304 
VALE OF KHOI. 
as high as his horse), which being attacked by our dogs who had never 
before seen such game, soon proved his powers by laying one of them 
dead before him. 
On the 1st of June we travelled over a continuation of the mountains 
until we descended gradually into the vale of Khoi, which for richness of 
cultivation, water, pasture and population is perhaps not to be surpassed 
by any spot of similar extent, either in Persia or any other country. 
It is nearly oval, about fifteen miles in length and ten in breadth, and 
is surrounded by mountains, though as usual, unadorned with wood, yet 
beautiful in their shapes and distances. It produces great quantities of 
corn, besides cotton and rice. The soil is so stiff that it requires some¬ 
times even ten pairs of buffaloes to drag the plough-share through it. 
When the plough is at work, two or three men according to the length 
of the team are seated upon the yokes, exciting their cattle by a loud 
song, which at a distance in the stillness of the morning was very 
agreeable. Their plough is an instrument of more mechanism here than 
in the southern parts of Persia, and furrows the earth much more effec¬ 
tually. The corn we observed grew thicker and better than in other 
parts, which doubtless proceeds in some degree from the superiority of 
this implement, and in some degree, from the great quantity of water 
with which this plain is blessed. 
Most of the villages are peopled by Armenians. In passing through 
one of them we observed a board hung between sticks, placed conspi¬ 
cuously on the top of a house. It answers the purposes of a bell, for 
when beaten it emits a sound that is heard at a distance, and calls the 
poor folks together to prayers. 
Our tents were placed near the walls of the town, and before we 
reached it we were again greeted by infantry dressed in red. This 
place is governed by Fatteh Ali Khan, son of the Reish Sejid, or elder of 
the tribe of the Cajars, and under the plea of his royal connection, he 
excused himself from coming out to meet the Ambassador, or even 
from paying him the first visit. Towards the close of the evening 
however, he sent a tray of lettuce, two of sweetmeats, and some 
flowers, accompanied by fine speeches, all of which His Excellency re- 
