12 JOURNEY THROUGH DISTRICTS N. OF ELBURZ, [Nov. 8, 1858. 



appearance of its waters. On reaching the end of the Yalley of Laur, 

 we crossed the river, and about J of a mile farther on passed over a 

 torrent fed by the melting snows from the mountains to the north. 

 After its junction with this stream, the Heraz dashes down a rocky 

 ravine, whose sides are so precipitous and narrow that, even 200 feet 

 above the level of the torrent, only a few feet intervene between one 

 side and the other. The path here leaves the river and winds high 

 up over the spurs of the mountain. It is rocky and difficult, being 

 in many places almost impassable for horses. Now and then, however, 

 we crossed fine open chummuns or grassy plains, in which great 

 numbers of mares of the royal stud were turned loose for pasture. 



We had not proceeded very far before our track joined the high 

 road, if such it can be called, which leads from Tehran by way of 

 the town of Demavend to Ask, the capital of the district of Laurijan, 

 and the residence of its governor. 



The hot baths of Demavend, so famous in Persia, are situated in 

 this locality. They are two in number : one, the tepid bath, is situated 

 within 100 yards of the town of Ask, on the right bank of the river. 

 It rises in an oval basin, measuring about 30 feet by 20, and about 

 3 feet in depth, formed by deposit from the spring, which gushes up 

 with great force in the centre of the basin, together with a consider- 

 able amount of gas. The water is composed of sulphur, iron, soda, 

 and magnesia. 



The other spring, which is situated about 2 miles farther down 

 the valley, and on the mountain of Demavend, is so intensely hot 

 that the water has to be conducted through canals for some distance 

 before it is collected in an artificial basin, in which the patients bathe. 

 This water is also composed of magnesia, iron, and sulphur ; but the 

 latter is in much larger proportions, and naphtha in great quantities 

 also forms one of the ingredients. Near Ask there is also a spring 

 of cold water, strongly impregnated with iron. From Ask a road 

 leads down to the town of Amul, but it is extremely dangerous, 

 lives being lost annually from mules and their riders falling over 

 the precipice, along the face of which it runs. 



Having on a previous occasion visited the town and hot springs, 

 we avoided the descent into the deep valley in which they are situ- 

 ated by following a track which led along the face of a precipice 

 formed of basaltic rock. The path was difficult, and in many places 

 dangerous. After an hour of this work we came upon a level piece 

 of ground, on which is situated the large village of Eeinah.* We did 

 not stop here, but pushed on to a point about a mile farther on, 



* Elevation, 6618 feet. 



