Persia and the Persians ... Illustrated

Front matter

PERSIA AND THE PERSIANS AUmic Pukljsljirj. & EnSrsv,n8 ' y vr 4^* /v^-^'-*-** ------- *— _. PERSIA AND THE PERSIANS BY S. G. W. BENJAMIN LATELY minister of the UNITED STATES TO PERSIA MEMBER OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE, OR PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, ETC ILLUSTRATED LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 1887 All rights reserved TO MY WIFE, WHOSE ASSISTANCE AND COMPANIONSHIP ADDED TO THE ATTRACTIONS AND DIVIDED THE DIFFICULTIES OF -Establishing tbe ILcgation in Persia.

Preface

TN the winter of 1882-1883 the author was appointed by -*- President Arthur to the Legation in Persia, just created by Act of Congress. In 1885, with the accession of the Dem ocratic party to power, he returned to private life, in accordance with the practice of the diplomatic service of the United States. The experiences connected with the establishment and conduct of the Legation at Teheran suggested the present volume.. Notwithstanding that the preface is usually the portion of a book that is least read, the writer ventures to call attention here to two or three points in connection with this volume. Certain portions of it have already appeared in " Harper's Monthly," the "Century Magazine," and the "Manhattan Maga zine," and are republished now by the courtesy of the pub lishers of those periodicals.

But these parts have not only been greatly modified, they also represent only a small propor tion of the entire work, of which fully five sixths now appear in print for the first time. A feature to which the author has given special attention has been the pronunciation of Oriental words. The question of accent in Asiatic languages has never been sufficiently un derstood and appreciated, even by scholars and experts in

PREFACE.

. VIII comparative linguistics. Our pronouncing gazetteers, prepared expressly to teach the pronunciation of foreign words, are found to be ludicrously defective and misleading when they undertake to instruct in the pronunciation and accentuation of Oriental names. Continental Europeans generally seize the distinctive features of Oriental pronunciation ; but the author remembers scarce any Englishmen or Americans, however thoroughly versed in the construction of Turkish or Persian, whose pronunciation could be accepted as either natural or correct, excepting such as were born abroad. In those languages the tendency is to throw the accent forward towards or on the final syllable, with strong emphasis, while in the English language the accent is thrown back as far as possible, — that principle being also followed with all foreign words when incorporated into English usage ; as for example, Paris for Paree ; Soc'rates for Socrates ; Mar'garet for Marguerite.

How different the Persian tongue would sound if accented in the English way is shown if we alter the accent in certain English words. Notice the difference between cathe' dral and cathedral ; architecture and architecture ; Washington and Waskingtone. An American pronounces the Persian words imam and zade, imam and za'de ; Alee, A'li ; eloiilek, dow'lah ; Eran, Fran. In the present work Persian names and words have been printed with an accent, usually a circumflex, over the syllable which is actually accented by the Persians themselves, who of course are the ones who know best how their own langTiao.e should be pronounced. The letter i when found in Turkish and Persian words should invariably be pronounced like e.

PREFACE.

. IX The long % sound does not exist in those languages except approximately, as in the diphthong ai. Ali should be pro nounced Alee, In several instances the author has substituted e for i in well-known words, while in others he has preferred to leave the i rather than appear singular or cause misunder standing, — as in the case of the geographical word Enzeli, properly pronounced Enzelee ; or the name of the famous poet Saadi, pronounced Sdadee. The use of i in the spelling of Oriental words where e, for those employing the English language, would more correctly represent the actual pronunciation, is an anomaly that can be accounted for only on the ground that the Latins preceded the Anglo-Saxons in the East, and with them i is always e. But in retaining the Latin orthography we forget that i in the Continental languages never has the long I sound peculiar to the English tongue.

The letter a when found in Oriental words has the sound of a in father, but never the broad a, sound of English. Very rarely it has the sound of a in nascent; as for example, Nasr ul-Mulk, pronounced like a in father, and Nasr-ul-Mulk, with the a as in nascent. In Persian the difference is represented by a difference in the spelling ; but in English it would be difficult to represent it. The author was led to observe these discrepancies when living in the Levant in early life, and subsequent observation and reflection have confirmed him in his conclusions regarding Oriental orthography, pronunciation, and accentuation. In closing his remarks on this subject, it may be well to add that the letter h, when found in Oriental words in this volume, is not X

PREFACE.

. a silent letter, but should be pronounced as a soft guttural, — strongly in the middle of a word, and suggestively when it is a terminal. The h in Mahdee is strong, and soft in the terminal h of Shah. A curious fact connected with the Persian language is also found in the frequent interchangeableness of a and u ; Mazanderan is likewise pronounced Mazaneleroon ; Ispahan, Ispeikoon ; namad, numood ; Nasr-ed-Deen, Nusr-eel-Deen. For merly the use of the latter sound seems to have been more common ; but at present the a sound is considered more ele gant, and is gradually superseding the other, although the use of the latter cannot be considered incorrect The ear should be practised before the eye in learning a foreign tongue, ex actly as a child acquires its native language. In two or three instances certain facts mentioned in these. pages wdiich had a double application have been repeated twice in successive chapters, when such repetition tended to emphasize the subject in question or was essential to a clear statement.

A few words may be added in explanation of the freedom of opinion in which the author has occasionally indulged. During the period of his official service he had no opinions on public questions which he felt at liberty to formulate in either words or acts. Three departments of government should be entirely independent of party, — the military, the judiciary, and the diplomatic. The position of a diplomatist should be that of absolute impartiality towards all foreign nations and governments in time of outward peace, and strictly colorless with respect to politics at home. He represents and protects the interests of his entire country abroad ; and to do so properly.

PREFACE.

. XI must deport himself towards all foreigners in such a way as not to prejudice the interests under his charge. His motto should be, " Patriotism ; firmness tempered by tact ; and watch fulness and zeal guided by reticence, secrecy, and reserve." The last three terms may seem tautological, yet each represents a different shade of meaning, and all are of the first importance in successful diplomacy. While near the Court of Persia it was the earnest endeavor of the author to follow these precepts. But now that he is no longer in official service, he is free to give some expression to opinions based on practical experience. He has therefore exercised that liberty at times, when to do so would not be inex pedient for the public interests, nor conflict with the secrecy of official transactions, nor the honor which imposes reticence regarding confidential conversations.

S. G. W. B. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. From the Euxine to the Threshold op Persia .... 1 II. From EnzelI to Teheran 24 III. Physical Aspects of Persia 43 IV. The City of Teheran 56 V. Country Seats in the Shimran 110 VI. The Different Eaces of Persia 128 VII. Conditions of Service in Persia 149 VIII. Nasr-ed-Deen Shah and the Eoyal Family 174 IX. Sketch of Several of the Leading Officers of the Persian Government 220 X. Mountaineering in Persia 237 XI. A Glance at the Arts of Persia 271 XII. Religious and Philosophical Sects of Persia .... 338 XIII. The Sheahs and the Tazieh ; or Passion-Play of Persia 365 XIV. Resources, Products, and Trade of Persia 407 XV. The Shahr and the Urf ; or the Laws of ' • • 438 XVI. Nooks and Corners of Persia 457 XVII. The Political Situation in Persia LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE Relic of Persian Architecture at Bak(s 17 A Pavilion of the Shah at Enzeli 25 Residence of the Valee at Rescht 33 Village between Koodoom and Casbeen 40 Teheran and the Range of the Shimran 50 Mausoleum at Rhei 58 Pilgrims at the Tomb of Shah AbdOl Azeem 61 Southern Gate of the Ark 67 Weighing Merchandise in a Caravansary at Teheran .... 75 Audience Chamber of his Majesty Nasr-ed-Deen Shah .... 79 Examples of Persian Work in Brass 83 An Itinerant Barber 85 Gateway and Avenue leading to the Palace 91 A Confectionery ; on the Left is a Baker vending Bread . . 95 A WELL-KNOWN HOLY MENDICANT OF TEHERAN ........ 97 Persian Woman in Street Costume, the Veil drawn aside . . 106 Kasr-i-Khajar 108 A Portico at Bagh FerdAze 113 Arajeb, looking North 119 Kamaranii.h, Country Seat of the Naib Sultan_.h LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE Guebre Cemetery at Teheran 131 A Persian nomad Woman 136 Zil-i-Sultan I40 Strolling Musicians, with dancing Monkeys 150 Pavilion at the Ark, called the Shams-el-Immaret 157 Indoor Costume of Persian Women . 171 Nasr-ed-Deen Shah 177 Pavilion where the Shah gives an Audience at No Rooz . . . 183 Musaffar-ed-Deen Mirza, Crown Prince of Persia ..... 189 Anderoon of the Royal Palace, Teheran 203 Marble Throne of the Shah of Persia 223 A Village Santon 239 Old Bridge at Gelandevek 247 The Tachtravan in the Aftcha Pass 253 Mount Demavend from the Camp in the Lar Valley .... 258 A Young Mollah 262 People of Aftcha 265 Old Plane-Tree at Gelandevek 270 Old Nasch Writing. (Reduced one-half.) 277 Old Kashee Ware 284 Reflet Tile, over 450 years old 287 Example of Writing by A'Mir. (Reduced one-half.) 290 Old Cufic Writing.

(Reduced two-thirds.) 294 Old Mural Painting of Tiles from Palace of Shah Abbass . . 301 Old Kalian of Chiselled Brass 311 Bronze Cast of old Persian Tile, representing Rustem and the Deeves LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XVII PAGE Old Persian Mirror-Case — Exterior 327 Cover of Persian Mirror-Case — Interior 328 Old Silver Pitcher, with Enamel in Three Colors. (One half height of original.) 333 Example of old Persian Keramic Mosaic 337 A Persian Village Mosque 347 A Guebre 357 Small House of Prayer and Minaret 363 The Takieh, or Royal Theatre . 373 Mirza Gholam Hossein as Abbass 391 A Persian Blacksmith 431 A Persian Water-Carrier 460 INDEX 497 Note. — The Illustrations on pages 75, 85, 106, 150, 171, are fron. Harper's Magazine, by the kind permission of the publishers.

Chapter I. From The Euxine To The Threshold Of Persia

IT was a fair morning in May when onr steamer glided towards the haven of Trebizond. On the right were the high thinly settled hills of Asia Minor, deeply cloven by purple gorges draped with perennial verdure. Up the steep slopes rolling clouds arose, sun-smitten, revealing the venerable Bvzantine church of Santa Sophia standing alone on a cliff, and the red roofs and gray walls of an ancient town peeping* through dense masses of foliage. Xenophon and the Ten Thousand finished their retreat at Trebizond. It was the capital of a division of the lower Empire. For ages it was the port for the caravans moving to Persia and the vast, mvsterious regions of Central Asia. But what traveller now thinks of visiting Trebizond, or the southeastern shores of the Black Sea? The Euxine has labored under the misfortune of havino. few good harbors on the southern side ; this has resulted to the advantage of Russia, which owns the whole of the northern and eastern shore, as also the best ports.

It is not so long ago since Trebizond was an emporium for the Circassian slave-trade. An old-time reminiscence may be observed in the curious lighters which sweep up over the rollers towards the steamer. They are identical in form with the Greek gal leys of ancient times, and are undoubtedly a direct perpetu ation of ancient naval architecture, of which only one other instance probably exists at the present day : I refer to the fish ing galleys of Lisbon. Over the stern of these boats of Tre- © © J bizond swings the long oar-like rudder, moved by a standing helmsman. The city itself is composed of winding lanes, which are excessively narrow but not uncleanly, for the steep slope and the frequent rains are favorable to a result uncommon in Eastern cities. The houses are not visible until one passes the gate of the high wall surrounding' the grounds. © © © O Each dwelling stands in a garden of mulberry, pomegranate, and linden trees, interwoven with luxuriant vines.

The gates are so low that one must stoop to enter, — a precaution adopted in stormier times, when a man's house was often also his fortress. The commander of the garrison, a Turk of the old regime, touched by a love of Nature more innate in the Oriental than in his more civilized brother of the West, had planted a small flower-garden on the brow of the cliff, where a battery frowned grimly over the sea. He was about to start for a ride into the country when we were announced. With characteristic cour tesy the old gentleman dismounted, and invited us to partake of the customary refreshments in his garden. The morning was serene, and a more delightful spot could hardly be imagined on which to take a thimbleful of Turkish coffee and a pipe of Stamboulee. Below, a group of idle coasters, curiously carved and painted, floated languidly on the glassy swell of the port, each repeated in the costal mirror on which it was poised.

Beyond, the broad expanse of the placid Euxine spread towards the north, and behind us beetled the bold precipices of Mai Tepe. With the approach of evening a new revelation of splendor was granted. Bursting suddenly forth from the clouds when dipping below the verge of the sea, the red sun bathed the city with indescribable glory, that seemed to penetrate into the most hidden recesses of the town ; while from the vapory region of the northeast the evening splendor brought forth the vast pin nacled ranges of the Caucasus, whose eternal snows, hued with rose, were ineffably sublime, extending around half the area of the horizon. When the sun disappeared, the mountains of Circassia also retired and were seen no more. There Prome theus was chained, and there during all succeeding ages the human soul has struggled and suffered.

But the radiance of another life is needed to reveal the tragic grandeur of this ever-repeated and relentless torment on the crags of destiny, and give a solution and an end to the pangs of existence. The following day at dawn, cleaving the foam across the quivering gleam of the morning star, our steamer glided into the port of Batoum, eighty miles east of Trebizond. This was the best harbor the Osmanlee held on the southern coast ; there fore the Russian coveted and took it. The wheel of fortune turns for all ; but the misery is that many linger after the wheel has turned the last time in their favor. Seven years ago the Turks held the place. Now the Turks are seen no more at Batoum. Its Moslem inhabitants have emigrated to Nicomedia, where their government has given them lands ; but many died on the hard journej-.

In the sweeping execration awarded to the Turk by Christendom, it seems to have been forgotten that Turks have rights and feelings no less than other races. Also, that in the exercise of sway it is an incontrovertible fact that they have been no more cruel than were the races they sub jugated in their turn. The Turkish side of the story has never been told. It is wilfully ignored that if the right of the Turk to the territory he holds is no better, it is also no worse, than the right of any other power in Europe, — the territorial right of the sword, the right of the mightier, which has always ruled. Is there any appreciable amount of territory in Europe held by any other tenure f Only some nations have held theirs longer than Turkey, and have been nominal Christians ! I am not an unreasoning philo-Turk, but I earnestly believe in justice to all.

It is well also to remember that every question has two sides. There is a grand pathos in the bearing of the Saracen and the Turk when retiring from territory which they have held for ages. This lofty phase of Oriental character has been well suggested by our historians, when describing the conquest of Spain from the Moors. The same tragedy is being enacted in Turkey to-day. Unlike other people, when conquered, the Turks scorn to remain under the rule of the victor ; they retire like refluent waves. Thus it was after the liberation of Greece ; thus after the capture of Roumania by the Russians ; and thus it has been at Batoum. The Turks, who were there for four hun dred years, are gone. So it was when, after an age of terrible warfare and cruelty, Russia subdued the Caucasus : the Cir cassians disdained to remain.

A whole nation emigrated, in the face of obstacles which cost them nearly half a million of lives. Were it not for the malaria that lurks by its lovely river, Batoum would be a spot greatly to be sought for its extraordi nary beauty. The Russians are rapidly erecting modern buildings near the quays, but the old town is a mere huddle of dilapidated one-story houses and shops, whose aspect is relieved b)>r here and there a crumbling minaret or the two-story mansion of a Turkish magnate of yore, lifting its mossy roof of red tiles and its painted upper-story above a wild wood of greenerv ; the chattering stork has usurped the place of the muezzin, the sound of vvdiose musical summons no more floats over the bay. But what language can portra}^ the beauty and grandeur of the mountains which enclose this ancient town ?

Clad with pri meval verdure, they spring abruptly from the sea, and through tremendous canyons show you the higher ranges inland, terminating in spearlike peaks crowned with eternal snow. Two rivers descend from these snows, well stored with fish ; the angler who seeks the mountain depths can easily find capital sport with the rod, and return with a fine mess of brook trout. But with all their seeming tranquillity, there is a spiteful spirit lurking in the gorges of Batoum. For be the day ever so calm, it is liable to be darkened in a few moments by a violent gust from the mountains. Immediately the sea becomes black and threshed with foam. The high-prowed, lateen-rigged coast ers, creeping idly around the point where the new lighthouse stands, are suddenly electrified into a spasm of activity.

The great yards are lowered, and under close reefs the saucy little craft careen into the harbor and make a lee out of the squall. About the time one makes up his mind that a long storm has set in, the sun bursts forth, the clouds disappear, and a rainbow arches the glittering glaciers of the serried peaks of Circassia. A railway has recently been completed from Batoum to Tiflis. Freight trains were running when I was first there, but as the road was not officially opened, I was unable to avail myself of the advantages it so temptingly held forth. Near Batoum the railway runs through a long tunnel. By an absurd error in calculation the tunnel was made insufficiently high for the pas sage of the cars, and it was actually necessary to lower the base before it could be used. Until the capture of Batoum the Rus sians held only one available point of debarkation for goods and passengers bound to the Transcaucasus, — that is, Poti, at the mouth of the River Phasis.

Large sums were expended to fit it for the purpose, and when all had been done, what a wretched substitute for a port it proved to be ! In summer it is accessible to small craft, and then only with a smooth sea and a leading wind, and in winter it is altogether unapproachable. Our steamer lost an anchor at Batoum, and much time was wasted in seeking to recover it. After several days of waiting, not unpleasantly passed under the very agreeable auspices of Admiral Gravier and a number of Russian notables, who ex tended to us the hospitalities of the place, we concluded to take a small daily packet to Poti, about four hours distant.1 It had been blowing violently from the westward and a high swell was still running, but we knew that if it should prove too high to cross the bar the boat would avoid the risk and return.

Curious were the costumes of the various passengers lying on deck, all Circassians and Russians. Among them the sheepskin cap predominated, although of various picturesque forms. Follow ing the winding channel, we at last passed within the jetty, whose entrance is so unprotected from a westerly sea that even ships inside roll at their anchors. After a tedious period of hauling and snapping of hawsers, the steamer was finally moored stern on to the breakwater, and the passengers were requested to " walk the plank." A dangerously attenuated board, pitched at a dizzy angle and oscillating to a hazardous degree, was the only means offered for debarking. A light rod held by two men served as an imaginary balustrade. The sight on shore was of itself enough to daunt the most daring. A noisy throng of porters, hackmen, customs officers, idlers, and dogs were fighting among themselves for precedence, in order to de vour us bag and baggage the instant we stepped on land.

The coachmen were especially noteworthy for a fearful and wonderful circular cushion, or puffed ring of closely gathered pleats, attached to the nether part of their long riding-coats. The effect was as though an inflated india-rubber life-preserver had slipped from the armpits to the hips. The exact use of this appendage 1 In the face of the spirit of the treaty of Berlin, Russia is now fortifying Batoum under the pretext of building hospitals, and is secretly accumulating a vast store of munitions of war behind the city, preparatory to her next campaign against the peace of the world. is not altogether apparent. A letter kindly furnished us by the Russian Legation at Constantinople happily paved the way for our luggage, which thus escaped the cormorant-like gaze and disorganizing grasp of your greedy customs officer.

A long walk over the half-finished jetty brought us to the carriage-stand. There were the droskys planted in a salt morass, a dozen feet below us, without a stairway to lead to them. For lads, the feat of reaching the vehicles was exciting ; but for ladies the experiment was less attractive. A wood-cart was finally brought alongside the jetty, and after much nervous laughter on the part the ladies, curiously watched by a multitude of unkempt and unsanctified Circassian youths, a passage from pier to carriage was successfully effected. Then followed a wild dash through a wooded land. The ride was wild, because the wiry, long-maned Russian ponies, flying before the lash, tumbled ahead at a rattling pace. On either side were dense thickets of blackberry bushes ; strawberries, like wee crimson sparks, flecked the grass.

Above this undergrowth towered the gloom of dense forests musical with thrushes and here and there opening to mirror themselves in a sedgy pool embossed with lilies. Then at a sharp turn of the road we came to an iron bridge, and were whirled over the full-fed flood of the eddying Phasis, up which the Argo glided almost too long ago for the imagination to take cognizance thereof, and then we entered Poti. The first impression was not inviting. A long, wide, treeless street lined on either side by low open market-booths, unpainted and indescribably filthy, — such was the chief thoroughfare of Poti. But there is a park at the farther end, and happily the hotel faced this green open. Poti is said to be so excessively unhealthy that a traveller can scarcely pass a night there without becoming infected with malaria.

On observing the filth of the noisome streets and this untidy park, intersected by stagnant drains, it is easy to understand how such a reputation was established. We had taken ample doses of quinine before arriving, and were careful to close our windows after sunset, and thus escaped unharmed. It is said that five thousand men lost their lives while con structing the short part of the railway across the plain near Poti. For the rest, Poti is not without its attractions. On the river side the park is entered by a handsome antique gate, which is apparently a relic of the Persian occupation, as partially indicated by the figured work of glazed tiles with which it is faced. Passing through this gate from the massive foliage of the park to the open by the river, I almost imagined myself to be stand ing by some river of France.

A tawny, sluggish stream, lined with poplars, to which a number of small craft were moored, and beyond, a pale-gray line of receding hills fading into the sky, produced an effect like a bit in Normandy, such as Dau bigny might enjoy. But the long-skirted bargemen, crowned with shaggy, lamb's-wool caps, showed that we were on the threshold of the changeless East ; and the graceful Georgian women strolling by in lovely groups to enjoy the evening air reminded one of Medea and her maids. Tall, stately, and graceful, the raven tresses streaming below their waists, and a melancholy pride flashing out of dark, dreamful eyes, — stars under drooping brows, — these were verily queens in disguise. But when I remembered that we were in Georgia, famed for fair women, I ceased to wonder. Jason, the Achaian, was evidently guided by a good genius when he bade his mariners bend to their oars, and pulling hard over the river bar, to sweep grandly up the Phasis and moor by banks ever since famous in myth and history.

At the hotel we found the golden fleece for which the country is famous, but altogether modified to suit the times and the pockets of modern tourists. If there is a country in the world where the art of fleecing travellers is pursued on a more colossal scale, I have not heard of it. When we called for the bill at Poti, we found that the landlord had entirely forgotten that his terms the previous evening were stated in francs ; he therefore charged us in rubles, which more than doubled his already exorbitant bill. The rooms were not so bad as one might expect considering the environment, but the corridor was unspeakably untidy and malodorous, and the table was altogether unattractive. Escaping from the clutches of the grim ogre who presided over this den, we succeeded in making a start for the railway station.

Here again two civilizations collided. A well-ordered station, a clean and comfortable train, seemed to suggest ex amples of the highest material progress ; but it was incongruous to find one's self followed into the waiting-room by a hungry horde of filthy Circassians clamoring for backsheesh, and to see the luggage hurled on the scale by gigantic porters, who looked more like the doughty warriors of Schamyl than train-attendants, while through the motley throng men in Russian military uniform elbowed their irresistible paths, — for they were mas ters here over a race far nobler in aspect than their own. Yet more singular was it to watch the ticket-seller calculating every item with the wire and balls used by children when learning the multiplication-table. It took nearly an hour to have the luggage weighed and the tickets bought by this process.

To round off this extraordinary scene, as the train was about to move off, three sons of Anak entered our car and demanded further backsheesh. " What would you have?" said a Russian gentleman, with a shrug. " We have so much territory to civilize, ancl it takes so long, for Russia is poor." Quite true, said I to myself. But I could not avoid wonder ing why, such being the case, Russia craves to continue adding to an already unwieldy mass of vast, unamalgamated, and hete rogeneous elements. It is only fair to add that the railway from Poti to Tiflis is a marvel of engineering skill. It follows the gorge of the Phasis among the mountains for about one hundred and sixty miles, constantly ascending by a grade so steep that in six hours the road rises 3,027 feet, and the short train requires two engines to draw it.

Everywhere the scenery was most captivating, especially in the neighborhood of Kutahis. Noble cliffs, terminating in basaltic ramparts, often enclosed the roaring* waters of the rushing stream ; or steep slopes, cultivated from the water to an extraordinary height, seemed to hang over the road ; or idyllic valleys opened to catch the sunlight, giving space for a hamlet of wattled huts. In several gorges ancient castles were © © descried perched on the apex of seemingly inaccessible peaks, now deserted and alone. One of these venerable fortresses was of vast extent ; the clouds surged around it like surf of the sea, and above soared the eagle, the sole tenant of that lofty height. These ruins bore the fancy back to those picturesque ages of romance and song, which, if they served no other pur pose, were at least of use if they bequeathed sentiment and poetry to ages more prosaic.