Chap. I. 



of Monfîeur Taverniêr. 



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

 Country of Edz,erbai]an is very cold , but very healthy. The Air of Ma^andran 

 is very unwholfom^ for being a low fenny Country 5 and full of Infe&s, when the 

 Waters dry up in the Summer , the Infetts alfo dye and infeft the Air. Sometimes 

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

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

 Cjailan is included in the Province of Maz.and.ran ; and the Air is fo unwholfom, that 

 the People cry of him that is fent to command there -, Has he robbed , fioPn, or mur- 

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



At IJpahan, 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 

 fometimes 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, prognofticates a plentiful 

 Year } and, the fnft Country-man that carries the news thereof to the King, receives a 

 hundred Tomans. As for Rain , there is very little falls there , unlels it be in April s 

 and then it fometimes rains very hard. 



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

 our Europeans , efpecially thofe 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, unlels it be Aras , or the Araxes of the Indians, 

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

 bigger , the farther they keep their courfe from the Springs , grow fhallower for want 

 of Water, by reafon of the infinite number of Kreifes 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 p 

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

 nels are loft and brok'n. And Mir&a-Ibrahim Governour of the Province of Edz,er- 

 baijan told me one day, that in the very Territory of T », 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 tafted , and keep 

 longer. 



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

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

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

 fhall 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 alfo Plains where the Sand is nothing but Salt, 

 though it be not 'lb favoury as our Northern Salt. 



Of late feveral Copper-Mines have been found out, of which the Natives make alt 

 forts of Kitchen-HoufholdftufF. Their Lead comes from Herman ; their Iron and 

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

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

 as Glafs. 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 Perfians call it Gauherdar. 



There are alfo fome 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 Kerveri 

 dehkrarge nohhaffel- The Silver-Mine of Kerven, where theyfpend ten to get nine, 

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



Ç H A P, 



