1 52
2 INTRODUCTIOK.
3 beauti&L Immediately below was an extensive jrarrlen, full of
4 cypresses and other trees, and beyond was a plain of the richest ver-
5 dure : here and there were pieces of wntcr and shinino; streams ; and
6 the whole was bounded by mountains, some dark, and others covered
7 with snow. When i letl the King, I was recondm (lmI to the Kishik
8 Khaiineh, where all the gentlemen of the nnssion receivetl rich
9 dresses of honour. In the above description, I have chiefly confined
10 myself to what ^vas splendid in the ceremony. I must however men-
11 tion, before 1 conclude, that, although some things (tlie a|>peuiance
12 of the King in particular) exceeded my expectations, othei^ fell far
13 abort of tbem, and all bote lees the appearance of a state in pK»-
14 perity» Uian of a splendid monarchj in decay. *'
15 . Such is the pnbUc ceremofiial of the Court of CmbuL I had afters
16 wards an opportunity of aemag the forms observed by the King in
17 more fimiliar 'interoourse. Hu Majesty had eipressed a desire to see
18 Mr. Stiacbey and me in private^ in an ifwrtment, bdongiI^^ to flie
19 Sen^io ; and, as this was not a place to which strangers were usuaUy
20 admitted, we were requested to come slightly attended, and in the
21 .night. Accordingly we were conducted by the son of our Mehmaun-
22 dsur» to the side of the Balla Hissaur, opposite to that where our pub-
23 lic reception took place. When we reached the foot of the hill, we
24 left the few attendants that hnd accompanied us, and clambered up
25 witli some difficulty to a narrow Hitjht of steps, which our conductor
26 could scarcely find in tlie extr( nir diirkness of tlu- [liiiht. At the
27 bead of these steps, a small door opened into tlie castle j and we found
28 * Our pretenU for the King were carried into the palace vdule we vrete in the KiAik
29 Kbaimeh. Nothing could exceed the meanness and rapacity of dw officers who received
30 charge of thctn. Tliey kept the camels on which some of them were sent, iitul even seized
31 four riding camels, which had entered the palace by mistake. They »uripped tlie elejduuU-
32 driven of tlMirUviei7$ and, gmv^ inaktad, tlut two E^^[|Bdi aernnti, wIm were aant'lo
33 put up the lu8tre«, were j>:'-rt of tli - ]iri-r nt Of all the presents mndc to him, the King wa«
34 DMMl pkaied with a pair uf magaiiicent pii»tob (which bad been made &r the Grand Sig-
35 iiiorXwdwidianoiyuL Hehadtaken luiticeof oar ailkatoddnga; andtent aineaaagc,
36 dtdi^dMt MMM in%htbe ghmto him ; and nidi UmtalaQiiewwiDiMlipleMed.
37 t
38 Digitizeo by