'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎179] (210/582)

TO GOOLPYEGAN.
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journey beyond Koramabad, we began to descend, coming in half
an hour to the small village of Saaky Sookhta, which consisted of
a few huts, enclosed by a mud wall.
About an hour beyond this, we had opposite to us, on the
right, a neat little village, called Chartack, seated at the foot of
the hills, at the distance of a mile from the high road, and in
habited by Christians, of the Armenian sect; though, in all other
respects, of dress, language, manners, &c. they were the same as
their Moslem neighbours.
Our course now became south-east, over a good road, with cul
tivated land on each side of us; and here we were accosted by
three men looking out from a pit, over which a ragged piece of
tent-cloth was raised. They demanded of us a toll, saying they
were stationed there by the Government to keep the road clear of
robbers, showing us their muskets at the same time; but as we
suspected that they were themselves bad characters, using this
plea as a decoy, we answered their demand in a tone of defiance,
and continued steadily on our way.
It was nearly three hours from hence, and after we had passed
several distant villages on our right, that we halted to drink at a
small place called Elia-abad, peopled by Armenian Christians.
Though the rains had failed here, as well as in all the other
parts of the country, the industrious population had distributed
the water of several little rivulets among their grounds; and we
saw, for the first time, the young corn of the second crop above
ground, the soil being laid out in oblong beds, with bordering
ridges to confine the water on them, as in garden lands.
From hence, in about an hour and a half, we passed through a
ruined village, in which was a saint's tomb. The place was called
Mohammedabad, but not more than twenty of its dwellings were
inhabited. In less than two hours more, on a winding course of
from east to south-east, we entered Khomein, where we made our
halt at a khan, as incommodious as most of the smaller ones sta
tioned in the way. Through the latter part of our ride there had
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