'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎155] (210/905)

CHAP. VII.] EXTENT OF THE GEORGIAN DISTRICTS. 155
2600 square miles, and was once a separate kingdom, of whicli It s mountains
the ruined city, Mtskhetha, 10 miles north of Tiflis, was the an lmers
capital. Kartalmia is mountainous, having, towards the
north, an elevated limestone chain, running parallel to the
Caucasus, and gradually diminishing in height towards the
Kur, where there is an extensive plain. There is also a
considerable plain towards the east, in Gori. On the western
side there are three large rivers, the Ksan, and the Araghva, 1
first and second, with numerous tributaries; there are also
the Narckvavi, the Arghoun, the Medjouda, and several
others. And towards the eastern side are the Kur and its
affluents, the Liaja, the Medjouda, the Lekhoura, and the
Ksan. The soil is not equal to that of the other provinces,
yet it is very productive. Much of the surface is covered
with oak, walnut, and other fine timber of various kinds ; Pr o ductlon8
' ' , and town8 -
and, in other parts, hemp, madder, tobacco, and grains, are
cultivated with success. There are but two towns: Gourie
is on the borders of the eastern province, and is situated on a
plain close to the left bank of the Kur; it is defended by a
fort, and contains one Greek church, three Georgian, three
Armenian churches, and 600 houses. Duchet, a fortified
place, and the chief town of the district, is situated on the
slope of a mountain, near the river Arghoun; and, in addition
to those of the public functionaries, it has 213 Armenian and
Georgian houses.,
Until recently, the kingdoms of Kakhetia and Kartelmia Extent of
composed Georgia Proper; but, according to the ukase of proper.
1831, the latter now includes all the territory which is
bounded by Imiretia, the Caucasus, and the Armenian and
Mussulman provinces. Its extent is about 95 miles, from
the borders of Erivan to the Caucasus in the Lezgi country;
and about 175 miles westward, from the borders of Sheki to
those of Kars: it contains nearly 16,743 square miles of
surface, of which Tiflis is the capital, and is the seat of the
general government. This thriving city is divided by the Tiflis.
river Kur into two portions, the northern and the southern;
The Arhagus, or Arrhabou.—Strabo, lib. X., p. 500.
X 2