'Collection of journals and reports received from Captain the Hon G C Napier, Bengal Staff Corps, on special duty in Persia, 1874. Includes revised index. London: HMSO, 1876' [‎17r] (37/409)

21
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Bostam
the road passes between low rocky hills to Shahrood, which lies
on the hill skirt imbedded in gardens, groves, and vineyards.
The town of about 800 houses is enclosed by a weak wall, without
towers or flanking defence. The heat in tents was great, but far
more bearable than a similar temperature in India.
23rd July. Shahrood .—Halted at Shahrood. Received a visit
from the Agent of the Governor who resides at Bostam; he
reported the road safe, but recommended my waiting three or
four days for the convoy. To this I objected.
Some servants of a Russian merchant have been busily ques
tioning my servants and continue to hang about the camp. The
merchant, by name Baumgartner, is in some way connected with
the Consulate at Astrabad, being probably employed to collect
news. They have a large connection and much influence in the
town, and take some trouble to cultivate it by keeping open house
and giving alms to the poor. I visited their serai and found it
full of cotton bales undergoing a rude process of pressing for
transport to the port of Gez. Much raw silk is also purchased
by them in the district and in the Kurd country. The employes
of the trading company are chiefly Armenians, and there are also
merchants of that nation. A marked difference in their bearing
compared with that of the oppressed outcasts of the same race at
Julfa in Isfahan was observable. They are under the protecting
shadow of a great empire, and know it, and do not fail to take
every possible advantage of it. In the evening I received a visit
from the Russian merchant, Baumgartner, accompanied by one
M. Ogarodnikoff,* who was said to be a merchant newly arrived
with a large stock of goods intended for the Khorassan market.
He proposed taking his goods to Subzwar, but not to Mashad.
As M. Ogarodnikoff spoke nothing but Russian, our intercourse
was limited to a few civilities passed through two interpreters.
24:th July. Shahrood .—Applied to the authorities for a special
o-uard, intimating that I could not wait for the convoy and was
prepared, hearing the road was safe, to march without one.
25th July. To Bedasht .—Sent camp to Bedasht and rode
over to Bostam to visit the Governor. The village or town of
Bostam lies on a level plain enclosed by mountains distant from
four to ten miles ; it is watered by a small stream and numerous
“ kanatsa mud wall of some height, with a thickness of six or
eio-ht feet at base, and numerous flanking towers enclose it; its
circuit may be about one and a half miles; the gateways are
defended by strong towers of burnt brick ; a circle of gardens and
oroves of “sinjud” (sweet willow) trees gives cover right up to
the walls; within the first wall is another very thick and solid;
there are chambers cut in its base to a depth of 10 to 12 feet;
this second wall is not complete, but the gaps are backed by
irregular mud walled enclosures, and it would prove a very
serviceable inner line of defence. In the centre of the town is the
* Mr. Ogorodnikof, vide p. 253. —This educated gentleman, a Dr. of Medicine,
surely could speak English, having recommended himself to the Imperial Russian
Geographical Society for this journey to Persia, by a series of long letters to Russian
papers, from America. R.M.
Russian mer
chant.
Bostam.