HAMADAN. 
104 
to the care of Mahmoud Ali Mirza, a son of the Shah’s. In 
consequence of this appointment, plans are now laying, to raise 
it to a more equal rank with other provincial capitals. Palaces 
for his royal highness, and mansions for his ministers, are erect¬ 
ing in the most desirable situations ; and new bazars, with mer¬ 
cantile caravansaries, have had more than their foundations laid. 
On my arrival at Hamadan, the prince-governor was not there, 
but his vizier gave me welcome, and lodged me in a splendid 
though unfinished suite of apartments, in the royal residence. 
Indeed I may justly say, that his mode of reception was more 
in character with ancient Ecbatana, than modern Hamadan; 
hospitality was so blended with magisterial dignity, and polish 
of manners with both. During the course of the first day of my 
arrival, I was visited by all the authorities of the new establish¬ 
ment ; and conversed with them, without restraint, on the place 
and its growing prospects. At present it does not number more 
than 9000 houses; one-third of which do not increase the re¬ 
venue to the crown, 3000 of them being inhabited by persons in 
the employment of the state, who are therefore not included 
in the taxation of the town. The population is calculated at 
between forty and forty-five thousand souls ; amongst whom are 
about six hundred Jewish families, and nearly the same number 
of Armenians. 
As the officers of this little court are at present almost 
strangers to the place, I could not gain any satisfactory intelli¬ 
gence from them respecting its objects of interest, or remains of 
antiquity. Indeed some of my questions surprised even the 
vizier’s high-bred courtesy, into a smile; but when I told him 
that one of my leading objects in visiting Persia, was to see the 
ruins of Tackt-i-Jemsheed, he looked in amaze ; and then a])- 
