and Asia, and the Gorge of Dariel is the gateway
in this wall through which have come almost all the migrating races
that have peopled the continent of Europe. As is well known, the
white peoples of Europe have been classified as the Caucasian race,
because they were all supposed to have passed through this gateway
originally. Apparently each of these oncoming waves of barbaric
humanity, bursting through the great gateway, must have left behind
some few remnants of their volume, for nowhere in the world, in so
limited an area, is there such a diversity and mixture of peoples.
In the words of one writer, who speaks with authority on this region,
the Caucasus is "an ethnological museum where the invaders of Europe,
as they traveled westward to be manufactured into nations, left
behind samples of themselves in their raw condition."

Here may be found the Georgians, who so long championed the Cross
against the Crescent, the wild Lesghians from the highlands of
Daghestan; the Circassians, famed for the beauty of their women;
Suanetians, Ossets, Abkhasians, Mingrelians, not to enumerate dozens
of other tribes and races, each speaking its own tongue. It is said
that over a hundred languages are spoken throughout this region;
seventy in the city of Tiflis alone.

The scenery of the mountains themselves is unparalleled in grandeur
except by the Himalayas and offers many a virgin peak to the ambitious
mountain climber. Here may be found the ibex, the stag, the wild
boar, the wild bull and an infinite variety of feathered game. The
animal life of the mountains has, in fact, become more abundant
of late years on account of the high charges for hunting licenses
fixed by the Russian Government. Wolves are so plentiful that in
severe winters they descend to the lowlands in great packs and
rob the flocks before the very eyes of the shepherds.

The most important mineral resources of the region are the oil
wells; here, in fact, around Batum, are situated some of the most
important oil fields in the world. Of manganese ore, an essential
of the steel industry, the Caucasus furnishes half of the world's
supply, which is exported from the two ports of Poti and Batum. Its
mineral wealth seems to be practically unlimited, copper, zinc, iron,
tin, and many other metals being found throughout the region, in
most cases in exceedingly rich deposits. The agricultural resources
are not so important, especially from a military point of view,
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