A EIDE TO TEHEEAN IN 1888. 



Baku Rough Weather on the Caspian Oil Wells Start from Tiflis for the 

 Persian Frontier Various Adventures on the Way Mount Ararat 

 Ride to Tabreez A curious City On Horseback to Casvin Poison- 

 ous Bugs Teheran Sir Drummond Wolff Tales about the Shah, 

 and Sport round Teheran. 



AFTER quitting Sevastopol, where the Kussians were 

 practising with heavy guns, our steamer skirted the 

 coast of the Crimea. As one proceeds, the character 

 of the country undergoes a complete transformation. 

 Bare plains give place to mountains rising abruptly 

 from the sea, which shut back the cold north winds. 

 We have reached the Eiviera of Eussia, in which Yalta 

 takes the place of Nice or Cannes. 



The main chain of the Caucasus trends away inland, 

 and after passing Poti we came to our destination at 

 Batoum, both rather insalubrious places. Here I was 

 delighted to find George Curzon on his way home 

 from Central Asia, and to make the acquaintance of 

 our only consul in Transcaucasia, who is said to be a 

 perfect mine of information on things connected with 

 Eussia, and than whom, when he is not suffering 

 from the climate, there is no more ardent devotee of 

 the chase ; and also the author of a book upon sport 

 and travel in the Crimea, lately returned from search- 

 ing amongst the great snow-peaks of the Caucasus 

 for traces of Messrs. W. F. Donkin, Harry Fox, and 

 the guides, Streich and Fischer, supposed to have 



