June 27, 1859.] ADDITIONAL NOTICES. 391 



to 9000 feet above the sea's level. It is, I believe, about 32 agatches, or 144 

 miles, in length, including that portion of Talish which still belongs to Persia ; 

 in the broadest part it is called about 11 agatches, or 50 miles, in width ; but 

 in some of the parts I visited, the mountains, which occupy probably half the 

 superficies of the province, approach to within 5 or 6 miles of the sea, and I 

 believe still nearer in the northernmost portion of the country. The whole 

 province, with the exception of the summits of the loftiest mountains and 

 such parts as have been cleared away for cultivation, appears to be covered 

 with wood. The immense quantity of rain which falls, the want of drainage, 

 the dense forests and luxuriant vegetation, render the whole of the level 

 country a morass. The climate, under such circumstances and in such a low 

 latitude, must inevitably be unhealthy, and to strangers it is almost fatal 

 during the hot months. 



The natives of other provinces of Persia can seldom be tempted to expose 

 themselves to it at that season ; in winter and in spring and autumn fatal 

 diseases are not so common, but the exceeding dampness and relaxing nature 

 of the atmosphere render a sojourn there far from desirable from the frequency 

 of colds and rheumatisms, and from the pains in the limbs and knees, which 

 a prolonged residence entails. From the beginning of June to the end of 

 September the flat country is reputed to be almost uninhabitable by a 

 European or other stranger to the climate. The neighbouring mountains, 

 however, offer a salubrious refuge during this period ; but a person is there in 

 complete seclusion, and cut oft' from intercourse with the neighbourhood by 

 the distance and the badness of the roads. Few of the inhabitants of the flat 

 country can take advantage of these fine retreats in the unhealthy season, 

 because all hands are then occupied with the production of silk. The natives 

 of the low country have almost all a sickly appearance ; a healthy countenance 

 was a rarity, of which, even in winter, I saw but few examples. The moun- 

 taineers are less sallow, but the fine, hardy, and healthy look of the Azerbi- 

 janee of the opposite side of the mountains is seldom seen amongst them. 



The language of Ghilan proper is the Ghilaik, a dialect of the Persian, 

 which is spoken with great rapidity, and is less sonorous than the Persian of 

 other parts. The Talish district, of which the Russians now possess the 

 largest division, bounds Ghilan on the north. The inhabitants are repre- 

 sented as rude and brutal, much given to plunder and murder, but are a 

 hardy and active race, especially those who live in the highlands. _ Their lan- 

 guage is another dialect of the Persian, and I am informed that it has been 

 ascertained to contain much more of the Pehlivi than either the Ghilaik or 

 the language of Mazanderan. Of twenty substantives which I noted of the 

 Ghilaik, only two varied from the modern Persian ; in the same number 

 of words, and of the same meaning, in the Talish language, there were only 

 nine which corresponded with the Persian either exactly or approximately ; the 

 great difference in the former dialect appears to be in the verbs and in the 

 pronunciation. 



The principal places in Ghilan are Resht (its capital), Euzilli, Fornen, and 

 Lahijan. I did not visit either of the latter two, but I believe that Lahijan is the 

 largest, and not greatlyi inferior in size to Resht itself, which contains probably 

 ab(nit 3000 houses and 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. Resht may be called a 

 clean town ; its bazaars are extensive, though not showy ; the chief display 

 in them consists of Russian hardware, glassware, and earthenware, and some 

 English manufactures. The streets are paved with small stones ; in wet 

 weather, however, they are rendered very disagreeable to passengers, owing to 

 the great and unequal projection of the roofs, from which the drippings de- 

 scend in torrents, and which it is difficult to avoid. The jungle which covers 

 Ghilan reaches to the very houses of Resht ; these are generally of burnt 

 brick and tiled, and are usually composed of a ground floor and upper story. 



