"رحلات في آشور، ميديا، وبلاد فارس، بما في ذلك رحلة من بغداد مروراً بجبل زاغروس وصولاً إلى حمدان، في أكباتانا القديمة، والبحوث في أصفهان وأطلال برسبوليس، ورحلة منها مروراً بشيراز وشابور وصولاً إلى ساحل البحر. وصف البصرة، بوشهر، البحرين، هرمز، ومسقط، وسرد لحملة ضد قراصنة الخليج العربي، مع رسومات توضيحية لرحلة بحرية لنيرتشوس، والمرور ببحر العرب إلى بومباي. [‎٩] (٥٨٢/٢٢)

PREFACE. ix
press, almost incessantly occupied, by having in my own hands
the Editorship of a Daily and a Weekly Political Journal, the
Argus, and the Sphynx,—and of a Weekly and a Monthly Literary
Journal, the Atheneeum, and the Oriental Herald,—I could only
hope to accomplish the task of bringing out this Volume, in a
manner at all worthy of acceptance, by devoting a portion of
those hours which are ordinarily given to recreation and re
pose, to the labour w T hich such an undertaking involved. This
resolution was accordingly made, and has been at length faith
fully redeemed ; for I may truly say, that not a single page of
it has been written, arranged, corrected, or revised, but after
the hours at which even the most studious generally repair to
their couch, to recruit by sleep the exhaustion of the labours
of the day.
That, under the circumstances described, errors of style and
defects of arrangement should appear, will not be deemed won
derful ; and that, under other circumstances, the task might
have been more satisfactorily executed, cannot admit of doubt.
But, when it is not possible to do all we desire, and in the
very best manner we could wish, it is better to endeavour
to execute our duty in the best manner that we are able,
than altogether to abandon the attempt as impracticable. It
is on this maxim, at least, that I have acted ; and it is rather
in extenuation of imperfections, which this necessarily brings
in its train, than from any other motive, that I have ventured
at all to allude to the subject. It will complete the picture of
hurried and interrupted composition, if I state, what is literally
the fact, that having left London on business of some import-
b