has been with me for above ten years, and who, as he speaks English, Persian and Turkish, will perhaps be more useful than a European. I give him some simple medicines, with directions, how and when to give them to you, which he can comprehend, as he has been a good deal employed by me in that way. Captain Campbell's carriage could not have gone to Khoy for you, the road not admitting of it; but he has given us the use of his mules, and Mrs. M'Neill has sent you her Taht-ruan, which is better adapted to these roads than any wheeled conveyance. Should you require to be bled, you may apply with perfect safety to any Persian barber, as they have all much practice in that way. Ali Mohammed will remain with you, and conduct you to us; he will go on to prepare a place for you, procure, and if necessary, prepare what you should eat, which should be confined to soup, rice and tea. He will obey your directions in every thing, and I hope prove useful to you; he is a good hearted man, and will not think it any trouble to do what he can for you; besides, he has my very special injunctions, and I think he will acquit himself creditably. I have desired him to go on till he finds you, and a letter has been written to the Prince Governor of Khoy, requesting that he will afford you every facility. We are pleasantly situated in tents; the air is cool and pleasant, and there is no disease in our vicinity; I therefore do hope, that a few days of rest and good nursing, will restore you to health. I shall go out to meet you, if I find I can do so with propriety; but this is uncertain. Mrs. M'Neill desires her kindest remembrances to you, and I remain

My dear Wolff, very sincerely yours, JOHN M'NEILL. July 5.—I arrived at Sayd Hajee; its inhabitants are of the family of Mohammed.

July 6.-I arrived at the camp of Astara, where Sir John Campbell, and Dr. M'Neill had pitched their tents, on account of the plague, which was raging terribly at Tabreez, and all along to Teheran and Khorossaun. My old friend M'Neill came out to meet me, and delivered me a packet of letters from Malta, which set my mind at ease. I was received by these gentlemen with great kindness.

Dr. M'Neill gave the following particulars of the late war between Persia and Russia. The Persian army was entirely defeated. Fatullah Shah was abandoned by the Governors of the Province of Aderbijan, and the Governors of the other provinces corresponded with Russia; there was not one of his servants on whom he could place any reliance. General Rosen had already received orders from Paskewitsh, to march towards Teheraun; if he had arrived there, the Persians would have killed their King, and taken possession of the royal treasure. No person dared make the King acquainted with the danger impending over his head. Mirza Abd Alhassan Khan, and Mirza Abdalwohab. (a man of great talents, formerly my friend) his ministers, saw the critical and dangerous situation of their Royal Master, but dared not approach the throne

to make known to the King the real state of things. They desired Dr. M'Neill to do it. When he entered the royal presence, Fatullah Shah was sitting in a small room, with his head leaning upon his knees. His countenance betrayed deep sorrow: he was absorbed in gloomy thoughts. "I know," said he, “my government is gone, the Dynasty of Fatullah Shah is gone. I did not want war with Russia: the Mullahs, the Mullahs, (i. e. the Clergy,) brought me into it.”

M'Neill. It is not quite so bad, you can save yourself by giving money to the Russians.

King. How much do they want?

M. N. Seven millions and a half of Tomauns.

K. I have not the money.

M. N. Give jewels or territory.

Dr. M'Neill was charged with the delivery of the money, and the business was arranged. Dr. M'Neill received a beautiful snuff-box from Nicolas. During this time, Abbas Mirza, the Prince Royal, and Shah presumptive, was wandering about in the mountains, with only a few of his faithful servants; a fugitive in the land over which he governed a short time before; without money, and without food. Being informed of the arrival of the Russians at Tabreez, his natural cheerfulness did not forsake him. "Pedr suhte, (let their father be burnt) let them take money," said he smiling, "and go their way. They know, that they can take the country whenever they please." Dr. M'Neill is a very able man, he is a Politician, an Historian, a good Physician, and not ignorant in Divinity. He explained Hebrews vii. 1-3, "For this Melchisedek, &c. without father, without mother, &c." in the following manner: The Dervishes in Persia say, they have neither father or mother, for they had forsaken all for the Lord's sake.†

*

July 10th.-I preached and performed Divine Service in the British Embassy, before Sir John Campbell, Lady Campbell, Dr. and Mrs. M'Neill, Captain M'Donald and other English persons. Tobias was directed by Azarias, to preserve the gall of the fish they caught on the banks of the Tigris, which he is told, is a good remedy for blindness, and with this remedy the sight of Tobit was afterwards restored. Tobit vi. The gall of animals, Mr. M'Neill says, is a common remedy for that description of blindness, which so commonly follows inflammations of the surface of the eye, and which consists in a disorder and opaqueness of the clear part of the

eye.

During my stay, Sir John Campbell wrote to the King of Persia for letters of introduction to the King of Bokhara.

July 29.-I went with Captain M'Donald and Mons. Alexander Gwostoff, Secretary to the Russian Embassy, to Beera, three

*This is a common expression among the Persians, when they are angry.

+ Dr. M'Neill is the most able man of all the British residents in Persia.

hours distant from our Camp, to see my old friend Dr. Cormick, English Physician to Abbas Mirza. On our arrival at Dr. Cormick's tent, Malek Kasem Mirza, the King's son, who was Prince Governor of Oormia, in the year 1825, entered the tent for the purpose of paying me a visit. Capt. M'Donald and myself remained standing, until His Royal Highness asked us to sit down.

The Prince is now in the back ground, on account of his not agreeing with the present Kayem Mekaam, (Prime Minister) of Abbas Mirza. The Prince offered to give me letters of introduction to his brothers in Khorossaun.

A Loote (privileged madman) was at this time going about Tabreez, with a dagger; he had already killed two persons and broken into several houses. The present Governor at Tabreez gave orders to take him up. The Police reported, that it was not possible, for he always kept a sharp dagger in his hand. The Prince replied, "Watch him until he sleeps, and then take the dagger from him."

I called with Dr. Cormick on Mons. Bisack, the Russian Chargé d'Affaires, by whom we were kindly and hospitably treated. I conversed with them about our Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke kindly of my brethren Zaremba and Dittrich, Missionaries at Shoosha, and Mr. Pfander, also a Missionary.

The Persians of Tabreez consider it a great enjoyment, to stand in the rain and drink wine at the same time.

Lieutenant Alexander Burnes, jealous of my journey to Bokhara, thought proper to contradict my assertion, that I had always in my travels avowed myself to be an Englishman and a Christian Preacher. I forgive the young man, but I feel it my duty to insert the following document, which proves the falsehood of his statement. Letter from Khosroe Khan, Chief Eunuch to His Majesty the King of Persia.

My esteemed and kind friend, the ENGLISH PRIEST Joseph Wolff. The letter, the messenger of friendship, which in remembrance of your friend, you had written, reached me at the favourable time and in the happy hour; and gave me intelligence of the welfare of my friend. As for some years there have been symptoms of disease in Persia, and as I had no intelligence as to where you might be, the receipt of your letter gives me the sincerest pleasure. Thank God, your epistle promises, at no great distance of time, the blessings of a meeting.

Regarding your journey to Bokhara, and your desire, that I should write to my friends, this is a small request; you cannot doubt, that I and my friends will consider your step as fortunate; and that in fulfilling the duties of friendship, they will act without reluctance or reserve.

According to your desire, at this time, when we were despatching a Cossid (Messenger) to Meshed, we have written an intimation to each of our friends, on this subject, that stage by stage, they should send their Agents with you, till they shall have conveyed you to Bokhara. God willing, after your arrival at the

Capital, I shall send a man to convey you to Semnan, and from thence H. R. H. Bahman Mirza, will forward you to Juwein; and from thence, Alee Moorad Khan, to Sabzewar; and from thence Mohammed Tuckey Khan, the Governor of that place, will forward you, stage by stage, till you arrive at the Holy Meshed; and if from the Holy city you should desire to go direct to Bokhara, I have written a letter to His Excellency Mirza Askeree, that he may forward you with some merchants and a caravan, so that you may reach Bokhara in safety: and if you should wish to go to Kelat, a letter has been written to Yelantoosh Khan, the Governor of Kelat, that he may send you with Turkomans to Bokhara. Please God, after your arrival in the Capital, matters shall be arranged in whatever manner may be most agreeable to you; of this you may rest satisfied. May you always convey to us pleasing intelligence of your circumstances. Here is a merchant, who will go direct from Teheran to Bokhara, but before you can arrive here, he will have returned from Kashaan, and will be at your service to convey you to Bokhara. These are the arrangements, and when we meet, whichever plan you may adopt, it shall be ordered accordingly. Give my friendly regards to Captain Campbell, and Mr. M'Neill. I am much obliged to you for the accounts you have given of them. I hope one day to have the pleasure of conversing with them. I thank God, that they are in good spirits and free from sorrow.

(Signed)

KHOSROE KAtmez. Dr. M'Neill was so kind as to translate the above; he frequently did me the favour to copy and translate.

I shall hereafter give some other letters, which will prove the falsity of the statements before alluded to.

ADERBIJAN.

There are no Jews in Aderbijan, at Tabreez, or in the villages round, nor even at Khoy, until you come to Salmast, Khosrowa and Oormia; of which places I have spoken in the third volume of my Journals. The reason alleged, why there are no Jews in Aderbijan, is as follows; (but I must observe that the accusation is false.) A Mohammedan child was one day missing, and after a strict search, it was found that some Jews had killed it and drank its blood. This calumny, alas! which is believed in some Christian countries, is spread by vile renegadoes, who left the Jewish and embraced the Mohammedan Religion. It is strange that such a lie should be believed by any one; but I found narrow minded missionaries who observed, that of a nation, who crucified the Lord of Glory, any thing may be believed!

DEPARTURE FROM ASTARA NEAR TABREEZ.

August 7.-I preached for the last time in the tent of Sir John Campbell, and then went to the tent of Dr. Cormick, to take leave of him.

His Royal Highness Malek Kasem Mirza, in sending me the

promised letters of introduction, wrote me a letter in French as follows:

Monsieur,

Sivan, Hejira ai 1246.

Comme je sais que les recommandations peuvent vous être utile, je joint a celle du Hamed Ali Mirza, une pour un de mes autres frères, le Prince Gouverneur de Bustan, Bahaman Mirza.

Je crois, que de passer a mon camp ne dérange pas votre chemin; si cela est, j'aurais, Monsieur, le plus grand plaisir de vous voir. J'ai aimé à écrire à mon frère de ma propre main, à qui vous serez agréable. Je vous souhaite, Monsieur, un bon voyage. MELEK CASSUM MERZA.

(Signed)

A Monsieur Wolff à Bira.

JEWS IN CURDISTAN.

In the second and third volumes of my journals, I treated at large of the Jews at Salmast, Sheeras, Cashaan, and Ispahan. I have only to observe, that around Hamadan, the following places are inhabited by Jews, who are in possession of all the books of the Old Testament, as are also the Jews throughout Persia.

Hamadan 150 families. Tusurgan 40. Nawand 40. Khormabad 50. Ulgud 20. Kermanchah 20. Senaa 150. Garooz 50. Sakaz 50. Banaa 50. Soleimanea 200. Karadagh 200. Halabyar 20. Khorombar 20. Penjeween 20. Total 1080 families, or 5400 souls.

It is also striking to find even in Curdistan Jews of learning, i. e. in their Talmudical writings. These Jews and those in Persia read the Hebrew in a most sonorous manner. They are full of traditional accounts, which they do not however like to communicate to Christians or Mohammedans. They are not half so demoralized as the Armenians in Curdistan.

According to Jew Nisim, from Salmast, the Jews of Teheran, and the Rabbi Shlome from Hamadan, whom I met at Teheran, the Jews settled in Persia and Curdistan during the captivity of Babylon. Their names corroborate the truth of their account, that many of them had returned to Jerusalem with Nehemiah; but their descendants, after this, came back to Persia. This they shew in a very plausible way; viz. that there are families in Persia, whose names are of later date, and are to be found among the Jews in Palestine; as for instance, the name Nisim is to be found even now in Persia, and there is a family called Nisim at Jerusalem; there are Jews called Succoth, in Teheran, and there are families of that name at Jerusalem. They are in possession of the same traditional accounts respecting the Ten Tribes, as the Jews all over the world. In the year 1826, at Salmast and at Oormia, I spoke Hebrew and Chaldean with them. Some of the Jews mix the Hebrew with Turkish and Chaldean; but several of their Rabbies, who came from the neighbouring places, spoke Hebrew very well.

Mullah Israel, at Sheeras, is a man, who feels deeply the corruption of the human heart, and the incapability of doing any thing in order to obtain Salvation, without the grace of God.