Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/617

CIRCASSIA CIRCEII 605 minations, as se slauguo, I see; tfslauguge, I saw ; a 1 slauguaga, I have seen ; ttslauguno se shite, I shall see ; slauguner, to see. The early history of Circassia is little known, especially that of the eastern part. The peo- ple appear in history under different names, as the Zyges of Strabo, the Zuchi of Adrian, the Cercetse of Pliny, and the Siraks in the middle ages. Conquered by Mithridates, the country passed on his overthrow into the hands of the Romans, under the name of Zichia ; but the sovereignty of the emperors was merely nominal. In the 5th century it was subjugated by the Huns, and later by the Khazars. In the 9th century the Circassians made a fruit- less effort to regain their independence ; after which they separated into two bands, one go- ing to the south of the Caucasus, near Persia, then occupied by the Arabs ; the other to the lower Don, whence they subsequently return- ed. After the overthrow of the empire of the Khazars, Circassia became subject first to the Seljuks, and then to Georgia, whose queen, Tamar, is said to have introduced Christianity. In the early part of the 13th century it was con- quered by the Mongols under Batu Khan ; and at the end of the 14th it was devastated by Tam- erlane, who compelled the people to embrace Is- lamism. In the 16th century the khans of the Crimea, as successors of the Mongol emperors, claimed the sovereignty over Circassia ; but in 1560 the czar Ivan Vasilevitch, who had mar- ried the daughter of a Circassian prince, sent an army to the assistance of his father-in- law. After Ivan's death the Circassians sub- mitted to the khans of the Crimea; but in con- sequence of the exactions and outrages of the j Tartar officials, they revolted about 1705, mas- j sacred the tax collectors, defeated a Tartar army sent against them, and made an alliance with the Turkish sultan. By the peace of Bel- grade (1739) the Circassians were declared inde- pendent. In 1781 Russia acquired the Kuban border, and in 1784 the Turks built the fort- ress of Anapa, and thence stirred up the Cir- cassians against Russia. Anapa was captured by the Russians in 1807, but was restored to the Turks at the peace of Bucharest in 1812. The Turks availed themselves of the quiet which followed to convert the Circassians to Islamism. In 1829 Anapa again fell into the hands of Russia, which by the treaty of Adri- anople, of the same year, also acquired all the Turkish possessions on the coast. The Circas- sians refused to recognize the cession of their country by the Turks, and began the obstinate struggle for independence which made their name famous, and in which they were joined by the Lesghians, Tchetchentches, and others, succumbing, however, in the end. In 1856 a Circassian deputation was sent to Constanti- nople to implore Turkish protection. In 1862 a deputation arrived at London, and presented to the queen a memorial protesting against the action of Russia and the authority of Turkey to cede their country. During a visit of the emperor Alexander II. to the Caucasus in 1863, he was waited upon by a delegation of Circas- sians, who asked to be left in possession of their territory, promising to live on terms of peace and amity with the Russians. The em- peror refused to accede to their request, and offered them the alternative between emigra- tion beyond the Kuban and a continuation of hostilities. They chose the latter ; but being unable to resist the superior strength and dis- cipline of the Russians, in the following year there was a great emigration of about 200,000 persons into Turkey. The Russian govern- ment sent vessels to transport them, and fur- nished them with provisions as long as they were on the Russian shore. (See CAUCASUS.) CIRCE, in Greek mytholbgy, a sorceress, daughter of Helios and Perse, and married to a prince of Colchis, whom she murdered. Expelled by his subjects, she was transported by her father to the island of ^Effia, off the coast of Italy, where she was sojourning when Ulysses touched there. While the hero con- tinued in his ship, he sent some of his followers to pay their respects to the sovereign of ^Eaea, and to solicit refreshments for himself and his crew. Circe received them with apparent hospitality, causing food and wine to be set before them. All ate and drank freely save Eurylochus, and all save he were presently metamorphosed into swine. Eurylochus re- turned to the ship, and reported to Ulysses what had befallen his companions. Ulysses, who had been rendered proof against enchant- ment by an herb which he had received from Mercury, hastened to the palace of Cifce sword in hand, and compelled the sorceress to restore his followers to their former state. She fell in love with Ulysses, who lived one whole year with her, and she bore him two sons. Before Ulysses left her, Circe recommended him to descend into Hades and consult Tiresias, the seer, in regard to the future. Upon his return from his visit to Tiresias, Circe received him and his followers kindly, explained to them how to avoid the dangers that were before them, and then dismissed them. CIRCEII, an ancient city of Latium, situated at the N. .foot of Mons Circeius (now the mountain promontory. Circello), near the sea, 55 m. S. E. of Rome. It was colonized by the Romans in the reign of Tarquin the Proud, who deemed its situation advantageous for commerce, and also wished to make it a bul- wark against the Volscians. It is mentioned among the conquests of Coriolanus, and soon after fell into the hands of the Volscians, but was reconquered by the Romans. Circeii subsequently revolted from Rome, joined the Volscians, succeeded in establishing its inde- pendence, appeared as one of the cities of the Latin league at the outbreak of the great Latin war in 340 B. C., and furnished one of the two praetors who commanded the whole nation. It appears again among the 30 Latin colonies in the second Punic war, but from