NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND PERSIA. 
217 
not only have been an ornament to his country, but would have classed 
with the best of men and the best of princes. 
On our arrival at Tabriz, we found a Russian officer there, who liad 
been dispatched by the Russian Commander in Chief in Georgia, Ge¬ 
neral de Rtischeff, to Sir Gore Ouseley, with letters, which contained 
the wishes of the Russian government that a negotiation for peace 
with Persia might be entered upon through British mediation. Some 
recent disturbances in Georgia, favourable to their cause, had elated 
the Persians so much, that they were not in a humour to listen to the 
proposals which the Russians were inclined to make; but much being 
still to be done through our interference, the Prince did not refuse the 
Ambassador’s wish of dispatching the Honourable Robert Gordon, in 
company with the Russian officer, to Teflis, for the purpose of more 
precisely ascertaining from General de Rtischeff what were the ulti¬ 
mate terms of Russia, and whether he had plenipotentiary powers 
to treat. In one of our conferences with Mirza Bozurk, in which the 
utility of Georgia to Persia as a possession was discussed, he made a 
remark that was truly characteristic of an Asiatic logician. Taking 
hold of his beard, he said, “ This is of no use, but it is an ornament.” 
Not long after, we received letters from Mr. Gordon, at Teflis, in¬ 
forming the Ambassador that the General was invested with full powers 
to negotiate; that he recommended an immediate armistice should 
take place, to effect which he had ordered all incursions into the Per¬ 
sian territory to cease; and that he himself was ready to meet the 
Prince on the frontier, for the purpose of entering upon the negotia¬ 
tion. When this letter came, I was dispatched by the Ambassador to 
Abbas Mirza, who had been for some time encamped with part of his 
army in the pasture of Yam, about eight fursimgs from Tabriz, on the 
road to Maraud and Nakhjuwan. 
I set off at sunset with two servants and a guide, and arrived at ten 
o’clock at Soffian, where it was necessary to refresh myself and horses. 
Carpets were spread for me at the top of the Ket Khoda’s house, where 
I sat for an hour in the moonlight, refreshed by auh doughy a sort of 
butter-milk; and three hours after we reached the Prince’s camp, the 
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