254 
CONVERSATION WITH ABBAS MIRZA. 
troop ; and be ready, at an instant’s call from the master, to 
serve the kalioun on the march. Some use the common wooden 
tube; but others, more luxurious, have one that is pliable, 
winding, like a snake of several feet in length. It is attached 
to the conducting tube, which being held by the servant, enables 
him to attend in his duty, and yet keep a respectful distance in 
his master’s rear. 
Soon after I had gained the head of the column, the Prince 
invited me to join him ; and thus, for a considerable portion of 
the day’s journey, I had the free enjoyment of his conversation, 
on a variety of subjects. In all its changes, I found new occa¬ 
sions to admire the capacities of his mind, and the noble pur¬ 
poses to which he unfolded them. My interpreter, (who, hence¬ 
forward, was to be as my shadow,) assisted me in fully compre¬ 
hending the animated discourse of his royal master. He dis¬ 
cussed all the existing empires; dwelling particularly on their 
naval and military power, their discipline, their commerce, and 
their comparative wealth, as a means of political action. Indeed, 
it was not a little astonishing, to discover in a prince, seated far 
from the shores of northern Europe, (the interests of which, to 
common minds, might not appear to have any reference to his ;) 
to see in him so correct a knowledge of all the leading political, 
or military acts, which have been transacted in Europe during 
these last ten years. His remarks were not less judicious, on the 
consequences of Bonaparte’s second abdication, after the battle 
of Waterloo. The history of almost every age shows us, more 
and more, how the character of one man, who is supreme in a 
country, may impel, and even seem to inspire, the faculties of 
the nation he governs. Such leading personages have not been 
few in our own times ; and during the frequent opportunities 
