⚫ of requiring from every mill (the wheel of which is turned by water) a man and horse armed and accoutred for the field; and of these they reckon one hundred thousand. The reason assigned for the king's never requiring the attendance of the Failees on his military expeditions is, that in time of old (some say the reign of the famous King Caioum) the Failees fled and lost the battle; and incurred upon themselves and their posterity this interdiction of military service for ever. The people of Ispahan and of Kashan, who either urged or joined the flight of the Failees, were included in the same prohibition; and to this day bear the epithet of arrant cowards, more happy perhaps to live a quiet life at home, than to attempt to regain the reputation of brave men by fighting abroad.

"The supplies which are sent receive pay from the king, as well as arms and horses; and when in actual service are fed at the king's expense. When he no longer wants them they are dismissed to their own homes. The tribes compose the whole military force of the kingdom, except the king's body-guards, who are never disbanded, and form the standing army of the country. Each prince governor of the provinces has also his body-guard, which, in like manner, is never disbanded.

The provinces of Aderbigian, Khorassan, Fars, Kerman, part of Irauk towards Irauk Arabi, are all governed by the king's sons. The prince of Aderbigian, it is said, can raise from his different tribes fifty thousand horse and foot, over which the king has no direct controul; but which, in case of war, he can call into action by requiring the attendance of his son with all his forces.

"In the same manner the prince governor of Khorassan can raise from his tribes twenty thousand horse and foot. The prince of Fars has likewise a similar command; but his troops have never been summoned to assist the king in his wars, as they are always left for the protection of the southern parts of Persia. The province of Mazanderan sends twenty thousand horse and foot to the king. As the Quajars or Cadjars, the king's own tribe, are resident in this province, he looks upon this force as his particular safeguard. This tribe is considered the most ancient and honoured in Persia: they reckon among themselves four kingsFath Ali Shah, who was killed by Shah Thamas; Hassan Khan, who was killed by Kerim Khan; Aga Mahomed; and the present king, his nephew and successor. Of this tribe there are two races: the first is the Yokaree Bash, of which the king's family and that of the mother of the heir apparent are both sprung; the second is the Asheea Bash. The nobility of the king's progeny varies much according to that of the mothers.

"The two great tribes are the Baktiari and the Failee. They consist of one hundred thousand families each, which, at five persons in a family, makes two totals of five hundred thousand souls. The Baktiars, of all the tribes, send the most troops to the king's service. The king's body-guard consists of twelve thousand men, half of whom are disciplined in the European manner, and are called Jan-baz, in contra-distinction to those raised and disciplined by the princes, (and particularly Abbas Mirza, governor of Aderbigian,) who are called Ser-baz.

Jan-baz' means one who plays away his soul; Ser-baz' means

one

one who plays away his head only.

"The twelve thousand who form the king's body-guard are taken indiscriminately from the tribes, or from the population of the cities, but principally from Mazanderan and the tribes connected with the king's own race. They have their families and homes at Teheran, and in the neighbouring villages, and are ready at every call. They are divided into bodies of three thousand men, and do duty by turns in the king's palace, called the ark. They are called kechekchees or guards, and every such body has a ser kechekchee, or head of the guard, who always attends when his corps is on duty; and on the relief of the guard a mirza belonging to the corps reads over every man's name, and in case of non-attendance the defaulter receives punishment. These. ser kechekchees are men of so much family and distinction, that one of the king's own sons enjoys the dignity. The kechekchees are distributed in all parts of the palace, and are always seen on guard on the towers of the ark. Their watchword is hazir, or ready,' which they continually pass from one to the other. They are a distinct body from the kechekchees of the city, who are solely attached to the police office, and do the duty of our watchmen, with this difference, that they have a right to ascend the tops of the houses in their midnight rounds.

"Besides this body-guard of twelve thousand, the king has three thousand goulams or slaves, who are horsemen, and always attend him when he makes an excursion. All these people, both horse and foot, are paid, fed, clothed, armed, and mounted at the king's expense. Goulam (slave) is here figuratively

used to express their devotion to the king's service; for they are not in reality entered into a state of servitude by actual purchase: on the contrary, they are particularly honoured by the king, and his own favourite Isirael Beg is their commander. This chief is one of those who still exercise the noose with great skill; it is called kummund, and there are some instances of its being still used in their engagements.

Dress. The dress of the Persians is much changed since the time of Chardin. It never possessed the dignity and solidity of the Turkish dress, and much less now than ever. So materially indeed have their fashions altered, that in comparing with the modes of the present day, the pictures and descriptions in Chardin and Le Brun, we can recognize no longer the same people. It is extraordinary that an Asiatic nation, so much charmed by show and brilliancy, (as the Persians have always been supposed to be), should have adopted for their apparel the dark and sombre colours, which are now universal among all ranks. In the reign of the Zund family indeed, light colours were much in vogue; but the present race, perhaps from a spirit of opposition, cherish dark ones. A Persian therefore looks a most melancholy personage, and resembles much some of the Armenian priests and holy men, whom I have seen in Turkey. Browns, dark olives, bottle greens, and dark blues, are the colours mostly worn. Red they dislike; and it is singular that this is a hue, which fashion seems to have discarded even in the countries far beyond the northern and eastern confines of Persia; for the merchants of Bokhara, who come down annually to Bushire to buy cloths, totally disregard scarlets, and

for

"The following is a general catalogue of the articles of their dress: 1. The zeer jumah: a pair of very wide trowsers, either of red silk or blue cotton, reaching below the ancle, and fastened by a string which passes through the top, and is tied before. 2. The peera hawn: a shirt generally of silk, which, going over the trowsers, reaches a few inches, below the hips, and is fastened by two buttons over the top of the right shoulder. It goes close round the lower part of the neck, where it is sometimes ornamented by a ribband or thin cord of silk. The opening of the shirt extends to the bottom of the ribs. 3. The alcalock: a tight vest, made of chintz, and quilted with cotton, which ties at the side, and reaches as low as the thin part of the calf of the leg. It has sleeves extending to the wrist, but open from the elbow. 4. The caba: which is a long vest descending to the ancle, but fitting tight to the body as far only as the hips: it then buttons at the side. The sleeves go over those of the alcalock, and from the elbow are closed by buttons only, that they may be opened thus far for the purpose of ab. lution, when the namaz or prayer is

said. There is another species of caba, called the bagalee, which crosses over the breast, and fastens all down the side by a range of buttons to the hip. This is generally made of cloth, or of shawl or cotton quilted, and, as the warmer, is most used in winter. 5. The outer coat is always made of cloth, and is worn or thrown off according to the heat of the weather. Of this dress, there are many sorts; -the tekmeh; which has sleeves open from the elbow, but which are yet so fashioned as to admit occasionally the lower part also of the arm. These sleeves are generally permitted to hang behind. The coat itself is quite round, buttons before, and drops like a petticoat over the shawl that goes round the waist. The oymeh, which is like the tekmeh, except that from the hips downwards, it is open at the sides. The baroonee, which is a loose and ample robe with proportionably ample arms, generally made of cloth and faced with velvet, and thrown negligently over the shoulders. 6. Over the caba, comes the shâl kemer, which is the bandage round the waist. This is made either of Cashmirian shawl, or of the common shawl of Kerman, or of English chintz, or of flowered muslin. The proper size is about eight yards long, and one broad. To this is fastened (by a string neatly tied around it) a kunjur, or dagger, ornamented according to the wealth of the possessor, from an enamelled pummel set in precious stones, to a common handle of bone and wood. 7. Besides the outer clothes, which I have just mentioned, they have also coats trimmed with fur. Such is the catebee, which is an uncommonly rich dress, covering the whole of the body, with far over the back and shoulders, fur at the cuffs, and

fur

fur inside. It is made of cloth of gold and brocades, with large ornaments of gold lace in front, and forms altogether the most dignified among the habits that I remarked in Persia. 8. They have also a short jacket, called the coordee, which fits close to the body, but with loose flaps as low as the commencement of the swell of the thigh. 9. The warmest of their dresses is a sheep-skin with the fur inside, and the leather part outside. It is called, from its sudorific qualities, the hummum or bath, but it is more generally named the pooshtee or skin. It is an ugly and unpleasant article. The better sheep-skins come from Bokhara, and are covered with the finest wool certainly that I ever saw.

"The head-dress of every Persian, from the king to his lowest subject, is composed of one substance, and consists of a black cap about one foot and a haif high. These caps are all jet black, and are all made of skins of the same animals. The finest are taken from the lamb, in the first moments of its birth; and they decrease in value down to the skin of the full-grown sheep, which the common Rayat wears. The lambskins are also used to line coats, and make very comfortable pelisses. The only distinction in the headdress of Persia, is that of a shawl wrapped round the black cap; and this distinction is confined to the king, to the princes his sons, and to some of the nobility and great officers of state. Cashmire shawls have been discouraged of late, in order to promote the domestic manufacture of brocade shawls.

"Like the Turks, and indeed generally like other Asiatics, the Persians are very careful in preserving warmth in the feet. In winter they wear a thick woollen sock;

and in the air or in a journey, they bind their feet and legs with a long bandage of cloth, which they increase with the advance of the cold. They have three different sorts of shoes, and two sorts of boots. 1. A green slipper, with a heel about an inch and a half high, with a painted piece of bone at the top. These are worn by the higher classes, and by all before the king. 2. A flat slipper, either of red or yellow leather, with a little iron shoe under the heel, and with a piece of bone over that shoe, on which, as in the first instance, the heel rests. 3. A stout shoe (with a flat sole, turning up at the toe) which covers the whole foot, and is made either of leather, or of thick quilted cotton. It is worn by the peasants, and by the chatters, or walking footinen.

"The boots are, 1. a very large pair with high heels, turned up at the toe, made generally of Russia leather, and covering the leg. 2. A smaller and tighter kind, buttoning at the side, and reaching only to the calf of the leg. When the Persians ride, they put on a loose trowser of cloth, called shalwar, into which they insert the skirts of the alkalock, as well as the silken trowsers; so that the whole looks like an inflated bladder. The shalwar is very useful in carrying light baggage, as handkerchiefs, sinall books, &c. &c. not unfrequently a slight meal.

"The Persians shave all the head except a tuft of hair just on the crown, and two locks behind the cars: but they suffer their beards to grow, and to a much larger size than the Turks, and to spread more about the ears and temples. They almost universally dye them black, by an operation not very pleasant, and necessary to be repeated generally once a fortnight. It is always per

formed

formed in the hot-bath, where the hair being well saturated takes the colour better. A thick paste of Khenna is first made, which is largely plastered over the beard, and which after remaining an hour is all completely washed off, and leaves the hair of a very strong orange colour, bordering upon that of brickdust. After this, as thick a paste is made of the leaf of the indigo, (which previously has been pounded to a fine powder), and of this also a deep layer is put upon the beard; but this second process, to be taken well, requires two full hours. During all this operation, the patient lies quietly flat upon his back; whilst the dye (more particularly the indigo, which is a great astringent) contracts the features of his face in a very mournful manner, and causes all the lower part of the visage to smart and burn. When the indigo is

at last washed off, the beard is of a very dark bottle green, and becomes. a jet black only when it has met the air for twenty-four hours. Some, indeed, are content with the Khenna, or orange colour; others, more fastidious, prefer a beard quite blue, The people of Bokhara are famous for their blue beards. It is inconceivable how careful the Persians are of this ornament: all the young men sigh for it, and grease their chins to hasten the growth of the hairs: because, until they have there a repectable covering, they are supposed not fit to enjoy any place of trust.

"Another singular custom is that of dying the hands and feet: this is done by the abovementioned Khenna, which is generally put over every part of the hands and nails as far as the wrist, and on the soles of the feet, the toes, and nails.

"AS

"far as Cassibili the soils and the cultivation are exactly like those described above; and we gazed' with pleasure upon its little river, and the beauty of it banks, the clearness of its waters, and the attention that was exhibited in the irrigation and fertilization of its adjoining fields. Several of the common peasant women were washing their linen there, whose coarse compliments and rustic expressions made us smile. Behold, said Signor Tommasi, 'the Naiads; who, in the songs of the poets, are so amiable, so fair, and so 'interesting. In reality, they

are what you see, simple and homely country wenches.'

"From Cassibili to Syracuse the country is not remarkable for the successful efforts of art; but it is beyond measure rich and redundant in the bountiful gifts of nature. It is a large and promising plain, on one side of which is the sea, zand various little mountains and hills, which recede more or less from the shore, upon the other. Trees and farm houses are few; the soil, however, is for the greatest part fertile, and in some spots is black, fat, deep, yet crumbling, as can be

seen