CIRCASSIAN BEAUTIES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2147, 8 January 1891, Page 1

CIRCASSIAN BEAUTIES.

Mr J. Guthrie Watson writes from the Constitutional Club, Northumberand Avenue, to the Standard on the subject of Circassian beauties. He takes as bis text the somewhat common opinion that the whole of the Caucasus abounds in lovely women. This notion i»y he saya all a mistake. What are called Circassian beauties are to be found not far from Batoum, in the towns and neighborhood! of Akbaltaig, Oaergetti, and Loogdidi (very small villages and so-called towns.) They are alio to be found! in the North of the Caucasus, about Anapa and the small villages extending from that town to Jjochi on tbe coast; but they are not beauties at all, and I can assure you that nine men out of ten would travel through those districts without noticing them. They are moatly peor peasant girls. They have lovely eyes, but without any expression. Up to the age of fourteen they have uioe features, but after that age they become coarselooking indeed. Some have fair hair, and some dark, and generally long and plenty of it. Xt was from the neighborhood of Loogdidi that the Sultan originally procured girls for his harem. Of course, we sometimes hear of one or two extraordinary beauties in that part of the world,"such as " Baroness Klara vonder Decklar, of Tiflis ;" but such women are only beautiful to the native eye. Europeans find nothing about them to admire. Among children in the moutains round Notauchi (about thirl y miles from Batoum) I have seen little girls of twelve to fourteen years of age with nice features and nice eyes, but, as I have said before, without any expression

in them. At the age of thirteen to fourteen they marry, and at twenty »re more like women of forty in appearance. lam well acquainted with theCaucsus (particularly that portion known as Circassia) arid in my opinion the reputation of Circassia'for beautiful women is entirely Lndeserved.