Chap. I. of Monfieur Ta vernier. 143 



The temper of the Air in Perfia varies according to the variety of fituation. The 

 Country of Edz,erbaijan is very cold , but very heakhy. The Air of Maz^andran 

 is very unwholforrr, for being a low fenny Country, artd full of Infects, when the 

 Waters dry up in the Summer , the Infects alio dye and infect the Air. Sometimes; 

 thofe bad Waters over-flow the Country, in fo much that the Inhabitants receive 

 a tincture in their Complexions from the colour of the Earth. The Province of 

 Guilan is included in the Province of Maz.andran- y and the Air is fo unwholfom,that 

 the People cry of him that is fcnt to command there •, Has he robb'd, ftoPu, or mur- 

 ther'd, that the King fends him to Guilan ? 



At Ifrahan, which is almoft in the middle of Perfia , there are fix months of hot, 

 and fix months of cold weather. The Snow falls three or four times in a feafon , and 

 ibmetimes fo very thick , that there is hardly any travelling upon the Road. About 

 a League from the City, toward the Mountain, there ftands a Stone about two or, 

 three foot high, which when the Snow hap'ns to cover, prognosticates a plentiful 

 Year ; and the fir ft Country-man that carries the news thereof to the King, receives a 

 hundred Tomans. As for Rain , there is very little fails there , unlei's it be- in Afrit, 

 and then it Ibmetimes rains very hard. 



In the Southern Provinces , the heats are very exceflive , and kill abundance of 

 our Europeans , efpccially thole that are giv'n to drink. 



All Perfia is water'd with little Rivers-, but there is not one navigable River 

 through the whole extent of it, unlcls it be Ara* , or the Araxes of the Indians, 

 which carries fome few iiat-bottom'd Boats. The other Rivers , inftead of growing 

 bigger , the farther they keep their courie from the Springs , grow ihallower for want 

 of Water, by rcafon of the infinite number of Kreifcs or Channels, which they cut 

 out of the Rivers to water the Lands , which would not bring forth fo much as only 

 Grafs without the help of thofe Cuts-, unlefs it be in the Province of Maz.andran, 

 which from September to March feems a kind of Terreftrial Paradife , through the 

 pleafing variety of Herbs and Fruits. However, Perfia in general being thus water'd, 

 is a molt fruitful Country : though it be true , that many of their Springs and Chan- 

 nels are loft and brok'n. And Mirz.a~Ibrahim Govcrnour of the Province of Edz.er- 

 banan told me one day, that in the very Territory of Tauns, there were above two 

 hundred Springs utterly loft , either by accident or negligence. 



As for their Gardens , they water them with Well-water , by the help of a Wheel 

 and an Ox •, but the running Water is much better , as not being fo cold , and more 

 fatning to the Earth. And therefore the Fruits that grow in the Mountains which 

 are only water'd by the Rain or by the Dews , are much better tailed , and keep 

 longer. 



Perfia is a mountainous Country, but for the molt part the Mountains are very 

 dry and barren. As for Woods, there arc none in all the Country. Travellers are 

 alfo fore'd to go a great way out of their Road to find a' Spring-, and fometimes they 

 (hall ride ten or twelve Leagues , before they meet with any Water but what they 

 carry in their Bottels. There are fome Mountains out of which they dig Salt, as 

 Stones out of a Quarrey. There are alio Plains where the Sand is nothing but Salt, 

 though it be not io favoury as our Northern Salt. 



Of late fcvcral Copper-Mine* have been found out, of which the Natives make all 

 forts of Kitchcn-HoufholdftufF. Their Lead comes from Kerman; their Iron and 

 Steel from Corafan and Kajlnn , though not fo good as that of Spain, Their Steel is 

 very fine, with a iinooth gram , and grows very hard in the Water , but it is as brittle 

 as Glais. Neither will this fort of Steel agree with the Fire : fo that if the Fire 

 have not more than a double heat when the Steel is forg'd , it will look juft like a 

 piece of burnt Charcoal. The Steel which we call Damas-Steel comes from the 

 Indies, and the Per fans call it Gauherdar* 



There are alfo iome 'Mines of Gold and Silver in Perfia, wherein it appears that 

 they have anciently wrought. Sha-Abas alfo try'd again , but found his expence to 

 be more than his profit : whence it is become a. Proverb in Perfia, Nokre Kerven 

 dchkrar^e nohhaffel ■ The Silver-Mine of Kerven, where they ipend ten to get nine, 

 which is the reaion that all the Gold and Silver of Perfia comes out of Forein Countries. 



CHAP, 



