The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume X, No. 6 [‎100v] (53/186)

592
RECENT JOURNEYS IN PERSIA.
of them I found a brick bearing the date of 1027 Anno Ilejra, or 1617
of our era. This confederacy of chieftains appears to have ruled in
Sistan and Baluchistan during the prosperity of the Sefavi dynasty,
and, as far as we know, they were crushed by Nadir Shah about 150
years ago, although Pottinger mentions that they still owned villages
early in this century.
We accompanied the British Commission on its long march to
Quetta, so that my sister may claim to be the first lady who has ridden
rom the Caspian sea to India, a distance of nearly 2000 miles
While travelling up the valley of the Rakshan, through what is now
a desert, we saw that for miles the country had been cultivated in
terraces on such a scale that there must have been a teeming population,
w ere now one can wander for 50 miles without seeing the slightest
sign °t life. We found many ruined sites, with numberless fragments of
Arab pottery, beads, and bracelets, and felt that it was only deforestation
that could have changed the country from a smiling plain of plenty to
a barren and dry land, where no water is.” Daily, the thermometer
legistered over 90° in our tents, so it was with light hearts that we
ascended on to the uplands of Baluchistan, until, at Kalat, we again
reached a telegraph wire-that pioneer of civilization-and at the end
o April we entered Quetta, where we were all most kindly entertained
b} the late Sir James Browne, whose name will live long on the
Beluch country side.
thelhaJH T.* 116 rj t0 Simla ’ When the sad news of His Majesty
the Shah s death reached us, and it was quite touching to see how much
our Persian servants felt the calamity that had befallen their native
country Nearly a month was spent in Simla, during which I was
enabled to compile my work up to date, and at the beginning of
June we were once again at Karachi, bound for the Karim valley
e vere caught by the beginning of the “ monsoon,” and, as we were
on board the worst roller that the British India Company possesses
we were very glad to reach the shelter of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. For the
rst time, I visited Bahrein, when we rode on donkeys to the famous
wells, and also saw the extraordinary phenomenon of a sprino- of fresh
tht Islands f'he P m f fi e , S6a ? whioh is ™ry shallow indeed “all round
the islands. Ihe pearl fisheries were in full swing, and it was a most
Picturesque sight to see the fleet of little vessels all busily engagedtn
Ashing for oysters. The weather was too hot and our sfay too short
for a visit to the site of Sir E. Durand's and the late Mr Theodore
.n mvT°n ^ ther6 are P 1 -** accessible that would
in my humble opinion, yield a richer harvest than this ancient home of
OffTT*’ Wh6re Erythras ’ the King,” lies buried
Off Bushire we again experienced rough weather, but when once we
entered the lovely Shat-el-Arab, the moist heat was overpowering aid
as, at Mohamerah, we found that the fortnightly boat was not d“ue to