The Kanzas news., 1857-11-21
The Kanzas News.
sATURDAYs::::::=:NovEMBER 81. 1857.
Persia.


Marathon, the heroism of Thermopyle, the
mighty armament scattered at Salamis, and
the story of the Retreat of the Ten Thou
sand. Those who gather history from the
Bible are familiar with the fate of Belshaz-
Ear, driven from his Babylonian throne by
the victorious Persian Cyrus; with Esther
in the hall Of Ahasuerus, and Mordeeai.
the beggar at the gate. It was Xerxes, of
Persia, who sent two millions of men and
l,200 ships to subdue Greece, and IL was
his successor, Darius, flying from the
aFenging Alexander, who, after losing three
great battles 10 the Macedonian madman, I"
was murdered in his flight, and left "Pbil-
ip's waflike SON. the master of the coun-
fry; between the Hellespont and the Indus
Atkousand years afterwards the great tide
of conquest which spread over 80 many
territories the faith of Mahomet, flowed to-
wards Persia. The religion and literature
of the Arabs became the faith and the
learning of Persia. For 200 years the great
country was province of the empire of the
kalifs. Then it was once more kingdom,
and about the time when the Western ma
tions we're entering on the first crusade, the
great Mogul Genghis Khan established a
new dynasty, to be in its turn displaced by
the Tartar hordes of Tamerlane. Early in
the 18th century Ismael Shah, Turcoman,
expelled the Tartar invaders, and Persia
once more became great kingdom. About
the middle of the 18th century Nadir Shah
stretched the limits of his kingdom to In
dia ITSELF. Candahar, Afghanistan, Delhi
even, were conquered and added to his
dominions. When he died his conquests
died with him, and since then the history
of Persia is record of Turkish wars, Rus
sian intrigues and encroacbments and di-
piomatic difficulties with ourselves.
Geographically, Persia Tor Iran, its ma
tive appeilation) occupies the Western por-
Etion of the great table land which stretches
from the mountains on the borders of the
Persian gulf, to the fertile plains of Puniab.
in North Western India. The Eastern por-
ton of the elevated plateau is occupied by
Afghanistan and Beloochistan. The South
ern acquisitions of Russia, the waters of the
Caspian and the Khanites of Bokhara and
Khiva, are the Northern boundary; and
Turkey, on the West, claims that portion
of the old Assyrian empire watered by the
Tigris and Euphrates, where Nineveh and
Babylon lie buried, and where Layard and
Botta have sought for the mound of MINI
rod and the halls of Semiramis. Persia is
very deficient of great rivers. Large tracts
of the interior are almost devoid of running
streams. A few small rivers rise in the
higher mountain chains, and fall into the
lakes in the center of the territory. The
greater number of the rivers flow into the
Caspian or the Persian Gulf. The Kerk
hah 1.-THE ancient Choaspes) and the Kuran,
are tributaries of the Euphrates. and on the
Northsthe Sefid Rud empties itself into the
Caspian. There are several considerable
lakes in Persia; the largest, Urumiyah, in
the Northwestern part of the kingdom,
exceeds the Dead Sea in intensity of briny
matter. 1t is nearly 80 miles long. and
about 25 miles wide, and is at an elevation
of 1900 feet above the level of the sea-
No fish can live in its sluggish waters
The climate of Persia is of an extremely
varied character In the low lands, border
ing on the Caspian, the heat is tropical.
with dry and rainy seasons. The lofty Ia
bic lands of the interior have a wide range
of temperature-summers extremely hot
and dry, and winters of intense cold. In
the Southern and South Western parts, to-
wards the Persian Gulf, the air is hot and
dry, and the soil sterile. The valleys and
mountain regions, however, are fertile, and
wherever water is abundant vegetation
abounds.
Persia contains about SOC, 900 square
miles, more than double the area of France,
and the population may be estimated at
about Io, ,O0o, 600 it is impossible, howev
er, to state with precision on that point.
4 fourth part of the entire people is sup
posed to consist of wandering tribes, or IL
iyats. These nomadic communities, dwell
in tents, and their property consists chiefly
NJ kav a fav tn
ment, and are bound to supply certain
number of soldiers for the service of the
State The remainder of the population
consists of native Persians, a few Parsees
from India, numerous Armenians, chiefly
found among the mercantile classes, some
Jews, and Arabians, who abound on the
sea-coast, and of whom the fishermen and
sailors are principally composed.
Persia is divided into nine provinces !;
Azerbijan in the Northwest; Ghilan, or
Mazanderan, to the Northward, upon the
shores of the Caspian; Irakajemi in the
center and West; Khuzistan and Farsistan
in the South West Laristan and Herman
in the South and Khorassan IN the North
and Northeast. In the latter province is
the Great Salt Desert. The ancient capital
of Persia, Ispahan, in IFakajemi. is now lit
tie more than > heap of ruins. Some ira
ders' however. still carry on considerable
manufacture of velvets, silks, and orna-
mental works in metal. but the splendid
mosques and palaces. which, in the 10th
century, Shah Abbas built, are now desert
ed in their decay by all but the iackal and
the fox. Teheran, the modern capital, is a
very unattractive town. 1t stands at great
eleFssion, nearly 1900 feet above the level
of the sea, on gravelly plain. The streets
are narrow and irregular, and even the
Royal palaces though spacious. has no pre-
tensions to architectural effect The CHI
mate is unhealthy. the enormous heat in