'Central Asia. Part V. A contribution towards the better knowledge of the History, Ethnography, Topography, and resources of part of Asiatic Turkey and Caucasia' [‎248] (263/360)

MIN
prinees and nobles: those of the latter class who are hereditary princes
(J)sinoki and Desinardi), have the rank of village Chiefs. The other
nobles (Sakur) have only sing-le estates and peasants. The princes and
nobles are virtually independent of the Dadian, rendering' him no tribute or
service, except that, upon the death of a father, the eldest son rides over
to the JJadian's Court, and presents himself as his new vassal. The landed
estates are all inherited by the eldest son, who shares with his brothers the
personal chattels, and gives the latter a dowry, which, in cases of dispute
is ixed by the arbitration of friends. The land is cultivated and used by
the peasants, who are properly required to pay only a tithe; the most arbi
trary oppression, however, prevails, the princes and nobles extorting from the
peasants as much as they possibly can : whether the latter are actual serfs is
not very clear. A peasant is at liberty to remove and change his master but
in doing so he is obliged to leave behind one-half of his property, 'if a
peasant steals away furtively, he may be reclaimed, but not after he has been
registered in another commune: and if he has resided thirty years un
disturbed in a place, he is free from any claim on him.
The Dadian has only the revenue derived from his own estates and the
dues paid by his peasants, who have nominally to give him nine roubles
banco on each farm; the peasants are, however, generally too poor to pav
this amount. 11J
Ihe princes and nobles are at liberty to sell their estates to one another
but not to any foreigner without the Dadian's consent. '
Ihere are few regular villages in Mingrelia, juerely here and there sino-le
and lonely farms. Every Mingrelian is free to settle where he pleases in
these primeval forests, he cuts or burns down a clearing in the woods builds
himselt a log-house of the trunks of trees, hedges in the farmstead, to
gether with a few acres for cultivation, and establishes his household The
dwellings are log-houses, thatched with maize straw: they have two opposite
doors, generally in the gable end, but no window or chimney. The interior
is occupied by a single apartment, with the hearth in the centre. There is
no furniture, although in the houses of the wealthier class may be seen
1 ersian or latar carpets.
The houses and farms-in Mingrelia generally consist of log-houses con
structed of cross beams laid one upon another. There is a door at each
gable-end of the building, and sometimes the gable projects five or six feet
resting upon pillars. Separate sheds are set apart for the cattle. The build
ings are all surrounded by a fenced enclosure, and there are generallv o-ourds
climbing up the walls, and trailing gracefully upon the roof
The residence of the Dadian at Sugdede is thus described by Van
1 laxthausen " The residence of the Prince of Mingrelia stands on a plateau
upon a hill, one side of which is covered down to the little vallev whence we
ascended, with about two hundred houses find small farms, inhabited bv
the attendants of the Court and Civil officers of the Prince. Upon the
other side of this eminence lies an open plain, with a number of fine old
trees in detached groups; and in the midst of it stands the palace of the
1 rince. But let not the reader be led by this high-sounding name to
oi m aii exaggerated idea of a residence which is quite an ordinary dwelling'
not at all superior to a common European country-house; a square box,
seventy feet long and thirty-five feet deep, with two stories, ten windows
in front and five on each side: the house is tiled, and the walls are white-
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