«At Tiflis you find specimens of all these races, and in the bazars you can hear all their languages spoken, with the addition of such extraneous tongues as Polish, German, French, Italian, Hindustani, Sart, and sometimes even Chinese. The observant stranger soon learns to recognize the main types — Georgians, Tartars, Armenians, Russians—but it takes long before he can distinguish the minor subdivisions of the human species here exhibited.

The Armenians are certainly the most conspicuous element of the population, and one comes across them in every walk of life.
If you go to a bank, to a money-changer, to a merchant’s counting-house, the proprietors, directors, and most of the employees will probably prove to be Armenians.

If you see any particularly large and handsome house and ask to whom it belongs, in nine cases out of ten “a rich Armenian ” will be the answer.

On the Duma, or town council, over three-quarters of the members are Armenians, and they control all the commercial activity of the town. One has but to walk down the chief streets to see that the names over all the chief shops and of the most important firms are Armenian. They may end in -off or in -eff—Kalan-taroff, Oganjanoff, Mantasheff, Gukassoff, &c.—but they are merely Russified forms of Kalantarian, Ogandjanian, Mantashiantz, Gukassiantz.

The best lawyers, doctors, and journalists are Armenians, and until lately one found them even in the Government offices.»

LUIGI VILLARI

(1876 – 1959)

An Italian historian, traveler and diplomat. Author of number of books including Russia under the Great Shadow; Italian Foreign Policy under Mussolini; The Liberation of Italy, 1943-1947; etc.

http://www.girls.am/italian-historian-luigi-villari-about-total-armenian-domination-of-tiflis.html

The full version of the book:
http://armenianhouse.org/villari/caucasus/fire-and-sword.html