'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎143] (184/1024)

Ghap. I- of Monfieur Tavernier.
- The temper of the Air in Perfia varies according to the variety of iituation. The
Countrey of Edzerbaijan is very cold, but very healthy. The Air of Mazaadran
is very unvvholfom •, for being a low fenny Country, and full of Infe&s, when the
Waters dry up in the Summer, the lnie£ts alfo dye and infed the Air. Sometimes
thofe b,jd Waters over-flow the Country i in fo much that the Inhabitants receive
a tindure in their Complexions from the colour of the Earth. The Province of
Guilan is included in the Province of Mazandran \ and the Air isfounwholfom, that
the People cry of him that is fent to command there j Has he robb’dyftol 0 ^ or mur-
therd^ that the King fends him to Guilan ?
At Ijpaha/ty which is almoft in the middle of Perfia, there are fix months of hot,
and fix months of cold weather. The Snow falls three or four times in a feafomand
fometimes fo very thick, that there is hardly any travelling upon the Road. About
a League from the City, toward the Mountain, there hands a Stone about two or
three Foot high, which when the Snow hap’ns to cover, prognofiicates a plentiful
Year i and the firft Country-man that carries the news thereof to the King, receives a
hundred tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. . As for Rain, there is very little falls there, unlefsit be in April y
and then it fometimes rains very hard.
In the Southern Provinces, the heats are very exceffive, and kill abundance of
our Europeans-) efpecially thofe that are giv’n to drink.
All Perfia is water 5 d with little Rivers', but there is not one navigable River
through the whole extent of it, unlefs it be or the Araxes of the Indians)
which carries feme few flat-bottom Boats. The other Rivers* inflead of growing
bigger, the farther they keep their courfe from the Springs, grow (hallower for want
of Water, by reafon of the infinite number of Kreifes or Channels, which they cut
out of the Rivers to water the Lands, which would not bringforth fo much as only
Grafs without the help of thofe Cuts*, unlefs it be in the Province of ^Aazandrari)
which from September to March feems a kind of Terreftrial Paradife, through the
pleafing variety of Herbs and Fruits. However, Perfia in general being thus water’d
is a moft fruitful Country: though it be true, that many of their Springs and Chan
nels are loft and brok’n. And Mirza*Ibrahim Governour of the Province of Edzer-
baijan told me one day, that in the very Territory of Taurisy there were above two
hundred Springs utterly loft, either by accident or negligence.
As for their Gardens, they water them with Well-water, by the help of a Wheel
and an Ox i but the running Water is much better, as not being fo cold, and more
fatning to the Earth. And therefore the Fruits that grow in the Mountains which
are only Vater’d by the Rain or by the Dews, are much better tafted, and keep
longer. _ , j-,-; _
Eerfta is a mountainous Country, but for the moft part the Mountains are very
dry and barren. Asfor Woods, there are none in all the Country. Travellers are
alfo forc’d to go a great way out of their Road to find a Spring *,and fometimes they
dull ride ten or twelve Leagues, before they meet with any Water but what they
carry in their Bottles. There are forne Mountains out of which they dig Salt, as
Stones out of aQuarrey. There are alfo Plains where the Sand is nothing but Salt,
though it be not fo favoury as our Northern Salt.
Of late feveral Copper-Mines have been found out, of which the Natives make all
forts of Kitchin-Houftioldftuflf. Their Lead comes from Kerman -, their Iron and
Steel from Corafan and Kashin, though not fo good as that of Spain. Their Steel is
very fine, with a fmooth grain, and grows very hard in the Water, but it is as brittle
asGlafs. Neither will this fort of Steel agree with the Fire; fo that if the Fire
have not more than a double heat when the Steel is forg’d, it will look juft like a
piece of burnt Charcoal. The Steel which we call comes from the
Indies, and the Perftans call it Gauherder.
There are alfo fome Mines of Gold and Silver in Perfia, wherein it appears that
they have anciently wrought. Sha-Abas alfo try’d again, but found his expence to
be more than his profit; whence it is become a Proverb in Perfia, Nokre Kerven
dehkirarge nobbafiel'-tThcSilvet-Mint oi Kerveu, where they fpend ten to get nine,
wihch is the reafon that all tfieGold andSilver of Perfia comes out of ForeinCountries.