beauty, but which would be tedious and uninteresting to explain. I think any person who may have seen some of the beautiful manuscripts of the East, will acknowledge that they are superior to any printed work; at the same time we must confess, that the oscillantes librarii is often an insurmountable difficulty to those who are studying the Persian language.

I cannot say much of the painters of Persia; they have some little knowledge of light and shade, but know nothing of perspective. The portrait painters, I have heard, take likenesses with very great exactness. Those who paint landscapes, &c. generally study some daub sent out from England, or perhaps one from China, and these they look upon as master-pieces. They give the preference to our figures, but say that the colouring of the Chinese is much superior. The vivid glare of a Chinese drawing, bears about the same proportion to an English landscape, as the colouring of a Flemish painting does to the mellow richness of the Italian school. It is no uncommon thing, in a Persian painting, to see a man nearly as tall as a mountain; or, in their representations of a battle, a line of guns, on which are formed a line of infantry, over whom is another of cavalry. I have also heard of a picture, which described the commencement of an action, and in another part the defeat of the enemy.

The physicians are infinitely worse than the painters, and their means of doing harm are unfortunately much greater. Their system of practice is derived from the Greeks, and has descended to them with very little alteration. According to their theory, things are either hot or cold in such degrees, and the only difficulty they have to resolve is, whether the disease proceeds from too much heat or too much cold. China root with them is almost a sovereign remedy against all complaints; I have known them give it for violent colds, and for diseases which result from too free an intercourse among the sexes. When they administer it, the patient is

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confined to a room, where the smallest breath of air is to be carefully shut out, and the poor man not only suffers from his complaint, but also from intense heat.

The Mahometan religion will not allow of dissection, so that they are deprived of the means of acquiring knowledge from the discoveries of anatomy. Tavernier, I think, mentions that they give horse flesh for the cholic: I have seen them try nearly as curious an experiment. A poor man was violently afflicted with the heart burn, and instead of prescribing an internal medicine, they heaped a great quantity of ice and snow on his breast; which, they said, was an effectual cure. If it be possible, I believe they know less of surgery than physic; in short, they undergo no course of education to qualify them for either profession.

The sciences of medicine and surgery with them is nothing more than a trade; and they imagine that they can acquire them with almost as little difficulty, as their brothers learnt to make a shoe or mend a shawl.

CHAPTER XII.

Method of passing Time in Persia.

THE Persians very often complain of a want of time, but which I could only account for, by applying the common remark, that the most indolent are usually the forwardest to repine at a deficiency of leisure. A man of rank in Persia generally rises before the sun, he says his prayers, and then enters his Deewan Khanu; his Kuleean is brought him, perhaps some fruit; and here it is that he expects his visitors and dependents. He is probably engaged with them till nine o'clock; listening to the reports of the morning, settling disputes, and arranging domestic concerns. It is now time for him to visit the prince or the governor; and if he is likely to be detained there beyond mid-day, preparations are made for conveying his Chast (dinner). He pays his obeisance, and takes precaution to remain sufficiently long in the presence of the person he visits to attract his observation. His Kuleean always accompanies him ; and when he thinks he can retire unnoticed, he regales himself with smoking. At noon the governor probably retires, which is a signal for all those who are in attendance to depart. When he returns home, the Chast is brought, and eat with a good appetite. The mid-day prayers are to be said, after which he retires to sleep till three o'clock. He may again have to attend the Duri Khoona; if not, he pays visits; or, if he is too high a personage, he remains at home to receive them. He has to perform the Numazi usur, or afternoon prayers.

When it becomes dark, the carpets are spread in the open air, and with either his friends or dependents he prepares to pass the night. The Kuleean supplies the intervals of silence; and, if he can afford it, a set of Georgian slaves exert themselves for his amusement. The eve ning prayer is now to be said; this does not interrupt the harmony of the evening, for as one performs it another gets up to supply his place. The business of saying prayers appears to be a necessary and irksome task, and they get rid of it with the utmost expedition. In Persia it seems to be an established custom for every person to perform his five daily prayers; this is an observance which is but little attended to in India. The Numaz is a ready excuse for the absence or idleness of a servant. About ten the Shoom (supper) is brought, and the hour of eleven usually closes the eventful day.

This is, as far as I am able to judge, a true description of the way in which persons of rank pass their time. About five or six Khans are not under the necessity of visiting the Duri Khoonu; they are independent of the governor, and therefore only pay him ceremonious visits. But the remainder pass their days nearly as I have represented. The Sheikh of Bushire, and the governors of districts, or their representatives, are obliged to be in constant attendance at the Duri Khoonu, and must have enjoyed this even course of life. Agha Ruza, with whom I lived, and who was Darhogha of the Bazars, constantly attended on either the prince or governor; and, as he held his appointment from the king, he had less occasion for their favour than the governors of districts, who are their immediate dependents.

The merchants, instead of visiting the governor, visit the Caravansera, where they have usually shops. Here they expose their merchandize for sale, form their speculations, and transact all their concerns. By renting a room at a Caravansera, they not only avoid all kind of interruption when at home, but are also able to

purchase goods to large amounts, by walking from one merchant's apartments to another's. If they are too poor to sleep, they remain until evening; and their day is always closed, like their superiors, with an enormous supper. Another prayer remains to be said about the middle of the night, which, except by a few, is, I believe, mostly forgotten.