'The dynasty of the Kajars translated from the original Persian manuscript presented by His Majesty Faty Aly Shah to Sir Harford Jones Brydges ... to which is prefixed a succinct account of the history of Persia previous to that period illustarted with plates and a map of Western Persia' [‎15] (36/684)

preliminary matter.
xv
family were especially protected and saved from the
general wreck, the same divine authority that re
lates to us the dreadful calamity, acquaints us also,
that, as the waters subsided, the ark rested on the
top of Mount Ararat. In disembarking, therefore,
the first place our second progenitors must have
visited was necessarily the Plain of Erivan, which
spreads itself at the foot of that mountain; and I
presume those who have visited this beautiful and
luxuriant plain, viewing it even under all the dis
advantages of an imperfect government, will allow
that few places on the surface of the earth, both as
to climate and production, could have been better
chosen for refreshing, supporting, and gratifying the
immediate wants of such a motley assemblage of
storm-beaten mariners. The vine, the peach, the
fig, the apricot, the melon, the water-melon, the
apple, the pear, the mulberry, corn of all sorts, and
the most nutritious grains, are found there now,
and were not improbably permitted to start up there
when the waters withdrew. I admit the Sacred
Writings do not tell us what length of sojourn
Noah made in this delightful plain, nor do they de
clare to us that he ever left it. The 9th chapter of
Genesis contains the account of Noah's debarkation
from the ark; and the 20th verse of that chapter has
the following remarkable words, which seem to re
present the Patriarch as being desirous of taking up
his abode where (if I may use the expression) he
first landed:—" And Noah began to be an husband
man ; and he planted a vineyard."
The first part of the 2d verse of the 9th chapter
of Genesis I have always considered as very inter-