40 
LANDING OF THE EMBASSY. 
and two servant maids. After he had sat and wondered for some time, 
he whispered the Persian Ambassador, and asked, “ Are all these the 
Elchee's wives ?” 
It was now near two years since the Persian Ambassador had quitted 
his country ; and as it was of great importance that he should set foot 
upon it under the most favourable auspices, he waited until the astro¬ 
logers had fixed upon a lucky moment, which was at three hours after 
sunrise on the following morning, viz. the 3d of March. At that hour 
he quitted the Lion, with all the honours due to his rank ; and when 
arrived close to the beach, he evinced a feeling that does credit both to 
his heart and understanding. Owing to the want of a regular landing 
place, he was obliged to be carried out of the boat on men’s shoulders. 
A number of Persians pressed round him offering their services, but he 
refused them, and desired that the English sailors might bear him on 
shore, saying, by them he had been brought thus far, and by them he 
would be landed — a sort of attention well calculated to gain the hearts 
of the sailors. 
Almost every town in Persia has its munajem, or astrologer, and fre¬ 
quently great men have one attached to their person, who regulates all the 
actions of their lives. It will be seen during the course of this narrative, 
of what universal influence this dependence upon the aspect of the 
heavenly bodies has upon the lives of the Persians, a custom which can 
only be accounted for by antiquity. The belief in astrology is not 'so 
universal with the Turks, who are greater predestinarians than the 
Persians, and consequently take less precautions to avert what futurity 
might have in store for them. 
The English Embassy landed on the 5th March. The delay did not 
proceed from the want of a proper conjunction of the planets, although 
the Persians pressed us much to employ their astrologers on this occa¬ 
sion ; but was owing to the preparations that were making on shore for 
its reception. A number of tents, of different sizes and denominations, 
which were destined to be our habitations for many months to come, 
were pitched outside the town for our reception, and of which we were 
happy to take possession, in preference to the houses which the country 
