1831.] 
Overland Journey to Indict. 
347 
added to what we before possessed, we calculated would pay our expenses to India. 
We converted the whole into gold ducats, and secured them in belts lound our 
waists. 
To Astrabad, through Mazenderan, our journey was delightful. It is a pio 
vince of mountains, which are clothed from base to summit with the foiest and 
fruit trees of Europe and Asia. The wild vine twines itself round the large trees, 
and drops its tendrils from the highest branches. The walnut, the mulberry, the 
pear, and pomegranate trees were in profusion ; and their blossoms were in beautiful 
relief to the dark foliage of the forest trees : the turf was green and covered with 
flowers, and the wild rose and the hawthorn perfumed the air. The nanow val 
lies between the high mountains are cut in steps, like the hanging gardens of 
Lahore ; through each one runs a stream, the water of which raised to the level of the 
highest step, falls successively upon the others into its bed again. On these descents 
is grown rice, the staple food of the inhabitants, and an article of consi era e 
export. 
Mazenderan is an unhealthy province; the villages are high up in the r 
tains, and a few only of the men come down into the vallcj to loo i. 
their rice grounds, and profit by travellers, who do not follow this loadin summer, 
°n account of a malaria which is said to be produced by the thick forests and s 
rated vallies. 
We passed through Sdri the capital of Mazenderan, which though called a fortress, 
' s a place of no strength ; and we spent a day among the still magnificent 
the palaces of Shah Abbds at Ashraf. Hence we had a view of the Caspian sea, down 
tnthe very coast of which runs a thick forest; through this we tia\elle to 
and took up our lodgings in the merchant’s caravanserai. 
Astrabad is a moderately sized town of no strength, situated close un ' ® r 1 
nchl y wooded mountains of Elborz. It is chiefly iuliabited by Cujjers 1 ; ant cwg 
a frontier town, is governed by a prince of the blood royal. 10 1111 e 
^trabid is the river Gdrgfa, on the fertile banks of which you Hat .nee 
thc Turkmans. Those who are seated near this river affect an ° “ 
f silah of Persia; but it is a very nominal one, and they have *ob“le regard 
° r Ins Majesty's fellow subjects, that they catch and sell them " nor 
11 Astr abidl dares not go to Ghrgan without the safeguart o a , ' e of 
a Turkman think it prudent to come to Astrabdd wltimu e g ■ 
a townsman. 
e P re sented letters which the Parsee merchant at Tehran had 1 e j n u ; r j e9 
^•chants of the town, who received us kindly, and who --"Safely. 
We' U . the possibilit y of our getting to Khiva, by engagjng ^ ^ whom onr 
'eie accordingly introduced to one Orauz Kouli, a > w0 uld 
f ,eod5 -ere in the constant habit of dealing for horses ; and be d *** ( ^ 
r °tide a man to conduct us there. To have some pietence ( . partner. 
n,,, ed the character of an Armenian merchant; the Sye too ' f ur 8, and 
, dlU we Purchased for the Khiva market, red silk scarfs, ^ Qn t |, c r0 ad, 
!°' UC bags of pepper, ginger, and other spices. F° r °“ r C ' ed a larg e supply of 
re advised to take rice and tea, and our friends kin > 
),SCuit f or us in their ander&ns (inner, or women’s a P a *_ “ . fr icnds to Gdrgin. 
■dprii 24 th. Rode with Orauz Kouli and our two vagtIake , and our path 
, ,Ur uiiles of our road were through a wood, in whic t jj C water luigl' 1 !,t ^ C 1 1 
ay clliefl y over the heads of many strong dams, msec , ^ mca dow, over wine », 
ric e grounds ; then we rode for six miles across a,c y hflg origin . 
those of the tribe from which the present .-In 
for 
