'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.' [‎206] (237/582)

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ISPAHAN.
side, thrust through a waist shawl, so that altogether the lad made
a fierce but sufficiently singular figure. The father consoled
himself with a hope, however, that when I should send him from
Bombay a helmet as worn by our dragoons, and a pair of gold
epaulets, the military decorations of his son would be complete;
and till then, said he, we must be content with an approximation
to perfection. Of the Russians, who were employed to train this
youth, one was a trumpeter, and sounded a march on the bugle
horn as he walked before the young recruit; the other marched
by the boy's side, and directed his infant steps ; and in this way
they paraded for more than an hour through the gardens and
avenues of the palace we inhabited, to the gratification of nu
merous spectators, who bestowed their applause at every turn.
At the termination of this exercise, so fatiguing to a youth
who had perhaps never walked for so long a time at any period
of his life before, he was permitted to sit in the presence of his
father and several other Khans, at a respectful distance, and we
all bestowed our praises on the steadiness of his attitude and the
firmness of his step. So successful a completion of this first
effort in his military career ought not, said all present, to go
unrewarded; and reference was made to the father for the choice
of the remuneration to be bestowed, but this was of a nature not
fit to be named.
Another excursion was proposed, after our morning's enter
tainment ; and the direction of this being left to my choice, we
set out together, with the same party. After going through
some of the gardens near our own residence, we directed our
course towards Julfa, the quarter occupied by the Armenians, and
situated in the south-west part of the city. In our way to this,
we crossed the bed of the river Zeinderood, which was now en
tirely dry. The present want of water was felt throughout the
country as one of the most serious evils that had afflicted Persia
for many years ; and not only was the appearance of every thing
changed thereby, but a scarcity and dearth of every species of pro-