1 . DRESS AND ORNAMENTS OF THE M£N. 271
2 llie 'lult ntmMM ''mn:'0w^, eoDeej^'tliat'it'Iiw no gmrd lbir <he
3 fingefs : tibe blade is namnrer* and more eorred than <Nna« Indian
4 ^tod. iv die moai lulled Ibc tlivniateritl $ bi^
5 in flenia and in'STiaa. Tbed^j^boilfln the]bn|^A%|hann]a^^
6 irikidi Uas a blade abboftltwo feet ldn|^ and move than tiro indieb
7 btood at,tbe bot^mit and giwing naoower.tin it comes to a point.
8 It haa Ml edge OB one side; wad the back ia Tery thick to give it
9 strengtli and weight' The handle is just lai^ enough for the han4 i
10 . and has no guard, except what is formed by the blade projecting over
11 the hand. When iheatlKd, the whole sinks into the scabbard, and
12 only abcMit' an iiich of the handle is seen. The Persian short dagger,
13 with a very thick handle, is also common ; but the handsomest kind .
14 Vh I believe, derived from the Turks. One of this description fonned
15 'part of the dress of honour conferred on me bj the Kiogt and ia pfO»
16 bably now in the Persian office at Calcutta. U was about fourteen
17 inches long : the sheath .and handle Wese.both round* tigering to ft
18 point, where there was some sort of ornament : the pepper part was
19 pet with jewels in rings, and the top was almost covered by a bad
20 ruby, set with diamonds. Nothing could be more elegant than the
21 outside ; but, when drawn, a knife was produced, which, though of
22 fine steel, was exactly of the shape of a small carv ing knife. The
23 ■great men have swonls, daggers, belts, &c. richly embellish^ with
24 jewels for great occasions ; but tliose they usually wear are plain, and
25 it is not always tho best sword that is most horned. A sword, sent
26 by the King of ( aulnd to the Governor General, which liad belonfrcd
27 to TiivnL'rlane, and atlerwards to a succession of the Suftaveea (or
28 Sophis) of Persia, and which was taken by the Afghamis at Isphahaun,
29 had no ornament, except some gold about the hilt, and an cmbosiied
30 sheathing of the same material, extending about six or seven inches
31 up the scabbard. (ir( at men someiinie^j wear a pistol in their girdle,
32 but more commonly have them in their holsters. Those made in
33 Daughestaun (to the east of Georgia) are most prized ; but Ihave seen
34 imitations of them made in f ashmeer^ which could not be distin-
35 Digitized by Google