NEGOTIATIONS WITH liUSSIA. 
^79 
tents as they do in their houses; and their habits of migration have 
taught them great facilities in the manner of transporting their baggage. 
Many of the great personages have tents with boilers attached to 
them, which they convert into hot baths, as soon as they become sta¬ 
tionary at one place for any time j and we may suppose this to have 
been the case formerly, for in the Cyropaedia, it is mentioned that 
the Medes and the soldiers of Tigranes bathed themselves in camp, all 
matters for that purpose having been provided. * 
The number of Persians collected together at this camp was computed 
to be from eighty to ninety thousand, of which one half were military, 
and the other camp followers. This addition to the population of the 
province began soon to be felt, for provisions became scarce, and conse¬ 
quently dear. From this circumstance an idea may be formed of the 
difficulties which an European army would have to encounter even in 
the most flourishing part of the country, aided to the utmost extent by 
its government. 
On our arrival at Ojan we found the Russian Aide-du-camp, who had 
arrived there before us, and who Was anxiously waiting our arrival. He 
was living in a small tent, with which he had been supplied by the Grand 
Vizier. He had been well treated, but complained of the quantity of 
sweetmeats which had been sent to him in presents, and with which he 
and his Cossacks had been quite surfeited. Many and various were the 
discussions which took place with this officer, before matters could be 
adjusted to the satisfaction of both parties ; and when at length every 
thing had been settled^ and the departure of the Persian Plenipotentiary 
had been fixed, the whole business was nearly, overthrown by the-inr 
trusion of a single point of Persian etiquette. f 
After a long negotiation, the King agreed that the Russian, of¬ 
ficer should be allowed to approach his presence; and< it was upon 
the exact quantity of nearness to which he was entitled in this ap¬ 
proach, that the whole of the difficulty turned. The English Ambas¬ 
sador, who wished to do honour to the Governor General of Georgia in 
Cyropaedia, lib. iv. c. 3. 
* 
