beauty either in feature, figure, or costume to recommend him, but nevertheless there is a peculiar attraction, humorous rather than ornamental perhaps, about the squat, narrow-eyed tribesman, in his ragged clothes and absurd papak or enormous hat of ragged wool. To attempt, during a short stay in the country, to unravel the complicated tribal system of the race is an impossibility, so one must deal with him merely as he appears as an item of the crowd, in his baggy trousers, and blue cotton coat with its outstanding pleated skirt, and his ridiculous head - gear mentioned above. In Tiflis he is everywhere: here driving a string of lanky camels with their clanging bells of brass and copper; here sitting silently smoking his kalyan water pipe-in one of the painted and carved balconies of the many caravanserais in the oriental quarter of the town; there, again, purchasing a bundle of European goods to take away with him and trade in his native steppes. of oriental peoples must be added the Russian soldier, stolid and upright, well-fed and well- uniformed, polite and religious, doffing his cap to the ikons at the street corners, the very picture of health and courage. Nor is the Russian the sole type of the army of the empire, for the mounted Cossacks, mud - bespattered and none too tidy, canter

And to this picture

their ponies up and down the streets, setting out for, or arriving from, some outlying station or distant town and of them, with their absolute indifference to food and temperature, one cannot form too high an opinion. Scatter these varied races on the streets of Tiflis, add types of all the wild tribes of the Caucasus, with a sprinkling of officers in uniform and well - dressed ladies, and can obtain some idea of the appearance of the inhabitants of the town.

one

As to the city itself a few words must be said. The principal street is the Dvartzovaya-oulytza, or Palace Street a wide boulevard, in which are situated not only the palace of the Governor-General, but also the handsome new opera - house, the as yet unfinished cathedral, and most of the best shops. And it is when one finds such streets as these in an Asiatic town that one commences to realise the immense organising and absorbing power of Russian government, that can, in a region so far removed, and connected directly neither by rail nor sea with the fatherland, raise up a city that rivals, in this street at least, any capital of Europe. Nor is it difficult to solve the problem, for ask where one will and of whom one will, to whom the prosperity not only of Tiflis but also of the whole of Transcaucasia is owing, the reply will be the same—

to the Grand Duke Michael, brother of the Czar Nicholas II., who for eighteen years held the Viceroyalty of this vast province, and for whose return the inhabitants have never ceased to pray. Every reform, every road and railway, every school and hospital-in fact, all that is good in the country-owes its origin to this Prince of Progress and Civilisation.

The palace is a handsome building of great size, which, while possessing perhaps no great architectural beauty, is amply suited to its purpose, and cannot fail to impress not only the native of the country, but also the civilised traveller, with the magnificence of the Russian Court. Within it is gorgeously decorated: great clusters of palms, innumerable glass chandeliers, and a quantity of gold paint, give it the most brilliant appearance, a fit setting for the georgeous semi - European, semioriental-crowds that flock its salons on reception nights. Next to the palace stands the new cathedral, now nearly completed. It is built in Byzantine style, much gilded and bedomed, and though perhaps a trifle gaudy, seems exactly suited to the place and climate. It is a building of great size, and forms already the handsomest and most magnificent structure in the town. Not far from this spot is the excellent museum-which, again, is entirely owing to Russian influence - where can be seen a remark