Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-10-23
ing 70 them. is anything but a desirable


the immense number of monuments of re-
mote antiquity existing on all sides, es-
pecially the figures of lions accompanied
by Inscriptions in an unknown tongue
Though they themselves are dwellers in
! Okesra, it is past their comprehension that
persons opulent enough to select their own
places of abode. should ever have establish
ed themselves in their fiery peninsula. amid
sand and fuller s-earth, and fountains
Of black and white naptha, and stagnant
pools, fetid and noisome. and the cracking
OF flames, and the whirling about of dust
and ashes by impetuous winds from the
mountains. In fact, it is by no means
one OF the least curious phenomena of this
place. tbe. it should be frequently exposed
to tempo . so violent that it is matter
of wonder that they have not long ago
swept all Bsku into the sea. You stand
perhaps on its battlements, cnjoing the
stillnes of the air. and admring the CLASSY
surface of the Caspian. when suddenly a
gust from the Caucasus fills your burnocse,
tears off your turban. aud lays you prone
upon the earth. lashes up the waves into
white foam. dashes the ships in the har.
Dor against each other; and ploughs up the
sea in straight line as far as the eye can
reach. Then the clouds gather overhead.
and lowering themselves gradually from the
peaks of the mountains. canopy the whcle
peninsula. while the loudest thunder peals
among the rocks, and lightning so vivid
flashes from east to west, that the flames
from the rocks are as little noticed as those
Of few fsrthing tapers in the MONDAY
sun. But the storms of Baka are Of short
continuance. Bursting Unexpectedly, and
raging with unexsmpled fury. they clear
away and disappear in like manner
Something similar is observable at Nice,
where the Jise from the Maritime Alps
chills the whole atmosphere in a few min
utes and sends those home to put on their
cloaks who came forth in the lightes attire
to enjoy the sunshine, and the prospects of
the calm sea- In spite of the changes of
its climate, Baku. with all the surround
ing country. was fsv0rite residence OF the
Medes. as well as of those fierce conquer
ers from Macedonia who subverted the
Persian monarchy. and left so many traces
of their rule over the whole of a sa. from
the mouths of the Nile to the farthest wa
tiers Of the Punjab At Baku, the chisel
Of Greece was busily at work. and has left
npon the face of rocks, and the facade of
ruined palaces. numerous mementoes of its
playful character. figures OF men engaged
in various amnsements and games Of
chance. To the believers in El Islam, all
these thiags are SO many abominations.-
They hate images. they despise art and its
, creations. which to their minds suggest no
ideas save those Of gross idolatry. They
can conceive no idea for fabricating the
figure of man or beast. unless with the de-
sign to worship it. Occasionally, they
; account for the ruin Of great cities in which
statues are found. by observing that the
inhabitants having heen addicted TO impure
forms of worship. were changed by the
wrath OF Heaven into stones, and in that
state left forever above ground. to be u ter
ror AMI warning to future generations.-
As to the lions who climb and grin on the
walls of Baku. they were, says the Mus
Inns, the gods Of its anti,nt inhabitants,
} whom. when the day of trial came. they
were found impotent to protect.
Like all regions impregnated with fire.
this part of Persia produces exquisite fruit.
J Large and delicious figs have been still
found on the trees as la,c as the month OF
December. and the pomegranates which ma
ture brings to perfection in the hottest
months seem to be fuller of refreshing juice
than in almost any other part of the East.
When you arrive. therefore, st a caravan
: sary on a July noon, the first thing with
which the attendant presents you. in sau-
Ger of white porcelain is pomegranate-
you break it. you inhale the delicious aro-
, ma. you sip the pinky juice, and your
WEAKNESS vanishes like a dream. Along
Q the volcanic rocks. the vine trails its ten,
, drills. and early in summer is covered with
|, heavy clusters. purple or golden. These
D the children of the Prophet. in spite of tho
a koran. often convert into wine. with
/, which to regale themselves in their banish
ment beyond KAT. Every one who has
3 travelled in volcanic countries must have
{ observed that the grape has there fal
richer flavor than elsewhere. which appears
: at once to excite and allay thirst. This j,
D particularly noticeable on the slopes o.
: Etna and Vesuvius. but in the neighbor.
hood of Baku it Is perhaps more rernarka.
e bic still. The wines made in this prov
ince are those chiefly celebrated by the Per-
t sian poets, who, because they drank them
in the bowers of Shiraz or Ispahan, imag.
e ined they were the produce of the south.
In the low marshy grounds close to the
, Caspian, you find water melons. scarcely
if at all. inferior to those Of Calamata in
the Morea. which, when cut into slices,
look like sweet water held in suspension by
D net work of ibres These, with the ap-
. pies of Shirwan. and the dates of Irak.
: and Diarbekir. the Parsees prefer to all the
!, fruits of India, the anana. the mango, and
the mangosteen. because they detect in
, them the favour of their ancient father
land. AS they eat, they dream of the
past, when the sword of the Mede was q
/, terror to the world-when he disciplined
the finest cavalry. and erected the finest
{ structures in Asia-when he was victori-
Gus wherever he msrched--and when his
sacred fire threw its glare on one side over
the Nile. on the other over the Indus. 1t
! may be that Bumsetjee Cursetjee. as be
prostrates himself before the eternal fires
of Baku. dreams that days Of equal glory
may yet dawn upon his race. when he shall
be no longer byword to the Brahmsn OF
, the Moslsmin. but with the sword of vic.