the evening of Sabbath; a consideration which, I trust, had its influence in leading my thoughts from the fading glories of earth, splendid though some of them be, to the unfading glories of heaven-from the majesty of God, as discovered in the works of nature, to his infinite mercy and love in the economy of grace and from the bustling scenes of this world, to the rest which remains for the people of God in that which is to come.

Oct. 18. Left Kasaisky about six. The morning, for about an hour or two, misty, which, of course, intercepted the view of distant scenery. Reached Under-podgorna, six versts from Georgievsk, about nine, and after taking our leave of the other deacon, who had halted there to enjoy the company of some friends connected with the hierarchy, forded the Cuma, which washed the bank on which the village stands, on the south, and continued our course direct for Georghievsk, the capital of the government of Caucasus; the suburbs of which, we entered about eleven, and having secured convenient lodgings, got our goods unloaded, and made preparations for proceeding to the colony at an early hour to-morrow morning: the day being too far advanced to render it expedient to make the attempt sooner. Paid off the arbatchi by giving him what remained on hand of 200 rubles, the sum for

which he engaged to furnish his two arbas, with two horses each, to this place. Engaged three telegas from a Russian Tshooshtchik, for which he is to receive eighteen rubles on setting us down safely in Karass to-morrowbeing a distance of about thirty-five versts, or nearly twenty-four English miles.

Visited the city, which is situated on the brow of a steep bank or earthy precipice, the base of which is washed on the east by the Podcuma, which, from this place upward, is considered as the boundary between the Russian and Cabardian frontiers. The approach to it from the suburbs, is protected by a deep ditch overlooked by cannon and other martial engines, which give it an aspect sufficiently formidable to overawe even the hardy tenants of the rocks, on drawing near its environs. The dwelling houses, and other edifices within the ramparts, are, for the most part, government buildings, and although few would be considered as elegant in Moscow or St Petersburg, yet, when contrasted with the buildings in the adjacent villages, most of them are neat, and many of them handsome.

Understanding there was a large market or fair hard by the suburbs, which, after having continued some days, was on the point of breaking up, I repaired to the spot, and found that, though some bargains were still making, the merchants in general were employed in

packing their goods, in the view of proceeding to another market of the same kind, to be held in a few days at Stavropol. The supply of goods exceeded any thing I should have anticipated in this remote region; exhibiting a great variety of drapery, silks, crystal, china, and crokery ware, &c. &c.; many of them excellent, and almost all of them shewey in their kind.

After supper, the sight of a bedstead in a comfortable apartment, reminded me that the necessity of sleeping with my clothes on, as I was wont to do in the kibitki, was now superceded; and therefore laying aside the precautions I had found convenient in the desert, I prepared for retiring to rest, in a manner much more congenial to my early habits -thankful to the Father of mercies for his kind providence by the way, and for the goodness, temporal and spiritual, which he is at this moment making to pass before

me.

Oct. 19. Though engaged to be on the spot by day-break, the Russian Tshooshtchik did not make his appearance till the sun was up; and before all was packed and ready for the road, it was nearly eight o'clock.

On taking leave of our landlord, who is a German, I was invited to make his house my home, whenever I had occasion to visit the

town-an offer for which I thanked him, and having bidden him adieu, set off for the colony in the hope of reaching it at an early hour in the afternoon.

Passed a village named Babuk, five or six versts from Georghievsk, which I understand is. inhabited by Abazas and Cabardians. It is a village of considerable extent and population; and being under the protection of the Russian government, it struck me, it might be an excellent station for some of our young missionaries to settle in for a time, in the view of acquiring the knowledge of the Cabardian language, and there preparing themselves for itinerating among that people, in the land of their fathers' sepulchres, between the present frontiers and the snowmountains, should external circumstances in the course of a few years render it practicable to do so in safety; and judging from certain movements which it is unnecessary to describe, such an event is not at all improbable.

About mid-day, came close to the right bank of the Podcuma, which at this place is precipitous, the soil of the contiguous rising ground having been here and there scooped out by the waters as they cut their way by a circuitous course through a narrow vale, bounded on the other side by the base of Berelik, a considerable mountain whose shape

bespoke it to be a secondary formation, though no strata were visible to confirm the hypothe sis. After passing a cardon, or out-post of Cozaks, we left the river on our left, and ascended a rising ground for an elevated range, the surface of which, for many versts, is nearly level, situated between the Podcuma and the Jamucha, a river which waters the vale of Karass east of the colony, and falls into the Cuma below Naiman village. In our progress along this elevated tract, with Beshtow right before us, Gilantow on the one hand, and the hot-water mountain on the other, we found ourselves in the centre of a delightful semicircular range; the summit of which was set off by the diversified figures of the mountains; in contemplating which, the eye was relieved by the scenery on the sides of an elevated ridge by which they were connected. The rock, which on Saturday struck the eye as the top of an obelisk or pyramid, immediately in advance of Gilantow, I now found to be united to another rock, which, at that time, was not sufficiently elevated to strike the eye; and its appearance, as a whole, was so modified, that I was as much indebt. ed to its position, as to its shape, for being able to recognize it as the same. Between this rock and Beshtow, there is still another hill, covered with wood to the top,