This work was first published in 1840. The eastern Black Sea region of Circassia was a focus not only for the rivalries of the western Allied Powers against Russia, but also for the machinations of the Ottoman Empire and Persia. The Russians had subjugated Circassia by 1808 but, faced by Allied interest in local instability and unrest, Russia imposed a blockade on the coast that ran from 1836 to 1839. Having already made one expedition to Circassia, J. S. Bell was a natural choice as British legate to the region. Although an astute observer of the delicate interplay between the Great Powers, in reality there was little politics for an Englishman to get safely involved in. He therefore had time to reacquaint himself with the land and the people, taking the opportunity to write a vibrant, in-depth account of his stay.
