This City Is Not So Large As Tauris, But, As Far As I
Could Judge, Surpasses That Place In The Goodness And Abundance Of Every
Thing, Especially In Excellent Cattle.
It produces great quantities of
excellent silk, of which they manufacture various kinds of very slight
stuffs.
While here, I had the good fortune to be rejoined by Marcus
Ruffus, the Muscovite ambassador, who had parted from me at Phasis, as
formerly related. Immediately on learning that I was in the city, he came
to visit me, and we embraced with cordiality. I now earnestly entreated
him to receive me and my domestics into his society for the remainder of
the journey, to which he very readily agreed.
We left Shamaki on the 6th of November, for the city of Derbent, which is
called, in the language of the country, the Caucassian Gates, or the Iron
Gates. This city is under the dominion of _Sivanse_, and stands on the
frontiers of Tartary. On our journey we travelled sometimes over plains
and sometimes on mountains, and were tolerably well treated by the
Turkish inhabitants, with whom we lodged by the way. About mid-way
between these two cities we came to a large village, where we found great
abundance of excellent fruits, particularly admirable apples. We arrived
on the 12th of November at Derbent, and were advised to pass the winter
in that place; as it was necessary, in our way to Russia, to cross the
desert of Tartary, which is much easier in the spring of the year, and
likewise because it was proper for us to cross over the Caspian to the
Tartar city of Citracan.
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