We embarked in Lezgian boats with an escort of two hundred men, and, trusting in the Lord, sailed from the harbour of Trebisonde to the north. The station of Menzil Degermen Deressí is near Trebisonde, and is a large harbour. From thence we sailed northward to Shána where there is a harbour called Rútha. The forests are principally hazel, the nuts of which are everywhere famous. At the end of some miles from this place we arrived at the castle of Súrmena, built by the infidel Greeks, and conquered by Mohammed II. from whom it was taken by Hersek-oghlí; there is a Súbashí, a judge with an income of one hundred and fifty aspers, a Dizdár and a garrison; it has an excellent harbour sheltered against the wind from all quarters except the north-west, but when the wind blows from that quarter three or four anchors are required to enable ships to ride in safety. The district of Mahnúz consists of sixty villages belonging to Trebisonde, the whole mountain is covered with box-trees, the wood of which is made into handles for spoons. There is the large village Kalipravúlí, whose inhabitants are all Chíchú, and the large place of Khobán on the seashore, surrounded with gardens; the inhabitants of which are Lezgians. The strong town of Konia in the sanjak Batúm belonging to Trebisonde has thirteen ziámets and seventy-two timárs, the militia is ruled by a Cherí-bashí and Alaï-Beg, who in war time commands eight hundred men, three hundred are the Páshá’s private troop; the garrison of the fortresses on the frontier consist of a Dizdár and five hundred men. The judge has a salary of one hundred and fifty aspers, but his revenues are _in partibus_, because the inhabitants are all Chíchú Lezgís, who can only be controlled at the point of the lance. The revenues of the judge may amount to one thousand, those of the Beg to seven thousand piastres; the castle originally built by the Infidels, stands on a high square hill, it was conquered by Mohammed II. and has been many times plundered by the Cossacks. The houses are faced with brick, as are also the mosque and kháns. It lies on the river Júrúgh, the spelling of this word is corrupted from Júí-rúh, which rises in the mountains of Jánkha-Kawilí-hissár and Shín-kara on the west side of Erzerúm, passes through Baiburd, waters the country of the Lezgians, and enters the Black Sea near the castle of Konia. It has neither ferry nor bridge, but is a river like a sea, covered with many thousand Lezgian boats, trading on this river to Mingrelia with salt, iron, and different sorts of linen, and bringing box, wax, honey, with slaves of both sexes, from Mingrelia and Georgia to Trebisonde. From Konia we advanced to the north, and only disembarked at the place Kemerler, then entered the river Júrúgh, and sailed eastward for one day. _Description of Mingrelia._