Stations of Camels from Cabul to Ludiana, First Station of the English in India. From Cabul to Tesee Jikdele Pechawar Agoole . Surghab 21 Hajrou . Gandomay 12 Seraj Kalè. 18 Poole Ganyare 6 Balabay Hadde Seraj Pake 12 Pehruwal 12 Seraj Pake Kaji So far the Afghan territory extends, belonging to Dost Muhammed Khan of Cabul, and to the brothers of Fatti Khan at Pechawar. + Capital of Rendjut Sheick. From Kali Atah to Noor Mahal all belongs to Rendjut Sheick, who resides at Lahor. If I count by a guess from that to Bokhara, which are 18 stations, 250 miles, then I have exactly to make 1598 English miles from Teheran to Ludiana, if I am going to Bokhara; but if I find Jews of Bokhara at Herat, or should the way from Herat to Bokhara be too hazardous, I intend to make the following route from Herat to Cabul, of which I know the distance : At Fereroot begins the territory of Shah Kamran of Herat. From Garez the territory of Komandil Khan of Cantahar begins. From Khahjapan to Ghuchhenekhed Housemadad 21 Mohar 18 18 Obe. 18 15 Karabag 15 * Cantahar is the capital of Komandil Khan, brother of Fatti Khan, who was killed; he is an enemy of Shah Kamran. "From Teheran to Ludiana, via Cantake, Cabul, Pechawar, and Lahor, are just 1770 English miles, which are made in 120 days— that is, four months- -so that in nine months, if the Lord please, I may be at Bombay: from Bombay, with the steamer, and delays at Bombay, to Alexandria, three months: and then, if the Lord please, H at Malta with my beloved wife. This letter will not be sent away from here until I am actually gone: so that, until you receive this, you may imagine me, if I am alive, at Bokhara or Čabul. 66 JOSEPH WOLFF." "Teheran, September 16, 1831. "I remember that five years ago the Rev. Josiah Pratt made the following observations about the preaching of the Gospel in Persia. It was just the time when the war with Russia and Persia had begun. Russia,' he said, ' will pave the way for Missionaries in Persia.' Russia had completely beaten the Persians: they took millions of money of them, territory, and slew thousands of Persians. After the peace was restored, an ambassador was sent from Petersburgh to Teheran. A Georgian, who had been compelled formerly to embrace the Mussulman religion (his name was Mirza Yacoob), thought the arrival of the Russian Ambassador to be a favourable time of professing Christianity openly. Krawazatow, the ambassador, took him into his house, and intends to send him to Teflis. The king, a wretched coward, gave secret orders to the mob to put to death the ambassador and his whole house. The order was executed in a moment, and since that time it is really a great risk if one argues with Mussulmans. The great Eunuch Manwehar Khan shews himself now to be a zealous Mussulman. When I was here six years ago, there were open disputes at Teheran between Mussulmans and Armenians about religion; but since that time no Armenian dares to open his mouth about religion, and Khosroe Khan to-day warned me very seriously to be cautious, in order not to excite the mob. The king of Persia, Fatti Allah, is an old, insidious, cowardly, greedy hypocrite: he never dares to murder one openly but I heard with certainty, by a gentleman who has been more than twenty years in Persia, that Brown was murdered by the king's orders; and it is quite a humbug that the king pretended not to know any thing about the death of the ambassador, for the mob were two hours before they were able to take the house by force, and about ten of the Persians were killed before they were able to kill the ambassador: fifty Armenians were killed with him. The king once even threatened Sir H. Willock to cut off his head if he did not pay to him as usual the money which England gave to him in the time of Napoleon's government. The wretch lost the victory in the war with Russia from avarice; for, as he did not pay the troops, they did not choose to fight. He is of the Kajaar tribe, who are notorious for avarice. : 66 JOSEPH WOLFF.” "In the tent near Hezaar Ameen, Sept. 24, 1831. "Sept. 23.-In the evening I left Teheran, accompanied for some miles by the Hindoo merchant, Haje Telah Multone; whose Hindoo name is Eushee, and the Guebre Mullah Bahram. Our caravan consists of 150 camels and 20 camel-drivers. Haje Sheikh Muhamed of Herat, and Ali Ahtan of Cantahar, and a Dervish of Cantahar, are my fellow-travellers. We went from the west to the east, and arrived at Hezaar Ameer, a village with one castle, which belongs to Fakhr Aldowla, the daughter of the Shah of Persia; it is sixteen miles distant from Teheran. We travelled the whole night. This village is inhabited by Curds of the Moafer tribe. Haje Telah Multone is a very interesting man: he is a rich merchant of Cherkarpore: he sends his merchandise to Birjant, Herat, Bokhara, and Cabul: he has given me letters for the Hindoo merchant Morwaree Cantaharee, at Birjant; and Ameer Satala Khan, governor at Birjant, who is only nominally under the king of Persia; and for the Hindoo merchant Khesoo, at Bokhara; and Glara, at Herat; and for Maltar Mal, at Cherkarpore. Both Haje Telah and Mullah Bahram are very concerned for my safety: they taught me to dress in the Persian manner. The father of Haje Telah was a rich merchant of Cherkarpore, but now he has turned Hindoo dervish upon a mountain at Yoonia, near Ambarsar; his name is Kishentras Berahee: he wears only a white shirt over his body. "One hour before I left Teheran, Mesrop, an Armenian, the translator of Bishop Heber's Palestine, who has established a school at Ispahan, called on me: he reads the Armenian Bible with the children. He has seen, at Ispahan, Mr. Borowsky, a Polish Jew, who lives now upon Captain Chesney Borowsky; pretends to be a Polish nobleman, sent by the Poles to excite the Persians to war against the Russians; and pledges himself to beat the Russians with 10,000 men, if commanded by him: the fellow is a swindler. "The Dervish of Cantahar, who is in our caravan, has been at Kerbelaz, the great place of pilgrimage for all Sheahs or Mussulmans of the sect of Ali Imam Hassim, son of Ali, who was killed by Yazeed-the son of Moawin is buried there. The Yazeide of Mesopotamia are called by the Sheahs 'the enemies of Imam Hassim.' "No people are more scattered than the Kurds: they are scattered from Damascus to Persia, and even to Tartary: but the Tartars, although scattered, are more powerful, and have still different kings, as at Bokhara and Khira. The Kurds and Arabs are democrats; anarchy and robbery is therefore existing among them in a higher degree than in any monarchical government,—a lesson to the revolutionists in Europe. "I cannot leave the neighbourhood of Teheran without saying some words more about Khozroe Khan. When I pressed him to take into consideration the words of our Lord, 'He that denies me before men,' &c., he said, 'In the times of our Lord immediate death was not apprehended, for the kings cared nothing about the different creeds; but immediate death is certain: and even in those times Paul himself found it necessary to be a Jew to the Jews, a Greek to the Greeks.' He then said to me, 'You, dear Wolff, shock the Persians by telling them at once that Jesus is the Son of God, and died for our sins: would it not be better to tell them, Oh, my friends, I am a dervish of Jewish origin, and returned to Jesus, and am drunk of the love of God, and I wish to know more of God? But as you are now going on, your life is in danger. They killed the Russian ambassador at open day-light, and fifty people with him, on account of the Eunuch Mirza Yakoob, who wanted to profess Christianity openly; and they wanted to kill me and Manizar Khan, but the king did not permit it.' "Now you have all the news, written in my tent: for though my health is now good, I still cannot risk traveling without any comfort. (Signed) JOSEPH WOlff." * Sept. 30, 1831. "We arrived at Semnar, the first considerable town of Khorassan, and the seat of Bahmar Mirza, one of the king's sons. I had several letters of recommendation for His Royal Highness, but he was at Damghar, a place that he had just taken from Muhammed Ali Khan. I sent the letters to him by a Guebre called Jamsheed. There are now several Guebres here employed by the prince to build a castle, which they call Achu, the English word Ach, or bury. All the castles in Persia are built by the Guebres or Parsees. "Semnar is six farsangs distant from Lasgird, or twenty-four English miles. Distance from Semnar to Teheran. "There are Khans without number in Khorassan, who are only nominally subject to the king of Persia; but the following Khans are the most distinguished rebels: 1. Resa Kooli Khan, at Gootshan, residing eighty English miles to the north of Meshed; 2. Gulantoosh Khan, in the castle of Kelart, built by Nadir Shah, eighty miles north of Meshed; 3. Nujap Ali Khan, at Bujumweel, eighty miles north of Meshed; 4. Muhammed Khan (son of Tehak Khan, at Kerahe), at Terbad Hardarea, south of Meshed; 5. Ameir Assaad Ali Khan, son of Ameer Alem Khan, at Birjant, east of Meshed; 6. Ali Nahee Khan, son of Ameer Hussein Khan, at Tabas. "I preached the Gospel to the Guebres at Semnar: there is now war between Bahmar Mirza and Muhammed Ali Khan of Dowlat Abad. Arghursan Ali Mirza, the son of Hassan Ali Mirza, is united with Muhammed Ali Khan. Abbas Mirza is expected at Khorassan to settle the dispute. "Oct. 1.-We arrived at Aghernan, a simple caravanserai, but famous on account of a miracle which the Muhammedans say was performed there by Imam Beza, twenty-four miles from Semnar. "Oct. 2.-We arrived at Dowlat Abad, the seat of the antagonist of Bahmar Mirza, Muhammed Ali Khan: the gates were shut; we pitched our tents outside the town. Dowlat Abad is forty miles from Semnar. Haji Sheihh Muhammed gives me the following definition of an Eastern king: A person robbing the property of others, who commits tyranny, eats and drinks well, blackens his beard, commits horrible crimes, and does not think to do any thing for the benefit of his subjects.' Bahmar Mirza just passed my tent; he asked me whether I am Joseph Dolph; he gave me a mehmandar for his governor at Damghan, and a letter for Ismael Mirza. I lodged at Damghan with Muhammed Wele Khan. In the night we heard a great noise; Muhammed Ali Khan, of Dowlat Abad, wanted to enter the town, but was repulsed by the troops of |