R e l ic ioi led them t a r g e d feveral. abfurdities, whence they aire regarded b y the
other Mahometans as heretics, and -‘ are termed Chiris,- while the .'pretended
true.believers ufrirp the name 6 i':Suddi:s. ‘ Chardin has1 employed
a whole volume in defcribing the -Berdan fyftem of Mahoinetanifm ;
and :6o his work the curious reader is i eferred 'd
; ■ *©f the Parfees, or ancient wor{Kippers of fire, there fcem4 ’to bc^no,
remains'in Perfia, except 'perhaps a few Viktors'of the fiery eruptions,
o f naphtha near Baku, on the weftern ihores of the Cafpiaii.
innocent idolaters have been almbft extirpated by M’ahbVberdn fabatrcifrii,
#hlSh haSrp¥dpa^afedie;vifry!fcandal that malice cohld ‘inVeht,
ffiem as 5devbnrers of -children,' *ind fanHlfar 'With o th # atrotities.
Mr. Han way' informs us "that thefe”Gfreb!efs, 'ifr‘infipfsy paraclff&rly
worfhip the everlaflftg4if% hear Baki^-in’embleln^t^Sfffl^lll^W^fie
fiipremd'ineffable Creator; while the ewl jMnc5pre“Be!reWd?i t8^/aVe
fpi%% fromJihiftbr wad fiyled Ahrimaff.1 ‘Bui tKeichieT wcM-lRippels
o f the fire , off Baku ebrnfe' froth HmdoftabfTo' which* tne^dr!ee| re-
treated when0Abas ^efipfelled * tnelfn £fSa1 mfe'^empHe'; ajfds fffl
abound near Bombay, where their fmgular mode of fepulture fescites,
attention, as they expofe their dead in inclofed areas to be devoured by
birds of prey, a cuftom which has been propagated to Tome other oriental
nations. Mr. Hanway fays that there were 'ftill feme worshippers of
fire at a place thence ftyled Gueberabad, near Ifpahan.
The priefts o f the Mahometan religion,, or Mullas,. are in Perilat
often ftyled Akonds, which fignifies readers; and they not only preach
in the mofks, but are often fchoolmafters.9 The^ Pechnamas are fu-
perior Mullas, or Vicars of the Imams, f The Fakirs- and Calenders are
wandering monks, or. rather Sturdy beggars ;; who,, under the pretext
of religion, compel the people to maintain them in idienefs. But
they do not appear in filch crowds as-the Gofeins and Fakirs , of Hin-
■ * 'Pome vii/Edit. lyii/iiitadJHto-vol. This edition' is 'inebn venien^in as the plates
are more fit.for a folio; and;it is befides, not fo complete as the -laft quarto, edition in four
I volumes, .Amft. in35,
* Gmelin in the Decouvertes Ruffes. Berne 1779, fix vols. 8vo, tome ii. 19.
* Travels,i. 283. B 3 Chardin, x. 79.
■ f The chief prelate is ftyled Sheik al Sellaum, orhead) oft the 'faith i* alfd ' Sader CaiTa, dr
High Prieft; and fometimes Navab,. or Vicar (of the prophet) ..Saiifon, 20..
doftan,
doftan, upon*their .folemij.pilgrimageft t o tfe'e- chief temples, and other fffffMfrjl
faef-ed- places. :- ,
T.her'Goyiernnl'eQfcviof-fBerfia|,, like ■ tbath^f^albiother .oriental-, ftates^ Government,
appear^ to have been always deipqtic s*a and na^palf^onneilftifeem'anly
to. have (been ^rrawn; among the b^irbarous natiqns.of central and
abandoned wbem^e%, fqy^r^gns^fi^d rcqgg.uefejd, >the^ fout|iertn4 and
pmlile^j nabkmf ;jjas, findings no fuch ^sra-s t^ablBh|gd, they did not
perceive, any adVapfcage^in their in^rqdu&ion.';. ,The,<<g9y^nmeat; of
eaftetn. Perfia,*, or *the kmgdonij«Qf, Gapdahar, uuldj
anddt is.to he^oped-that of weftern ^ r f ik ,w|mr^r*Jyy; eft;abl^BBjpd., twill
affumeS(the. lame^qbara£ter. ,,.Thec ftate qf .tliQ Tgeonlet,lejemsTta be:de^
parable,, being ^ g s r p owg r . aqi| gx^ertijOns pf.jthe
m.1 merema,^ Khams or .cjiiefs, an j appellation intjjodi^e^ by^hbq Tatars,
the Perfian being, it is helieyed Mu:z^,;jw^ii.ch is noy{ addreff^i|f> ,ey eiy
gentleman. 1 ^‘T hefe K h ans^re jfpmgtimes,govpnqr^ ^jirpynce^ fome-
rimes' Qnly noffeifors of fmall diftn^s, and pretend, tp_ hereditary, fuc-
ceffipp, though JiableTOj jie forfeited, mr putTqt!.deatb b.y the arbitrary
mandate of the, fovefeign. The great Khans are (fome|imes ftyled
Beglerbegs, pr lords'of lords,; ^nd iprtime o f w a r^M ^ s ,^ j ;generals.
Timib who command citfgg are commonly ftyled Dardgas onKoyernprs,;*
^ The prefent ftatekif thg-population..of Befija eannot beju||Iy.eftimated^ Population.
,Jint dCr-pefhttps qfittle . e^eeeds-thft^QtsAf^bp f^-n
cpimnited at ten, m4j|fin$. Q f thefe_perbapsrffrx. milti^ns^inaf cbelopg, to
weftern Perfia; while xhe-oilier, four (mntrihutefpwajds tlip o p u to o u .
.oBtihe; kingdQP^ C!an|g^aj^ a. ,
, 'Though lyln Franklin have fuppqfe,d^th^f f-be' rival yngsm^weftern Army.
Perfia cpuld not matter more than tjveu^ty^ thQUfft$cfipCI? ?y e
apepunt, ofjg^llaft-, irnplji?' Aa t ^ga,Ma,met raiffd'an arrpy <^|»vgajty
th#nfaad. But fuppflfihg;weftern PeffjSrUfiitedvIandfojnejWhat -rgrpftated
in j pr.ofperi-ty, it is, not probable-idhpt the«^rmyrcdu^d5e^qegd‘:t^fiiQ^© /
,.efis£tiye,;m,enj iwhidb may iprobab^'be ,th.e. am®junt;-rof that of ;Qan-
dahar.
. . From lome particular precepts in tbe-law-S^jof'iZonoafter, ,syhfhch<fit wyas- Navy,
impoffible to pbferve at fed, thearicidnf Prffi!alisJneVef'wbre' a’ -nfarifime
people-,.