COSTUME OF THE KING’S GUARDS. 
333 
after, a cavalcade, like a little army, appeared in that direction 
from the city. About four hundred of these soldiers of state, 
seated on their fine camels, and each armed with his swivel, 
moving on a pivot at the point of his saddle in front, imme¬ 
diately preceded the rest of the royal procession. The uniform 
of this corps is red, and something like the fashion of our British 
regimentals about twenty or thirty years ago. They wear a bright 
brass cap, of a cone shape, with a bunch of cock-feathers stuck 
in the pointed top. There was nothing martial in their appear¬ 
ance ; and so little of dignity, from the incongruity of their 
oddly-mixed half European costume, with the Asiatic animals 
they rode, that the troop rather recalled to my risible faculties, 
certain impressions connected with cavalcades I had seen in 
England, accompanying our splendid shows of wild beasts, than 
suggested the respectful ideas which belong to a regal escort. 
This corps were followed by a great number of horsemen, in no 
very regular line; and then came a long train of tchatters , or 
running-footmen, clothed in light blue, who immediately pre¬ 
ceded the royal personage himself. His Majesty rode quite 
alone, mounted on an eminently beautiful steed, naturally of 
spotless white; but, according to a particular badge of so¬ 
vereignty, the creature was stained of a gaudy orange colour, all 
along the lower part of his body, in a direct line from the swell 
of the chest to the tail. The King’s appearance, as before, pos¬ 
sessed every thing of perfect majesty; but here it was all de¬ 
rived from his own person, his dress being more simple than 
any of his assembled nobles; all his ornaments consisted of 
pearls ; and, though of the highest value, they gave grace, but 
not splendour to his habit. Abbas Mirza, as heir apparent, with 
the rest of the royal family, and the court, closed the rear of the 
