THE ROYAL PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 
419 
natives are of painting, while they continue so obtuse to the 
most obvious lessons of nature, the art must ever remain a daub 
of extravagant heterogeneous subjects. 
In the evening, attended by some of the governor’s people, 
who were appointed to attend me through the town, I rode 
towards the suburb of Julpha, to deliver the letters I had taken 
charge of from the metropolitan of Eitch-mai-adzen, to the 
Armenian Bishop of this Persian district. Julpha lies on the 
southern side of the Zeinderood; and, now, is connected with 
the town by ruins only, long tracks of which spread between the 
bank of the river and the few habitable remains of that once 
opulent suburb. In our ride thither from my own romantic, 
and almost as deserted lodging, we passed through the most 
charming parts of the Chahar Bagh; taking our course along its 
alleys of unequalled plane trees, stretching their broad canopies 
over our heads, their shade being rendered yet more delightful 
by the canals, reservoirs, and fountains, which cooled the air, 
and reflected the flickering light through their branches. Thick¬ 
ets of roses and jessamine, with clustering parterres of poppies, 
and other flowers, embanked the ground; while the deep-green 
shadows from the trees, the perfume, the freshness, the soft 
gurgling of the waters, and the gentle rustle of the breeze, 
combining with the pale golden rays of the declining sun, 
altogether formed an evening scene, as tranquillizing as it was 
beautiful. There was one impediment, however, to enjoying it 
at perfect ease; but which, perhaps, added to the picturesque, 
and, certainly, harmonized only too well with the strange solitari¬ 
ness of these seldom trodden paradises; it was the decayed state 
of the roads ; their former fine pavement being broken up in so 
many places, as to render it unsafe to attempt riding over them. 
3h 2 
