It Containeth In Length (As I Learned Of Certaine Merchants) 1008 Miles, And Is In A Maner, Diuided Into Two Parts. About The Midst Thereof Are Two Prouinces, One Towards The North, And Another Towards The South.

The South prouince is called Synopolis, and it is the castle and porte of the Soldan of Turkie; but the North prouince is called of the Latines, Gasaria:

Of the Greeks, which inhabite vpon the sea shore thereof, it is called Cassaria, that is to say Casaria. And there are certaine head lands stretching foorth into the sea towards Synopolis. Also, there are 300. miles of distance betweene Synopolis and Cassaria. Insomuch that the distance from those points or places to Constantinople, in length and breadth is about 700. miles: and 700. miles also from thence to the East, namely to the countrey of Hiberia which is a prouince of Georgia. [Sidenote: Gasaria.] At the prouince of Gasaria or Cassaria we arriued, which prouince is, in a maner, three square, hauing a citie on the West part thereof called Kersoua, [Footnote: Kertch.] wherein S. Clement suffered martyrdome. And sayling before the said citie, we sawe an island, in which a Church is sayd to be built by the hands of angels. [Sidenote: Soldaia.] But about the midst of the said prouince toward the South, as it were, vpon a sharpe angle or point, standeth a citie called Soldaia [Footnote: Simferopol, I presume.] directly ouer against Synopolis. And there doe all the Turkie merchants, which traffique into the north countries, in their iourney outward, arriue, and as they retume homeward also from Russia, and the said Northerne regions, into Turkie.

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