392 ADDITIONAL NOTICES. [June 27, 1859. 



The caravanserais are numerous, but are not fit places for a European; in 

 fact, tliere is only one set apart for Christians, into which I fancy a European 

 would be admitted, and that is of a wretched description. 



The houses in the country are much scattered, and seldom, as far as I saw, 

 present the appearance of regular villages, and they are generally so much 

 screened from view by the jungle that one is frequently not aware of their 

 neighbourhood. They are usually neat and clean within, and instead of 

 carpeting the inhabitants have beautiful mats, the re^ds for which they obtain 

 in abundance all over the flat country. 



The population of Ghilan is at present small ; I have heard it estimated as 

 low as 100,000, but this appears to me to be an undervaluation. It is very 

 difficult, however, to form an idea of its probable amount from the peculiar 

 nature of the country. The dense forest which covers it, by concealing from 

 the view of the traveller the habitations of the people, except such as are 

 immediately on his line of route, precludes his forming any estimate from 

 what comes under his observation, and there are no public records to which 

 to refer. Previous to the dreadful plague of 1830 the province was well 

 peopled, but full two-thirds of the population would appear to have been 

 carried off by that calamity, from which the country has never recovered. 

 A ])erson with whom I was conversing on the subject told me that of 40 indi- 

 viduals of his own family and relations living here, 36 fell victims to the 

 scourge ; the remaining four had fled from the country. 



Many thousand labourers from the Khalkhal districts of the western side of 

 the Talish mountains find employment here during winter in the clearing and 

 cultivation of land, hewing of wood, felling of timber, building, and other 

 em]>loyments requiring Ixidily strength and great exertion, for which their 

 weak and sickly constitution seems to incapacitate the natives of Ghilan. 

 These labourer return to their homes in spring, for they cannot endure in 

 summer the fatal climate of this low and swampy country. 



The natives of Ghilan are notorious for their bigotry, ignorance, and pre- 

 judice ; they have seldom seen Evuopeans, and those they are most acquainted 

 with have generally been Russians. The care these prejudiced people take to 

 avoid contact with a Christian as he passes them in the streets in rainy 

 weather (where he is looked upon as particularly unclean) is perfectly ridi- 

 culous, in Azerbijan this prejudice is now almost effaced, but the Ghilaiks 

 liave yet to learn a lesson which a visit from their Russian neighbours may 

 one day teach them. 



The food of the people is very simple and light. Eice and fish are the 

 principal articles ; both are the ])roduce of the province, the latter lieing foimd 

 in abundance in all the numerous streams which intersect the country, as well 

 as in the lake or l>ackwater of Enzilli, and in the sea. These fisheries are 

 all rented, but much of the pnxluce is doubtless taken without being paid for. 

 Besides these the people have abundance of fine poultry, and horned cattle, 

 like the Indian species; with a hump over the shoulder, but mutton is not 

 commonly to be met with, except in autumn, I believe, when all classes are in 

 the habit of consuming meat. The sheep are brought from the mountains, 

 where they are i>astured, and from the plains of Mogan. Wild fruit grows 

 everywhere in abundance, but none is cultivated, which is, I believe, the 

 reason of its l>eing extremely unwholesome. I should except oranges, lemons, 

 and limes, which were once extensively cultivated until a few years ago, 

 when nearly all tlie trees were destroyed by an extraordinarily severe winter, 

 and the fruit is now scarce and dear. The vines are allowed to climb up the 

 trees of the forest, as in some parts of Turkey : the juice of the grape aftbrds 

 a delicious kind of treacle, called dowshawb, which is eaten with dry boiled 

 rice. Neither fat nor butter is used in cookery, nor is any sort of bread 

 eaten except in tiie towns, the people generally believing it to be injurious to 



