The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-19 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

A Noble Book of Travels

A Joiirney from London to Persepolis. By John
Ussher, F.R.G.S. One Vol., pp. 703. With
numerous coloured illustrations. Hurst and
Blackett.

A truly magnificent work is this journey from
London to Persepolis, filling a costly volume of
some 700 pages, and adorned with gorgeously
coloured illustrations. At the first sight, the perusal
of such an imposing tour seems almost as formidable
as it would be to undertake the journey to which it re-
lates. But, upon turning over its pages, we are lured
on with a pleasant fascination, and derive no little
information from the companionship of so agreeable
a cicerone. Mr. Ussher's great merit as a writer of
travels the merit of simplicity. He gives us a clear
narration of facts, as little embellished as possible.
His notes were not originally intended for publica-
tion. " The chief object of his journey," he tells
us, " was to penetrate into the mountains of
Daghestan, so long the scene of the un-
equal conflict between Schamyl and the Russian
power." His progress was everywhere prohibited by
the Russian officers, who, he had been forewarned,
would be likely to put obstacles in his path. Among
the illustrations is a very admirable likeness of
Schamyl, from a photograph, the history and charac-
teristics of this renowned chieftain being here, also,
fully detailed. In summing up his character, Mr.
Ussher remarks that to religious fanaticism rather
than patriotism, are to be attributed his determined op-
position to the Russians, and his stubborn resistance
to their rule. In his wanderings through Armenia,
our traveller relates some very interestingparticulars
respecting that peculiar race. Nowhere it appears
is the Patriarchal system carried out to a greater ex-
tent than among the Armenians. During the life-
time of the father, all the sons and their families live
in one common dwelling. The treatment of the
women is somewhat peculiar. Before marriage
the Armenian girls enjoy as much freedom
as they like. But, once married all is changed. At
first the Armenian bride may only speak to her
husband, and afterwards to her female relations,
but only in a whisper. "It follows," says our
traveller, " that the consequence which results
from the residence of so many women in one house,
incessant quarrelling, is quite avoided." Verily, are
the Armenians. a wise people in their doMestic legis-
lature ! The Shah of Persia is another portrait,
evidently a likeness. His dress is somewhat similar
to that he wore on the occasion of Mr Ussher's
presentation to him, a mixture of the European and
the Asiatic costume—white trousers and a pink silk
frock-coat, buttoned across with large diamond
buttons, each of a single stone. A sword-belt, the
buckle of which was set with the famous Deriah
Noor, or Sea of Light, encircled his waist. Over
his coat was a pink cloth of gold dressing gown
lined with ermine, and on his head the usualAstracan
fur cap worn by all classes. In commenting upon his
character, Mr Ussher gives him the rather question-
able commendation of being cruel only from cowar-
dice. An interesting account is given of the murder
of his minister and brother-in-law, Mirza Tokee.
Here is our traveller's own description of the
incident—an incident painfully illustrative of the—