fended it until he lost two-thirds of his troops, and the inhabitants died of famine and thirst. A sirdar, Nujuf Koolu Khan, induced by bribery, allowed a party of the enemy to enter, who immediately ran and opened one of the gates, and let in the whole of the enemy. Looft Alee Khan cut his way through them with a few brave adherents, and escaped; but being afterwards betrayed, Agha Moohummud Khan put out his eyes with his own hands; and to commemorate the downfall of the Zund dynasty, and the capture of Kirman, he formed the horrid resolution of erecting a pyramid of skulls on the spot where Looft Alee Khan was taken. For this purpose he decapitated six hundred prisoners, and despatched their heads to the place by three hundred other prisoners, forcing each man to carry two skulls. These unfortunate wretches, on their

L

arrival, shared the same fate; and the pyramid was seen by Lieutenant Pottinger in the city in 1810, a horrid evidence of the conqueror's implacable hate and blood-thirsty disposition.”

Three times have I, in my weary wanderings with caravans over the Asiatic deserts, been surrounded by Bedouins, who intended us no farther molestation than merely that of destroying our lives and taking possession of our property. And three times have I set myself at the head of a band of merchants, pilgrims, and camel-drivers, and put the robbers to flight. On one occasion, when two daring Bedouins had advanced near our camels to ascertain our strength, one of our party took aim, and shot the foremost of them dead. The other received this as a hint that no good was intended him, and accordingly decamped.

The thirst experienced in the desert is intolerable. Oh! it is a wretched thing to see those with whom you have borne the heat and burden of the day, fall at your feet to rise no more! yet this is a common occurrence. A faintness comes giddiness; a tear or two steals slowly down the cheek of the sufferer; he falls on the sand, and in a few moments becomes insensible.

on; a giddiness ;

Heigho! I have seen more of this wide world than I ever wish to see again. There is one spot in it worth all the rest put together, and that spot is old England.

Now, my young friends, if there be any among you of an enterprising spirit, bent on traversing the deserts, it will, I suppose, be losing time to persuade you to abandon your design: I will, therefore, put you in a way of turning your plan to the best advantage; set off directly to the

deserts, there you may get plenty of land for nothing, and land that will never put you to a farthing of expense in ploughing: raise capital crops as fast as you can, dispose of them well, and your fortune is made. Or, if you prefer another mode, let your land in small parcels, and at a great price, to the Persians and Arabians; turn dealer in jackals, wolves, hyenas, and wild hogs, which you may get for catching them, drive them to a good market, and sell them high. If neither of these plans suit your taste, build up a shed in the centre of the desert and sell soda

water. If you persevere in any one of these three plans for six months, I will be bound that you will be able to return to old England and drive your coach and six all the days of your lives.

If you have a bad appetite, seat yourself in a Lapland sledge, and let the fleet reindeer scamper with you at his heels for a dozen hours, through the keen air and over the frozen snow, and then you will be ready to eat the ends of your fingers.

EVERY climate has its peculiar animal, on which its inhabitants are very dependant. In England we have the horse; in Asia they have the camel