APPENDIX. 
409 
NOTE D. — Page 235. 
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The English officers when on service in the Persian army, were frequently 
sent into different parts of Persia, and the following information relating to a 
tract of country but little known, is furnished by Capt. Monteith of the Madras 
engineers, who was sent on an expedition to decide upon the best place to 
establish iron-works. It will be found a valuable addition to our knowledge 
of the geography of Aderbigian, and I have endeavoured to fix its different 
positions in my map. The narrative begins at Ahar and terminates at Nakhju- 
wan, to both of which places the Embassy travelled, and of which some ac¬ 
count has already been given in this work. 
“ From Ahar to Dombre the road at first leads over the plain, and then in a 
continued ascent N. by E. reaches to the summit of the mountains which bound 
the northern side of the plain of Ahar. These mountains are apparently a branch 
of Caucasus, which bounds the territories of Akhiska, Erivan, Nakhjuwan, 
and here appear to take an abrupt easterly direction. Six miles from Ahar we 
passed a large village called Ipresens, from which to the top of the mountains 
is three miles, on a bearing of north. In the same direction we descended 
six miles, when we turned E. N. E. for six miles more into a narrow and fruit¬ 
ful valley, in the centre of which is a celebrated hill-fort, called Imlong, now 
in ruins. It is said to have been the retreat of a celebrated robber, and is cer¬ 
tainly well calculated for defence, although there is no water on the top. A 
covered way, however, led to the river which flows at the bottom; besides 
which the ruins of a large covered reservoir are still to be seen. After reaching 
this fort we proceeded up a narrow valley, on a direction of E. S. E. to the small 
village of Dombre, distant two miles ; and two miles further on, still on the 
same bearing, we came to the foot of the mountain where is a most productive 
iron-mine. The ore is found a foot below the surface, and yields 50 per cent, of 
metal, and is of a dusky red colour. The Persians work it in a very rude manner, 
by first burning the whole substance in a furnace; they then hammer the earth 
and dross from each other, and the metal is afterwards made into horse-shoes, &c. 
3 G 
