RAIN-CELIBACY-STUDY OF HEBREW.

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May 28. The Muhammedans of Oróomiah set apart this day as a season of special prayer for rain, the spring having been very dry, the grain and other crops having suffered already, and the prospect of sufficient water in the streams to flood the fields being very doubtful. I inquired of our Mussulmân scholars by whom the day was designated, and they replied, the astrologers, who, by consulting their books, ascertained it to be auspicious for the object.

May 29. Cloudy weather and some rain. Had the prayers of the Muhammedans, yesterday, any influence in the change? "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days."* But while God

may send rain on the unjust and avert temporal evils, in answer to their prayers, we know that it is only to the justified through faith in the blood of Christ, that he will grant the blessings of salvation.

May 30. Mar Joseph arrived from a visit to the Patriarch. He returns much displeased with Mar Shimon, who refused to give him a diocese as he desired and had anticipated. The poor old man now declares, that were he young, he would marry a wife and eat meat to his heart's content, as a retaliation on the Patriarch. "For what do I gain," he asks, "by my celibacy and abstinence, while Mar Shimon gives me no villages?" But as he is now old, he wisely judges that he should merely increase his own troubles by marrying; and he has so long accustomed himself to a vegetable diet, that it costs him little self-denial to continue to adhere to it. The good bishop makes no secret of the motives that prompt his monasticism; and among all the monastic hordes of Papal Europe and the world, are there more devotees than there were righteous men in Sodom, who are not impelled to their asceticism, by laziness, or the hope of aggrandizement ?

June 4. The Rev. Wm. Glen, who is with us on a visit, attended the recitation of my class in Hebrew, which consists of seven Nestorian ecclesiastics. He expressed himself equally gratified and astonished to find them such proficients in that language. The Hebrew and Syriac being cognate tongues, the Nestorians find it very easy to acquire the former; and their oriental organs enable them to pronounce it far more easily and perfectly than European scholars. Much may result for the cultivation of the Hebrew from this obscure, humble beginning, by a people who possess such peculiar facilities for acquiring it. And important advantages will, we trust, accrue to the Nestorians, from so many of their clergy drawing a knowledge of the Scriptures directly from the fountain. In conversation with the prince-governor, the other day, who is a remarkable linguist for an Asiatic, I inquired of him what language the Persians consider to be the oldest; and he replied, Hebrew. Their religious prejudices would naturally lead them to award this honor to the Arabic, the language of their Koran and other sacred literature.

* 1 Kings 21: 29.

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A DISCUSSION-THE WATCHMAN.

Sept. 6. Preached again at Geog-tapá. When I arrived, the bishop and a large number of the villagers were collected in the shady side of the church, engaged in earnest conversation. As I approached, Mar Elias said to the Mélik (chief) of the village, Why are you angry?" I came up and gave the bishop my salutation, Sh'lam alókhoon-peace be with you-which he rose and cordially returned; but when I inquired after the health of his household, he relapsed into his excited state and answered, “My household are in a wretched condition,-buried in wine drinking; and so is the Mélik and this priest and that one, (pointing to them as they stood in the company); I tell them not to drink, and they promise fairly but still drink; are they not liars? They say, 'the Russians, that great and powerful nation, drink; and may we not safely follow them? I tell them, no; follow Jesus Christ; he is in the midst of us by his word." Upon this, the Mélik interposed, in a high, boisterous tone, "Did not JESUS CHRIST drink wine and make it too?" The priests were much chagrined and remonstrated with the disputants, telling them that it was not the place, nor the time, for wrangling. I at length sat down and invited the bishop to sit on one hand and the Mélik on the other, which they did and quiet was thus restored. The scene was interesting and in no small degree amusing. This bishop was formerly given to much wine; but since coming under our influence, he has nearly broken off; and his warm temperament and, I hope, some measure of pious feeling, can now so ill brook continued indulgence of the bad practice in his priests and people, that he interposes his episcopal prerogatives in quite an authoritative manner. I did not think it expedient to take part in the noisy discussion on the spot; but the portion of Scripture, the 33rd chapter of Ezekiel, on which I remarked, in the meeting, presented a good opportunity of reminding the audience, that the "watchman" ought and must blow his trumpet, -that the good watchman would do this, at all hazards; that it was for their interest and salvation, that he should blow it faithfully, and I pointed out to them the unreasonableness of their being angry at the watchman's fidelity and rejecting his call. They felt the application of the subject without my formally making it, and left the church quite satisfied with the plain-dealing of their good bishop, on the subject of their intemperance.

EARTHQUAKES-MOUNTAINS-SAMEIL.

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CHAPTER XXVI.

JOURNAL: SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER, 1840.

A SHOCK of an earthquake occurred, to-day, Sept. 14. A shock occurred also last July, which, by its peculiarly rolling motion, made us very dizzy. Earthquakes are rare here, but frequent in Tabréez, and some other places in the region. The one in July was very severe, in the vicinity of Mt. Ararat, so much so, that the towns of Erivân and Nakchevân were much injured by it. Mt. Ararat appears to be their common centre.

Sept. 15. In recitation in geography, in our Mussulmân school, I had occasion to speak of volcanoes in the Andes, which suggested their supposed connexion with earthquakes, and the one that occurred last evening was mentioned. One of the boys gave a Mussulman theory on the general subject, which is, that the great bull, on which the earth stands, being stung by a fly, angrily shakes his head and thus causes the earthquake. The other boys laughed at this theory and pronounced it the height of folly.

Sept. 16. We rode to the summit of Seir, one of the high mountains back of Oróomiah, from which we enjoyed a magnificent view of the surrounding country; and in addition to what we had before seen, were able to survey, from this height, a large portion of Koordistân, that lay stretched out before us like a sea of mountains, being apparently little else than peaks and ridges, with alternate ravines, where absolute sterility seemed to reign, except here and there a verdant patch in the deep glens. Perpetual snow among the ledges of some of the neighboring mountains, lay just about on a level with ourselves, which is seen from our windows in the city, all the year. The fact that snow remains during our summers at so small an elevation above the plain, shows the country itself to be very high. The same is also evident from the coolness of the nights compared with the days, in this part of Persia. The heat of day, in this clear atmosphere, is stated by an English traveller to be even more penetrating than that of India; while in the shade it is comfortably cool, and a sensible chill is felt as soon as the sun retires at evening. From this peculiarity of the climate, health is almost sure to be sacrificed, unless a large amount of clothing be worn at all seasons. Strong winds are much less prevalent at Oroomiah than at Tabréez. There is a light breeze daily from the lake which is very agreeable. The Sham yil (Turkish) South wind, (Sameil,) blows occasionally with considerable violence, from the south-west, filling the atmosphere with a dusty haziness, inducing uneasiness, lassitude and headache, and sometimes even injuring the crops; though the strength and noxiousness with which this wind is charged,

436

EXCURSION WITH PUPILS-PERSIAN SCHOOLS.

when it leaves the Arabian desert, are much broken and neutralized, by the long distance, and the lofty, snowy Koordish_ranges, over which it passes, before reaching Oróomiah. On the mountain which we ascended, a herdsman had been murdered and a part of the herd driven off by the Koords, two or three days before. The herdsman was found after considerable search, with his head cut off and his feet bound together!

Sept. 17. Priest Dunka gives an animating account of the manner in which many of the mountain villagers listened to his preaching during a recent vacation that he spent at his home. In some instances, they gladly left their work and assembled to hear the word of life; and when dismissed, would still importune him,-"Give us a little more of the good word of the Lord and then we will go to our business; never before have we heard such preaching."

Sept. 25. We yielded to the importunity of some of our Muhammedan scholars, and rode out about twelve miles from the city to Armoot-agháj, a village belonging to their father, to be their guests. On Friday, the Mussulmân Sabbath, we suspend our school, as that class so generally regard it as their holiday, that it would be difficult to confine the scholars to their studies. The fine weather, the charming country over which we rode, and the youthful glee and buoyancy of the scholars, all contributed to render the recreation agreeable; but no circumstance gave it so much interest as the attention which the Muhammedan boys paid to some of the young Nestorians, who, by the urgent request of the former, went with us, and were treated by them as equals in their playful gambols on the road, and seated at the same table with themselves and with us, at their liberal dinner in the village. Such attentions, shown by young Muhammedans of rank to native Christians, are quite new in this country and, doubtless, result to a great extent from the influence of our Muhammedan school.

I have nowhere described the native Persian schools and colleges. Of the common schools, Malcolm remarks, "Almost all the tradesmen and many of the mechanics have received some education. There are schools in every town and city, in which the rudiments of Persian and Arabic are taught. The child who attends one of them, after learning the alphabet, is made, as a religious duty, to read the Koran in Arabic; which he usually does, without understanding a word of it. He is next taught to read some fables in Persian and to write a legible hand. Here his education commonly ends; and unless he is led by his inclination to study, or his occupation requires that he should practise what he has learnt, his lessons are soon forgotten. But this education, slight and superficial as it may seem, has the effect of changing the habits, and of introducing a degree of refinement among those who use it, unknown to their ruder countrymen." ." It is a grateful sight to witness the beautiful Persian

* Hist. of Persia, Vol. II. p. 422.

DISCIPLINE-COLLEGES-LAW-HUNTING.

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children, boys and girls, with their satchels on their arms, going to school. They are, however, as Sir J. Malcolm further remarks, "often under the management of ignorant pedants." These pedagogues, who are usually from the lower classes of the Moollâhs, or the candidates for that profession, sit in the school-room, writing lessons or letters, or copying books, upon the knee, while the scholars are scattered promiscuously on the rush-mat over the room, all reading aloud-each a different lesson-at the same time; the learners constantly swinging the body back and forth as they sit upon the knees and feet, to keep from weariness, and the whole presenting a scene of singular confusion. The master, however, with his long rod always by his side-no despiser of Solomon's counsel-deals out a bountiful quota of stripes for anything in his view approaching to irregularity; and the indomitables are not unfrequently bound to the small Fallék (whipping-pole) which is kept near for the purpose, and bastinadoed, though mere children. Imperfect as is their education, however, they do, as above suggested, acquire an ease and grace of manners, a propriety of deportment and polish of expression, which they carry with them through life.

The higher Maddréssehs, or colleges, formerly so renowned in Persia, are at present, for the most part, in a low state-another proof of the waning tendency of Muhammedism. The edifices usually resemble the caravanserais, in the apartments of which the students and professors often reside. Most of them are in a dilapidated state, and present a cheerless aspect. Arabic and Persian literature and the Muhammedan law and religion are studied in them. The profession of law, in Persia, is generally united with that of religion, in the Moollâhs. A civil document, attested by the seal of any respectable Moollâh is valid, though always liable to be overruled by the Sheikh ul Islam, chief of Islamism, (preeminently, of the law,) whose office it is to decide what is law, in a given case, and is, in fact, the supreme court; though the câzée, (cadi) justice of the peace, and still more, the higher magistrates, do not always pay greater deference to his august decision, than some rulers in America pay to the judiciary tribunal. That might should often be right, in despotic, Muhammedan Persia, is of course, however, less a matter of wonder, than in a christian republic.

Oct. 2. The prince-governor sent us an invitation to accompany him on a hunting excursion. As several of our number had never witnessed a Persian hunt, and we deemed it of some importance to gratify His Royal Highness, to whom we are so much indebted, we accepted the invitation. Some twenty or thirty Khâns, begs and servants composed his retinue. The prince himself and two or three of the highest nobles of the party carried falcons, (fowling hawks,) in their hands, or rather, on them. The right hand is covered with a glove-the only case in which the Persians make use of gloves, except as a few have recently borrowed the practice from Europeans-and the hawk is taught to perch itself