Glimpses of Life and Manners in Persia. By Lady Sheil. With notes on Russia, Koords, Toorkomans, Nestorians, Khiva and Persia [By J. Sheil.] With illustrations

Preface

. Sir John Malcolm, Sir John M'Donald, Sir Robert Porter, Mr. Morier, and Mr. Fraser, have nearly ex hausted the subject of Persia. The histories, the travels, and the novels of these distinguished writers have made the world acquainted with the literature, the geography, the commerce, and the antiquities of that country. The present volume is simply an attempt to describe the manners and the tone of feeling and society at the present day. There seemed at one moment a prospect that Persia would hold, as friend or foe, a prominent position before the English public. This anticipation led first to the production of these pages. Even now the altered aspect of political affairs may not perchance have deprived them of all interest. The Notes attached to this volume are written by my husband. There are in Persia many subjects not ac cessible to female inquiry ; yet the absence of all allusion to them, even in a trifling production like this, would ren der these pages more incomplete than, it may be feared, they actually are. a CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Motive for writing this book — Our party — Progress to Berlin — Encounter with the police — Russian railroads — Arrival in Warsaw — General Lamoriciere — Death of the Grand Duke Michael — Etiquette in the Emperor's Park — Theatre at Warsaw — Masourka — Audience with the Emperor Nicholas — Jews in Warsaw PaSe 1

Chapter II

Departure from Warsaw — Feldt Yager — Russian post-houses — Gytomir — Kief — St. Sophia — Eaptism in the Dnieper — Suspension-bridge over the Dnieper — Progress to Odessa — Appearance of the people — Jewish Synagogue — Odessa — Prince Woronzow 15 CHAPTER ni. Russian steamboat — Our fellow-passengers — Russian resources for passing the time — ' Mes Me'moires ' — Sebastopol — Balaclava Crimean scenery — Yalta — Aloupka — Wine-making in the Crimea — Russian ladies in distress — Tartar bandit — Jews in the Crimea — Simpheropol — Kaffa — Kertch — Museum — Passage to Tamait 25

Chapter IV

Passage to Taman — Russian hospitals — Line of the Kuban — Russian sentinels perched on platforms — Cossacks of the line — Ekaterinodar — Stavropol — Our Armenian hostess — Novel mode of ablution — Giorgesk — Caucasian watering-place — Vladikafkaz, the key of the Caucasus — Curious mode of conversion to Christianitv among the Ossets — Shamil — Across the Caucasus to Tiflis 40 a CONTENTS. VI

Chapter V

Tiflis sacked by the Persians — Prince Woronzow's improvements — Georgian drinking parties — Armenian Patriarch — Gookcha Lake — Supper at Erivan — Etchmiatzin — Nakhshewan — Our host and hostess — Night at the Aras — Crossing the frontier — Farewell to Russia Page 61

Chapter VI

Arrival in Persia — Aspect of the country — Want of population — Warlike costume — The unfortunate cow — Marand — The Azan — Our entrance to Tabreez — First impression of a Persian city — Frequent earthquakes — The Ark — Kajar's coffee — Climate of Tabreez — The angel Gabriel's address to Adam in Turkish — Languages in use in Persia . . . . • . .75

Chapter VII

Mode of travelling — ■ Yillage houses — Economical fires — Mephitic springs — Savalandagh — Shrine of a prophet — Toorkomanchaee — Snow drift — Journeys of the couriers — Struggles through the snow — The " Leopard's Pass " — Tribe of Shaheesevens migrating — Sagacious donkeys and hideous old women — Sultaneeya and its dome — Iljaetoo Khan — Mode of irrigation in Persia — Kasveen — Our host — The Old Man of the Mountain — Alamoot — Hunting seat of Fetteh Ali Shah — Innumerable family of that monarch — Hall of Audience — Agha Mahommed Khan Kajjar — Plucking out of 70,000 pairs of eyes — Waiting for good luck — My entry into Tehran — Entry of Colonel Sheil 98

Chapter VIII

Dulness of the life in Tehran — Gardening — The Persian language — The Moharrem — Dramatic representation — Fighting among the women — Extraordinary overflow of grief at the representation Visit to the Shah's mother and wives — Interior of the haram Thin costume 122

CHAPTER LX.

Gebr fire-worshippers — Curious mode of interment — Mission garden taken possession of by the Persian ladies — Persian music Musical masons — The anniversary of Omar's assassination — How celebrated — Difference between Turks and Persians — Persian tolerance Debts — Marriage — Condition of Persian women — . . CONTENTS, VII

Chapter X

Approach of Nowrooz — Dunning derveeshes — Ceremonial of the Nowrooz — Her Majesty's birthday — Entertainment to Persians — Wines of Sheeraz and Ispahan — Dinner on a large scale — Migration to the hills — Value of water — Our encampment — The mission village — Sanctuary — Miraculous cow — Refugees in the missions — Civil and criminal law .... Page 151

Chapter XI

Intense heat — Excursion up the mountains — Frightful torrent — Welcome new moon — Rigorous Mussulman fast — Rebellion — Babeeism or socialism — Curious incident at the execution of Bab — A socialist king — Babee executions — Insurrection at Zenjan 171

Chapter XII

Ruins of Rei — Massacre of Russian mission — The camel artillery — Excursion to Verameen — Extraordinary ruin — Rages — The Salt Desert — Wild asses — Tame asses 182

Chapter XIII

New Year's Day — Wool ! Wool ! — Various kinds of derveeshes, and their ceremonies — Freedom of religious opinions — Custom of sending corpses to Kerbella — Disagreeable companions — Ali- Illahism — Visit to the Shah's palace — Conjugal present — The Shah's sister — The deserted camel 192

Chapter XIV

Toorkoman hostages — The banks of the Goorgan — Toorkoman horse3 — Easter — Chaldæan bishop — Mistaken ideas of seclusion among Persian women — Dosing of Persian doctors — Ashoorada — Successful foray of Toorkomans against the Russians — Journey to Ispahan — Dreadful heat — Kouderood — Persian beggar — The unlawful lamb — Persian pigs CONTENTS. VIII

Chapter XV

Plain of Gilpaegan — Melon-fields — Various travellers in Looristan — The manners of the Loors — Derveesh Ali — Khousar — Ispahan — Former splendour and general decay — Shah Abbas's Hall of Audience — Persian frescoes — Felicity of the pigeons — The Armenians of Julfa Page 222

Chapter XVI

Mussulman nurses — Three various modes of counting time in Persia — Retribution for the Russian festivities on Easter Sunday at Ashoorada — Partial abolition of the importation of slaves — Negroes in Persia — Condition of slaves in Persia — Return to Tehran — Bastinado — Punishment of a general for being defeated . 238

Chapter XVII

A night alarm — The new Vezeer — The old Vezeer — His wife — Manner of his execution — Return and marriage of his widow — Armenian wedding — The Elchees from Arabia, Khiva, and Afghanistan — Refugee Afghan Khans — Excursion to Demawend — The "Sublime Well" — Defile and Eelyats — Town of Ask — Hot springs — Mountain chiefs — Ill-advised change of residence — Lareejanee women — Lareejanee lady governor — Persian breakfast — Jonas Hanway's account of Mazenderan — Return to the "Sublime Well" 248

Chapter XVIII

Return to Goolahek — Attempt to murder the Shah — General flight into town — Fate of the conspirators — Strange punishments — Arrival of the Turkish ambassador — Farewell breakfast with the Grand Vezeer's wife 273