Across Coveted Lands - or a Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta Overland

Arnold Henry Savage Landor

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Project Gutenberg's Across Coveted Lands, by Arnold Henry Savage LandorThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and withalmost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away orre-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License includedwith this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.netTitle: Across Coveted Landsor a Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta OverlandAuthor: Arnold Henry Savage LandorRelease Date: July 22, 2007 [EBook #22117]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ACROSS COVETED LANDS ***Produced by Michael Ciesielski and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.netCOVERACROSS COVETED LANDSORA JOURNEY FROM FLUSHING (HOLLAND) TO CALCUTTA, OVERLANDBYA. HENRY SAVAGE LANDORWITH 175 ILLUSTRATIONS, DIAGRAMS, PLANS AND MAPSBY AUTHORIN TWO VOLUMESLondonMACMILLAN AND CO., Limited1902All rights reservedRICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED,LONDON AND BUNGAYKERMAN AND ZERIS, THE TWO KITTENS WHO ACCOMPANIED AUTHOR ON HIS WANDERINGS.KERMAN AND ZERIS, the two Kittens who accompanied Author on his wanderings."A WHOLE DAY WAS SPENT IN PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY, AND WHEN NOVEMBER 4TH CAME, SHORTLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT MYPROVISIONS WERE PACKED UPON MY CAMELS, WITH AN EXTRA LOAD OF FOWLS AND ONE OF FRUIT, WHILE ON THE HUMP OF THE LAST CAMELOF MY CARAVAN WERE PERCHED, IN A WOODEN BOX MADE COMFORTABLE WITH STRAW AND COTTON-WOOL, TWO PRETTY PERSIAN KITTENS,AGED RESPECTIVELY THREE WEEKS AND ...

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• Publié par: orzoo
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 43
• Langue: English

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Project Gutenberg's Across Coveted Lands, by Arnold
Henry Savage Landor
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no
cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,
give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg
License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Across Coveted Lands
or a Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta
Overland
Author: Arnold Henry Savage Landor
Release Date: July 22, 2007 [EBook #22117]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
ACROSS COVETED LANDS ***
Produced by Michael Ciesielski and the Online
Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.netProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Cover
ACROSS COVETED
LANDS
OR
A JOURNEY FROM FLUSHING
(HOLLAND) TO CALCUTTA,
OVERLAND
BY
A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR
WITH 175 ILLUSTRATIONS, DIAGRAMS,
PLANS AND MAPS
BY AUTHOR
IN TWO VOLUMESLondon
MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited
1902
All rights reserved
Richard Clay and Sons, Limited,
london and bungay
Kerman and Zeris, the two Kittens who accompanied
Author on his wanderings.
Kerman and Zeris, the two Kittens who accompanied
Author on his wanderings.
"A whole day was spent in preparing for the journey,
and when November 4th came, shortly before
midnight my provisions were packed upon my camels,
with an extra load of fowls and one of fruit, while on
the hump of the last camel of my caravan were
perched, in a wooden box made comfortable with
straw and cotton-wool, two pretty Persian kittens,
aged respectively three weeks and four weeks, which I
had purchased in Kerman, and which, as we shall see,
lived through a great many adventures and sufferings,
and actually reached London safe and sound, proving
themselves to be the most wonderful and agreeablelittle travelling companions imaginable. One was
christened "Kerman," the other "Zeris.""
Volume I
Chapter Paragraph Description Page
I The start—The terrors of the Russi
an Custom-house—An amusing in
cident at the Russian frontier—Poli
teness of Russian officials—Warsa
w: its sights; its lovely women—Th
e talented Pole—People who know
how to travel by train—A ludicrous
scene. 1
II Kiev—Its protecting Saint—Intellec
tuality and trade—Priests and educ
ation—Wherein lies the strength of
Russia—Industries—A famous Mo
nastery—The Catacombs of St. Th
eodosius and St. Anthony—Pilgrim
s—Veneration of Saints—The Dnie
per river—Churches—A luminous
cross—Kharkoff—Agriculture—Hor
se fairs—Rostoff—Votka drunkenn
ess—Strong fortifications—Cheap
and good travelling—Baku. 12
III Baku—Unnecessary anxiety—A st
orm—Oil wells—Naphtha spouts—
How the wells are worked—The na
tive city—The Baku Bay—Fortifications—The Maiden's Tower—Depre
ssing vegetation—Baku dust—Pro
sperity and hospitality—The Amir o
f Bokhara—The mail service to Per
sia on the Caspian—The Mercury
and Caucasus line—Lenkoran—As
tara (Russo-Persian boundary)—A
ntiquated steamers. 21
IV The Port of Enzeli—Troublesome l
anding—Flat-bottomed boats—A s
pecial permit—Civility of officials—
Across the Murd-ap lagoon—Piri-B
azaar—A self-imposed golden rule
—Where our stock came from—Th
e drive to Resht—The bazaar—Th
e native shops and foreign goods
—Ghilan's trade—The increase in t
rade—British and Russian competi
tions—Sugar—Tobacco—Hotels—
The British Consulate—The Gover
nor's palace—H.E. Salare Afkham
—A Swiss hotel—Banks. 29
V Resht—Impostors—A visit to the H
ead Mullah—Quaint notions—Arra
ngements for the drive to Teheran
—The Russian concession of the T
eheran road—The stormy Caspian
and unsafe harbours—The great
Menzil bridge—A detour in the roa
d—Capital employed in the constru
ction of the road—Mistaken Englis
h notions of Russia—Theory and practice—High tolls—Exorbitant fare
s—A speculator's offer refused—D
evelopment of the road. 44
VI A journey by landau and four—Pict
uresque coachman—Tolls—Intens
e moisture—Luxuriant vegetation
—Deschambe Bazaar—The silk in
dustry of Ghilan—The cultivation a
nd export of rice—The Governor's
energy—Agriculture and Allah—Th
e water question—The coachman'
s backshish—The White River—Oli
ve groves—Halting places on the r
oad—The effects of hallucination—
Princes abundant. 57
VII Menzil and the winds—The historic
al Alamut mountain—A low plateau
—Volcanic formation—Mol-Ali—A
genuine case of smallpox—Charac
teristic sitting posture—A caravan
of mules—Rugged country—The r
emains of a volcanic commotion—
The old track—Kasvin, the city of
misfortunes—The Governor's pala
ce and palatial rest house—Earthq
uakes and famine—Kanats, the m
arvellous aqueducts—How they ar
e made—Manufactures—Kasvin st
rategically. 69
VIII Four thousand feet above sea-leve
l—Castellated walls—An obnoxious
individual—Luggage weighing—The strange figure of an African black
—How he saved an Englishman's li
fe—Teheran hotels—Interesting gu
ests—Life of bachelors in Teheran
—The Britisher in Persia—Home e
arly—Social sets—Etiquette—Missi
onaries—Foreign communities—T
he servant question. 78
IX Teheran—The seat of the Kajar fa
mily—The square of the gun—San
ctuaries—The Top Meidan—Tram
ways—A railway—Opposition of th
e Mullahs and population—Destruc
tion of a train—Mosques—Habitati
ons—Extortion and blackmail—Per
sian philosophy. 87
X Legations—Germany a stumbling-
block to Russia's and England's su
premacy—Sir Arthur Hardinge, Brit
ish Minister in Teheran—His talent,
tact, and popularity—The British L
egation—Summer quarters—Legat
ion guards—Removal of furniture. 95
XI Visits to high Persian officials—Mef
tah-es-Sultaneh—Persian educatio
n—A college for orphans—Uncomf
ortable etiquette—The Foreign Offi
ce—H.E. Mushir-ed-Doulet, Minist
er of Foreign Affairs—Persian inter
est in the Chinese War of 1900—R
eform necessary. 102XII The Persian army—The Persian so
ldier as he is and as he might be—
When and how he is drilled—Self-d
octoring under difficulties—Misappr
opriation of the army's salary—Cos
sack regiments drilled by Russian
officers—Death of the Head Mullah
—Tribute of the Jews—The positio
n of Europeans—A gas company
—How it fulfilled its agreement. 111
XIII Cash and wealth—Capital as unde
rstood by Persians—Hidden fortun
es—Forms of extravagance—Unb
usiness-like qualities—Foreign exa
mples—Shaken confidence of nati
ves in foreigners—Greed for mone
y—Small merchants—Illicit ways of
increasing wealth—The Persian a
dreamer—Unpunctuality—Time no
money and no object—Hindrance t
o reform—Currency—Gold, silver,
and copper—Absorption of silver—
Drainage of silver into Transcaspia
—Banknotes—The fluctuations of t
he Kran—How the poorer classes
are affected by it—Coins old and n
ew—Nickel coins—The Shai and it
s subdivisions. 120
XIV The Banks of Persia—The Imperial
Bank of Persia—The most revered
foreigner in Persia—Loans—The r
oad concession—The action of theStock Exchange injurious to British
interests—Securities—Brains and
not capital—Risks of importing capi
tal—An ideal banking situation—Ho
arding—Defective communication
—The key to profitable banking in
Persia—How the exchange is affec
ted—Coins—Free trade—The Rus
sian Bank and Mr. De Witte—Mr.
Grube an able Manager—Healthy
competition—Support of the Russi
an Government. 135
XV Illegitimate Bank-notes—Hamperin
g the Bank's work—The grand fias
co of the Tobacco Corporation—M
agnificent behaviour of the natives
—The Mullahs and tobacco—The
nation gives up smoking—Suppres
sion of the monopoly—Compensati
on—Want of tact—Important Euro
pean commercial houses and their
work—Russian and British trade—
Trade routes—The new Persian C