George Thomas Bettany, The World's Inhabitants (1888)

George T. Bettany (1850-1891) was British writer and scholar. Born at Penzance on 30 March 1850, he studied at Guy's Hospital and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was Tancred Student in Medicine, Foundation Scholar in Natural Science, and Shuttleworth Scholar. After graduating from London University in 1871, with first class honours in geology, he continued his studied at Cambridge, where he earned his bachelor's degree (bracketed third in first class of Natural Sciences Tripos) in 1873 and a master's degree in 1877. He lectured on biology at Girton and Newnham Colleges, Cambridge, and was lecturer on botany at Guy's Hospital from 1877 to 1886. He was a prolific writer, editing and writing over a dozen books ,and contributing several dozen entries to the "Dictionary of National Biography." In 1888, Bettany published one of his most popular books, "The World's Inhabitants," in which he endeavored to provide "a popular account of the races and nations of mankind, past and present." The work is filled with racial, religious and ethnic prejudices but is still noteworthy for what an average Englishman (or American, because the book was published in New York in 1889) could learn from it about Georgia and its peoples.

The Georgians are a group of tribes forming something much more like a nation than the other tribes we have spoken of, although even they include more than a score of allied peoples. The Georgians are by far the most numerous (about a million), inhabiting the lowlands south of the Caucasus and east of the Suram mountains. All the peoples of their kinship are collectively known as Kartvelian, their languages being termed Kartli.

A Georgian kingdom was founded in the time of Alexander the Great, and existed for over two thousand years. Early in the fourth century, the Georgians adopted Christianity, and at the end of the sixth, joined the Greek Church. In the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, they were frequently under the domination of the conquering Mahometans, who at various times enforced their religion upon them. Almost the whole history of Georgia is occupied with wars, and the resistance of invasions. The Mongols were among the most ruthless of their conquerors. Finally both Turks and Persians became such formidable enemies of this little people that the protection of the Russians was sought in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They passed at various subsequent periods under the sway of the Persians and Turks; but the country was finally annexed to Russia in 1801; Imeritia was annexed in 1810; and Gouria in 1829. Georgia is now included in the Russian governments [provinces] of Tiflis and Kutais.

The Georgians fully deserve their reputation for beauty. Abundant black hair, large eyes, clear skin, white teeth, Physical supple figures, and small hands are among their characters. characteristics. Their bright, often almost scarlet complexion is due to their immoderate use of wine. The women cannot be said to be as good-looking as the men, partly because of their unintellectual character. They are somewhat cold and unattractive-looking, notwithstanding their good features. On the whole, the Georgians are rather slovenly and dirty, but have considerable gaiety and sociability. They are passionately fond of singing and dancing. Although their gutturals and sibilants are by no means pleasing in song to Western ears, they sing all day long at their work, and in concerted arrangements. Fetes are numerous, and largely attended, some having a religious object and others a social one; but all being equally accompanied by music and dancing.

The Mingrelians and Imeritians are allied races, occupying the western side of the Suram mountains and the basins of the Rion and Ingur, inhabiting a rich and fertile country, with first-rate cattle; but the Mingrelian people, dwelling in the best regions, are the most indolent and unprosperous. They are very finely made, and include people of both dark and fair complexions, the former due to Arab and even negro intermixture. The Mingrelians long suffered under a despotic land system, the lords possessing both soil and workers, and even claiming the priests as serfs. Tyranny of the worst kind was habitually exercised by them, although naturally there were frequent revolts. It was little less than an insult for Russia to propose as a prince for Bulgaria, the descendant of one of the old tyrant lords of Mingrelia. Although serfdom is abolished, the people are not yet greatly elevated. Their diet is largely a kind of porridge; and their clothing is often little but a plain outer garment drawn in by a cord.

The Imeritians are the people occupying the more elevated regions above the Mingrelians. They are a hardier, more industrious, and more prosperous stock; and since their submission to the Russians, have made considerable progress. Having unfavourable conditions to contend with, they meet them vigorously.

The Khevsurians, a tribe of a few thousands, seated near the peak of Mount Borbalo, are a curiously mixed people, still savage in no little degree. They include a great variety of feature and figure, and are extremely lean, with large feet and hands, adapted to scaling their mountains, which they do very skilfully, even with heavy burdens. Many of their customs, as regards marriage, childbirth, burial, etc., recall some of the rudest Indian tribes. Although they have adopted Christianity, these people have introduced into it numerous heathen customs, worshipping the god of war, the mother of earth, the angel of the oak, etc. They keep Friday like the Mahometans, do not eat pork, worship sacred trees, and make offerings to the spirits of the earth and the air. Certain priests among them have duties like those of medicine men, exorcists, and witch-doctors, who do not fail to reap a rich harvest of reward. They are fond of rich garments, and still wear coats of mail and helmets, and a complete apparatus of protection, as well as guns and sabres for attack; this is due to the prevalence of blood revenge, and the constant danger of surprise.