Kunz
GEORGE FREDERICK, an KURLAND in Asia Minor by way of Diarbekr, Sulimanieh, Kermanshah and Urmia (in Persia), Mount Ararat, and Erzerûm, back to Sivas. Kurdistan thus belongs to both the Turkish and Persian monarchies, chiefly to the former, and contains about 50,000 square miles, with a population estimated at more than
2,250,- 000, thus distributed: Nearly
1,500,000 in Turkey, 700,000 in Persia, 45,000 in Russian Transcaucasia, and about 5,000 on the Afghano-Persian frontier (transplanted thither by Nadir Shah). The country embraces the mountainous chains that abut upon the Armenian plateau on the S. and on the Iranian plateau on the E. Thus its surface ranges from 5,000 up to 15,000 feet in soil and of native industry are wool, butaltitude. The principal products of the ter, sheep, gum, gall-nuts, hides, raisins, and tobacco. are American gem expert; born in New York City, Sept. 29, 1856; was educated at Cooper Union, receiving an honorary A. M. at Columbia University; 3rd vicepresident of Tiffany & Co. since 1879. The bulk of the inhabitants are Kurds He became a special agent of the United nomad and pastoral, and partly settled (the ancient Carduchi), a race partly States Geological ical Survey in 1883; was in and agricultural. The Kurds speak a charge of the department of mines at language called Kermanji, derived from the Omaha, Atlanta, World's Columbian an old Persian dialect. They and Paris Expositions ; was president of predatory and impatient of political the New York Mineralogical Club and subjection, but recognize a code of rude vice-president of the American Institute chivalrous honor and of Mining Engineers, etc. Author of and brave. They live under chiefs are hospitable "Gems and Precious Stones of North of their own, but are nominally subject America"; annual reports on the "Pro- to the Porte and the Shah of Persia duction of Precious Stones ," in "Mineral respectively. Their origin is traced back Resources of the United States ," etc., to the Turanian Gutu or Kurdu, who and over 200 papers on gems and minerals in magazines and reviews. Dec- times. The great Saladin was of Kurdwere a powerful people in Assyrian orated by France, Germany, and Japan. ish descent. In 1880 an extensive Kurder), one of the series of strata which The chief towns are Bitlis, Van, Urumia, ish rising against Persia took place. shef' ish rising against Persia took place. make up the "Dyas" type of the Permian Diarbekr, and Kermanshah. Estimates System as it is developed in Germany. of population give
1,500,000 to 2,500,000 The bed consists of black bituminous to the Turkish portion, and from 400,000 KUPFERSCHIEFER shale, about two feet thick, abundantly charged with well-preserved remains of various fish, coniferous leaves, fruits, etc.