ISPAHAN TO TEHERAN. 
183 
of salt and earth. Though the road therefore, over which we travelled, 
is as good as those in any other direction across the swamp, it is 
frequently after rains impassable: as the horses, which in our passage 
were up to the fetlock, are up to their bellies in less favourable 
leather. 
At Haooz Sultan we were met by an Officer with a letter from the 
King, expressing his thanks for the information communicated to him 
by the Envoy, of the defeats which “ the common enemy” had received 
in Spain, and inviting him to arrive at his capital without delay. 
We proceeded, and came to the Mulluk-al-Moat , a kind of pass 
leading through an extent of broken country, which, forming a laby¬ 
rinth of little hills and intricate nooks, has not unfrequently been a 
real cause of difficulty to travellers, and to a certain degree embarrassed 
us till we reached Kinar-a-gird. In the dells were a variety of streams 
which were nearly salt. The land itself bears evident marks of the 
action of fire. The soap-wort is the most common shrub all over the 
face of the country, but no use is made of it. About two fursungs 
from Kinar-a-gird we crossed a large salt stream, running from W. to 
E. and just before it we were greeted by an istakball. Our march on 
this day was forty miles. We passed the night in a large caravanserai 
built by the present King at Kinar-a-gird; where the Mehmandar t 
regardless of his late disgrace, again behaved ill, for his servants were 
suffered to intrude on the space which had been reserved for us. 
Erom Kinar-a-gird to Teheran is six fursungs , which we, called 
sixteen miles. We continued along the plain for two miles, crossing 
numerous channels of water which are carried from the stream by 
Kinar-a-gird. We then wound among some small hills for four 
miles, when the plain of Teheran opened upon us, bounded from E. to W. 
by a lofty range of mountains. Clouds generally rest on their sum¬ 
mits, and the snow at this time covered their very roots. On the West 
and high above them is the peak of Dcmawend. 
Teheran , as we descended gradually into the plain, bore N. 25 E. of 
us. On the right are the ruins of the ancient city of Key, scattered in 
