486 
THE CHIEF OF SOAK BOULAK. 
raga, when aspiring to the throne of Persia after the death of 
Aga Mahomed Khan, seized upon this loyal chief, and put out 
his eyes. But “ the visual ray extinguished, the light shone in¬ 
ward few Asiatics I ever conversed with, displaying more 
acuteness of observation. 
Soak Boulak, the capital of the district over which he pre¬ 
sides, stands on the banks of a river bearing the same name ; 
but which stream, in flowing further north, takes that of Ta- 
tawa, and, after receiving the Gigatti about two farsangs south 
of the Lake of Ouroomia, thence winds on till it discharges itself 
into that body of waters. The town is perfectly open, well 
built, and consists of about 700 houses; 300 of which are inha¬ 
bited by Nestorian Christians. This is not the only place in 
Courdistan where I have found that sect; and towards the 
south-western districts, near Mosul and the Van, they abound 
in such considerable numbers, as to have bishops appointed over 
them. But I regret to say, that neither their knowledge nor 
practice of the Christian religion, bears any higher character 
for virtue, than that of the Courdish Mahomedan ; the followers 
of both faiths, living, in many respects, entirely after the law¬ 
less dictates of nature. Indeed, excesses in human liberty are 
almost always to be expected amongst a high-spirited impassioned 
people, whose freedom is not that of a well-regulated social 
compact, but a proud barbarous independence, proclaiming 
might to be right, and will, law. Yet rank as such a soil may 
be, it possesses the seeds of great virtues : the wild irregularity 
of an ignorant, free-born savage, who never knew the mutual 
bonds of civilization, being very different from the cold and 
selfish licence of men who know the blessings of social govern¬ 
ment, and yet throw off* its restraints. Nothing, to be sure, 
