198 TIFLIS. 



by every one that large game abounded, and tigers 

 were things of everyday occurrence. Alas ! I lis- 

 tened to the many, and, in spite of my own con- 

 science, closed my ears to the one. One Russian 

 gentleman upon whom I called showed me a letter 

 just received from an Englishman engaged in 

 writing a monograph on crocuses, asking for his 

 assistance to obtain certain bulbs of this flower 

 supposed to exist at Lenkoran. I did my best, 

 as I promised my friend I would do, to obtain some 

 bulbs during my stay by the Caspian ; but as there 

 were no leaves above ground, and as the natives 

 don't take any notice of flowers, or know one from 

 another, I was completely foiled in my attempt. 



The number of musical instruments in the 

 streets of Tiflis would lead one to believe that the 

 population is a most musical one. My old enemy, 

 the barrel-organ, turned up here in great force, 

 especially about the German colony. The Arme- 

 nians seem most fond of it, and during my short 

 stay in Tiflis I twice saw a droshky containing a 

 couple of Armenians evidently on the spree, with 

 organ and organ-grinder crowded in on the top of 

 them, playing away his hardest, while, with beam- 

 ing faces which plainly testified that they were 

 doing the correct thing according to their lights in 

 the best style, they rattled through the streets. 

 Those who know these people will tell you that it 

 is their favourite folly, when they have had a little 



