Caravan Journeys and Wanderings in Persia, Afghanistan, Turkistan, and Beloochistan: With Historical Notices of the Countries Lying Between Russia and India |
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Afghanistan Afghans amongst ancient Arab army Arrian arrived Asia attack Bagdad Balkh bazaars Belooches Bokhara Bostam brick caravan caravanserai caravanserai-shah chief citadel commanded cultivation Damghan death desert distance district Doulet Emir encampment English escort European favour fear Ferrier fortress Furrah gardens Ghengis Khan Girishk governor half halt Hamadan Hazarahs Hecatompylos Helmund Herat horses houses hundred Imaum India inhabitants Jafs journey Kabul Kandahar Kermanshah Khorassan Khulm Kohendil Khan leave Mahmood Meshed Mirza Mohamed Sedik Mollah mosque mountains mules Mussulman Nadir Shah never Nishapoor nomads obliged opinion parasangs passed Persian pilgrims plain population prince province rascal received river road ruins Russians scarcely Sedik Khan Seistan sent Sertip servant Shah Abbas side Sirdar soldiers streams surrounded Syud Teheran tents tion tomauns tomb town travellers tribe troops Turcomans Uzbeks Vezir village walls Yar Mohamed Yar Mohamed Khan
Popular passages
Page 301 - A contingent of twelve thousand horse and twelve guns to be supplied by the Kandaharees to garrison Herat, — receiving pay and rations from them, and to assist the Shah on occasion of service. VIII. — On the arrival of the Treaty duly ratified at Kandahar, Mahommed Omar Khan to be immediately despatched to the royal presence.
Page 301 - Shah fail to fulfil any of these several conditions, or depart in any way from the stipulations, I, as Minister Plenipotentiary of the Russian Government, becoming myself responsible, will oblige him, in whatever way may be necessary, to act fully up to the terms and conditions of the treaty.
Page 304 - ... flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, while the hills are covered with goats. Grain is inferior, both in importance and abundance. The common kinds are wheat and millet. The roads are only fit for men on foot, and are often crossed by rivers and torrents, which are passed by means of wooden bridges, or of swinging bridges made on ropes of withy or some other pliant tree.
Page 272 - This is a fact of great political and commercial importance, whether a hostile nation may turn it to the gratification of ambition, or a friendly power here seek the extension and improvement of its trade. In either case the Oxus presents many fair prospects, since it holds the most direct course, and connects, with the exception of a narrow desert, the nations of Europe with the remote regions of Central Asia.
Page 300 - Khan coming with an auxiliary force to the royal camp, no violence or injury to be in any way offered to the persons or property of them or their followers, and none of them to be detained as hostages, with the exception of a single son of Kohundil Khan's, who will always remain in the service of the Shah.
Page 39 - ... perfect liberty; and those only who have confidence in their chief ride up and strike their lances into the ground near his, the signal that the volunteer has decided to follow his fortunes. When the chief thinks that he has assembled a sufficient number of men to insure the success of the expedition, he names that day month as the day of departure, this time being required for each man to get his horse into that high state of condition without which he could not support the extraordinary fatigue...
Page 308 - Alexander their appearance and complexion, have given rise to an opinion, that they are the descendants of the Greeks. Both Baber and Abool Fuzzil have made mention of this supposition ; but they have confounded the claims of the chiefs on the Oxus to a Macedonian descent with the Kaffirs, who have no such tradition of their origin. The great elevation of the country which they inhabit, would appear to account satisfactorily for all their physical peculiarities ; and I believe it will be found that...
Page 301 - Sirdar Mehrdil Khan to be then sent with a thousand horse to the royal camp. This Prince being presented, and mutual confidence being established between the Shah and the Sirdars, no other demand to be made upon the Kandaharees by the Persian Government than that of military service.
Page 300 - Our. connection with Persia has for its real and avowed original object to give additional security to India, and it has been maintained for the purpose of protecting us against designs of the only Power which threatened to disturb us in that quarter ; but if the proceedings of Persia, in concert with that very Power, are directed to the destruction of the security and tranquillity which it was the sole object of the alliance with Persia to maintain ; and if they obviously tend to promote and facilitate...
Page 93 - I am the more anxious to state this opinion clearly, because it is at variance with my previous belief, and with statements which I may have previously hazarded, relying on more imperfect information. Under such circumstances, it appears to me that it would be a most hazardous policy to allow Persia to act as the pioneer of Russia, and, under protection of the Article of the Treaty, to break down the main defence of Afghanistan, and thereby make the country untenable to us, at a moment when the concert...