A RIDE TO TEHERAN IN 1888. 313 



thousand miles to Teheran, and thence to the Caspian. 

 I was told that the chief attraction of Tiflis was to 

 see the various peculiar costumes of the inhabitants ; 

 in this I was disappointed. I found the variety of 

 costumes was not great. 



Tiflis lies in a narrow valley on both banks of the 

 river Kur, between hills bare of trees ; by climb- 

 ing one of which I obtained a view of some of the 

 snow-covered ranges of the Caucasus in the far 

 distance, including I think Kasbek. In the centre of 

 Tiflis rises a steep narrow ridge on which are the 

 ruins of an ancient castle, and below it are the 

 Botanical Gardens and the celebrated hot springs and 

 baths from which it takes its name, of which formerly 

 Christians were not allowed to make use. No restric- 

 tions exist with regard to shooting, but one has to go 

 some distance from Tiflis in order to obtain any. To 

 bring a gun into Eussia is generally a work of art, 

 and it is advisable to obtain a permission from the 

 Eussian Embassy in London in order to avoid delay. 

 But with regard to taking guns into Eersia, this is 

 impossible from the northern frontier ; they must be 

 sent round to Bushire in the Eersian Gulf and directed 

 to some one in Teheran. 



Having bought a fur cap and long goat's-hair boots 

 covering the knees, and procured the necessary police 

 order for horses, I left by the night train for Akstaf ha, 

 a station about seventy miles east of Tiflis, from which 

 point the journey by horses is commenced, and im- 

 mediately on my arrival at midnight made my way 



