1834.] Georgia, Persia, and Mesopotamia. 581 



I intended to express. Dissent was of course impossible, so I al- 

 lowed him his own way. After remaining in the audience room for about 

 half an hour, we made two low bows, and retired under the escort of 

 the Kaim makdm, or prime minister, who accompanied us to the outer 

 court, where we met our horses and returned home. 



Not long ago, the Governor of Bombay, Sir John Malcolm, sent 

 Prince Abbas Mirza a very handsome London-built stanhope, which 

 he sported about the suburbs of the city, and issued a proclamation 

 that his ministers should forthwith provide themselves with similar 

 equipages. The nature of the country is so good, that carriages might 

 drive over it with nearly as much safety as upon a turnpike road. Per- 

 sia is well adapted for carriages, and with very little trouble good roads 

 might be made, except through the defiles from one plain to another, 

 where the ruggedness of the mountain passes present serious difficul- 

 ties. This was the case when wheeled-carriages were in use ; for 

 Darius after the battle of Issus, kept to his car as long as he was 

 in the plain ; but was obliged to alight from it, and mount his horse 

 when he came to the mountains. It would have been well, if His 

 Royal Highness had followed this prudent example upon his late hunt- 

 ing pic-nic ; for on his attempting to ascend the mountains in his stan- 

 hope, the vehicle overturned, and was smashed to pieces, and the Prince 

 had his head nearly broken. I was told that His Highness had chosen 

 the fittest spot for such an achievement. Since this accident, he has 

 quite forgotten to see his orders enforced either in building carriages, 

 or constructing roads. Some of the attaches to our embassy have dros- 

 kies, which are drawn through the narrow streets of the town by men ; 

 after which, their ladies are seated in them, and drive over the sur- 

 rounding plain. 



The Prince Royal is exceedingly fond of hunting and hawking — he 

 generally goes into Karadagh ; which is, in fact, his " hunting place." 

 Antelopes, partridges, and bustards are found there in great numbers. 

 Such is the wonderful speed of the first-named animal, that no instance 

 has yet occurred of their being fairly run down, except by relays of 

 horsemen and dogs, after the manner described by Xenophon of hunt- 

 ing the wild ass. He says, that the horsemen had no other means of 

 catching them, than by dividing themselves into relays, and succeeding 



One another in the Chase : Kal ol jxev ovoi, iirei tis dtu>Koi, irpoSpafiovres av- 

 €i<rTr)K€crav (nroAv yap rov 'hnrov Barrov erpexov) Kal iraXiv iirel ir\r)o~ta£oi 6 'liriros, 

 Tavrhv iiroioW Kal ovk "t\v Kafieiu, el jjl)i Siacrravres ol 'linreis 6r\pS>ev Siaoexo/xevot 



roistmtois. (Anabasis, lib. i. c. 5.) The antelope is equally common to 

 Persia, as to Arabia, India, and Africa. It is the dopnas, mentioned by 

 Xenophon, among the wild animals which the Ten Thousand hunted on 

 their march through Syria. The bustards are the unlSes, for they 



