April 3rd.—Five A.M. Road pretty fair over a long snow-pass, twenty miles to Abajik, in Persia. Arrived at ten A.M. Quite a pleasure to get among the Persians again, and to be able to make myself understood. Then an easy twenty miles to Keranee—half-past four P.M. Started at once; reached Zarabad, twenty-two miles over a good road with capital horses, at half-past eight P.M.
April 4th.—Left at half-past six A.M. for Khoi, a long twenty-four miles; got in at eleven A.M. Khoi is a very large place, apparently prosperous. Good dinner of bazaar kabobs. Arrived at Turseh, twenty-four miles, ten P.M.; road good, but shocking horses, down a tremendous pass, then along the shores of Lake Ooroomeyeh—a kind of Dead Sea—it is very salt. Many bituminous fires lighted it up at night, huge sheets of flame suddenly appearing.
April 5th.— Half-past two A.M., left Turseh for a place the name of which has escaped me, arriving at half-past ten A.M. Arrived at Sufian at half-past twelve noon. Left at once, reaching Tabriz, twenty-four miles off, in four hours. Erzeroum to Tabriz, six days and seven hours, three hundred and thirty-five miles.
I stopped with Colonel J⸺, V.C., our Consul-General, April 6th, 7th, and 8th. At three P.M. of April 9th I started for Teheran.
Stages between Tabriz and Teheran.
| Miles. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Saoudabad | 20 | |
| Hadji Aga | 20 | |
| Darathiar | 16 | |
| 56 | ||
| Slept. | ||
| April 10th.— | Turcomanchai | 24 |
| Meana | 16 | |
| Jemalabad | 12 | |
| Tercham | 16 | |
| Aga Mezar | 12 | |
| Nikibeg | 20 | |
| 100 | ||
| Slept four hours. | ||
| April 11th.— | Zinjan (met one of our staff; breakfasted, and lost three hours) | 26 |
| Sultaneah | 24 | |
| Khya | 30 | |
| 80 | ||
| Slept four hours. | ||
| April 12th.— | Khirve | 18 |
| Zeedaen | 24 | |
| Kasvin | 16 | |
| Abdulabad | 18 | |
| 76 | ||
| Slept four hours. | ||
| April 13th.— | Sufferkhoja | 24 |
| Shunkerabad | 22 | |
| Meanjūb | 20 | |
| Teheran | 20 | |
| 86 | ||
[19] This is the one standard weight of Persia, the other being the miscal or sixth part of our ounce. This, for convenience, is supposed to consist of twenty nokods—the nokod being a grain similar to our pea in appearance. The nokod is subdivided into three gundums or grains (of wheat); these again into four kērāts (or carats)—these latter, however, are only used in weighing gems. The Tabriz maund (or batman) and the miscal and its subdivisions are in use throughout Persia in mercantile affairs.
Further north than Ispahan the sere and the gerewankeh—the latter about a pound, and borrowed from the Russians—are in use. Other local weights exist, only known in special places. As a rule, each village has its special weight (literally stone, “sang”), and their maunds get lighter and lighter as one gets away from the large cities.
[20] The cost had been—
| Kerans. | |
|---|---|
| Thirty jars, at five kerans | 150 |
| Twenty loads of grapes | 750 |
| Carriage of same | 60 |
| Cost of labour, etc. | 100 |
| 1060 | |
| Per contra. | |
| Kerans. | |
| Paid to me by Jews for refuse, for arrack-making | 50 |
| Resale of jars | 140 |
| 190 | |