THE RIVER ARAXES. 
215 
southern stretch of its winding banks, where their sickle form, 
having made its curve, turns eastward. We found a raft-like 
boat, of a lozenge shape, that was to convey us to the opposite 
shore ; and, by that translation, land us in Azerbijan, the go¬ 
vernment of Abbas Mirza, Prince Royal of Persia, and what 
was part of ancient Media. The Araxes was not more than 
fifty yards wide at the place of embarkation ; but the waters were 
rapid, and occasioned no small difficulty in getting our animals 
afloat. When we were all on board, the boat was pushed off, 
and rowed with apparent ease by the ferrymen, till it got into 
the full flood of the current; and then we were carried down the 
stream to a considerable distance. But the ferrymen were on 
the alert; and, by great and timely exertions managing to gain 
a good deal of head-way, soon brought us up to a shoal. One 
of them instantly leaping into the river made the vessel fast; 
and the horses taking the same plunge, were led carefully on 
shore ; which so lightened the boat, it found sufficient water to 
disembark the rest of the party on the bank. The ferrymen re¬ 
crossed in the same manner that we came ; after having dragged 
the vessel to a certain height up the southern side of the stream ; 
and beyond the point on the opposite shore at which we had 
embarked. The river here ran due east. 
At Julpha, and for a great extent above those ruins, the 
Araxes (otherwise called the Aras) flows through a precipitous 
valley; and, while in that course, it is largely augmented by the 
numerous mountain-torrents which fall into its stream. At 
times of thaw, or in the rainy season, these accessions of water 
are very formidable ; and the valleys of the Araxes often suffer 
by their too abundant supply. However, at only a very few 
miles below the ferry, the river is almost always fordable, from 
