, waters the country now called Mokan, and, after receiving into its channel the Aragus and Araxes, falls by one mouth into the Caspian sea. This river is navigable the greatest part of its course. The Aragus springs from the mountains that separate Iberia from Colchis, and falls into the Cyrus.
Iberia, or Georgia, is tributary or subject either to the Porte or the king of Persia, and known to the Persians by the name of Gurgistan, that is, "the land of the Georgians;" for tan is an ancient Celtic word, signifying a country, and still in use among the eastern nations, as appears from the modern names of Curdestan, Indostan, &c. that is, the country of the Curdes, of the Indians, &c.
The whole country of Georgia is but thinly inhabited, and has but very few cities in proportion to its extent and fertility; which is doubtless in a great measure owing to the barbarous and unnatural traffic carried on here in boys and girls, parents selling their children, masters their servants, and lords their vassals and tenants. Every one, in short, trades in the males and females he is master of, and disposes of them to the Turks and Persians, who employ them in their armies and seraglios, as slaves, mutes, eunuchs, soldiers, statesmen, and concubines, according to their capacities, and the favour they have obtained with their masters.
This country formerly abounded with great cities, as appears not only from its history, but from the ruins of many of them still visible, which shew that they must have been very large, opulent, and magnificently built. These were all destroyed by the inundations of northern barbarians from mount Caucasus, as the Alans, Huns, Suevi, and some others, so much noted in history for their strength, courage, and conquests.
The air of Georgia is serene, dry, and healthful; but very cold in winter, and hot in summer.
The fine weather commonly begins about May, and lasts till November. But the lands want a good deal of watering to make them produce a plentiful crop; when they yield all sorts of grain, fruit, and pulse, in abundance, which sell at so cheap a rate that the people want for nothing. The cattle, both small and great, are fat and good, and in great numbers; but the com-
Georgia. mon people live mostly on swine's flesh, which is every where excellent, and, by their own account, wholesome and of easy digestion. The river Kur, as well as the Caspian sea, which lies east of Georgia, supplies it with plenty and variety of fish.
The mountains of Caucasus, that lie partly in this country, are known at present to the inhabitants by the names of Cochas and Cochias, which are, without doubt, a corruption of the ancient. The Arabs call them the Mountains of Ras.
The inhabitants are civil enough to strangers, allowing them to live and trade as they please, and to profess what religion they have a mind: hence people of various nations are seen here, as Turks, Armenians, Persians, Jews, Greeks, Indians, Tartars, Russians, and other Europeans. But the Armenians are the most numerous; and, by carrying on the greatest part of the trade, are also the richest; for which reason the Georgians hate and despise them, regarding them in much the same light as the Europeans do the Jews. The Georgians wear four caps on their heads, and a kind of long vest, open before, but which may be buttoned at pleasure; their breeches and under-garments are like those of the Persians, as is the entire dress of the women.
Their houses, especially those of the better sort, are also after the model of those of Persia, as well as all their public buildings: and they may afford to have them built after the best manner, having not only stone, wood, plaster, lime, and all other materials, in the greatest plenty and cheapness; but also can have the most laborious work done by their own vassals, over whom they have such an absolute power, that they can keep them employed whole months together, without allowing them either wages or food.
Iberia, or Georgia, according to Josephus, was first peopled by Tubal, the brother of Gomor and Magog. His opinion is confirmed by the Septuagint; for Meshech and Tubal are by these interpreters rendered Moschi and Iberians. We know little of the history of the country till the reign of Mithridates, when their king, named Artocis, siding with that prince against Lucullus, and afterwards against Pompey, was defeated by the latter, with great slaughter; but afterwards obtained a peace, upon delivering up his sons as hostages. Little notice is taken of the succeeding kings by the ancient historians. They were probably tributary to the Romans till that empire was overturned, when this, with the other countries in Asia bordering on it, fell successively under the power of the Saracens and Turks. A certain prince of Georgia, named Heraclius, has lately made a great noise, and a considerable progress in his endeavours to shake off the Turkish yoke, having, according to advices from the east, several times defeated the Ottoman troops: but it seems either his former good fortune forsook him, or an accommodation took place; for all the intelligence from that part of the world, for some time past, hath been entirely silent with regard to him.
The capital of the country is Teflis; for an account of which, see that article.