KARS, a fortified town of Armenia, formerly at the head of a sandjak in the Turkish vilayet of Erzeroum, but since 1878 the centre of a territory attached to the Russian governor-generalship of the Caucasus. It is situated in 40° 36' 52" N. lat. and 43° 5' 76" E. long., 30 miles south-west of Alexandropol (Gumri) and 130 miles north-east of Erzeroum, on the eastern end of a spur of the Soghanli Dagh, the site of the town proper being cut off from the rest of the range by the Kars Tchai, a sub-tributary of the Araxes. There are three considerable suburbs—Orta Kapi to the south, Bairam Pasha to the east, and Timur Pasha on the western side of the river. To the south-eastward opens up a vast plain. Owing to the bareness of the dark basalt hills, and the sombre colour of the buildings, a touch of melancholy mingles with the picturesqueness of the view. At the north-west corner of the town, overhanging the river, rises the ancient citadel (the Itch Kaleh of the Turks), which in earlier times was a strong military post, but is now of almost no moment in a regular siege, being commanded completely by several of the surrounding eminences. The value of the position depends on the line of forts, and even this is greatly diminished by the fact that they are disposed in a circuit of about 10 miles round the town. Of chief importance are the works on the Kara Dagh heights to the north-east and the line on the heights above the left bank of the river. The population of Kars was at one time estimated at 40,000; but, according to Baron von Seidlitz, it had in 1878 only 8672 inhabitants (including 7330 Turks, 1191 Armenians, 138 Greeks)....

KARSHI, an important town of Central Asia, the centre of a begship dependent on Bokhara. It is situated about 85 miles south-south-west of Samarkand, in a vast plain at the junction of two of the main confluents of the Kashkadarya, a river which, though fed by numerous mountain streams, soon loses itself in the sands. It is a large and straggling place, with a circuit of 5 miles, and the population within the walls amounts to 25,000. There are three colleges, with accommodation for upwards of three hundred students. The Biki mosque is a fine building inlaid with blue and white tiles. All the ordinary houses are built of clay, but they are often two stories high. Along the river stretches a fine public promenade sheltered by clumps of poplars. Round the town lie gardens and fields watered from wells. Poppies and tobacco are both largely grown, the tobacco being deemed the best in Central Asia. There is also a considerable trade in grain; but the commercial prosperity of Karshi is mainly due to the fact that it is a meeting point for the roads from Samarkand, Bokhara, Hissar, Balkh, and Maimene, and serves as the mercantile centre for the surrounding steppes, the market where horses are obtained for the caravans, and where the Turkomans and Uzbegs dispose of the products of their camps (carpets, seats, &c.). The knives and weapons manufactured in Karshi are known as far as Persia and Arabia, and its coppersmiths turn out excellent work.