ΜAZANDERAN, a province of Persia, and part of the ancient Hyrcania, separated from Irak by the lofty mountains of the Elburz. To the east it has Khorasan, with the province of Astrabad, on the north the Caspian, and on the west Ghilan. For the greater part of its length it is but a strip of country contained between the mountains and the southern shore of the Caspian sea. At Saree the distance from the sea to the foot of the lower hills may be about sixteen or seventeen miles; to the west of the highest ridge from sixty to seventy; about Balfroush it is still greater, the direct distance between the sea and the lower hills being about 30 miles; whilst about thirty miles off, the whole range of the Elburz rises in all its grandeur, like a magnificent wall covered with snow. The whole of this extensive tract is well cultivated, and presents a succession of large and populous villages, embosomed in wood and surrounded with cultivation. The country in general is mountainous, abounding in forests of oak, and full of swamps; but the valleys are fertile and produce the finest rice in vast quantities. The marshy grounds are all that is adapted to the cultivation of wheat; and even the small portion which the inhabitants are enabled to raise for their own consumption is coarse and of a very inferior quality. Sugar and cotton are also cultivated to a great extent; but the quantity of silk produced is small compared with that which is produced in Ghilan. The country is well watered by numerous smaller streams, and by two larger ones which have their origin in the Elburz mountains, and generally carry their waters to the Caspian sea; that which bears the name of Mazanderan takes a south-west course through the flat part of the province and falls into the sea at Meshed Sir. The commerce of the province is considerable; and cotton is manufactured to a considerable amount. The villages are open and neatly built, and are in general beautifully situated, either on verdant streams or in pleasant valleys, fertilized by streams of delicious water. Mazanderan may be divided into two distinct climates, the warm and the cold; namely, the mountainous region, and the flat country along the shore of the Caspian sea. Winter and spring are healthy seasons; but during the summer and autumn exhalations arise from the fens and marshes which overspread this part of Persia, and render the air insalubrious. Agues and dropsies are the prevalent disorders; and the natives have in general a sallow and bloated appearance, indicating a bad state of health. In October, November, and December, there are heavy rains. Snow also falls, but never lies long upon the ground; and in spring the river almost always overflows. The roads are bad, being in general through swamps; but the admirable causeway of Mazanderan, which was constructed by Sha Abbas, and which extends in length about 300 miles, is now nearly in the same condition as when Hanway visited the country, being perfect in many places, although it has hardly ever been repaired; in some parts it is above twenty yards wide, with ditches on each side; and there are many bridges upon it under which the water is conveyed to the rice fields. The natives of this province are considered as the most warlike of the Persians; and they defended their retreats and castles in the mountains with so much courage, as to secure their independence for a considerable period against all the power of Tamerlane. Frazer who visited Persia in 1821, was informed that there are no wandering tribes in this province. Being flat, wooded, and swampy, with no pasture lands, it would not suit their mode of life; and this is supposed to account for the unfrequency of high-way robbery, which is here unknown.