E a st ern
C it ie s ,,..;;'.
Herat.
vale fertilized by the-river-Hinmerid, nor the interejing environs: of
the fea of Zurra. Zarangj^ fuppofed to equ%I any city in Segiftan, re*,
taining the ancient name of the Sarangseit is npw chiefly remarkable
for beautiful porcelain.1': The other chief .towns on the Hinmend are
Dargafp, Boft, and Rokhagc or Arokhage. Near another ft ream which
flowiinlo the;fea of Zurra, or rather Zerab, is Farra, another place little
known. In ■„ general D’Anville and other writers, have been obliged- to
have' recourfe to Arabian -geographers; whence maps., often prcfent
places which may mo longer be in ekiftence. | .
The dominion of Zemaun Shah comprizes a confiderable,portion c£
riorafin.. The city^af Herat ftands oaa ipacious plain, interfered iyith’
many rivulets, which, with the bridges, villages, and plantations, delight,
the traveller, 'fatigued in palling the eastern deferts of Afganiffian, or the
country of the A%ansl15 It is a fmallepr citylthan. Candahar, hut •maintains
a refpeftable trade,., and provlAons are cheap and abundant.*
Some European goods pafs hither from the gulf of Per ft a ’; hut"cóarïfe
frrong yrShHehs ^ e i feanufadured i n 'the ad^fcent,'diftridJsr.'iJ Ttii8 city
was thk capital óf Cofafan,;,tiIl3the: firft BeAPof
rank to the, northern-city of Mefhid, which contained
Muza, his fuppofed ancteftbr,' arid tine of the twelve-great liftams cif
PerAa.* When Mr. Forftcr Vifited this country; I ^84, Mefhid, with ’ a
fmall territory, was held by Shah Rok, a -graö<$im '~;$P'-N8Ëiiv ' Thé
diftriifts of Dochibad théh formed thë;<weftern boundary'é f j(;hè:e|apiré
of Candahar, being about thirty or ferty milds to' thé •El-öf-TnrlAizt - ~ ■
It is probable, as already mentioned, that therfbüdie^n pf<#ince'of
Mekran naturally coincides in allegiance, with Segiftan.and Sindiy to
the empire of Candahar $ but the northern limits have not heéh defined;
though Major Rennell inform us that they include Gaur, a cdnfiderable
city' and province. Bamian belongs to the fame portion of Bucharia,
and is remarkable for a variety of Angular antiquities, obfervable in the
. ■. ** Chardin, iv. 243., who calls it Zorend, and erroneoully places it in Kerman,
. | | Foyfter, ii. it$.
* Mr. Forfter informs us, i. 32, -that the road from Herat to Ghilan lies through the ieffer
Irak, which he-diftinguifhes from Irakajemi; but; among many- inaccuracies in:his book; he'con-
founds this laft with Irakarabi 1 M^lhid is fuppofed,to be th'c'fame with. Tuz>,. the birth-placer of
the celebrated Ferdufi.
adjacent
adjacent-mountains. B# for the fake of-greater coherency, thefe places Eastern
Ibnll be eon Adored in-thenaoegsunt of Independent Tatary, or .the, cqun- ClTltK- .
tries between -Perfla and the Ciun^fq.and Euflmn, empires, - which, fol-
lpjytSr.th.rs> nupcrfedl; ;:;defcription of Perfia.' 8
In the recent dciblatiop;.of the country'many of tlic, moft' fplendid Eiifice».
C(lilkds .are become ruinous, - and among; others. the. palace.of Afh'ref in ''
Mazendran. The la|§| , Irnwever -decorated| .Shiraz .with
maAyTeautiful .buildings-, He ,_aIfo improved the. roads in the vicinity |
bilt- inrFerfla; which may; as- C:ha;rd-iu • obferyjas, be called a country of
mountains- the roads.ate.notupnly difficult, but kept |^*hadt£epa|^
ifhe A-pgularA^fiiqn, gf a n y ^ im ^ f S^yigatiop^has prqvested
evqn the^ide^fvimpr^ingjtjr^.^qut^yjb.y canals. ;
. The manufactures; and co.mmgt.ee of.this great country may be faid Mamift^ij-es
to he annihilated, though a few carpets ftill reach Europe at extravaganr’
PL%§.k»3«Ev6R the trade with the RpfAapg c^f|-lmr &Tman i&i'©£ fmall
cpnftftipg of fait, an,d. naphtha from Bakiqynd .fom,(?\ fl|jr.fLnT^
Shifva|i, mailed k ji feho RuffiansiSjhamakia, Apt jcjiiefty*-fy^oiQhi)an*,>
Whgrpjthere is-aRoffign eonfu-1 at Enfeli;pp6i0Alj.7.tThe^erfian mer-,
chants ■ a-lfo hnfig.gftesds4tbf Bdlfrufb, r a p largqft |oyrn>jh Maiepckan«
where,they trade with 'thofeofl Ruffia. ,Gpnoeniimg<;th^ mo|t|B; fta,to
and de'cline ofTerAan -eommeree, thejtfavelis of - the ulateiwor t hy Mr.
IfaQ-Way, 'Who: w a s ; - . w h o l l y W f % g . i v e ; f e t j s t i
fadion.to the moft Inc|«'jftive.!fe&deq^tei!
;iThat'ai^eM%eritih'Ut ptblb ttetReHer,: Chardin, iijas/giv^n aa ample_view
bflthe, PefAan mdAnfadures and .commerce infthe'fe.veqteentH peotujry.j .
Euibrt^dery was- carried : to Ihei g r l co*pjoth,» ’jfijkr and
leathes-.i a Earthen-sari waamade-ihroughButl^e^ia j.hut J h eh ^ 4 t,Bhl’->
raz; Mefhid,: Yezd; arv<l; particularly Aeautifnh at rZ^rang; which equalled,
the ;<Shlnefd' porcelain ti $ AAenefs: a&ditra9iiiniSeB^y^.'’.lQiQ'e f0it!M"ffid®'ftgd'
Are, and the fabric was .1:0 hard as to produce lafting; molars for grinding’
various fubftances.14 That of Yezd, which Chardin*places in Kprman^
* The caufy of Abas the Great is a noble monument, extending about. 3qQfli,. mile® on the S.*
of *? Cafpiaii. , Han.way.y, igStd:- -.... , ; * , w
T The belt edition is that of 1754, two vols, 4to. In the pretended dne,‘i 762, the title page
only is new.
1 1 i i
was