717 
P E R 
ther ; fo that ftewed fowl lay under roafted lamb, omelet 
under ftewed fowl, eggs under omelet, rice under all, and 
fo on. Every European was provided with knife, fork, 
napkin, and plate : but the poor Perfians made rueful 
work of it. Some were feated upon chairs fo high that 
they towered far above the alpine fcenery of meats and 
ftews ; others again were feated fo low that they were loft 
in the valleys, their mouths being brought to about the 
level of the table. When a Perfian eats his dinner in his 
ordinary way, the diftresare placed on the ground before 
him, and, crouching hitnfelf down, he brings his mouth 
fo clofe to them as commodioully to transfer the victuals 
from the difh to his mouth : but here, his mouth being 
placed at a great diftance from the good things, and his 
fingers being the only medium of communication be¬ 
tween both, their commerce was but flow and uncertain. 
There was much amufement in obferving how aw'kwardly 
they went to work, and the indignation expreffed in the 
faces of the moll ravenous, who, out of compliment to 
the Britifli guefts, were deprived of their full range over 
fuch a fcene of good cheer.” 
Kotzebue has given a humourous account of the man¬ 
ner in which the gentlemen of the Ruffian embaffy were 
entertained by the ferdar of Erivan. After defcribing 
the preliminary arrangements, he thus proceeds: “ I 
fhall only mention the things on the table which ftoad 
oppofite to Dr. Muller and myfelf; from thefe fome idea 
may be formed of the other diflies. Firft came a large 
pancake, which not only covered the whole table, but 
liung over it on all fides nearly half a yard deep; it is 
called tfhurck, and ferves the Perfians both for bread and 
napkin: then half a flieep, the leg of an ox, two diflies 
•with various roafted meats, five diflies of ragouts fprin- 
kled with faffron, two diflies of boiled rice, two of boiled 
fowls, two of roaft fowls, two roafted geefe, two difties of 
fifti, two bowls of four milk, a large quantity of flierbet, 
and four jars of wine; but'with all thefe there was neither 
knife, fork, nor fpoon. One difh was piled upon ano¬ 
ther with fuch rapidity, that Dr. Muller and myfelf fud- 
denly found ourfelves ftationed behind an entrenchment 
of viands which concealed all view of the court, and only 
allowed us a peep at our friends oppofite through the in- 
terftices of the multiplied difties. Through one of thefe 
openings I endeavoured to obferve what the ferdar was 
doing. With his left hand retting upon his dagger, for 
the Perfians never eat with the left, he gravely Itretched 
out his right into a difli of greafy rice, of which he 
kneaded a final] portion with three fingers, and conveyed 
it with great addrefs into his mouth, feldom foiling either 
his beard or his muftachios. After repeating this opera¬ 
tion feveral times, he broke a piece off the enormous pan¬ 
cake, and having wiped his fingers with it, fwallowed it 
with an air of placid fatisfadlion. In the fame manner, 
he poked into a variety of difties which he fancied; and 
at laft feized a goblet of flierbet, and, drinking it off, fmiled 
around upon his wondering guefts. Very few of the 
party had tailed any of the difties, from the impoflibility 
of getting at them ; for not one of them could have been 
removed from the middle without demolifliing the ftruc- 
ture of the whole. The fignal for clearing the tables 
was at laft given, and the removal of the difties occafioned 
fome curious fcenes. The difh of ragouts could not be 
feparated from the plate of four cream, upon which it fo 
conveniently repofed ; the butter had entered into clofe 
alliance with the pancake; and the fifli would not diflblve 
partnerfliip with the roafted fowls. Force, however, fuc- 
ceeded at laft in effefting the defired feparation, and the 
eatables were delivered up to the perfons waiting ontfide. 
It is the cuftom in Perfia to give the remains of a feaft to 
the attendants, or fuch perfons as may happen to be in the 
way ; for, in a great lioufe, they daily cook treble the 
quantity confumed by its inmates.” 
At another entertainment given at Sultania, by the 
prime-minifter, to the Ruffian ambafladcr and his fuite, 
we are told by the fame traveller, that “ a mound of 
S I A. 
earth had been raifed in the middle of a tent, as a fubfti- 
tute for a table, but fo very high, fays he, that we could 
but juft fee the nofes of thofe who fat oppofite to us. 
This table, which was of immenfe breadth, was covered 
with different forts of difties and fruit. In the middle a 
narrow fpace had been left open, and I could not imagine 
for what purpofe, until, when we were feated, I faw the 
fervants jump upon the table, and ftand there, handing 
round fuch difties as might be agreeable to us. I would 
have given much to be allowed to laugh heartily; but 
we were obliged to reprefs our rifibility. One of the 
men, however, having ftepped into a difli of four milk, 
and his neighbour having, in the attempt to relieve him, 
nearly fallen over another difli, it w'as no longer poffible 
to refrain from laughing outright; and, luckily, the con¬ 
vention of the ambaffador and the minifter, who did 
not obferve the accident, having turned upon a circum- 
ftance of a ridiculous nature, our laughter could not ex¬ 
cite particular obfervation. Theclumfy fervant modeftly 
withdrew, leaving marks of his footfteps on the table. 
“ The minifter fent to feveral gentlemen bonnes bonches 
from his own plate, which is confidered the higheft ho¬ 
nour that a perfon of diftinftion can fhow to a foreign 
gueft. With the Perfians that degree of ceremony is dif- 
penfed with : he throws the food at once into their 
mouths, and they evince much dexterity in catching it. 
Should a great man happen to take a liking to his neigh¬ 
bour, he nicely kneads a portion of greafy rice with 
three fingers into a lump, and with a condefcending 
fmile conveys it into the mouth open to receive the ho¬ 
nour.” 
The furniture of a Perfian lioufe is extremely fimple 
when compared with ours. We find in them neither beds 
fumptuoufly decorated, nor tables and chairs of coftly 
wood, nor chandeliers and luftres, nor thofe numberlefs 
articles of various forms and materials with which Euro¬ 
pean luxury decorates our apartments. In Perfia the 
furniture confifts of a thick coarfe felt which covers the 
floor, and over which is fpread a rich Perfian carpet. 
People in middling circumftances content themfelves 
with the felt alone. Inftead of chairs, fmall mattreffes 
about a yard wide are placed on the floor round the room, 
and covered with chintz, filk, or cloth of gold. Cuftiions 
fet on end clofe to the wall ferve to lean againft. When 
it is time to retire to reft, a mattrefs is fpread upon the 
carpet, with a blanket or counterpane, and two pillows 
of down. This is all the bed ufed by the Perfians, and 
they lie in it without undrefling. The mattrefs is of vel¬ 
vet, and the counterpane of filk brocade, or cloth of gold 
or filver. Articles of this kind are not changed perhaps 
for a century ; for thefe velvets and brocades never wear 
out, owing in part to the extreme drynefs of the atmof- 
phere. 
In Perfia a native never enters a room in boots or flip¬ 
pers ; and, when a foreigner attempts any tranfgreffion of 
this ufage, itis looked upon as the height of ill-breeding, 
if not quite a premeditated infult. As thefe people ufe 
the carpet not merely for domeftic purpofes, but to kneel 
down on when they fay their prayers, it is confidered in 
fome meafure facred, and hence arifes the cuftom of a 
vifitor leaving his flippers at the room-door. The term 
door here means whatever denotes the way of ingrefs to 
the apartment; for though, in general, there is a double 
door of carved or painted wood, which may be clofed at 
pleafure, yet it is fo feldom ftiut in the day, that we ufually 
find a filk curtain filling the vacant fpace of the entrance; 
its light drapery being not only a cooler but a more ele¬ 
gant appendage than a thick heavy door. An attending 
fervant raifes the curtain at the approach of a vifitor, and 
drops it on his having entered. That the cuftom of fuch 
draperies is of great antiquity we find in various authors. 
Plutarch, for inftance, informs us that “ Alexander, 
fnatching a fpear from one of his guards, and meeting 
Clytus as he was drawing back the door-curtain, ran him 
through the body.” 
The 
