1)/3 BODE'S TRAVELS IN LURISTAN AND ARABISTAN, THE Baron C.

A. De Bode appears to have been attached for some time to the Russian Embassy in Persia. According to the usual requirements Of that astute Government, he was acquainted with the language of the

people ; and he made various tours of observation through the country, to collect as much geographical, statistical, and political information, as a traveller can pick up without exciting suspicion ;—a course which the Russophobists allege the Imperial Cabinet of St. Petersburg is constantly ordering ; though, if it be a crime, it is one which the "Chairs" of Leadenhall Street are not quite guiltless of. During the latter part of 1840 and the beginning of 1841, the Baron De Bode was enabled to gratify a long-entertained wish of visiting the ruins of Persepolis. As he passed through Ispahan in his route from Teheran to Persepolis and Shiraz, the Governor of Ispahan invited the traveller to meet him on a contemplated tour in Luristan, and Khuzistan or Arabistan ; whither that personage was going with an army, in order to levy taxes ; the independent inhabitants of those wild regions having a more than Irish aversion to demands for money, which renders it necessary to com- bine financial with military operations. This resistance to the Shah's government gives the natives a worse character than they seem to deserve ; albeit some travellers have been murdered in their country, and they are almost to a man robbers by profession, either against strangers when they venture thither, or hostile clans. The Baron therefore em- braced the proposal with avidity ; for although he did not accompany the army, he carried general and particular letters from its commander to the different chieftains ; who passed him on like a bale of goods or the body of a criminal, the last host taking a receipt from time next, to show that, "should any thing happen," the responsibility did not rest with him.

The entire tour of Baron C. A. De Bode extended from Teheran through Ispahan and Persepolis to Shiraz ; thence he proceeded in a Westerly direction to Kazerun ; and then through the range of mountains that run nearly parallel to time Persian Gulf to Shushter, Dizful, and Burujird where the narrative of his journey ended. This mountainous region forms the country of the Lurs, or Luristan ; as the Southern lower lands towards the Persian Gulf are time residence of the Cliab Arabs, or Ara- bistan. The country, though now in as low a state of barbarism as can well be conceived, is celebrated in Scripture history as Elam, and in classical story as Susiana : it formed part of the marching-ground of conquerors ; it was the seat of early commerce, and of the ancient Per- sian kings : but nothing is now left save time not always distinguishable ruins of its former greatness, over whose names the learned differ or dispute.

Notwithstanding the difficulties its anarchical state puts in the way of the traveller, the country has been already traversed by Major Rawlinson and M'Donald Kinneir. Whenever opportunity offered, however, Baron De Bode took a different route from these two tourists, and thus threw a new light on the smaller geographical features of the districts,— as the general position of places, their names, the appearance of the country, tie sort of roads by which they are reached, and the ruins or remains of works of art he fell in with. Beyond this, the Baron had scarcely opportunity or time. It does not appear that he had scientific instruments, could he have ventured on their use • the weather (the depth of our winter) often concentrated the traveler's attention on his road or himself; and he was rather running against time. His tour occupied sixty-seven days ; " of which forty-six were spent in the saddle, and twenty-one in resting at Ispahan, Persepolis, and Shiraz, and examining the curiosities of those cities and their neighbourhood, or else visiting the country around Behbehan, Mal-Amir, and Dizful" ; whilst the total distance gone over was 1,235 miles, being an average of twenty-seven miles on each riding day,—not much over English roads, but a good deal over the break-neck affairs that pass for roads in Persia, with hacks picked up for time occasion.

Considerable allowance is to be made for a quasi-foreigner writing in an unfamiliar tongue, with foreign manners, and a foreign cast of mind. In most Continental books of travels there is a mixture of personal narra- tive with more strictly scientific information—dry details of statistics and geographical skeletons adapted for a diplomatic report, intermingled with time lighter turns upon trifles in which foreigners excel and we do not, and therefore we dislike. We may consequently suppose they are adapted to the taste of the people to whom they are addressed, though not to ours. A good deal of this incongruous mixture and undue expansion is found in Baron C. A. De Bode's Travels in Luristan and Arabistan. The substance of great part of the book is a memoir on the geography, clans, and statistics of those two districts, as complete as circumstances enabled him to collect : and, perhaps, a report to a department, or a series of papers in a scientific journal, would have been its proper form. The traits of manners and character which he remarked on his route, though such do not seem to have been an object with him, would have made some brief notes on travels in South-western Persia; whilst the half- controversial matter on the position of places, or historical events, might have taken the shape of disquisitions. All this species of matter is con- tained in the volumes before us, but presented in a journal-like form ; so that there is not only an incongruous mixture, but it is exhibited in a narrative long drawn out. The remoteness of time country, and the little interest felt towards it by the general reader, adds to the slowness. A narrative of an uneventful journey from a place which one never heard of to another in the like predicament is of necessity without interest.

Leaving the ruins, with their inscriptions which can scarcely be read and cannot be understood, and geographical matters for which a news- paper is not the place, we will pick out a few of the descriptive or awe. dotical passages.

A DESCENT FROM THE TOMB.

The descent was more difficult than the ascent had been. With my Persian servant we were lowered down in the same manner as we had been hoisted up, by means of a rope twisted round our bodies, with the end committed to the charge of the person who stood on the upper platform; but as no one could keep the rope for the kedkhuda who remained there the last, and there were no means of fasten ing it at the top, he was obliged to come down by himself, clinging in his descent to the vertical rock, which offered very few rough places on which he could lay hold with his hands or fix his feet- It was a nervous spectacle to look upon the man as it were hanging in the air full seventy feet from the ground, just touching the edge of the rock with his tiptoes, and cautiously examinuy; and feeling every trifling projection of the mountain, to ascertain if it would afford any support to his weight. The muscles of his bare arms and lugs were completely .contracted from the exertion, and the least cramp would have brought him headlong down. We stood gazing from the lower platform, still at a considerable distance from the ground, in breathless anxiety, offering prayers for'is safe descent. I reproached myself for having urged him to this rash enterprise, and if a fatal accident had befallen him it would have weighed heavily on my conscience through life. I should never have forgiven myself for having sacnficed a human being to the Mere gratification of a vain curiosity after all. But God is ever watchful and merciful to his creatures. At length we had the satisfaction of seeing the daring climber join us in safety amid the loud Mashallah and Burikallalx (" God be praised !" and " Bravo* of the party, who had just before been ejaculating, Ka/i Allah, ink Ali! (" God help ! All help !") , and replaced, handcuffed, on their own horses; they were to his men, with strict injunctions that should any of them a word when any stranger was in hearing, he should be shot through Thus the party journeyed on for several days, keeping, as much as the nature of the country would allow, off the high-road, and avoiding villages. The country-people who passed them never suspected that there was any foul

going on, but imagined it was a caravan of pilgrims going with their wives

families to Kerbela or Mecca, and even kept aloof from a feeling of decorum, when they saw so many women in the party. When the Bakhtiyari had gained their mountains and saw themselves out of reach of pursuit, they released their prisoners, and left them to shift for themselves as well as they could.

THE HFCFJ.

This tribe is of Turkish origin; at least Turkish is the language spoken by them. They have not the reputation of being very bright; and the Persians, who pride themselves on their ready wit, theirri

to and easy manners, tax the Helej with being very uncouth and heavy. The low estimate they form of their mental and social capabilities, is best exemplified by the short though significant sentence with which the name of Helej is associated. The Persians say in common par- lance, Her, Hies, Helej—meaning a donkey, a bear, and a Helej.

CROSSLVG A MO1INTAML

On waking the next morning, we found that the rain had changed into snow, audit was doubted whether we could succeed that day in crossing the high chain. However, eight stout peasants were procured to lead the way, by treading the snow under foot, and thus opening a path for the homes, there being no road. Fortunately for us, the weather cleared up as we were ascending the mountains; but the difficulties and the fatigues we had to encounter during our progress beggar all description. Notwithstanding the efforts of the men to prepare a beaten track, the eaow was not sufficiently solid, and it was so deep that the homes were continually sinking u to their girths, still unable to arrive at any solid footing. There was no 'Arty of keeping ones saddle; so our party dis- mounted? each leading his orse; man and beast were continually stumbling, falling, sinking, and plunging, in order to extricate themselves from this abyss of snow.

The country around presented one uniform white sheet, not spread over an even surfaoe, but over one u..svbich thecoiwulsions of nature had been most busy, and where they bad left indelible traces of their passage. It was the lofty chain of Alvend. Mountains overhung mountains, behind which still higher mountains reared their heads, the whole group clad in the.same silvery mantle.

It was a rhPling sight to look at these regions of eternal snow and ice; and yet our party was far from feeling cold. The perspiration mn down our faces, while a oakum of steam rose from our panting homes, and the white foam from -under the saddles showed plainly bow strenuous were their exertions. * * * On arriving at the summit of a hill, my rustic companions announced that the greatest difficulties had been overcome; and as my guide from Madianni was acquainted with the country, tlit7 begged leave to return home. A few ducats made them very happy: with light hearts they retraced their steps; while we proceeded along the crest of the hill where the snow was less deep, but still with- out the least vestige of a road.

LITE COOLNESS.

On entering the country of the Mamaseni, I cautioned my servants to keep a sharp eye over our things, as the natives are known to be notorious thieves, when they cannot indulge in open plunder. I was fortunate enough not to lose one single article while travelling through this country: but I learned from a friend who visited the encampment of ehenoshejan a few months later, that the Mama- seni contrived to steal from under his pillow while he was asleep, his sword, which

drew cautiously out of the scabbard, leaving the latter behind. Jehangir Khan himself of the theft, yet admiring the clever way in which it had been committed, the European next morning handed over the scab- bard to his host, observing that his newly-acquired sword probably required one. The Khan took it and thanked him.

A TAX-PATER.

As an instance of their spirit of independence and slight regard for authority, even of the Shah, I was told that when a collector of the revenues was endeavour- iag one day to impress on the mind of a Bakhemi, that it was the tribute due to the Shall, his liege lord, that was required of him, the man replied, that he only yielded to force ; but that he knew of no Shah of Persia, and should only believe in his existence when he could actually have him on the palm of his hand.

A CHLEFIALN'S TRICE.

13eiing one day on a foray with his followers, at some distance from their moun- tzcba fastnesses, they fell in with a rich caravan of merchants, who were proceeding from Isfahan to Teheran. The Bakhtiyari soon succeeded in capturing them and taking possession of their goods; but, apprehending lest a pursuit should be set on foot against them before they could gain their mountains if they allowed their captives to depart, and fearing also that putting them to death would equally lead to detection, Muhammad Taghi-Khan had recourse to the following stratagem. Among the plundered articles there happened to be a great many chadders, a tbiek stuff for veils, with which the women of Persia cover themselves from head to foot when they go out. Muhammed Taghi-Khan had the merchants dressed in this novel a then given in c dare to s the h