"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. [‎٢‎٢‎٧] (٥٨٢/٢٥٨)

VISIT TO THE MOSQUES AND COLLEGES.
227
more proficient. He could recite some of the verses of Saadi,
whom he called his favourite poet, though he confessed at the
same time his disrelish for the other distinguished ones of his
country. Of Arabic literature he was entirely ignorant; and the
best historians of his own country were unknown to him, since
I mentioned the names of several, with the titles of their works,
as popularly known among Oriental scholars of the west, of which
he had not even heard. The claim of this man to be considered
as one of the most learned of the day, and the ornament of the
colleges of Ispahan, might have been sufficiently well-founded;
but if this were admitted, as it was here without a scruple, the
condition of useful learning in Persia must be deplorably low
and degraded. The Moollah Hadjee Mir Mohammed Hossein
was however kind, subserviently humble, and easily polite in his
manners; and there was neither pride nor affectation apparent in
his behaviour.
We spent a considerable time with this man, examining some
specimens of fine Persian writing, of which he had an extensive
and beautiful collection, chiefly made up of detached sentences
and chapters of the Koran. We were served here with a noon
repast of fruits and sweetmeats, before we were conducted over
the college ; and this, with a ride in the garden, into which its
outer front opened, consumed nearly the whole of the day; so
that we did not return home until sunset, where a scene of more
animating joys was prepared for us,—and a night of turbulent
delight, with all the accessories of wine and appropriate music,
which are nowhere enjoyed with more zest than in this country,
where they are strictly forbidden, succeeded to a day of calm and
tranquil pleasure.
2 G 2