1 71
2 and to interfere in their behalf. He received myself and my
3 petition very kindly, but appeared little disposed to do anything
4 for the younger of the supplicants, as he had uttered som§
5 threatening words when asking for justice; and he added,
6 “ they may plead their cause before the tribunal.” But the judges
7 refused to listen to their petition, alleging — first, that they had
8 not appeared to make their claims immediately after the death of
9 the testator ; secondly, that those who appeared as heirs, being
10 Russian subjects, could not be considered as legal claimants, but
11 were reckoned among Christian sects, and treated as heretics;
12 and, thirdly, that the whole legacy being the result of a trade
13 not tolerated in the Koran, i. e., wine, it ought to have been
14 confiscated, as it really was. I solicited Hoshbegi to permit me
15 to pay the debts of these poor men, and to take them with me to
16 their home in Russia. This I obtained without any difficulty,
17 so I liquidated their debts, and took them with me, accom-
18 panying the caravan with which the Russian ambassador also set
19 out for that country. The most costly thing I carried with me
20 from Bokhara, was a very beautiful horse, of a breed called
21 argomak. This horse, th^ beauty of which was admired by
22 every connoisseur, was provided with all its appurtenances ; such
23 as a silver bridle, a Bokharian saddle, a richly-adorned capa-
24 rison, &c. This noble animal was a stallion four years old.
25 I destined it as a present for his Majesty the late Emperor of
26 Austria, Francis I., with a view to its serving as a riding-horse
27 and a sire. I ventured to do this as an Austrian subject, and
28 after an absence of twenty years, to manifest my loyalty and
29 faithfulness to my monarch. My wish to perform this act of
30 duty in the proper costume, was the cause of my appearing
31 habited as a native of Bokhara, in the years 1834, 1835, and
32 1836, when travelling through Europe.
33 The journey from Bokhara to Russia, which I performed in
34 thirty-five stations, was one of the most pleasant I ever had in the
35 whole course of my travels, as no impediments from the elements,
36 or other disastrous occurrences, happened during the route ; yet,
37 to make good the proverb of Solomon — “There exists nothing