1834.] Persia, and Mesopotamia. 335 



This province is laid down in ancient maps as the country of the 

 Sacaseni, a brave tribe of Scythians, mentioned by Strabo, which the 

 learned now-a-day try to prove are from the same stock as the Anglo- 

 Saxons. To the eastward is the province of Shirwan, the ancient 

 Albania, the scene of so many actions of Cyrus, and subsequently of 

 Pompey. Not far hence, the Koor mingles its waters with the Araxes, 

 thus forming the apex of a triangle ; and the united streams, turning 

 abruptly to the south, discharge themselves into the Caspian Sea. From 

 a series of observations, lately made with Fahrenheit's thermometer in 

 boiling water, at different heights, on the shore of this sea, it appears 

 that water boils at 212°. 75 and the barometer stoodat 28° 7" 1' * ; hence 

 the surface of the Caspian is 375 feet below the level of the ocean. 

 Pallas in his travels, speaks of the low level of the Caspian, compared 

 with other seas. Engelhardt and Parrot, in their late journey to the 

 Caucasus say, that the surface of the Caspian is 308.8 French feet 

 beneath that of the ocean. The Koor contains a greater body of water 

 than the Araxes, though its course is less rapid. Cyrus is said to have 

 been murdered on its banks by the neighbouring mountaineers. 



The weather, which for the last week had been so mild, became sud- 

 denly extremely cold, with a cloudy sky, and seven degrees of frost. 

 Our track lay over an uneven plain for nine miles, when we began a 

 gentle ascent up a hill to the south-east ; and passing over its brow 

 descended on the opposite side by a narrow and romantic path towards 

 the river Parianzour. Following its course for two miles, we entered 

 a deep wood. The thickets through which we plunged to reach a new 

 ascent were covered to the depth of two feet with snow, and the dif- 

 ficulties our horses encountered from such insecure footing increased at 

 every movement. The track up the height itself did not afford a more 

 secure one, and when the ascent was gained, similar obstacles present- 

 ed themselves. We had to pass along the ridge of a chain of rugged 

 hills, whose situation exposed us to every blast, while the road itself over 

 which we travelled some hours, was slippery and dangerous. At the 

 end of fifteen miles, we reached Gorouzour, where some Cossack horses 

 were changed. That done, we recommenced our march over the 

 same rough ground, till we came up to an encampment, where we halted 

 for the night. The portable houses of the peasantry of the country, 

 we found comfortable enough. They cannot be called tents, although 

 their structure is as simple. Several long rods, regularly disposed at the 

 distance of about two feet asunder, surround a circular space from ten 

 to fifteen feet in diameter, and form the skeleton of the walls, which are 

 firmly tied together by bands of hair ropes, hitched round the end of 



* Sic in MS. perhaps 28.71 French inches. — Ed. 



