DR. DRUMMOMD CAMPBELL. 
301 
A few hours after this little expedition, when I joined His 
Royal Highness again in our ride, I perceived the usual smiling 
graciousness of his countenance had given place to an extraor¬ 
dinary gravity ; but he immediately recommenced a conversation; 
talking of the palace of the king his father, at Sleymonia, where 
we were to halt for the night; and from whence, he hoped, to 
gain better intelligence on a subject, some accounts of which had 
just given him the greatest anxiety. In short, with a degree of 
manly feeling on his part, and a delicacy to mine, which I shall 
never forget, he told me he had seen a messenger, who brought 
tidings of the dangerous illness of a gentleman, whom he knew I 
was affectionately anticipating the sight of at Teheran. This 
was Dr. Drummond Campbell, with whom I had formed a friend¬ 
ship in Europe; a man, in the bloom of life; full of the most 
eminent talents, not merely professionally, but pointing to every 
line of Asiatic literature. He had been some time attached to 
the British embassy in Persia ; and his perfect knowledge of the 
language of the country, rendered him one of the most valuable 
members of the mission. Abbas Mirza held these public quali¬ 
ties in great consideration, but he more particularly esteemed 
Dr. Campbell for his amiable private virtues; and while he re¬ 
peated what the informant had told him, that the invalid was 
gone from Teheran to Kund, (a village lying a little out of the 
direct road, between that capital and Sleymonia,) for change of air; 
His Royal Highness anxiously added, that as soon as we should 
arrive at the palace, he would send Dr. De la Fosse forward, to 
ascertain, and bring him word, the true state of Dr. Campbell. 
On this intimation, I begged permission to accompany the me¬ 
dical gentleman ; being now doubly impatient to see my friend ; 
and promised, to fall in with the cavalcade the following morning, 
time enough to enter the capital with His Royal Highness. 
