320 
ERIVAN. 
this .apartment that the Serdar amuses himself by trying his skill 
with a gun, and shooting with ball the asses of the peasants who 
happen to be going along the road on the other side of the river. 
The palace occupies nearly one half of the side of the castle 
towards the river, and the women’s apartments, the windows of 
which are screened with lattice work, look immediately upon the preci¬ 
pice. During the war with Russia, an occurrence took place, which 
would form a very good foundation for a romance. In one of the pre¬ 
datory excursions into Georgia, the Serdar made prisoner and placed 
in his harem, a young Georgian maid, who had been betrothed, and was 
on the point of marriage to"a fine youth ; the youth followed his mistress 
to Erivan, and having made known his arrival to her, they managed to 
escape for a short distance, but their steps were traced, and they were 
brought back. The lover was ordered to leave Erivan, and as he was 
going over the bridge of the Zengui, which flows at the bottom of the 
precipice, his mistress spied him, and threw herself dovm from the im¬ 
mense height, determining either to join him, or to die in the attempt. 
Her fall was broken by the intervention of two willows, and she was 
taken up much bruised, but not very dangerously hurt. It must be 
told to the honour of the Serdar, that he did not carry his tyranny fur¬ 
ther, but restored the couple to each other, gave them their liberty, and 
protection to return to their homes. 
We passed the day of our detention at Erivan, in company of the 
Serdar, who gave the Ambassador an entertainment in the large open 
hall of his palace. His conversation was very agreeable, and he was 
very communicative upon all subjects. The territory under his com¬ 
mand is about 140 miles in length, and 80 in breadth. According to 
a sum or estimation made by Hassan Khan, the Serdar’s brother, who 
was sent for the purpose of taking an account of the inhabitants of each 
village : the population then consisted of 18,700 males from the years 
of 15 to 50, which multiplied by four, for women, children, and old men, 
will give a total of 74,800 souls. In these are included all the Eelaut 
tribes, except the Gourds, who being a distinct and casual class of popu- 
