Travels in Luristan and Arabistan

Front matter

RUINS Os A bRIDGL OVER THE TAB NEAR ARREJAN *** Ion., IVLIi shed by J J ' '" : " TRAVELS IK LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN. BY THE BABON C. A. DE BODE. VOL. I. " II n'y a point de description de voyage sans defaut, ni aucun voyageur exempt de tout prejuge, ainsi le parti le plus sage c'est de ne pas desendre ses opinions avec opiniatrete." — Niebuhr. INTEKIOR OF AN ARAB TENT NEAR THE TOMB OP CYRUS (SOUTHERN PERSIA). LONDON : J. MADDEN AND CO., 8, LEADENHALL STREET. 1845.

Preface

. If a traveller who had visited SAvitzerland, or the banks of the Rhine, or any other part of Europe, were to think it necessary first to acquaint the reader Avhere those coun tries he, before he entered on the descrip tion of his traArels, he Avould be consi dered impertinent, and would, indeed, deserve censure. But a similar condemnation Avould by no means rest on him Avho, having penetrated into some obscure regions of the East, should conceive it necessary to indicate their position on the map to his countrymen of the West, before he could expect them to folloAv him patiently through the details of his journey. vol. i. - a

PREFACE.

. Such is the case Avith the author of the present volumes, Avhich he has entitled " Travels in Luristan and Arabistdn." With the exception of those Avho have travelled in the East, or Avho have made geography their particular study, are there many Avho knoAV where Luristan is situated ? or who will not confound- A rdbistdn -with Arabia? Nor is it matter of wonder that this should be the case, considering the scanty sources of information AA'hich Ave possess concerning those countries, and the comparative if not total neglect to Avhich they have been doomed. The author will, therefore, not be supposed to underrate the accomplishments of his readers, if he presumes them to be ignorant of the geographical position of Luristan and Arabistan, and hopes that he shall not be taxed with presumption, if he takes the liberty of giving them a preliminary insight into those countries. Luristan, then, or the land of the Lurs, embraces the greater portion of the mountainous country of Persia, extending from the

PREFACE.

. V Turkish boundary on the Avest, to the limits of Isfahan and Fars on the east and south-east. These mountains are occupied by an uncouth and Avild race of men, bearing different appellations, but apparently springing from one original stock, — the old Zend. The Ioav country, lying to the south of this chain of mountains, with the toAvns of Shushter, Dizful, and others, together Avith the land of the Cha'b-Arabs, is denominated Khuzistan or Arabistdn. These regions, Avhich in general noAv offer to the eye the melancholy spectacle of decay, of devastation, and even spread out at intervals into utter Avildernesses, were not so in former ages. There Avas a time Avhen they must have teemed Avith an industrious population, as the vestiges of ruined toAvns plainly denote. The names of some of these have survived, and live in the traditions of the natives ; others can be recognised in history, but a greater number lie scattered over the waste, without leaving any records behind, or bequeathing a VI

PREFACE.

. to posterity their names, the nations to Avhich they belonged, or the time at Avhich they flou rished. There they crumble into dust, like bones bleaching on a forgotten field of battle, or like a solitary plank on the heaving wave, a sad Avreck of some noble vessel sunk in the unfathomable depths of ocean. Shushter is greatly fallen from its former importance. Ahvdz, the winter capital of the Arsacidæ or Parthian kings, is a heap of ruins. The plough is levelling Avith the soil the only remaining mounds Avhich point to Jondi-Shapur ; Avhile Susa, the rival of Babylon and Ecbatana, the vernal residence of the King of Kings, hides its ancient ruins under thick grass and Avaving reeds, as if ashamed that common mortals should see how Ioav it has fallen from its pristine greatness. But even prior to the daAvn of profane history, before the sun of Nineveh and Babylon had risen in the ea^t, Elam, as Scripture tells us, Avas already a nation ; AA'hilst in later days, the same country, under the name of

PREFACE.

. VII Elymais, attracted toAvards its rich temples the cupidity of the Greek and Parthian conquerors. It is Avith the view of rescuing from a second oblivion this once classical ground, that the Author has endeavoured to draAv aside a corner of the veil which still covers this mysterious region. The general reader Avill perhaps blame him for dAvelling on the topographical features of the country more minutely than the nature of a common narrative may seem to Avarrant. The Author readily admits that he has laid himself open to this imputation, but believes it his duty to add, in self-justification, that as that tract of country has been seldom fre quented, and may, perhaps, be iioav again closed to European travellers, he had rather in vieAv to state facts than to fill the pages of his volumes Avith his own impressions, Neither must he omit to state, that in his progress through the more western portion of the route, he has been often guided and mate-

PREFACE.

. rially aided by the valuable notes of Major RaAvlinson on Khuzistan ; and he hopes that distinguished scholar, Avith whom he has had the advantage of meeting more than once in the East, Avill pardon him for making frequent quo tations from those notes in the course of the present narrative. It is owing to his convic tion of their great accuracy that he ahvays felt more confident AA'henever his own observations could have the benefit and the concurrent tes timony of such an authority. As the early part of the journey from Teheran to Isfahan, and from thence to Shiraz and Kazerun, has been frequently visited by Europeans, the Author has nothing particular to observe on that portion of his narrative. But if the interest created by historical recollections will absolve the Author from in troducing ancient Elymais, Avith its adjacent countries to the notice of the public, he fears he has not the same chance in presuming to address his readers in a language not his oavu. His short stay in this country has had the effect

PREFACE.

. IX of making him sensible of his deficiencies in this respect, Avithout giving him time to supply them. HoAvever, the indulgence with Avhich some extracts from his notes on the East have been listened to at the Meetings of the Society of Antiquaries, the Ethnological, and the Royal Geographical Societies, added to the advice and encouragement of his friends in this country, have emboldened him to arrange his scattered notes in the form noAv offered to the public. He OAves great obligations to the learned Secretaries, Colonel Jackson and the Rev. Mr. Renouard, as well as to Mr. ShillinglaAv, the Librarian, of the Royal Geographical Society of London, for the facilities they have afforded him in his researches, and the use of the Society's valuable library ; but in particular to the Rev. Mr. Renouard for his kind assistance in comparing the nar rative of Timtir's march Avith several manu scripts of the original work of Sherefu-d-din, X

PREFACE.

. in the possession of the Honourable East India Company. The Author feels a peculiar pleasure in being able thus publicly to express his hearty thanks to Mr. J. A. St. John, the eloquent author of " The Manners and Customs of the Ancient Greeks," and of " Travels in the Valley of the Nile," and to his son, Mr. Bayle St. John, for the patient attention they have lent him during the perusal of his MS., and their judicious hints, of Avhich he has frequently availed himself. Neither ought he to allow this opportunity to pass, Avithout recording his sense of obligation for the civilities and attentions he has invariably met with from the gentlemen of the British Museum, during his attendance at the Reading Rooms. THE AUTHOR. London, \Qth November, 1844. CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

Chapter I. Route From Teheran To Karaa'anserai Of Puli-delauk

Page Preparations previous to undertaking the journey from Teheran to Persepolis. — Modes of travelling in the East contrasted with the conveniences a traveller meets with in Europe. — Account of the disinterment of the victims who fell during the massacre of the Russian Mission at Teheran in 1829. — A thunderstorm in the month of December. — Inconveniences attending travelling by post at night 1

Chapter II. From Puli-delauk To Isfahan

Mysterious village of Kum-rud — Persian superstition about the ghuls, or land mermaids of the Kribir or Great Desert. — Mr. Morier's account of them. — Ruined karavanserais of De'ir and Kodj in the same desert. — Return of the zuvar from a pilgrimage to Mecca and Kerbela'i. — Distinction between the Meschedi, Kerbela'i, and Hajji. — CONTENTS. XII Page Relative importance attached to those names. — Arrival at Kiim. — Institution of the chapar-khanehs or post-stations in Persia. — Remarks on the ruins of Sinsine. — Melons and wheat grown on the same beds at Kashan. — Reputed cowardice of the inha bitants. — They are good coppersmiths. — Velvet manufacturers of Kashan. — Summer and winter road to Isfahan. — Kuhrud, with the dyke of Shah- Abbas. — Account of Kuhrud. — Passage through the snow. — Buran karavanserai of Ak-Kemel. — Village of So. — Night accident on crossing a river. — Murchehar. — Chez. — Arrival at Isfahan. ... 20

Chapter III. From Isfahan To The Karaa'anserai Of Dehbid

A school established at Julfa for the instruction of the Armenian youth. — Religious tolerance of the Isfahani Mussulman clergy. — Reasons for it. — Progress of Suffe'ism. — Lutis of Isfahan. — Bast, or places of refuge. — Form the project of visiting Shushter and the mountains of the Bakhtiyaris. — Quit Isfahan. — Kal'eh Rustam. — Cheshme-Multan. — Mayar. — Brilliant night meteors. — Kumisheh. — Account of a battle sought near it at the accession of Mohammed Shah to the throne. — Gum-ammoniac plant. — Description of the fortress and village of Yezdehast. — Summer and winter road to Shiraz.— Abadeh. — Surmeh. — Karavanserai of Dehbid CONTENTS. XIII OF Page 71

Chapter IV. From The Karavanserai Of Dehbid To The Village Seidan

Arrival at the Village of Meshedi-Murgab. — Arab Settlers. — Fertility of the Plain of Murgab. — Boundary. — River of Murgab, the Medus of the Ancients. — View of the ruins from an elevation. — Goher- Shah. — Takhti-Madre Soliman. — Custom among the Eastern Monarchs of giving audiences in the open air. — Zindan or Dustagh-Khaneh. — Visit the Tomb of Meshedi Madre Soliman. — Supposed Tomb of Cyrus. — Opposition made by the Riyats. — Evening spent in their Tents. — Karavanserai of Murgab, the supposed abode of the Magi. — The Pilaster with the Cherub. — Discovery of a dial cut on the white stone steps of the Tomb of Cyrus. — Hieroglyphics. — Traverse the Ak-Gaduk and Valley of Kamin. — Arrival at Seidan

Chapter V Ruins In The Plain Of Persepolis

Rock with bas-reliefs at Nakshi-Rustam. — The four Royal tombs. — Entrance into the first and third of these tombs, with descriptions of them. — Manner of ascent and descent. — The parents of King Darius killed in their attempt to visit one of the tombs. — Gebr explanation of the circlet often found in the hands of the Sasanian monarchs on the bas-reliefs of Persia. — Definition of the Costi by the Baron Silvestre de CONTENTS. XIV Page Sacy, according to the Zoroastrian faith.— Observations on a golden cup with figures on it, found in a tumulus near the Caspian Sea, in reference to the Costi, and the distinction between L-an and Aniran. — Night visit to the rock of Istakhr. — Disturb an Biyat encampment. — Account of the rock and ruined fort on its summit. — Historical recollections. — Greek captives brought before Alexander on approaching Persepolis. — Description of the plain of Merdasht. — Its fertility. — Nakshi-Kejeb. — Formation of the rocks. — First impression on seeing the ruins of Takhti-Jemshid 97

Chapter VI. Subjuct Continued

Ruins of Takhti-Jemshid or Persepolis. — Progress of destruction observable in the gradual fall of the pillars. — Buildings on the different platforms. — Discovery of the statue of a bull. — Accumulation of the soil on the platform. — Subterraneous passages. — Remarks on the late Mr. Beckford, the author of " Vathek." — Lord Byron's opinion on that book. — Adventures of the Caliph Vathek in the subterranean halls of Istakhr. — Subterraneous corridors at Persepolis, now occupied by porcupines. — The royal tombs in Mount Rahmed. — Feruers, or guardian angels of the old Gebrs. — Figure of the moon among the bas-reliefs. — Conjectures on it. — Interior of the first and second tomb. — General reflections on the monuments of Persepolis CONTENTS. XV Page

Chapter VII. Route From Persepolis To Shiraz

Visit to the Cave of Shah-Sharmu with Pehlevi inscriptions. — Mussulman grave in a recess of the mountains.— Seat of the town of Istakhr. — Birth-place of the impostor Mozdac. — Discovery of old coins. — Extract from Professor Heeren. — Band- Amir. — Thomas Moore. — Road to Shiraz. — Stop at the Nabob's house. — State of Shiraz and the province of Fars. — Rival parties.' — Short sketch of the history of Madame de La Marriniere . . . .160

Chapter VIII. From Shiraz To Kazerun

Different roads leading from Shiraz to Behbehan. — Furnished with artillery horses through the kindness of the Prince Ferhad-Mirza. — Kind feeling and hospitality of the Persians. — Quit Shiraz. — Precaution to be adopted in travelling during winter through the snow. — Desht-Arjan. — Contrast in the climate at Piri-Zen and Kuteli-Dokhter. — Sculptured rock. — Overtaken by night. — Arrival at Kazeriin 188

Chapter IX. From Kazerun To Fahlia'an

Description of Kazerim. — Valley of Kazerun. — Gilevand guides. — Ruins of Shapur. — Mamaseni CONTENTS. Page 203 encampment of the Dushmen-Ziyari tribe. — Scene on arriving there. — Vanity of earthly grandeur. — Visit the cave of Shapur. — Giveh, sort of sandals worn by the mountaineers. — View from the entrance of the cave of the adjacent country. — Valley of Kuh-Mereh or Dasht-i-Ber. — Course of the Shapur river. — Encampment of Jehangir-Khan, a Mamaseni chief. — I am passed on from one chief to another in return for a written certificate. — Chenoshejan. — Winter residence of the Dushmen-Ziyari Mamaseni. — Circuitous road for wheeled carriages to avoid the Kutel-i-Dokhter. — Quit Chenoshejan. — Mune nahl. — Lurking-place of the marauding mountaineers. — Proof of the unsettled state of the country. — Sahrai-Bahram. — Sculptures in the rock. — River of Behram. — Ruins of Nobenj an. — The fort of Nurabad. — Residence of the Bekesh Ma maseni. — Kal'eh-Sefid. — My new Bekesh guides. — Turaj birds. — Valley of Sha'b-bevan. — Fields of Narcissuses. — Arrival at Fahliyan

Chapter X. From Fahliyan To Behbehan

Description of Fahliyan. — Cultivation of the soil. — Taxation. — Visit an Imam-Zadeh. — Description of the plain of Fahliyan. — Extract from M. Quatremere on Sha'b-bevan. — Remarks thereon. — Enter the territory of the Rustemi Mamaseni. — Course of the river Ab-Shur, or Sheker-ab. — The valley of Ser-ab-Siyah. — Rencontre with the Rustemi Chief. — Unlucky display of horsemanship. — Pass CONTENTS. XVII Page 235 the Ab-Shur, and enter the Khogilu territory. — Reception at Basht by Allah-Kerim-Khan, Chief of the Bovi tribe. — General character of the Biyat Chiefs. — Resume my journey. — Travelling Biyats. — Karavanserai of Daghumbezum. — Pass the night under arms. — Cross the rivers of Shem-si-Arab and Kheirabad. — Hindian. — Arrive at Behbehan . . .

Chapter XI. Account Of The Mamaseni And Khogilu Tribes

Boundary of the Mamaseni encampment. — Observations of M. de Quatremere on the country of Shulistan. — The Mamaseni are of Lur origin. — Conjectures respecting the Mamaceni of Quintus Curtius. — Lohr, or Lur-asj), one of the ancient kings of Persia. — Lfu'/r, a name of one of the great-grandsons of the Patriarch Abraham. — Divisions ofthe Mamaseni: 1. Rustemi ; 2. Bekesh ; 3. Dushmen-Ziyari ; 4. Jo'i. — Population. — The Mamaseni are great robbers. — History of Veli-Khan Bekesh. — Reduction of some of their strongholds. — Khogilu tribes. — Boundary of their encampments. — Are likewise of Lur extraction. — Note on the Lek, Lur, and Kurd races. — The Governor of Behbehan Chief of the Khogilu. — Divisions of the Khogilu : 1. Bovi ; 2. Borahmed ; 3. Nu'i ; 4. Tenghebi ; 5. Bakhmei. — The latter a wilder and more savage tribe than the rest. — A few observations on their customs and manners. — Other tribes of Behbehan. — Taxation of Behbehan. — Arrears. — Critical position of the Chief Mirza Kumo CONTENTS.

XVIII Page in respect to the Governor of Fars. — Preparations for resistance. — Offer my advice to Mirza Kumo. — Sad fate which befalls him and his family 262

Chapter XII. Antiquities Of Behbehan

Description of Behbehan. — Limits. — Former and present possessions of Behbehan. — Soil. — Produce. — Climate.* — Winter and summer residences of the Governor. — Ruins of Arrejan. — Remains of two splendid bridges over the river Kurdistan. — Fire-temple of Ardjan. — Volcanic mountain. — Mumia. — Arrejan probably the former emporium of trade between India and the interior of Persia. — The ports of Mahruban and Hindiyan. — The name of Arrejan attached to the province in the tenth century.— Town of Cobad. — Different cities of Ardea. — The ancient town of the Ardi, natives of Ardekan. — Identity of Ardekan and Parætacene, &c. — Alexander penetrates into those mountains. — Caves of the Mardi. — Asylum Persarum. — Hedypnes of Pliny. — Ver-effshue the abode of bliss of the Zend-Avesta. — Annual migrations of the Persepolitan porcupine. — Notes 290 CHAPTER Xin.

ROUTE FROM BEHBEHAN TO TASHUN. Learn the existence of some old sculptures in the mountains, and inconsequence change my route. — Various routes to Shushter. — Prevail on Mirza Kumo to CONTENTS. XIX Page honour Government barats. — Three French travellers ill-treated at Behbehan. — Take leave of my host. — Method of training Arab horses in spring. — Account of the country. — Laws on inheritance among the Iliyats. — Some curious enactments in the Zend legislation. — Course of the Kurdistan rioter. — Treated with fresh dates at the village of Ka'i-Kaus.— Ruins of a town close to it. — Village of Tashun. — Tradition concerning the Patriarch Abraham, said to have been thrown into a burning furnace by Nimrod. — Conjec tures as to the locality of Ur of the Chaldees.* — Sacred fish at Tashun. — Anecdote of similar fish preserved at an Imam-Zadeh near Isfahan. — Further account of Tashun 330

Chapter XIV. From Tashun To Tengi-saulek

Set out for the valley of Tengi-Saulek. — Necessary precautions against the Bahme'i mountaineers. — Description of the road. — Black rock, with bas-reliefs and inscriptions in unknown characters. — Another sculptured stone in the same recess of the mountains. — Passage of a letter from M. E. Bore on the subject of the above inscriptions. — Conjecture as to their resemblance to the Tamul character. — Cypress Grove. — Elymite worship of Ana'itis. — Landseer on Sabæan antiquities.— Curious analogy between the second bas-relief at Tengi-Saulek, and a passage in " Vathek." — Communication with Isfahan.— Worn-out pavement. —Night spent in the open air.— The young Teshuni pehlevKn 351 YOL. I. b CONTENTS. XX Page 371

Chapter XV From Tengi-saulek To Mal-amir

Imam-Zadeh of Baba-Ahmed. — Bul-feriz. — Persian medicine. — Pursued by Bahmei highlanders. — Sahra'i- Petek. — Dalun. — The Allar river. — A poisonous plant. — Sarila and its inquisitive inhabitants. — Ruins of an ancient town. — Impudent Mollahs. — Anecdote of a Dervish. — The Tezeng river. — Mei Dovid. — Ruins of a Sasanian toll-gate. — Line of communication between Susiana and Central Persia. — Local Traditions. — A Talisman. — Rustam's stables. — Behmei guide. — Food of the wandering tribes. — Ruins of Manjanik. — The Abi-Zerd. — Baghi Malek. — Kal'eh- Tul. — Meet an Englishman there. — Proceed together to the camp of the Bakhtiyar chief. — Bakhtiyari tombs. — Symbolical animals of Persia. — Ruins of the plain of Halegun. — Arrival at Mai- Amir .... DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER CONCERNING THE PLATES.

Plates in Volume I. 1. Frontispiece. Ruins of a Bridge over the Tab, near Arrejan. Page 298. 2. Royal Pavilion at Finn, near Kashan. Page 31. 3. Royal Kiosk at Finn, near Kashan. Page 32. 4. Bas-relief of Nakshi-Behram, in the country of the Mamaseni. Page 225. 5. Black Stone Monolite, with Bas-reliefs and Inscriptions, at Tenghi-Saulek. Page 353. 6. Second bas-relief on the same stone. Page 355. 7. Third bas-relief on a rock at Tenghi-Saulek. Page 356. 8. Sasanian toll-gate in the Bakhtiyari mountains. Page 390. 9. Two Inscriptions at the entrance of the Kar. of Meshedi Murgab. Page 87. 10. Inscriptions on a Black Stone Monolite at Tenghi- Saulek. At the end of the volume. 1 1 . Map of the Route from Shiraz to Shushter. At the end of the volume. Plates in Volume II. 1. Frontispiece. Minar at Natens.

Page 35. 2. Bas-reliefs at Shikofti-Salman in the plain of Mai- Amir. Page 31. 3. Tomb of the Prophet Daniel at Susa. Page 188. 4. View of Khorremabad, chief town in Luristan-Kuchuk. Page 256. 5. Cufic Inscriptions at Khorremabad. Page 251. 6. Map of the Route from Shushter to Burujird. At the end of the volume.

Chapter I

Preparations previous to undertaking the journey from Teheran to Persepolis. — Modes of travelling in the East contrasted with the conveniences a traveller meets in Europe. — Account of the disinterment of the victims who fell during the massacre of the Russian Mission at Teheran in 1829. — A thunderstorm in the month of December. — Inconveniences attending travelling by post at night. During my stay in Persia it had been my constant and most ardent wish to visit the farfamed ruins of Persepolis ; but circumstances, over which mortals seldom can exercise any control, prevented me for a long while from seeing that Avish fulfilled. At length, toAvards VOL. I. B the close of the year 1840, all impediments being removed, I prepared myself for the journey. In order to lose as little time on the road as possible, I preferred going by post to the more convenient method of travelling with my OAvn horses.

To an European, Avho has been accustomed, only to the comforts, and even luxuries, of locomotion in our civilized coun tries, it Avill hardly appear intelligible that nothing in the shape of coaches, trains, or steamers, is knoAvn in the East, at least as far as Persia is concerned. There, if you wish to travel in the least ostentatious manner, or even with the bare semblance of ease, you must have riding horses for yourself and ser vants, Avhatever length the journey may be ; next you require other horses or cattle, such as mules, camels, &c, to carry your bedding and your servants', kitchen, and the bedding of your horses (not a trifling encumbrance), because you find on the road no hotels-gamis, no inns, not even taverns. In tracts Avhere no villages are seen on the high road, the usual halting-places are karavanserais, stone buildings Avith one huge entry into a spacious yard, round Avhich are small cells Avith doorAvays, but no doors; Avithout Avinclows, and with just sufficient room to pass a comfortless night in.

BetAveen the inner court and the outAvard Avails of the karavanserai are the dark vaulted stables for cattle, by far the most comfortable part of the building. This is the sum total of all the accommodations you can expect inthe best karavanserais ; but the same advantages do not exist in all, and you may often reckon yourself very fortunate in meeting with a much less favoured abode mfter a fatiguing day's journey through ajaesert country. This is not a very favouralde picture of Persian travelling; it is, nevertheless, a correct one. Again, when travelling with your own horses, very little progress is made in a day's march, and I certainly should not recom mend it to any one pressed for time. This mode of advancing would not have suited me on the present occasion. The distance from Teheran to Persepolis, is, in round numbers, b one hundred and tAventy farsangs, or four hundred and fifty English miles ; and reckoning six farsangs per day, according to the usual mode of travelling, I could not have reached the latter place in less than tAventy days.

Being sufficiently inured to hard riding, I determined to travel post. My first step Avas to procure a written order to the Postmaster-General, to the effect that the necessary number of horses required at every station should be furnished me. This Avas soon accomplished, and Shefi Khan (the name of the Postmaster-General), who happened to be an acquaintance of mine, appointed one of his chapars, or postillions, to accompany me, and see that no delay took place in the relay of horses on the road. By his sug gestion, likeAvise, I further applied to the Minister of State to have a clause introduced into the Royal firman (or usual passport), addressed to the chiefs of provinces, districts, towns, tribes, villages, &c, recommending the traveller to their protection, namely, that wherever post-horses could not be had, the chief of the place should procure me the cattle necessary for pursuing my route.

I after- Avards found this precautionary measure of some service. My impatience to commence the journey was so great, that regardless of the menacing aspect of the skies, Avhich foreboded a storm, and the non-appearance of the post horses, Avith the guide, till late in the evening, I still persisted in setting off, and issued from the gate of Teheran at sunset, on the 23d of December, 1840. On turning the south-eastern angle of the Avails, I came to a raised ground which forms the glacis beyond the contre-scarp of the city ditch. With this spot is associated the recol lection of the melancholy catastrophe which befell the Imperial Russian Mission at Teheran, in 1829, Avhen the Envoy, with his suite and attendants, were barbarously massacred by the savage rabble of the toAvn. It appears, that after the bloody deed was perpetrated, the palace of the Minister plundered, and the dead bodies stripped of their clothes, certain Armenians Avho lived in the neighbourhood Avere compelled to carry aAvay the corpses, and bury them out of the toAvn.

In consequence, a narrow trench was dug in the glacis, facing the south-eastern extremity of the city Avail, in which the dead bodies were deposited, and then covered over Avith earth. The transient stay the neAv Mission made at Teheran, in 1833, and subsequently the death of Abbas-Mirza, the Naib-Sultan or heir presumptive, and of the old Shah, as well as the succeeding events Avhich took place on the accession of the reigning Sovereign to the throne, find the cholera, Avhich raged at Teheran in 1835, prevented the Imperial Mission from rendering to their predecessors the last honours due to their memory. It had even become a delicate question to determine whether it Avas desirable to re vive disagreeable reminiscences which for years had been consigned to oblivion, especially as a gracious pardon had emanated from the Imperial Court, But, in the summer of 1836, the Russian Mission, profiting by the tempo rary absence of the Shah, Avho was encamped in the mountains, thought the opportunity favourable to have the mortal remains of their deceased countrymen dug up, and removed to some consecrated Christian burial-ground.

As the Armenian cemetery Avas Avithin the precincts of the town, it Avas necessary to apply to the Beglerbeg, or Governor of Teheran, for permission to introduce the corpses into the city, there existing in the East, as well as in many European States, a positive prohibition against dead bodies being conveyed Avithin the city-gates. Several years previous the body of Mr. Rich, the late British Political Agent at Bagdad, Avho died near Shiraz, in southern Persia, Avas refused admission into the city under that very plea, and Avas in consequence interred outside, in the garden where the Per sian poet Hafis hes buried. In the present case the Beglerbeg acceded to the request of the Russian Minister, and I Avas intrusted AATth the sad yet consoling office of fulfilling the last Christian duties to my de parted countrymen.

The day had been sultry, and, as we Avere encamped at some distance, I could only reach the city Avail about an hour and a-half before sunset. Grave-diggers were already in attend ance, and on my arrival proceeded to re-open the trench. After the upper layer of earth had been removed, the trench became apparent; — it was just broad enough to contain two bodies abreast, but in length may probably have ex ceeded thirty or thirty-five feet. At this distance of time I can only speak from memory, but the horrible spectacle Avhich presented itself to view had too great an effect on me, ever to be forgotten. The corpses had not been placed in coffins, but lay two by two in a roAv, the heads of the second pair close to the feet of the foremost. Some Avere wrapped up in shrouds, others stretched out naked.

Time had, hoAV ever, not been idle, and its ravenous tooth had already gnaAved aAvay the fleshy parts ; the skin likewise Avas gone, and the bare ghastly skeletons alone remained. Even these Avere not perfectly preserved ; Avith some a leg, Avith others an arm or the skull Avere missing, shoAving, even Avhen all traces of human features had been nearly effaced by time, how barbarously those bodies had been treated, when the soul still animated them, or just after death had closed their eyes for ever. In the second roAv, beloAV the first, the black earth Avas greasy and moist ; the shrouds nearly black and spotted Avith moidd, gave way at the touch of the spade and fell to pieces. Tufts of hair Avhich had been clogged together by the coagulated blood, lay detached but close to the skulls. On examining more minutely, I found that some of the hair Avas of a red colour, a circumstance Avhich made me suspect that I had before me the skeleton of the young physician of the Mission, Avho was red headed, and had fought, it is said, to the last with uncommon bravery.