''-. '.**. 
 
 
 
 THE ] [BRARY 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 RIVERSIDE 
 
 
 Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 1
 
 SARG DEL 1 
 
 DICKINSON*, 5
 
 NARRATIVE 
 
 OP A 
 
 MISSION TO BOKHARA, 
 
 IN THE YEARS 18431845, 
 
 ASCERTAIN THE FATE 
 
 COLONEL STODDART AND CAPTAIN CONOLLY. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. JOSEPH WOLFF, D.D., LL.D , 
 
 VICAR OF ISLE BREWERS, SOMERSETSHmK. 
 
 SE&ttion. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PUBLISHED, FOR THE AUTHOR, 
 
 BY JOH^J W. PARKER, WEST STRAND. 
 
 MDCCCXLVI.
 
 LOKDON : 
 
 PHINTED BT MAlTKlrE AMI) CO., HOWFOUD BUILDINGS, 
 FENCHURCH STREET.
 
 TO 
 
 HIS EXCELLENCY SIR STRATFORD CANNING, G.C.I]., 
 
 British Ambassador at Constantinople, 
 
 WHOSE SINCERE FRIENDSHIP, DISTINGUISHED PROTECTION, 
 AND KIND HOSPITALITY, 
 
 i AM PROUD TO ACKNOWLEDGE; 
 
 TO 
 
 CAPTAIN GROVER, 
 
 MY WARM AND ZEALOUS FRIEND, THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
 STODDART AND CONOLLY COMMITTEE ; 
 
 AND TO 
 
 THE GENTLEMEN OF THAT COMMITTEE, 
 
 EQUALLY ESTIMABLE FOR THEIR 
 
 TRUE ENGLISH PHILANTHROPY AND CHRISTIAN COMMISERATION 
 
 FOR THEIR BRETHREN IN DISTRESS 
 
 AND IMPRISONMENT; 
 
 I DEDICATE THE FOLLOWING PAGES. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF.
 
 PREFACE, 
 
 FEW words will suffice to lay so simple a story as 
 the causes which led to the production of the Work 
 now before the public. In 1843 I undertook, at the 
 desire of the Stoddart and Conolly Committee, to 
 ascertain the fate of these officers. It will, I trust, 
 appear that I have realized what I then undertook. I 
 claim no further merit than having kept my word to 
 them. They supplied me with pecuniary means to 
 undertake the journey. I have to thank the Foreign 
 Office for furthering the object I had in view, by all 
 points short of making me a British Envoy. The 
 exertions of the Envoy at Teheraun, it will be seen, 
 in procuring a letter from the Shah, saved my life. I 
 owe that, undoubtedly, twice to the friendly power of 
 Persia. It will be further fully apparent, from the 
 letters of Colonel Sheil, our Envoy at Teheraun, that 
 he dared not venture on writing to me, since that step 
 would probably have occasioned my death ; so that my 
 danger at Bokhara may be distinctly gathered from 
 that circumstance alone. 
 
 Our recenf successes in the East will, I entertain no 
 doubt, strike terror into the heart of the Ameer of Bo- 
 khara, whom we are fast approaching from Sindc and
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 the Punjaub. By the renown of British arms I trust 
 that future Envoys will pass unhurt amid the wildest 
 tribes of the descendants of Timur and Ghengis Khan. 
 Of one thing I feel fully assured, that the hitherto im- 
 movable East is relaxing much of its usages and cus- 
 toms in favour of an advancing civilization. I feel that I 
 have been no mean pioneer to this progression, and that 
 I have taught the disciples of Muhammed, from the 
 lone Pilgrim of the Desert to the wisest Derveesh and 
 Mullah, the important principles of our faith in such a 
 manner as, from my long acquaintance with their feel- 
 ings, I felt most likely to gain attention. It will be 
 seen in these pages that, from the friendly understand- 
 ing between the Khaleefa of Mowr, myself, and Abbas 
 Kouli Khan, that the good and intelligent of all reli- 
 gions are aware of the deep necessity of not relaxing 
 the bonds of moral obligation, and at least unite on 
 that ground. It was my effort to show that Christi- 
 anity contained in her higher inducements to moral 
 practice than any existing religion ; and I have been 
 surprised to perceive the effect that our system has 
 produced on the wildest of the Tartar tribes by the 
 pure beauty of holiness. The East already recognises 
 the inspiration of a large portion of our sacred writings, 
 and has always assigned to the Founder of our faith a 
 high degree of reverence and attention. The intelli- 
 gent missionary has, consequently, this advantage in his 
 favour ; but men must be sent into the East of learning 
 and power, capable, by the dignity of their demeanour, 
 the grace of their manner, and the affability of their 
 address, to strike a people on whom conventional
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 advantages are never lost. Very rarely indeed lias 
 England sent out persons at all calculated to gain the 
 ear of Orientals, or to win any attention whatever, 
 Our great Societies are mistaken if they think that an 
 ordinary English Presbyter will do for such a purpose, 
 He must be one as well calculated to dine with Sir 
 Stratford Canning, as to submit to the privations of 
 the desert. He must be a gentleman in the drawing- 
 room, a scholar in his library, an apostle in his mission. 
 I am quite certain that without conciliating both his 
 countrymen and strangers, little can be achieved by 
 him ; but my own reception will give him clear proof 
 that the hearts of all are ready to receive him with 
 affection, and to listen to him with reverence. 
 
 In these my wanderings, I have innumerable per- 
 sons to thank for their attention to me ; but especially 
 have I to acknowledge the kindness of Admiral Sir 
 Edward Owen, Sir Patrick Stuart at Malta, Mr. Ste- 
 vens at Trebizond, my generous and noble-minded 
 friend Colonel Williams, Mr. James Brant, and Mr. 
 and Mrs. Redhouse ; and also that of Colonel Sheil at 
 Teheraun. But most especially must I thank Sir 
 Stratford and Lady Canning, for their great kindness 
 during my stay at Constantinople : nor must I omit to 
 mention their Excellencies Count and Countess Stiir- 
 mer, Count Von Medem, and Monsieur Titoff. 
 
 For the quietude of soul of the friends of those mur- 
 dered officers, Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, 
 I have to observe that they were both of them cruelly 
 slaughtered at Bokhara, after enduring agonies from 
 confinement in prison of the most fearful character,
 
 X PREFACE. 
 
 masses of their flesh having being gnawn off their 
 bones by vermin, in 1843. The cause of these foul 
 atrocities being practised on them, the positive agent 
 of their entire misery, was the Nayeb of Nasir Ullah 
 Behadur, Ameer of Bokhara, ABDUL SAMUT KHAT?. 
 I charge on that pretended friend of the English 
 nation this foul atrocity. I wish that this open decla- 
 ration of mine should find insertion in the Persian 
 newspapers published in the kingdom of the Sikhs 
 at Lahore, and also at Delhi. I wish it to reach 
 the Ameer of Bokhara, in order that that Sovereign, 
 whose ear has been much abused by that foul mis- 
 creant, should perceive that he has been led to act 
 under false and erroneous impressions with regard 
 to the real objects at heart of Colonel Stoddart and 
 Captain Conolly, and that Abdul Samut Khan intend- 
 ed to have added me to their bloody graves. I appeal 
 to his understanding, whether a letter from England 
 then received from any of our Authorities would not 
 also probably have led me, a simple traveller, to share 
 the fate of these Diplomatic agents of England. I 
 assert that Abdul Samut Khan, the Nayeb, wished me 
 further to give him thirty thousand tillahs, to effect 
 the death of the very Sovereign who has so highly 
 honoured him. These are grave charges, let the 
 Persian come into the lists and disprove them. 
 
 In the course of this work I have to acknowledge 
 my obligations to Von Hanmer repeatedly, and I have 
 already in my former Preface given the names of va- 
 rious gentlemen who had furnished me with materials 
 for my Appendix to the first and second editions.
 
 PREFACE. XI 
 
 I desire to repeat my thanks for their kindness, 
 although their labours, from a press of fresh matter, 
 the result of novel circumstances, have not been incor- 
 porated in the present Volume. 
 
 But most of all are my acknowledgments due to 
 my excellent, kind-hearted, and learned friend, the 
 Reverend J. W. Worthington, D. D., who arranged 
 and corrected most kindly the whole of four editions 
 which the noble British nation has demanded, and 
 took besides such a warm and brotherly interest in my 
 welfare as I never never can forget. 
 
 August 18th, 1846.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Mysterious state of the Pagan World. Life of Dr. Wolff converted to Chris- 
 tianity is banished from Rome begins his Missionary labours in 1821. 
 From 1821 to 1826 occupied in Missions among the Jews in Palestine, 
 Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Crimea, Georgia, and Ottoman Empire. From 
 1826 to 1830, similarly occupied in Ireland, Holland, and the Mediterranean 
 commences a fresh Mission in 1831. In Asia Minor meets with Arme- 
 nians ; passes thence to Kurdistaun. Adventures with the Head-tearer, 
 Muhammed Kale Kaan Kerahe. Is made a Slave saved from his Captivity 
 by Abbas Mirza. Arrives at Meshed goes to Sarakhs, Mowr, Karakol, and 
 Bokhara, where he is well treated by the Ameer. Crosses the Oxus to Balkli 
 thence to Peshawr enters the Punjaub proceeds to Simlah. Kindly re- 
 ceived by Lord and Lady William Bentinck. Crosses into Cashmeer con- 
 versation with Fakeers, Brahmins, and Muhammedans. Reaches Delhi 
 then Agra. Cawnpore ; meets here with Lieutenant Conolly kindness of 
 Lieutenant Conolly. Lucknow ; disputes with the Muhammedan Mullahs 
 before the King of Oude. Benares ; remarks on the Buddhists. Visits Cal- 
 cutta Masulipatam Hyderabad. Seized with Cholera Morbus. Readies 
 Madras Trichinopoly Cochin ; meets here with black and white Jews. 
 Goa Poonah Bombay Mocha Jiddah Suez Cairo. Reaches Malta, 
 March 20th, 1834. Prepares his Travels for publication. page 1 28. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Embarks from Malta to England, March 1835. Leaves England for another 
 Mission, October 1835. Proceeds to Malta Alexandria Rosetta Cairo 
 From Cairo to Mount Sinai. Monastery of St. Catharine Trappist M. J. de 
 Geramb. March 29th, 1836, at Tor thence to Suez. Embarks for Jiddah. 
 Proceeds to Mosawah on the African coast. Adventures in Abyssinia 
 Languages, Chronology, and Religion of that Country. Zaasega Tigre 
 Axum Gondar Mount Senafe Mount Halay. Return to Jiddah. Jei- 
 saun Beduins. Beni Hobab. Shereef Aboo Mesameer his Cruelty. 
 Loheya. Ibrahim Pasha. Saneef. Proceeds to Sanaa. Meets with the 
 Rechabites their kind treatment of him. Saves the Caravan from being 
 pillaged. Jews of Yemen. Sanaa beaten by the Wahabitcs. Reaches 
 
 b
 
 XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 Mocha attacked with Typhus Fever. Embarks for Bombay proceeds 
 thence to the United States of North America. New York enters the 
 Anglo-catholic Church ordained Deacon by Bishop Doane. Indians not 
 proved to be Descendants of the lost Ten Tribes. Leaves New York, Ja- 
 nuary 2nd, 1838. Arrives in England receives Priest's Orders of the 
 Lord Bishop of Dromore takes the Incumbency of Linthwaite, Yorkshire. 
 
 2950. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Quits Linthwaite for the Curacy of High Hoyland. Hears of the Imprison- 
 ment of his friend Conolly at Bokhara. Writes to his Family, offering to 
 proceed thither in 1842. Leaves High Hoyland. Receives from his Con- 
 gregation a Testimonial of Respect. Puts a Letter in the Morning Herald, 
 July 1843, stating his willingness to go to Bokhara Captain Grover replies 
 to it. Dr. Wolff goes with his Family to Bruges. Correspondence with 
 Captain Grover. Arrives in England Interview with Stoddart and Conolly 
 Committee. Public Meeting convened Address of Dr. Wolff Speech of 
 the Chairman, Sir J. Bryant, detailing former Intimacy between Dr. Wolff 
 and Lieutenant Conolly. Embarks on the Mission October the 14th, 1843. 
 Arrival at Gibraltar Character of Bishop Tomlinson. Malta Athens 
 Interview with the King and Queen of Greece. Dardanelles. 51 86. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Constantinople Interview with Sir Stratford Canning. Doubtful Reports at 
 Constantinople about Stoddart and Conolly. Interview with the Charge 
 d' Affaires of Naples relative to Signer Naselli, who had visited Bokhara. 
 Nature of Evidence as to the existence of Stoddart and Conolly procured at 
 Constantinople. Official Papers from the Sultan, the Sheikh Islam, and 
 others. Visit to Count Stunner. Attempts made by certain parties to deter 
 Dr. Wolff from proceeding to Bokhara. Letter from Mr. James Calvert. 
 Interviews with the Reis Effendi and the Sheikh Islam. Syrian Church 
 Ephrem Syrus. Kindness of Sir Stratford Canning His Excellency pays 
 all Dr. Wolff's Expenses to Trebizond. High Opinion entertained by all 
 Parties of Captain Grover. Embarkation for Trebizond . . 87 107. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Arrival at Trebizond Singular Report of Signor Ghersi. Interview with the 
 Pasha of Trebizond. Subscription to Mission at Trebizond. Departure for 
 Erzroom terrific Route Gumush Khane. Conviction of the Turks that 
 their Empire is sinking. Murad Khan Oglu Balahor Bayboot. Kob 
 curious Story of a Derveesh at this Village. Ashkaleh Elijehtebbe Warm 
 Springs. Erzroom. Dispute between the Turks and Persians on Frontier 
 Question. Mr. Brant, the Consul his Kindness. Interview with Pasha of 
 Erzroom. Etymon of Erzroom. Pasha of Erzroom pays Dr. Wolff's Ex-
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 
 penses to Persian Frontier. Letter from Erzroom to Captain Grover. Bap- 
 tism of a converted Jew. Proposed Route Detention at Erzroom by 
 inclemency of Weather. Kindness of Colonel Williams and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Redhouse. Letter to Captain Grover Letter from Colonel Williams. Pub- 
 lic -Address to the Muhammedans. Letters to England. Contribution to 
 Mission from a Gentleman at Trebizond. Address to the Armenians. 
 
 108126. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Departure from Erzroom, December 27. Kerujak Hassan Kaleh Komassor 
 Dehli Baba Armenian Marriage at this last Village. Taher, a Kurd 
 Village. Mullah Soleiman, an Armenian Village. Kara Klesea Kolassur 
 Utsh Kelesea Diadeen Ghizl-Deesa. Tremendous Snow-storm. Awa- 
 jick Karaine Sehr Abad Khoy Tashwish Tawsaj Tabreez. Visit to 
 an old Acquaintance in Prison, Muhammed Khan Kerahe. Autograph of 
 the Khan, giving his Descent. Birth of Ghengis Khan. Timur the Deri- 
 vation of his Name. Falsity of the Statement of Saleh Muhammed no 
 certain Information of Stoddart and Conolly. Letters of Introduction to 
 Bokhara Letter to Stoddart and Conolly Committee. Armenian Festival 
 and Khatshauran, or Washing of f the Cross. St. Nierses of Lampron Life 
 and Writings of this learned Armenian Prelate. Decay of Muhammedanism. 
 Departure from Tabreez, January 20th. Seydabad Tekmetash Awful 
 Storm Kiilagh. Conversation with Derveesh. Tata Sultan Kemaalee 
 Howdbeen. Opinions of Mussulmans changed with respect to the Giaours. 
 Turkman-Jaa Miana Sanjoon Khoramtarah Chaldeans Meeting with 
 their Metropolitan their Descent from Israel. Ceremonies and Doctrine of 
 the Chaldean Church. St. Thomas the Apostle. Siyadehen Kasween 
 SephirKhoja 127151, 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Arrival at Teheraun. Interview with Colonel Sheil. Interview with Meshe- 
 dee-Rajab, Colonel Stoddart's Servant. Bokhara Eljee. Account of Latif. 
 Barenstein. Preaches before the Embassy. Interview with Mar Yohannan, 
 the Chaldean Bishop his opinion of Ephrem Syrus. Audience with the 
 Shah. Letter of the Shah to the Ameer of Bokhara. Interview with the 
 Vizier of the Shah. Ambassador of Bokhara tells Dr. Wolff that Stoddart and 
 Conolly are alive no certainty at Teheraun as to their Death Ambassador 
 of Khiva. Dilatory Conduct of Colonel Sheil. Borowsky, the Jew. Most 
 distinguished Generals in the East, Jews. Sefaweya Dynasty. Departure 
 from Teheraun. Colonel Sheil undecided in opinion on the Death of the 
 Envoys Evidence of Jacoob. Dr. Wolff visits Palasht Darey Khar Deh- 
 Namak Surkhak. Enters Khorassaun. Interview with Prince Seif Ullah 
 Mirza at Semnan. Route through Aghwan Khosha Damghan (reported 
 to be the oldest City in the World) Deh-Mullah Sharoot Miyamey Miy- 
 andasht Meher Khosroejerd. Sebzawar Tower of human Skulls built 
 by Tamerlane at this place. Route continued: Safran Germ-Ab. Letter
 
 XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 received by Dr. Wolff from the Persian Viceroy of Khorassaun. The Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla. Route continued: Nishapoor Report here of Stoddart and 
 Conolly being alive. Route: Interview with Tamas Beyk Kadamgah 
 Shereef-Abad Askerea, meets here with Mullah Mehdee and Saleh Mu- 
 hammed, the Akhund-Zadeh. Muhammed Ali Serraf, the agent of Colonel 
 Stoddart suspicious Conduct of this Agent .... 152 177. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Arrival at Meshed. Visited on arrival by the Heads of the Mosque. Distance 
 traversed by Dr. Wolff Reported to be a Mullah two hundred years old. 
 The improbability of Saleh Muhammed's Statement clearer shown by further 
 Examination of him. Muhammed Ali Serraf, a Villain. Haje Ibrahim, 
 brother of Abdul Samut Khan. Aga Abool Kasem. Letters of Sir Moses 
 Montefiore for the Jews of Bokhara detained by Muhammed Ali Serraf, 
 and not forwarded to Bokhara. High-priests of the Mosque. Arrival of the 
 Viceroy, the Assaff-ood-Dowla, at Meshed The Viceroy commends Dr. 
 Wolff to the care of the Turkomauns. New Rooz, the New-year's Day of the 
 Persians, March 20th. Advice given by the Assaff-ood-Dowla to Dr. Wolff 
 The Viceroy sends Presents by Dil Assa Khan to the Ameer of Bokhara. 
 Turkomauns Delays used by Turkomaun Chief, Dil Assa Khan. Letters 
 sent to the King of Khiva. Interrogation of Saleh Muhammed by Dr. Wolff. 
 Dr. Wolff quits Meshed. Extortion of Dil Assa Khan. Arrival at Jehaar- 
 Gunbaz Threat of Assaff-ood-Dowla to Dil Assa Khan. Route through 
 Rabat, Mahel, Masteroon, Karagosh, Gonbazli. Arrival at Mowr Hospi- 
 tably received by Abd Arrahman, the Khaleefa of the Turkomauns High 
 Character of the English in Mowr. Description of Abd Arrahman Anec- 
 dote of the Protection of the Khivites by the Khaleefa Dancing Derveeshes. 
 The Khaleefa offers Dr. Wolff the means of Escape, and dissuades him from 
 going to Bokhara Conversation with the Derveesh of Cashgar. Letter to 
 Captain Grover. Sensation created at Bokhara by Lord Ellenborough's 
 Letter to the Ameer. Letter to Lady Georgiaua. Schools in the Desert. 
 Ghengis Khan March of the Russians to India. . . 178 209. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Departure from Mowr. Letter to Captain Grover. Ameer Sarog. Vile Con- 
 duct of Dil Assa Khan. First serious Apprehensions of the Death of Stoddart 
 and Conolly. Mode of Capital Punishment altered at Bokhara from stran- 
 gling to beheading. Dr. Wolff entertains serious Alarm for his own Safety 
 adopts Measures accordingly. Letters of Sultan and Sir Moses Montefiore 
 never forwarded to Ameer by Muhammed Ali Serraf, by order of Colonel 
 Sheil. Distant manner of Colonel Shell disadvantageous to the British 
 Interest in Persia. Khosrow Khan. Dr. Wolff makes up his mind to die. 
 Letter from Kalja in the Desert to his Friends. Writes from this place to 
 the "Philanthropists of Europe." Fall of Snow. Conversations in the 
 Desert with Turkomauns Their account of Timur Kurikan. Timur's Py-
 
 CONTENTS. XV11 
 
 ramid of Skulls Love of Truth Bodily Strength Inflexible Character-- 
 Death helieved by the Jews of his time, from his Warlike Character, to be 
 the Messiah. Nadir Shah. Route: Rafitak. Dr. Wolff escapes Death 
 from an incursion of the Khivites his Death reported. Jehaar-Joo. Silly 
 Conduct of Ameer Sarog his Wish to add a fourth wife to his Harem resisted 
 by the other three. Dr. Wolff robbed by Dil Assa Khan and his Followers. 
 Shah Kamran. Yar Muhammed Khan puts to Death his Sovereign Shah 
 Kamran his treacherous conduct to Dr. Wolff sends three Ambassadors to 
 the Ameer of Bokhara, requesting the Ameer to put Dr. Wolff to Death, but 
 affects to be well disposed to him. Dil Assa Khan, the Servant of this Yar 
 Muhammed Khan. Dil Assa Khan had escaped from Yar Muhammed 
 Khan, and became the Servant of the Assaff-ood-Dowla. Letter from 
 Dr. Wolff sent on from Jehaar-Joo to the Ameer of Bokhara. Visit from 
 Jews of Bokhara They warn Dr. Wolff of his Danger recommend Flight 
 to Organtsh, and tell him of the Death of Wyburd, Stocldart, and Conolly, 
 and five other Englishmen. Derveesh tells him to proceed. . 210222. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Arrival at Karakol Dr. Wolff is abandoned by his Servants. Motives for the 
 conduct of Dil Assa Khan. Shahr Islam. Shouts of Populace on the Route . 
 Description of Usbekistaun. Kaffer Seeah-Poosh Their Language Wor- 
 ship Dress. Reception of Dr. Wolff on entering into Bokhara Roofs of 
 Houses thronged Thousands to witness the entry into the City Bible held 
 open in his hand Brought up to the King. Interview with the Makhram. 
 Inquiry whether he would comply with the Ceremonies used in Presentation 
 to Ameer Assents to them Ordered to send up Letters Sends Letters 
 from Sultan, Shah, Haje, Count Medem, Sheikh Islam, Assaff-ood-Dowla. 
 Dr. Wolff and Dil Assa Khan introduced to the King of Bokhara The King 
 thinks Dr. Wolff an extraordinary Personage Person of the King. History 
 of Ameer Gains the Throne by Hakim Beyk Murders all his five Brothers 
 except Omar Khan. Dr. Wolff meets Omar Khan a Fugitive in the Desert 
 of Mowr, who is there recognised by a Derveesh Omar shares the fate of his 
 Brethren, and dies in battle against Behadur Khan Ameer supposed also 
 to have murdered his Father. History of Hakim .Beyk Becomes Goosh- 
 Bekee Raises the Character of the Nation is supplanted in the King's 
 favour by Abdul Samut Khan, whom he had raised from a low station. Im- 
 prisonment of Lieut. Wyburd the Goosh-Bekee intercedes for him The 
 King promises to reform. Doctrine of Passive Obedience and Non-resistance 
 laid clown by the Reis the Ameer acts on it. People believe that the King 
 can do no Wrong He seizes Wives of his Subjects Goosh-Bekee resists 
 is exiled recalled and executed. 223 237. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Passive Obedience the feeling of the People of Bokhara Bad Character of the 
 Mervee. King's Touch supposed to cure Disease His Wives his mixed 
 Descent from a Persian Mother and an Usbeck Prince Nursed by a Cassack
 
 XV111 CONTENTS. 
 
 Woman. Dr. Wolff's Interview with Shekawl Equivocation of Dil Assa 
 Khan. Dr. Wolff explains his Mission. The Makhram is sent in the 
 Evening with Questions for Dr. Wolff to answer Appearance before Ameer 
 on the following day. Makhram sent to Dr. Wolff with another Question. 
 Visit to Abdul Samut Khan History of him. Nayeb receives Dr. Wolff 
 with apparent cordiality Long Conversation relative to the Death of Stod- 
 dart and Conolly Private Conversation with Nayeb afterwards he affects 
 to have befriended Stoddart and Conolly shows Testimonials from them and 
 Sir Alexander Burnes. Dr. Wolff hears "God save the Queen" played by 
 the Ameer's Band writes to Lord Aberdeen about the Russian Slaves in 
 Bokhara. Nayeb gives Dr. Wolff three thousand Tillahs Dr. Wolff objects 
 to receive them. Dr. Wolff explains to the Nayeb the object of the Stoddart 
 and Conolly Committee Nayeb demands how much Money Dr. Wolff would 
 pay for his Ransom King deeply affected at Report made by the Makhram 
 of Dr. Wolff's Interview with Abdul Samut Khan. Letter to Captain 
 Grover. 238257. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Colleges of Bokhara Manner of Lecturing. Derveeshes supported by the 
 Ameer Jewish Synagogue at Bokhara The King of Bokhara attached to 
 the Jewish Religion. Bokhara and Samarcand. Singular Report of Dr, 
 Wolff, that he understood seventy-two Languages, knew seventy-two Reli- 
 gions, and had conversed with seventy-two Nations, and that he had come 
 from Sulmistaun to convert the Bokharese. Makhram sent from the Ameer 
 with a Question, How the Authenticity of the Christian Religion is shown* 
 Answer. Makhram sent again, with a Request that the History of Muham- 
 med, as related by the Learned Men of Europe, should be written by Dr. 
 Wolff, and transmitted to the King Dr. Wolff consents, on the condition 
 that he should not be forced to embrace Muhammedanism. Dr. Wolff 
 writes the Life of Muhammed 258 274. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Sensation produced by the Life of Muhammed Copies of it circulated through 
 Balkh, Khoollom, Mazaur, and Cabul Remarks of the Sheikh Islam on it. 
 Yar Muhammed Khan advises the King to behead Dr. Wolff. Ak Muham- 
 med Beyk appointed Ambassador from Bokhara to England. Mischief oc- 
 casioned by the Servants of Colonel Stoddart Colonel Stoddart ends his 
 diplomatic Relations with Yar Muhammed Khan by kicking him down stairs 
 Questions by the Makhrams. King's Remark on Dr. Wolffs Personal 
 Appearance. The People call Dr. Wolff Khoob Ademee, " the Good Man." 
 The King gives him three Names. High reputation of Sir Moses Montefiore 
 among the Jews of Bokhara. Further Questions put by the Makhrams by 
 order of the Ameer to Dr. Wolff Dr. Wolffs Reply to each. The Dastar 
 Khanjee a Disgrace to Manhood. Peculiar Character of the Post at Bokhara
 
 CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 The Ameer reads all the Letters of his Subjects. Interview of Dr. WolfF 
 with the Ameer. Dr. Wolff demands of the Ameer the Bones of Stoddart 
 and Conolly The King threatens to send Dr. Wolff's Bones to England. 
 Dr. Wolff hears of the Villany of Abdul Samut Khan from various Persons 
 Refused permission to depart by reason of the Detention of the Bokhara Am- 
 bassador in Persia Writes to Colonel Shell Russian Slaves refused Libera- 
 tion. Conversation with the Officers of the Nayeb. Hassan Shirazi. 
 
 275290. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Disasters of the Sheikh Army in Lassa. Csomo de Koros his Researches pub- 
 lishes a Dictionary of the Thibet Language. The Surveillance over Dr. Wolff 
 grows more rigid Barhurdar, an Armenian, ordered not to visit him by the 
 Ameer. Nasir Khayr Ullah, a Kaffer Seeah-Poosh, mistaken for Colonel 
 Stoddart from the fairness of his complexion. Conversation between Dr. Wolff 
 and the Nayeb. Letter of Sir Richmond Shakespeare. The Nayeb detains 
 the Letter of Lord Ellenborough to the Ameer. Nayeb alarmed advises 
 Dr. Wolff to communicate to the Ameer the fact of the Letter having 
 arrived Dr. Wolff does so. Hassan Caboolee despatched. Dr. Wolff dis- 
 covers that, though apparently sent, he did not really go. Affghaun Bear- 
 leader imprisoned as a Spy he tells Dr. Wolff that the Ameer sent a Lion 
 to Russia as a Present to the Czar, for which his Ambassador was muni- 
 ficently rewarded ; but that the Czar refused, after the Execution of the 
 British Officers, to hold any further intercourse with the Ameer. The Ameer 
 goes to war with Khokand and Oratepa Orders in his absence the Guards 
 over Dr. Wolff to be doubled, and tells him that his Departure will depend 
 on the success of his Expedition. Dr. Wolff writes to Lady Georgiana and 
 his Son. Conversations with Dil Assa Khan, Abdullah, and others. Dr. 
 Wolff bribes the Guards. Previous War with Khokand King made Prisoner 
 and put to death by the Ameer of Bokhara his Wife and Child barbarously 
 murdered Abdul Samut Khan the chief Agent in the Slaughter. At the 
 news of the Death of Stoddart and Conolly the Inhabitants of Khokand renew 
 the War The Ameer retreats before them and the Khivites. Dr. Wolff 
 contrives to acquaint the British Envoy at Teheraun of the movements of the 
 Ameer, and warns the Town of Shahr Sabz of the King's intention to attack 
 them. Ameer says that nothing prospers with him since the Death of the 
 English Officers. The King of Khokand offers Dr. Wolff an Asylum in his 
 Dominions. 291 300. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Mervee wish to know the Story of Napoleon Dr. Wolff recounts it in an 
 Oriental fashion. He amuses the tedious hours of Captivity by telling vari- 
 ous Anecdotes His Anecdote of the Arabian Derveesh reaches the ears of 
 the Dastar Khanjee, who reports it to the Ameer. The Kazi Kelaun assures 
 Dr. Wolff that the British Officers were put to death, and that the King deeply
 
 XX CONTENTS. 
 
 repented of the act The Kazi Kelaun warned the Ameer of the Conse- 
 quences All the Jews knew of the Execution the same day ; and the In- 
 habitants of Bokhara, in town and country, speak of it as a matter well 
 known. Dr. Wolff tells an Anecdote of Frederick the Great of Prussia. 
 Dr. Wolff laughs at Ameer Sarog's Vanity, and tells him the Tale of the 
 Derveesh with the White Beard. 301306. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan tells Dr. Wolff that he was the chief Instigator of the 
 Slaughter at Khokand in the first War his Motives were to create a Feud 
 between the States, w r hich he trusted would end in the Death of the Ameer. 
 Abdul Samut Khan says that the first Expedition against Khokand was by 
 the advice of Russia People of Khokand have since made an Alliance with 
 Russia Policy of Russia was to bring this about by urging the Ameer to war 
 on them, when they would require aid. Russians intend to erect a Fortress 
 at Hasrat Sultan. People from Cabul, Cashmeer, and Sinde call on Dr. 
 Wolff They praise highly Sir Charles Napier. Letter of Sir Charles Napier. 
 Affghauns from Cabul ascribe the Disasters of the British Army to the im- 
 moral Conduct of the Officers. Determined Conduct of Major Rawlinson 
 he puts to Death an Affghaun for Murder. Manners and Customs of the 
 Muhammedan Mullahs. Diligence of Muhammedans in copying the Koran 
 Propaganda and British and Foreign Bible Society discharge the same 
 Office by the Christians The Bible would be nearly extinct in the East but 
 for these Societies. Arrival of Abbas Kouli Khan, the Persian Ambassador 
 he tells Dr. Wolff that the Shah, Haje, and Assaff-ood-Dowla had strongly 
 recommended him to bring Dr. Wolff with him, or to send him on before 
 him. Nayeb informs Dr. Wolff that Yar Muhammed Khan had sent three 
 Ambassadors to Bokhara, stating that Colonel Shell had called the Ameer a 
 Robber in the presence of the Russian and Yar Muhammed Khan's Ambas- 
 sadors, of Dr. AVolff, and the Bokhara Ambassador ; therefore Yar Muham- 
 med Khan advised the Ameer to strike off Dr. Wolff's head. Nayeb offers 
 Dr. Wolff his protection. Turkish Officer, Muhammed Khokaane, murdered 
 in the Nayeb's Garden. Another Conversation with the Nayeb. The Nayeb 
 reports Abbas Kouli Khan's Mission untruly Dr. Wolff tries to escape. The 
 Nayeb violates his promise to protect Dr. W T olff The King sends for him. 
 Dr. Wolff charges the Nayeb with the Murder of Stoddart and Conolly ; the 
 Nayeb owns it. Dr. Wolff again tries to escape through a Water-hole from 
 the Garden of the Nayeb to the house of the Yawer WTiile there a Woman 
 is introduced to him ; he is aware of the Stratagem to compel him, by her 
 means, to embrace Muhammedanism, and drives her from him. Ordered by 
 the King to appear before him leaves the Garden of Abdul Samut Khan 
 presents himself before the Ameer, who receives him sternly. Ordered to the 
 Toora Khane and close Confinement calls on Abbas Kouli Khan, who vows 
 to save him. The King sends word to him that he may quit Bokhara in two 
 ways leaves to his Majesty the choice of either. King sets out for Sa- 
 mareand. 307 317
 
 CONTENTS. XXI 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Jews obtain leave from the Ameer to visit Dr. Wolff They sing with him, and 
 ask for the Names of illustrious Jews who had embraced Christianity He 
 tells them of several ; viz. Emanuel Veith, M. D., Dr. Mayers, Dr. August. 
 Neander, Dr. Ratisbon, Isaac da Costa, Dr. Kabbadose, Madame Dorothea 
 Schlegel. Conversation with Polish Jew. Various Anecdotes. Muhammed 
 Bakher Nakash, the Servant of Conolly, abjures Islam, and says the Christians 
 are better Men than the Muhammedans he is brought before the Sheikh 
 Islam, persists in his Avowal ; is sent to Prison, and flogged. Ameer returns 
 sends to Dr. Wolff a Mullah, to know whether he will embrace the Mu- 
 hammedan Religion Dr. Wolff replies, Never. Executioner sent also. Letter 
 from the Shah Haje Ibrahim, the Brother of Abdul Samut Khan, informs 
 the Nayeb of the Letter, and urges him to prevent Abbas Kouli Khan from 
 receiving it. Muhammed Bakher saved by Dr. Wolff. Atrocities of Abdul 
 Samut Khan gets a Turkomaun beheaded, who came to save Stoddart; also 
 Ephraim, a Jew, from Meshed Prisoners in his Garden ; their Moanings 
 and Waitings. Impression throughout the Muhammedan Countries that 
 England and Russia will seize all those Regions. Remark of Bokharee to 
 Dr. Wolff. Affghauns praise the English. Habeeb, weeping, tells Dr.Wolff 
 that he is to die Servants of Abdul Samut Khan announce his Death, and 
 show a Letter from Abdul Samut Khan to that effect. Dr. Wolff makes up 
 his mind to die. ;. 318 329. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Colonel Sheil. Bad conduct of Dr. Wolff's Servants. Remark of Usbecks on 
 the treatment of Dr.Wolff. Questions put by the Makhrams by order of the 
 King to Dr. Wolff. Kindness of Abbas Kouli Khan to Dr. Wolff ; the 
 noblest-minded Persian Dr. Wolff has seen sends Dr. Wolff Food from his 
 own Table places a Servant with Dr. Wolff for his personal Safety sends 
 his Physician to Dr. Wolff to treat him for the Rishta. Abbas Kouli Khan 
 and Dr. Wolff read together. Various Reports of the Ameer's Proceedings. 
 Abbas Kouli Khan's religious Opinions. Conversation with People of Sa- 
 marcand they tell Dr.Wolff of Gold Mines and Turquoises near Samarcand 
 of Ghengis Khan and Tamerlane. Letter of Abbas Kouli Khan to Lady 
 Georgiana. Nayeb sends two thousand tillahs to Dr. Wolff. The Letter of 
 Lord Ellenborough reported to be at Balkh arrives in forty Days Seal 
 broken. Abdul Samut Khan leaves Bokhara for Samarcand his Message 
 to Dr. Wolff. Vile Conduct of the Servant Abdullah tries to rob Dr. Wolff. 
 
 Dr. Wolff wishes the Jews to take charge of Abdul Samut Khan's Money 
 
 they decline it, on the ground that Abdul Samut Khan would take it from 
 them, and make them pay for it. Letters arrive at Bokhara from the Brother 
 of Conolly Dr. Wolff opens them. Abbas Kouli Khan's continued Kind- 
 ness to Dr. Wolff. The Jews visit Dr. Wolff their curious method of Con- 
 versation. Dr. Wolff writes to the " Sovereigns of Europe." A second Letter,
 
 XX11 CONTENTS. 
 
 with strict Instructions about Dr. Wolff s Safety, arrives from the Shah. 
 Letter to Captain Grover. Return of the Ameer and Abdul Samut Khan to 
 Bokhara. King reads Lord Ellenborough's Letter determines in his own 
 mind, Abdul Samut Khan says, to kill Dr. Wolff Others say that Abdul 
 Samut Khan advised him to do so. Abbas Kouli Khan, Dil Assa Khan, and 
 Dr. Wolff, visit the Ameer he does not look on Dr. Wolff. Letter to Lady 
 Georgiana and his Son. All Letters sent open by Dr. Wolff. Mullah sent 
 to Dr. Wolff to know if he would embrace Muhammedanism he replies, 
 Never. Executioner visits him Dr. Wolff prepares for Death. Abbas Kouli 
 Khan intimates to the Ameer that he has a Letter to deliver from the Shah. 
 The Ameer receives it, and gives Dr. Wolff up to him. . 330 340. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Ameer sends for the Servants of Abbas Kouli Khan and Dil Assa Khan, but 
 omits Dr. Wolffs by mistake, to give them Robes of Honour Interview with 
 the Nayeb Presents from the King. The Ameer tells Dr. Wolff to ask a 
 Favour of him Dr. Wolff declines doing so. Ameer determines to send an 
 Ambassador to England. Vile conduct of Abdul Samut Khan. Audience 
 of leave to depart Ameer commends the Conduct of Dr. Wolff censures 
 that of Stoddart and Conolly. Reception in Bokhara by the People. Mur- 
 ders committed by Abdul Samut Khan. First Plan by which the Ameer 
 might be effectually checked in his Atrocities Second Plan for same. Eng- 
 lish Honour requires some Notice to be taken of the Ameer's Conduct. 
 Character of Ameer Brutal, lustful, tyrannical, but not so to the Poor ; 
 fond of Information ;' deeply affected at having put to death Stoddart and 
 Conolly. Dr. Wolff prefers Ameer to Abdul Samut Khan. Description of 
 Bokhara by Mr. Me Gregor. Population of Khiva Trade of those countries 
 Russian Trade. Dignitaries of the State Ecclesiastical Dignitaries. 
 
 341355. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Departure from Bokhara. Dr. Wolff discovers a Plot to kill and rob him, en 
 route Thousands attend to witness their Departure. Dr. Wolff refuses to 
 separate from Abbas Kouli Khan. Arrival at Jesman-Doo Vile Conduct of 
 Muhammed Taki Abbas Kouli Khan expresses his Displeasure. Derveesh 
 of Yarkand Conversation with him. Affghaun Seyd Conversation with 
 him. The Calmucks their singular Conduct. Remarkable fine sense of 
 Smelling and Hearing in Turkomauns. Appearance of Usbecks. Conversa- 
 tion with Abbas Kouli Khan he thinks Abdul Samut Khan was the Mur- 
 derer of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly. Visit from a Mullah his 
 Account of Timur Memoir of Timur Shahr Sabz. Route : Jesman-Doo 
 Shahr Islam. History of Afrasiab. Reports of Guzl-Bash about the English. 
 Mortesa and Abdullah advise Dr. Wolff to leave Abbas Kouli Khan he 
 refuses. Peikand Karakol The Governor of Karakol warns Dr. Wolff
 
 CONTENTS. XX111 
 
 that a Plot is laid to take away his life. Hussein. Route : Allat The Cara- 
 van lose their way. An attempt made by Ismael and Mortesa to seize Dr. 
 "Wolff he calls on the Merchants of the Caravan to protect him. Sayen. 
 Dr. Wolff wishes to throw away the Money in the Desert Abbas Kouli 
 Khan takes it in his keeping. 356 372. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Arrival at Jehaar-Joo. Abbas Kouli Khan calls on the Caravan to protect 
 Dr. Wolff. Bokhara Ambassador demands Money from Dr. Wolff. Rafitak. 
 Bokharese Horsemen from the Ameer demand tribute Dr. Wolff disconso- 
 late. Arrival at Ujaaje. Mowr Caravan declared Prisoners. Ameer of 
 Bokhara orders the Turkomauns to release the Caravan ; they refuse to obey 
 Their Khaleefa threatens to leave them if they injure the Caravan ; they 
 obey him. Conversation of Derveesh ; of a Turkomaun. A Derveesh tells the 
 Story of Scanderbeg Fakeers Sultan Sanjaar. The Khaleefa speaks of 
 Ghengis Khan Khaleefa's Son speaks ill of the Assaff-ood-Dowla -Tribe of 
 Salor best of the Turkomauns. Ameer Sarog and Kaher Kouli lay a Plot to 
 murder Dr. Wolff ; the Khaleefa frustrates it. Jews aid the Khivites against 
 Bokhara Joseph of Talkhtoon Turkomaun Tales of Sultan Sanjaar. Tur- 
 komauns, in despite of Treaty, kill the Messenger of the Assaff-ood-Dowla. 
 The Khaleefa's Conversation the night of his departure with Dr. Wolff. 
 
 373381. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Tribe of Tekka. Route : Olugh Baba Sarakhs. Abbas Kouli Khan ill-treated 
 by the Turkomauns. The Turkomauns demand Robes of Honour. Dr. 
 Wolff is obliged to assume Madness to preserve himself and Abbas Kouli 
 Khan Turkomauns demand Tribute again. Taking of Sarakhs by Abbas 
 Mirza in 1832 Khojam Shokoor threatens to put the Caravan to Death 
 Arrival at Mostroon Nasarieh Dil Assa Khan disgraced by the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla Gaskoon Meshed Dr. Wolff seized with Illness. Account of 
 Meshed its Rulers. Letter from Colonel Sheil, announcing a Subscription 
 to the Mission of three thousand Rupees from Captain Eyre A second Letter 
 from Colonel Sheil, announcing a Subscription for the same Object from 
 Cabul Relief Committee of ten thousand Rupees Letter from Captain 
 D'Arcy. Dr. Wolff never received these Amounts. Letter from Agra Bank, 
 announcing further Subscription from the North-west Provinces of India 
 Letter from Secretary of the Cabul Relief Society Third Letter from Colonel 
 Sheil. Assaff-ood-Dowla takes Birjand. Earthquake at Kayen Persian 
 Agents not trustworthy. Kind Reception at Meshed of Dr. Wolff by Hussein 
 Khan, Son of the Assaff-ood-Dowla. Hussein Khan wishes to punish Dil 
 Assa Khan Dr. Wolff intercedes for him on account of his family Dr. 
 Wolff gets Abdullah bastinadoed and imprisoned. Fourth Letter of Colonel 
 Sheil. Kindness of Mullah Mehdee to the English Villany of a German 
 named Dieskau. Mirza Askeree, the Imaum Jumaa, calls at Night on Dr. 
 Wolff Massacre of Allah-Daad The Jew Rahmeem. Dr. Wolff's Letter 
 to the Jews of Meshed 382 398.
 
 XXIV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Dissent among the Mussulmans Sayed asserts Pilgrimages to be unnecessary. 
 Imaum Resa killed by Haroun Rashid. Muhammed Ali Serraf calls on Dr. 
 Wolff Dr. Wolff charges him with Neglect in not delivering the Letters of 
 Sir Moses Montefiore and the Sultan Muhammed Ali Serraf shows a Letter 
 from Colonel Shell to justify his Conduct. Date of the Execution of Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly. Argument for 1258 Hejirah ; 1259 the right 
 Date. Dr. Wolff regrets that the Sufferings of the Officers should have been 
 so protracted, but cannot come, on reflection, to any other conclusion than 
 1259 Hejirah, 1843, A.D. Character of Colonel She'd Evil of appointing 
 Envoys that are not of the Established Church Singular Conduct of Colonel 
 Shell. Letter from the Assaff-ood-Dowla. Christian Missions Stations for 
 them recommended at Semnan, Damghan, Nishapoor, Meshed, Hasrat-Sul- 
 tan, Tashkand, Shamay, Yarkand, Cashgar, Eele, Thibet, and Cashmeer ; 
 not at present at Bokhara Khokand, Cashmeer, Ladack, and Lassa The 
 Languages requisite : Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Chinese, Hindustanee, He- 
 brew, and Kalmuck Sciences and Arts. Conduct required in a Missionary 
 Missionaries in the East. Dialogue between Dr. Wolff and a Sooffee. 
 Ameer Beyk, the Daoodee. Route : Askerea Shereef Abad Kadam-Gah 
 Nishapoor Sabz-Awar. Curious Report circulated there, at the first visit 
 of Dr. Wolff, that he was two hundred years old, and acquainted with all the 
 Sciences of the Earth Yisited the second time by Crowds, who conceived he 
 had predicted the recent Earthquake. Route : Massanan Abbas Abad 
 Miyandasht Miyamey Dr. Cormick died at Miyamey Death of Abbas 
 Mirza Illness of Dr. Wolff. Conversation between Sabhan Ullah Khan 
 and Dr. Wolff. Letter from Colonel Sheil received en route. Route : Shah 
 Rood Deh-Mullah Damghan Dowlat Abad Aghwan Semnau Las- 
 gird Deh Namak Pah-Deh Kish-Lagh. Arrival at Teheraun Hospit- 
 able Reception by Colonel Sheil Monsieur Le Comte Sartiges. 399416. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Dr. Wolff preaches at the Embassy. Noble Conduct of Count Medem. Colonel 
 Sheil refuses to return the Letter of Lord Ellenborough. Kindness of the 
 Russian Embassy Khosrow Khan Dr. Wolff writes to the Ameer. Re- 
 ception by the Shah Dr. Wolff thanks his Majesty for his Life His Life 
 twice preserved by the Court of Persia Autograph of the Shah Mullah 
 Bahrain, the Gueber. Colonel Sheil demands the Date of the Execution of 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly Dr. Wolff gives 1258 Hejirah Abbas 
 Kouli Khan thinks it was 1259 Dr. Wolff, on further reflection, coincides 
 with Abbas Kouli Khan. Persia could not, under existing circumstances, 
 take Bokhara. Mirza Abdul Wahab. Letter of Abbas Kouli Khan to Lady 
 Georgiana Wolff Kindness of the Embassy to Dr. Wolff. Armenian Church 
 Recourse had to the Russian Embassy, and not to the British, by the Pro- 
 testant Missionaries. Count Medem visits Abbas Kouli Khan, and thanks 
 him for his Kindness to Dr. Wolff. Visit of Dr. Wolff to the Haje, the
 
 CONTENTS. XXV 
 
 Prime-minister of the Shahtheir Conversation Haje Ibrahim demands 
 six thousand Tillahs Dr. Wolff takes an Oath that he never received this 
 Sum Dr. Wolff pays him three thousand Tillahs, and draws on Captain 
 Grover for four hundred Pounds. Haje Ibrahim claims three thousand Til- 
 lahs as due from Conolly Dr. Wolff protests against this Payment, and thinks 
 Colonel Sheil ought to have refused to pay Haje Ibrahim any thing for either 
 himself or Captain Conolly. Letter from the Queen to the King of Bokhara. 
 Visit to Haje Baba. Inexplicable Conduct of Colonel Sheil. 417 42S. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Departure from Teheraun. Route : Kand Sunghur-Abad Sepher-Khoja. 
 Meeting here with Assaad Ullah Beyk. Route : Casween Sultanieh 
 Sanjoon Gul-Teppa. Illness of Dr. Wolff Kind reception of Dr. Wolff at 
 Tabreez by Mr. Bonham ; his Treatment by Dr. Casolani. Mr. Osroff and 
 the Russian Legation. Introduction of Dr. Wolff by Mr. Bonham to Prince 
 Bahman Mirza the Prince presents Dr. Wolff with a valuable Emerald 
 Ring. Letter of Prince Bahman Mirza. Russian Inhabitants of Tabreez 
 consider it disgraceful to the British Government to permit the Stoddart and 
 Conolly Affair to rest in its present position Extracts showing the exact 
 Position of these Diplomatic Agents First, from Captain J. Conolly, Brother 
 to the murdered Captain Conolly ; Second, Extracts from the Correspondence 
 of Colonel Stoddart ; Third, Extract from the Journal of Captain Conolly 
 Impolicy of Non-interference. Holy places visited by Persians. Dispute 
 between Turks and Persians on Frontier Question. Colonel Taylor and 
 Major Rawlinson. Desciples of John the Baptist their singular History 
 their Report of themselves that they are Descendants of the Chaldeans and 
 of the Brothers of Abraham. Triple Name of God Baptism of John in the 
 Wilderness. Two kinds of Priests ; one the Representative of the Baptist, 
 the other of the Christ their Book, the Sadra Raba reported Authors of it 
 Seth and John the Baptist their Residences Fruitless attempts of Father 
 Agatangelos to convert the Mandaye, or Disciples of John the Baptist. Dr. 
 Wolff, however, establishes a School, which the Son of even the Ganz-Awra, 
 or Representative of Jesus Christ, attends they affirm Boohyra to have been 
 a Nestorian Monk ; also that they emigrated from Egypt with the Jews, and 
 separated from them on the Institution of the Rite of Circumcision by Joshua 
 their Language Chaldean. The Ganz-Awra has his right hand cut off by 
 order of the Governor of Bosra he maintained that numbers of their Sect 
 were resident in Morocco. Catholicity shown to he a natural Principle from 
 the Conduct of Sectarians 429 438. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Two leading Sects amid Muhammedans, Sheahs and Sunnees. Ball by Mr. 
 Bonham Dancers all Gentlemen. Death of Mrs. Bonham. Shamyi Beyk 
 Anecdote of him and General Neidhart. Chaldeans in the Mountains of 
 Kurdistaun, not of the Ten Tribes, Dr. Wolff thinks, as commonly asserted.
 
 XXVI CONTENTS. 
 
 Nestorians or Chaldeans their Assertion that they did not become Follow- 
 ers of Nestorius, but simply received him kindly among them Episcopacy 
 hereditary among them oppressed by the Kurds Sir Stratford Canning in- 
 terferes in their behalf. Mar Yohannan, Bishop of Oroomiah his Letter, 
 written in English. Accurate character of Mr. Ainsworth's Work on Asia 
 Minor, &c. Armenians of Tabreez give Dr. "Wolff a Public Dinner. Di- 
 ploma from Bahman Mirza to Dr. Casolani. Daoud Khan. Attempt to 
 abolish ancient Forms by the Protestant Missionaries injudicious. Edward 
 Burgess his unfortunate Position Letter addressed by him to Dr. "Wolff. 
 Departure of Dr. Wolff from Tabreez. Route : Mayoon Dessa Khaleel 
 Tasuj Sayd Hajee Khoy. Dangerous travelling from this point Rob- 
 bery of Messrs. Todd and Abbott the Kurds compel Mr. Todd to swallow 
 his Pomatum. Route: Soraba Karaine Leyba Awajick. Snow com- 
 pels Dr. Wolff to go on Horseback The Pasha of Erzroom sends a Guard 
 of Honour for Dr. Wolff. Letters from Colonel AVilliams. 439 444. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Route : Ghizl-Deesa Utsh Kelesea Nierses, the Katokhikos of the Armenian 
 Church. Efforts of the Czar to unite Armenian and Russian Churches. 
 Route: Yuntsh Aloo Kara Klesea Mullah Suleiman Seydekan Dr. 
 Wolff injured by a fall from his Horse. Route : Dehli Baba Komassur 
 Kopre Koy Hassan Kaleh. Letters from Colonel Williams and Mr. Brant 
 Letter of Colonel Williams to Captain Grover. Arrival at Erzroom. 
 Dreadful sufferings of Dr. Wolff Kindness of Colonel Williams, Mr. Brant, 
 and Mr. and Mrs. Redhouse to Dr. Wolff. Ambassador from Bokhara to 
 England arrives at Erzroom. Letter from Sir Stratford Canning. Inter- 
 view of Dr. Wolff, Mr. Brant, Colonel Williams, and Colonel Farrant 
 with Kami! Pasha Kamil Pasha's Statement to them of his Interview with 
 the Ambassador from Bokhara to England. Departure from Erzroom. 
 Route : Mey Mansoor Saaza Massad Beyboot Jaajee Koy Gumush 
 Khane Artasa Yerkopri Yeseer Oglu. Letter from Mr. Stevens. 
 
 450463. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Arrival at Trebizond Folly of Land Quarantine there. Ambassador from Bo- 
 khara arrives. One of his old Friends the Makhrams calls on Dr. Wolff 
 Dr. Wolff feels reluctant to renew the Intimacy Visits received by Dr. 
 Wolff when in Quarantine. Letter from Colonel Farrant Letter from Sir 
 Stratford Canning. Bokhara Ambassador gets Pratique one day before 
 Dr. Wolff Singular Conduct of the Pasha of Trebizond. Letter from Mr. 
 Brant. Departure for Constantinople Samsoon and Sinope Arrival at 
 Constantinople. Dr. Wolff preaches on board the Virago. Letters from Sir 
 Stratford Canning, the Honourable Mr. Wellesley, and Lady Canning. 
 Kindness of the Legation. Curious Painting of St. Bernard. Letter from 
 the Rev. H. D. Leeves. Arrival of seven Franciscan Friars at Constan-
 
 CONTENTS. XXV11 
 
 tinople, expelled from Russia for their refusal to swear Allegiance to the 
 Czar Sympathy excited for them. Power of the Romish Church greatly 
 curtailed by the Czar. Letter from Sir Stratford Canning. Yisit to Saint 
 Sophia. The Missionaries call on Dr. Wolff Schauffler ; his extraordinary 
 Acquirements in Language Conversation with Count Stunner. Santa 
 Clara, the Court-Preacher at Vienna his Views on Transfiguration his 
 Description of Faith. Punishment of Death for Apostasy abolished the 
 Declaration of the Porte. Letter of Mr. Brant. Introduction of Dr. Wolff 
 to the Grand Vizier, the Reis Effendi, the Shekeeb Effendi, and the Sheikh 
 Islam Introduction to Greek Patriarch. Liturgies of St. Chrysostom, St. 
 Basil, and St. Gregory. The Patriarch visits Dr. Wolff. Dr. Wolff preaches 
 at the Legation, and in other Places Kindness of Lady Canning. Letter 
 from the Honourable Mr. Wellesley. Dr. Wolff embarks for England. 
 Arrives at Smyrna Meets there Lord Clarence Paget and the Reverend 
 H. D. Leeves. Quarantine of Malta Lord Lorton visits Dr. Wolff in 
 Quarantine The Bishop of Gibraltar also sees him in Quarantine. Then 
 sails for Gibraltar ; on his arrival there receives Letters from the Governor, 
 Sir Robert Wilson, and the Reverend Dr. Burrow. Reaches Southampton 
 on April 9th Letter of Bishop Doane Meets at Southampton Captain 
 Grover, Lady Georgiana, and his Son Starts for London Returns Thanks 
 to Almighty God for his Preservation, hi Trinity Church, Gray's Inn-road. 
 Public Meeting at Exeter Hall Noble Character of Captain Grover. Letter 
 from the Rev. R. W. Stoddart. Correspondence and Papers relating to the 
 Fate of Lieutenant Wyburd Dr. Wolff rejects the proffered Reward for the 
 recovery of Lord Ellenborough's Letter. Correspondence with Mr. Schwarz 
 regarding Giovanni. Pope Pius XI. a Personal Friend and Pupil of Dr. 
 Wolff his liberal Sentiments ; his Piety and Benevolence. Prince Hohen- 
 lohe, the Miracle-monger his unworthy Qualities his Hypocrisy detected 
 and punished. General Jochmus. Strictures on the Bishopric of Jeru- 
 salem. Government repays the 400 advanced by Captain Grover. Con- 
 clusion. 464503.
 
 MISSION OF DR. WOLFF 
 
 TO BOKHARA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Mysterious state of the Pagan World. Life of Dr. Wolff converted to 
 Christianity banished from Rome begins his Missionary labours in 
 1821. From 1821 to 1826 occupied in Missions among the Jews in 
 Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Crimea, Georgia, and Ottoman 
 Empire. From 1826 to 1830, similarly occupied in Ireland, Holland, 
 and the Mediterranean. Commences a fresh Mission in 1831. In Asia 
 Minor meets with Armenians ; passes thence to Kurdistaun. Adven- 
 tures with the head-tearer, Muhammed Kale Kaan Kerahe. Is made 
 a Slave saved from his captivity by Abbas Mirza. Arrives at Meshed 
 goes to Sarakhs, Mowr, Karakol, and Bokhara, where he is well treat- 
 ed by the Ameer. Crosses the Oxus to Balkh thence to Peshawr 
 enters the Punjaub proceeds to Simlah. Kindly received by Lord and 
 Lady William Bentinck. Crosses into Cashmeer conversation with 
 Fakeers, Brahmins, and Muhammedans. Reaches Delhi then Agra. 
 Cawnpore; meets here with Lieutenant Conolly kindness of Lieu- 
 tenant Conolly. Lucknow ; disputes with the Muhammedan Mullahs 
 before the king of Oude. Benares; remarks on the Buddhists. Visits 
 Calcutta Masulipatam Hyderabad. Seized with Cholera Morbus. 
 Reaches Madras Trichinopoly Cochin ; meets here with black and 
 white Jews. Goa Poonah Bombay Mocha Jiddah Suez Cairo. 
 Reaches Malta, March 20th, 1834. Prepares his Travels for publication. 
 
 " VERILY Thou art a God that hidest Thyself ! O God of 
 Israel, the Saviour ! " This must be the exclamation of 
 every man whose eye has attentively marked the ways of 
 Providence in the East. To one who, like myself, has gazed 
 on the children of the Gentiles in their large scatterings, 
 and on my own Israel in her deep dispersions, the above pas- 
 sage comes home to the soul with all the deep and solemn 
 impression that a sinking sunset in a tropical land produces.
 
 2 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 The heart is filled with the deep mysteries of creativeness, 
 when it reflects on the wonderful providences of God in the 
 yet partial revealing. To me the darkness that has gathered 
 over the earth appears now dissipating, the iron scourge 
 of the church of God for thirteen centuries seems fast 
 corroding in its strongest hold, and the prophecies of its 
 downfall seem rapidly hastening to fulfilment. The power- 
 ful force of events of this character has attracted the atten- 
 tion of even the busy politicians of the East, and they have 
 owned that they see the action of a more than ordinary might, 
 and the Turks themselves speak clearly of the speedy rule of 
 the Giaour. 
 
 My own life has been as the scenes I have witnessed. I 
 began life as one of the dispersed people of God. At an 
 early period I received pure Christianity in the schools of 
 the enlightened Friedrich Leopold, Count of Stolberg, the 
 well-known poet, celebrated Greek scholar, and statesman ; 
 next from the distinguished Roman Catholic bishop Johannes 
 Michael Sailer, Frint at Vienna, Bolzano at Prague, and the 
 writings of Fenelon, Pascal, and Bossuet. I was then intro- 
 duced to that excellent Pope, Pius VII., to Cardinal Litta, 
 and the present Cardinal Ostini, and entered the Collegio 
 Romano, and then the Propaganda at Rome ; and though I 
 am indebted to the Propaganda for many excellent things I 
 witnessed, and though I shall always feel obliged to speak 
 with gratitude of Pius VII. and Cardinal Litta, I nevertheless 
 heard many sentiments and saw many practices in the church 
 against which my conscience revolted, and I was openly obliged 
 to protest against them, which induced Pope Pius VII. and 
 Cardinal Litta to decree my banishment from Rome. I was 
 escorted by twenty-five gens-d'armes out of the city of Rome, 
 after I had been in the custody of Signer Degeler, the Avocato 
 of the San Uffizio, who posted a dwarf to watch me until the 
 arrival of the Corriere del Gabinetto with a carriage, in which 
 I quitted the city with a member of the San Uffizio at my side.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 3 
 
 In the convent of Val-Saint, in Switzerland, amongst the 
 monks of the order of the Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemp- 
 toris, or the so-called Ligorians,* I became still more convin- 
 ced that ray sentiments differed from those of the Church of 
 Rome. I therefore came to Cambridge in the year 1819. 
 Under the direction of Professor Lee I studied the Persian 
 and Arabic, and by the fatherly attention of that holy man, 
 the Rev. Charles Simeon, of King's College, Cambridge, I 
 acquired theology ; and when this further light broke in 
 upon me, became a member of the Church of England. My 
 inner world has thus been as this outer, in which I have 
 walked. 
 
 Let me now, in connexion with the causes that produced 
 the present work, give a brief summary of the past labours 
 that led to my last mission. I began in 1821, and accom- 
 plished in 1826, my missionary labours among the dispersed 
 of my people in Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, 
 Krimea, Georgia, and the Ottoman Empire. My next la- 
 bours among my brethren were in England, Scotland, Ireland, 
 Holland, and the Mediterranean, from 1826 to 1830. I then 
 proceeded to Turkey, Persia, Turkistaun, Bokhara, Affghan- 
 istaun, Cashmeer, Hindustaun, and the Red Sea, from 1831 
 to 1834. Bokhara and Balkh when, in 1829, at Jerusalem 
 occupied especially my attention, on the ground that I ex- 
 pected to find in them the traces of the lost Ten Tribes of the 
 Dispersion. This led to my first visit to Bokhara. Before, 
 however, I proceed to this, I am induced, at the solicitation 
 of many kind friends, to dwell on a few leading circumstances 
 anterior to my arrival in that city. They will also be neces- 
 sary, in great part, to the clear understanding of the subse- 
 quent portion of this narrative. 
 
 In passing through Asia Minor, I held numerous and 
 
 The monks of Val-Saint flagellated themselves every Friday. I gave 
 myself one blow, but as I did not like it, I left it off. I observed, however, 
 that Joseph Srna flagellated the wall instead of his body. 
 
 B 2
 
 4 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 interesting conversations with the Armenians and the Mus- 
 sulmans. With the latter especially I omitted no opportunity 
 that was afforded me, consistent with their habits, of incul- 
 cating a far higher reverence for Christ than that profound 
 respect even in which they hold his name. I omitted no 
 opportunity, I say also, of examining both Armenian, Per- 
 sian, Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek MSS. In the Arme- 
 nian Bible, for example, I found an important variation. In 
 Daniel viii. 14, they read 2068; whereas, in our version it is 
 2300. In this passage, a MS. in the possession of the Jews 
 of Bokhara reads 2400 * instead of 2300. With the Yeseedee, 
 or worshippers of the devil, I held long conversations. This 
 singular people, amid one of their strange rites, dance an- 
 nually around the ruins of ancient Babylon. Another of the 
 notions of this strange people is, that (if a circle be drawn 
 round them) they would rather die within it than attempt to 
 escape out of it, unless a portion of the circle be effaced. 
 The analogy between this notion and the magician's charmed 
 circle, can escape no one. 
 
 In Kurdistaun I had long conferences with the Jews, whom 
 I found possessed of much learning. I spoke with them in 
 Hebrew and Chaldean, which they mix considerably with 
 Turkish. Several rabbins, however, spoke Hebrew remark- 
 ably well. I had also, in Teheraun, affecting interviews with 
 the Jews, in which I expounded to them the Scriptures. 
 Various curious conversations that I had with the Sheahs, 
 or followers of Ali, in Persia, would fill volumes. With 
 the Guebres, or worshippers of fire, how often also have I 
 conversed in Shiraz, Isfahan, and Kashaun ! How singular 
 and wild the aspect of the sons of fire ! How analogous their 
 angel history to the Jewish ! How similar to the rites of 
 Vesta ! How like that early adoration when my people bowed 
 
 " The Vatican edition of the LXX has the same reading, Dan. viii. 14. 
 Kal flirt? avrf 'Eaij (ffirtpas KO,\ irpwt r)fiepai 5rxiA<ai Kal TfTpcuticrtcu teal KaQa- 
 piff&f)fffrai rb ayiov.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. <) 
 
 to the luminous Shechinah of the Lord ! Yet if idolatry has 
 been rife on my path, rarely has my step fallen where I did 
 not trace Christianity. In Egypt I found the Kopts ; in 
 Palestine the Maronites, Syrians, Greeks, Armenians, and 
 Armenian Catholics; in Mesopotamia, at Merdeen, Mosool, 
 Arbel, and Bagdad, I met the Jacobites, the followers of 
 Nestorius, and Roman Catholics; in Asia Minor, at Trc- 
 bizond, Bayazid, Shooshe in Karabagh, again Armenians ; 
 at Tiflis, the Georgians. Again, how singularly did I find 
 in these regions the same great differences of Calvinism and 
 Arminianism that exist among ourselves. We are too apt to 
 look on the Muhammedan as a fatalist ; but in Mecca, as 
 well as elsewhere, the limits of the will are freely discussed. 
 Haje Sheikh Muhammed told me, in the words of Milton, 
 " Foreknowledge of God does not affect the free will of men. 1 ' 1 
 How external and inextinguishable also appeared the customs 
 of the East ! For instance, the shepherd precedes his sheep, 
 and his sheep follow him ; the judges sit under the gate ; the 
 disciples of the learned pour water on the hands of their 
 masters ; the Jews swear by the Temple of Jerusalem, and 
 Jew, Christian, and Muhammedan by their heads ; the bride 
 is awakened by the screams of other women, exclaiming, 
 "The bridegroom cometh;" torches are carried before her 
 at midnight ; the war about wells, as in the time of Moses 
 and Jacob, still subsists in Yemen ; the lamentations over a 
 nurse are also continued ; the names of people are still given 
 to indicate the events of the period ; the king bestows a name 
 significative of his employ on his minister ; the lepers sit 
 outside the gates of cities ; bad vines are called f vines of 
 Sodom ; ' holy places are approached by putting the shoes 
 from off the feet ; the scarf is wrought on both sides ; the 
 Rechabite plants no vineyard, sows no seed, lives in tents ; the 
 Derveesh, like the Nazarite of old, still makes vows that no 
 razor shall come upon his head ; barren women still perform 
 pilgrimages to holy places, and this state is held in abhor-
 
 6 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 rence, as in ancient time ; Armenian women vow, like Hannah 
 of old, that if they receive a son, he shall be devoted to God ; 
 cities of refuge for the shedder of blood unawares still subsist, 
 and the person guilty of blood must flee with his family, like 
 the first murderer, to other places. 
 
 From various conversations with Affghauns in Khorassaun 
 and elsewhere, I learnt that some of them are proud of an 
 origin from the children of Israel, but I doubt the truth of 
 that partial tradition. Amid the khans of Khorassaun, 
 Muhammed Izhak Kerahe of Torbad Hydarea, the Rustam 
 of the East, was the most remarkable for ferocity. At San- 
 gerd the caravan was attacked by robbers : one of them seized 
 my horse, crying out, "Poo//" (money); I gave him all I 
 had. I was soon surrounded by others, stripped even of the 
 shirt on my back, and had a rag covered with vermin thrown 
 over me, and was brought out into the highway, where all my 
 fellow-travellers of the caravan were assembled, weeping and 
 crying, and bound to the tails of horses. The robbers were 
 twenty-four in number. We were driven along by them in 
 continual gallop, on account of the approach of the Turko- 
 mauns ; for if the Turkomauns had found them out, our 
 robbers would have been made slaves by them, they being 
 Sheahs themselves. During the night three prisoners escaped. 
 At two in the morning we slept in a forest. They had pity 
 on me, and gave me a cup of tea made of my own ; they then 
 put a price on me and my servant, valuing him at ten and 
 myself at five tomauns. They took his money from him, by 
 which I found that he had previously robbed me of sixteen 
 tomauns. After this we were put in irons. They consulted 
 about killing me, but did not do so, from fear of Abbas 
 Mirza. The promise of a good ransom at Torbad Hydarea 
 saved my life. The first question put by the robbers, openly 
 before the people of Torbad, was, " How is the tyrant 
 Muhammed Izhak Khan going on ? Is he not yet dead ?" 
 
 " No," they replied ; " but one of his sons is dead."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 7 
 
 " A pity that he died not himself," returned the rob- 
 bers ; " then we should be free from that tyrant, and not 
 be obliged to plunder people in the path, and eat the bread 
 of blood." 
 
 We saw hundreds of blind persons, of both sexes, near the 
 gate of Torbad. The robbers turned to me, and said, " Do 
 you see these blind men and women ? Their eyes were taken 
 out by that eye-cutting and head-tearing tyrant Muhammed 
 Izhak Khan, of Torbad Hydarea.* God curse him, and curse 
 his house ! curse him in his getting up, curse him in his 
 lying down ! God curse his wife, and the fruit of her womb ! 
 and may he that has made many widows, may he die, that 
 the dogs drink his blood, that his wives may be widows and 
 his children orphans ! " 
 
 Though naked, they examined us narrowly as we entered 
 Torbad, thinking we might have money concealed about us. 
 I exclaimed, ^X"ili yftl^, "Hear, Israel," (a common exclama- 
 tion of my countrymen throughout the world,) and was soon 
 surrounded by Jews. They pledged themselves that I should 
 not run away, received me to their homes, where I preached 
 to them the Gospel of Jesus. They were quite ignorant of 
 his history, sufferings, and death, which also convinces me 
 that the Jews of Khorassaun and Bokhara are of the Ten 
 Tribes who never returned to Palestine after the Babylonish 
 captivity. Therefore there still remains to be fulfilled the 
 prophecy recorded in Ezekiel xxxix. 28 : " Then shall they 
 know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them 
 to be led into captivity among the heathen : but I have 
 gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of 
 them any more there.' 1 '' 
 
 The next day I was desired to go back to the robbers, 
 when I was suddenly put into irons, and chained with the 
 
 * He places his hands on the head of his subjects, and literally, from his 
 enormous strength, rends the scalp, and it is said sometimes the skull, of his 
 victims.
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 rest of the slaves. One of the slave-sellers, a malicious 
 Kurd, squeezed the irons over my legs crossways, to pain 
 me still further. My fellow-slaves, though bound in one 
 common chain, cursed me incessantly. The director of the 
 police said, " To this infidel you must give neither water to 
 drink nor a galyoon to smoke, for he is nedshas, ' unclean. 1 
 If he is thirsty, he may go to the well and drink, like any 
 other dog." Suddenly, in the midst of my persecutions, a 
 man appeared, who exclaimed, "Is any Englishman here?" 
 "Yes, yes!" was my exclamation. The chains were re- 
 moved, a soldier of Abbas Mirza had arrived with a letter 
 from Muhammed Izhak Khan, ordering him to release me. 
 He gave instant orders to that effect, and bastinadoed the 
 robbers, wishing the whole matter to appear as done without 
 his consent. I was brought before him. He is a tall stout 
 man, with very large eyes, of black complexion, never looking 
 into your face, but with a down glance, a deep thundering 
 voice. His sword, they say, is continually girt about him, 
 and he does not lay it aside even in the bath. No one knows 
 where he sleeps. He was seated upon a high throne, all 
 others standing at a distance, terror in every look. He de- 
 manded what sum had been taken from me. I replied, 
 " Eighty tomauns." He got it from the robbers, but kept it 
 himself. He then said, " You came here with books, in 
 order to show us the right way : well, go on." This per- 
 sonage I shall again introduce to my readers on my second 
 visit to these regions, which has led me to be thus ample in 
 my present statement. 
 
 On my arrival after these matters at Meshed, I had long 
 interviews with my nation. The Jewish Sooffees of this place 
 acknowledge Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, and 124,000 Pro- 
 phets. They are under small moral control. They have a 
 poem in Persian, written with Jewish -Persian characters, 
 called Youssuf-u-Zuleika, ' Joseph and Zuleika/ describing 
 the love of Potiphar's wife for Joseph. They have Hafiz
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 9 
 
 in a similar character. They speak of an exoteric and esoteric 
 religion, like the philosophers of old. I reasoned with them 
 on their flagitious violations of morality, and the insincerity 
 of their conduct ; that they knew that they were in the 
 wrong, and that they stood in need of faith in Jesus Christ 
 in order to be saved. They observed that I was the second 
 Englishman they had seen who was attached to the Book ; 
 
 THE FIRST WAS LIEUTENANT ARTHUR CoNOLLY. How sin- 
 
 gularly have I followed his steps, even up to the hour almost 
 of his death ! He was at Meshed in 1829. I wrote of him, 
 before I knew that I should be so remarkably connected with 
 the inquiry into his death, as follows: "He is an excellent, 
 intrepid, and well-principled traveller. The misfortune of 
 this gentleman was, that he had no interest with great men ; 
 on which account he was not remunerated for his journeys 
 to Meshed, Heraut, and Candahar." After this, it will again 
 and again be seen how closely I have followed my pious and 
 excellent friend's path in the various regions he has trod. 
 
 At Meshed, his royal highness Abbas Mirza ordered me 
 to be brought before him. After kind inquiries of my health, 
 he deeply regretted my captivity in Khorassaun ; and told 
 me, when I went to Bokhara, to assure the Ameer that he 
 had no intention of taking his country, but that he was 
 determined to put a stop to slavery. He wrote with his own 
 hand both a pass for me and certificate of the object of my 
 journey to Bokhara. Meshed is a grossly immoral place, de- 
 spite its holy character. The number of pilgrims that arrive 
 at the tomb of Imaum Resa amounts to twenty thousand. 
 
 From Meshed I proceeded through Turkistaun ; and first 
 let me speak of Sarakhs, a place of doubtful origin in its 
 etymological root. Some derive it from the Arabic zara, 
 sowing; others from sarak, to steal. It is the country of 
 slave-stealing, and therefore this latter etymon is not impro- 
 bable. Eighteen hundred families of Turkomauns, of the 
 celebrated tribe of Salor, live there. I lectured on this spot
 
 10 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 with deep earnestness to the Jews, and I believe made many 
 permanent impressions, which I found confirmed on my second 
 visit. All the Jews of Turkistaun assert that the Turko- 
 mauns are the descendants of Togarmah, one of the sons of 
 Gomer, mentioned in Genesis x. 3. The Turkomauns have 
 no mosque; they pray apart from each other, either in the 
 field or the tent. Twice in the year they assemble in the de- 
 sert, and prefer their prayer. 1 passed hence to Mowr, and 
 thence to Jehaar-Joo, two places of which I shall discourse 
 at greater length when I enumerate them on my last tour in 
 that direction. 
 
 I passed then to Karakol. The governor of this place, 
 Muhammed Hussein Khan, was formerly a Guzl-Bash slave, 
 but gained the favour of Shah Hydur, and was exalted to the 
 position of Ameer and governor of Karakol. When I told 
 him that my object was to inquire into the state of the Jews, 
 and hold friendly intercourse with the Muhammedans at Bo- 
 khara, he advised me to do nothing without consulting the 
 Goosh-Bekee, or vizier. He also demanded my opinion about 
 the mullahs issuing Fetwa, or Bulls, that the Turkomauns 
 should make slaves of the Guzl-Bash. I replied that I dis- 
 approved of it. He then, after many cautions, requested me 
 to write him out a prayer for his devotions, which I did, in 
 Persian, and advised him to read it daily. 
 
 After this I entered Bokhara. I then presented my letters, 
 underwent much rigid questioning from the Goosh-Bekee on 
 various points, such as whether Muhammed was predicted in 
 our sacred books, my belief in Jesus, and the objects of my 
 journey. I then explained to the Jews my mission, read 
 in their synagogue the law of Moses, but discontinued any 
 further participation in their services. 
 
 The king, Behadur Khan, was then twenty-eight years of 
 age. He spends his mornings in reading the Arabic writings 
 of Jelaal and Bydawee with the mullahs, visits the grave of 
 Baba Been, a sanctified derveesh of Bokhara, and hears causes
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 1 I 
 
 of dispute during the remainder of the day among his sub- 
 jects. He is terribly dreaded by his ministers. 
 
 The Jews in Bokhara are 10,000 in number. The chief 
 rabbi assured me that Bokhara is the Habor, and Balkh the 
 Halah, of 2 Kings xvii. 6; but that in the reign of Ghengis 
 Khan they lost all their written accounts. At Balkh the 
 Mussulman mullahs assured me that it was built by a son of 
 Adam ; that its first name had been Hanakh, and afterwards 
 Halah, though later writers called it Balakh, or Balkh. The 
 Jews, both of Balkh and Samarcand, assert that Tiirkistaim 
 is the land of Nod, and Balkh where Nod " once stood." In 
 this land of Cain the Jews bear a mark, by order of the king 
 of Bokhara, in order that no Mussulman may give them 
 salaam., peace. To Rabbi Joseph Mooghrubee, an African, 
 the Jews of Bokhara owe the restoration of their ancient 
 customs: they had nearly lost all trace of them, in their 
 sojourn among Muhammedans. This great man, I was 
 assured by his son-in-law, Rabbi Pinehas Ben-Simha, used to 
 say, " Oh, Lord ! when will the time come that the followers 
 of Jesus will take possession of these countries? 1 ' This son- 
 in-law is now a Christian, and was converted by me ; and so 
 are many others of the Jews at present in Bokhara. Jews 
 came to me here from Samarcand, Khokand, and other places : 
 the total population was then about 13,600. I found the 
 epileptic convulsion, which produced such an effect for Mu- 
 hammad among a people who call "gasping" inspiration, 
 currently handed down ; and I have little doubt that, like 
 madness and idiotcy, they were no mean agents of his power 
 among a people that look on the victims to these maladies as 
 the inspired of God. The tradition is an old one at Bokhara, 
 that some of the Ten Tribes are in China. I tried the Jews 
 here on various points of Scriptural interpretation, parti- 
 cularly that important one in Isaiah vii. 14, nD^y virgin. 
 They translated it as we Christians do, and they are in total 
 ignorance of the important controversy between Jews and 
 Christians on that point.
 
 12 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I obtained a passport from the king after this most inter- 
 esting sojourn, and then crossed the Oxus, and arrived after 
 a few days at Balkh ; and from that city, where I also com- 
 muned with the dispersed of Israel, I proceeded to Muzaur, 
 the spot where All's camel disappeared miraculously at his 
 tomb. Hither came pilgrims from Affghanistaun, Cashmeer, 
 Khokand, Shahr-Sabz, Hindustaun, Khiva, and Bokhara. 
 Hence I proceeded to Cabul, in Affghanistaun. Some Aff- 
 ghauns claim a descent from Israel. According to them, 
 Affghaun was the nephew of Asaph, the son of Berachia, 
 who built the temple of Solomon. The descendants of this 
 Affghaun, being Jews, were carried into Babylon by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, from whence they were removed to the mountain 
 of Ghoree, in Affghanistaun, but in the time of Muhammed 
 turned Muhammedans. They exhibit a book, Majmooa 
 Alansab, or ' Collection of Genealogies," 1 written in Persian. 
 My readers will find these examined in my former work,* 
 but here I shall only allude to it. There is a great air oi'vrai- 
 semblance about it, and their pedigree is sometimes traced, 
 like our Lord's, through the female branch, which proves how 
 futile is the Jewish objection, on that head, to our Lord's 
 descent. 
 
 Hence I passed to Peshawr. Here I had also the singular 
 book read to me of the origin of the Affghauns, the Poshtoo 
 Book of Khan Jehaun Loote. The account in this book 
 agrees with that given in the MSS. Teemur Nameh, and 
 Ketaub Ansabee Muhakkek Toose. 1 thought the general 
 physiognomy not Jewish, but I was wonderfully struck with 
 the resemblance that the Youssuf Szeye and the Khaibaree, 
 two of their tribes, bear to the Jews. The Kaffer Seeah- 
 Poosh, if Affghauns, vary widely from the rest of their 
 nation. Many travellers have thought them the descendants 
 from Alexander's army, but they do not say so. They have 
 no exact account of their origin. Their rites are most singu- 
 
 * Rctearches and Missionary Labours among the Jews, Mtihammcdans, and other 
 Sects. By the Rev. Joseph Wolff. Nisbet : London, 1835.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 13 
 
 lar. In a large house called Imr-Ama,* they offer a cow 
 and sheep in sacrifice: they sprinkle the blood upon an idol 
 seated upon a horse. They have'a throne of stone, upon 
 which some words are written, taken from the Taurat, the 
 Pentateuch of Moses. They hold distinctions of clean and 
 unclean animals. When a child is born, they turn the 
 mother out of the village, in order that it may not be un- 
 clean : the mother and the child remain three days in the 
 fields. They worship a god, Imra, and pictures of their 
 dead. They offer sacrifices to both. They put fire in the 
 Imra-Tan, i. e. the place where God is worshipped, and 
 another blazes before the idol. They offer butter and flour, 
 which they pour upon the idol, exclaiming, Hehamaj Otu, 
 'Accept it; 1 and before the place of their god (Imra-Tan) 
 they say, Hehamaj Imra, * God, accept it.' The whole con- 
 gregation exclaims, Hehamaj. After this the Otu, or priest, 
 reads prayers. These are not remarkable for their charity : 
 one is, " Increase our property ; do not make us sick ; and 
 kill the Mussulmans." After every prayer they say, He- 
 hamaj, and then kiss their fingers. Their idols are of wood 
 and stone, gigantic human figures. They know but little of 
 a future state, and their rites are largely Pagan. I always 
 thought that the Kaffer Seeah-Poosh were descendants of 
 Israel ; and some of the learned Jews of Samarcand are of 
 my opinion. 
 
 From Peshawr I entered the Punjaub, May 29th, 1832. 
 The Seikhs have a high veneration for our Lord. In their 
 holy book they have written, that rays like the sun went out 
 of the hand of Christ. At Jehaungeer, Serdar Hung Singh 
 welcomed me in the name of the Maharajah. He was sur- 
 rounded by his officers and soldiers. To him I had the satis- 
 faction of reading the sermon of Jesus on the Mount, which 
 all listened to with great apparent delight. This man was a 
 
 * I verified on my last visit at Bokhara the exactitude of this account for 
 Imra is god, and Ama, house.
 
 14 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 devout person. My conversation at Umritzer, after quitting 
 Lahore, with the Lion of the Punjaub, the Maharajah Run- 
 jeet Singh, my readers will find detailed at length in the work 
 I have previously quoted. Runjeet Singh dismissed me with 
 handsome presents. 
 
 Crossing from the country of Runjeet Singh, the Punjaub, 
 which will soon become a British possession, much to the 
 advantage of the Seikhs, I visited our first British station in 
 that direction, Loodianah, on the utmost northern frontier of 
 India, and the hospitable dwelling of Captain Wade, now Sir 
 Claude Martin Wade. Arriving hence, after one station, at 
 Roopor and Budde, I was received in the most cordial man- 
 ner by my dear deceased friend, Sir Jeremiah Bryant, and 
 proceeded thence to Simlah, where I was also most hospitably 
 received by Lord and Lady William Bentinck, and invited 
 to be their guest. Here I entered into a most interesting 
 correspondence with Captain Riley, the best Arabic scholar 
 in India, and also with the Roman Catholic bishop of Agra. 
 The points I mooted were, the aid Muhammed received in 
 composing the Koran ; the monk Boohyra ; the Jews of 
 Khybur, who were nearly exterminated by him ; the great 
 Muhammedan divisions of Sunnees and Sheahs ; the Jewish 
 estimate of the book of Daniel ; also on the black and white 
 Jews of Cochin and Malabar, and the extent of Muhammedan 
 knowledge. Captain Riley, I was surprised to find, looked 
 on the Affghauns as of Jewish descent. He pointed out to 
 me two important forms, in which all refutations of the Koran 
 ought to be shaped ; and numerous other equally interesting 
 questions were discussed by this true believer, in a most 
 learned and Christian spirit. 
 
 Obtaining leave to pass into Cashmeer from Runjeet Singh, 
 by means of Lord William Bentinck, I crossed accordingly 
 first to Belaspoor, where I found its Rajah luxuriating in 
 having apes trampled to death under the feet of elephants ; 
 and little worthy of note passed until I reached Nadown.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 15 
 
 Here the Rajah, on horseback, surrounded by soldiers, was 
 performing his devotions before three naked Fakeers. I im- 
 mediately entered into conversation with them, and inquired 
 of one of them how long he had been a Fakeer. He replied 
 that " he lived in God, and should never die ; for that as old 
 garments were exchanged for better, so the man of God lays 
 aside his old body, and puts on a new one." A beautiful 
 answer; but when I wished to reply, he kept exclaiming, 
 " Be silent and listen." I seized, however, despite of him, 
 on an opportunity to point out the truth of our revelation. 
 An unhappy peevishness marks all these ascetics. St. Jerome 
 was not free from it. Father Clemens Maria Hoff'bauer, late 
 vicar-general of the order of the Ligorians, or Redemptorists, 
 a man of high repute for sanctity, confessor to Friedrich 
 Schlegel, Was as peevish as the Fakeer of Nadown. When- 
 ever a person wished to speak, he had a habit of exclaiming 
 in the rudest manner, " Halt dein Maul," c Hold your 
 tongue.' Certainly he forgot the great rule of a saint of 
 the church, that the Christian is the most finished gentleman, 
 for he offends in nothing. True peace of mind dwells not 
 necessarily in caves and grottoes, on the pillar of a Simon 
 Stylites, or in the deserts of the Thebais with Antony. Ac- 
 tive energy in promoting truth and virtue is worth all the 
 sedentary graces of Fakeers, Monks, or Solitaries. I do 
 not impugn their merits in their peculiar path, but it is 
 obviously not one of general obligation. Simon Stylites, 
 however, was more practical than is commonly supposed; he 
 preached to thousands of Arabs, as did Antony also. 
 
 I cannot detail the numerous interesting conversations on 
 the Vedas and other works, which I entered into in this coun- 
 try with various Hindus, until I reached Cashmeer, the city 
 of the Genii, who bore Solomon through the air to see its 
 magic beauty. I was disappointed with its present state. I 
 inquired out the chief mullahs, and commenced various con- 
 versations with them ; with a descendant of the false prophet,
 
 16 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Muhammed Shah Nakshbandee, especially. He received me 
 with great cordiality. He actually read, in Persian, to his 
 disciples the 24th and 25th chapters of Matthew ; and I then 
 spoke of regeneration, and they read the 3rd chapter of John. 
 All the Brahmins I met with had an unlucky habit of affirm- 
 ing that what I said was in the Shastar, and used no further 
 argument. Perceiving this, I demanded on one occasion of 
 the venerable Brahmin Sheuram, " In how many gods do 
 you believe ?" " There is one God," said he, " but he has 
 many names. The whole earth stands upon the serpent 
 Sheshnag ; she has 1000 teeth and 2000 tongues ; with every 
 tongue she pronounces every day a new name of God ; and 
 this she has done for centuries on centuries, never repeating 
 a name once pronounced." A similarly wild account was 
 given in reply to a question on the history of the creation, 
 with confused traces of truth in it. 
 
 I must, however, observe, that there is far more of original 
 truth in the Vedas than in the Koran. I see in the Koran 
 nothing else but a pretended prophet without miracles, a faith 
 without mysteries, and a morality without love: a shallow 
 deism, which takes hold of the heart, and does not make it 
 better, but worse. Hence the intolerant fanaticism which has 
 produced nothing but death and destruction. Muhamme- 
 danism has been founded by the sword, and Muhammedanism 
 shall be destroyed by the sword. 
 
 The Hindus will be converted, but the Muhammedans de- 
 stroyed. We find hundreds of Hindus already converted by 
 the zeal of Roman Catholic and Anglo-catholic missionaries, 
 but we do not find six Muhammedans, especially among the 
 Turks. I can only trace two Persians, and one Arab. Bu- 
 chanan was misinformed wholly by the infamous apostate 
 Sabat. Missionaries would, however, do a great deal more 
 good, if, instead of attempting to confute the errors of the 
 different religions, they were to try, first of all, to find out 
 what is intrinsically good in each, and then to show to those
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 17 
 
 who embrace it how far their previous notions harmonize with 
 the prime verity in Christianity. They ought also to indicate 
 how far all religions have one common source ; and I do not 
 hesitate to affirm, that Christian missionaries will find, by the 
 adoption of such a method, that they will gain more insight 
 into Christianity itself. Intercommunion on these matters is 
 too much neglected among the several faiths. The observa- 
 tion repeatedly meets the ear, " Take care that you do not 
 fall into the error of the Papists, or of the Muhammedans, or 
 of the Hindus ; " but in guarding against extremes, people 
 often omit to notice what is really excellent. 
 
 While here, Moulavie Khyr Addeen, writer of the History 
 of Cashmeer., came to me. With him I had a discussion for 
 four hours about the divinity of Jesus, and it did small cre- 
 dit to his knowledge of modern history. One of his proofs 
 for the truth of the Muhammedan religion was, that all the 
 Christian powers are subjects of, and give tribute to, the 
 Sultan of Constantinople. I settled that point by alluding 
 to Sir E. Codrington's settlement of the battle of Navarino. 
 The Brahmins and Pundits listened with great attention. 
 
 It was my intention to have passed into Thibet, but the 
 snows prevented me. I left Cashmeer on October 21st, 
 1832. On our route we were accompanied by fugitives from 
 Cashmeer, flying from the oppression of Runjeet Singh. 
 Women, walking destitute of every thing, carrying their chil- 
 dren on their heads : they told me, in their powerful language, 
 that they inherited the beauty of angels, but that all beauty 
 had withered under the dominion of the Seikhs. They told me, 
 en route, many a singular legend of the celebrated Fakeers, 
 that died at Cashmeer. Ameer Kebeer, king of Hamadan, 
 forsook the world, and became a Fakeer in Cashmeer. Huz- 
 rut Mukhdoom Sheikh Hamsa had three hundred thousand 
 disciples. Shah Kasem Akhanee said, " When you shall 
 see corn growing upon my grave, then the day of resurrection 
 is nigh at hand." The people of Cashmeer assured me that 
 
 c
 
 18 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 corn had begun to grow upon his grave, and therefore they 
 consider my words to be true, that Jesus will come. 
 
 After various journeys, I reached Delhi on December 6th, 
 and was introduced to the Mogul, who gave me a robe of 
 honour. While at Delhi, in the presence of several thousand 
 Muhammedans, I conversed with the grand mullah, a man 
 of great scientific renown, Muhammed Izhak. He sent me 
 a letter at some length, detailing the grounds of his belief in 
 the Koran ; of the ascent of Muhammed into heaven; of his 
 return ; that he was the last of the prophets, and stated to 
 be such by the prophets. To this I simply replied, that I 
 wanted proof of two things : 1st. That Muhammed went to 
 and returned from heaven. 2nd. Those prophets who had 
 prophesied his mission. To this he replied, that Muham- 
 med's mission was clear, from the numerous miracles he 
 worked; next, from the divine and superhuman perfection 
 of the composition of the Koran, the bodily strength of the 
 Prophet, his numerous adherents; and he concluded by 
 demanding what proof I had that Jesus was the last of the 
 prophets. I replied, 1st. That none of these numerous mira- 
 cles were recorded in the Koran. 2nd. That a mere matter 
 of critical style, such as the composition of a book, could 
 not be considered as a grave argument ; and that the most 
 learned Muhammedan scholars of Shiraz were by no means 
 of opinion that the composition of the Koran was unrivalled, 
 and if so, still a good composition even might convey untruth. 
 3rd. That, as we denied the authority of the Koran, that 
 could avail nothing in argument. 4th. That Goliath had 
 a bodily strength equal to any, nay, superior to any in his 
 day. 5th. That Buddhism had more adherents than Mu- 
 hammedanism, if numbers went for any thing; but that in- 
 formation in arts and sciences, in which Europeans were 
 confessedly great, on their own showing, was a much more 
 certain criterion. Lastly, That the proof that Jesus was the 
 last of the prophets was not a question with us. I did not
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 1<J 
 
 undertake to show that absolutely ; but Jesus was the end of 
 the law to us, that if even an angel preached a new Gospel, 
 he should be held accursed ; and that therefore I could not 
 believe in Muhammed. 
 
 From Delhi I passed to Agra, and thence to various places 
 until I reached Cawnpore. HERE I MET WITH LIEUTENANT 
 CONOLLY. When I travelled first in Khorassaun, in the 
 year 1831, I heard at Meshed, by the Jews, that an English 
 traveller had preceded me there, by the name of Arthur 
 Conolly, as I have already mentioned. They described him 
 as a man who lived in the fear of God and of religion. The 
 moment I arrived he took me to his house, and not only 
 showed me the greatest hospitality, but, as I was at that 
 time short of money, he gave me every assistance in his 
 power; and not only so, he revised my Journal for me 
 with the most unaffected kindness. He also collected the 
 Muhammedan mullahs to his house, and permitted me not 
 only to discuss with them the subject of religion, but gave 
 me most substantial assistance in combating their arguments. 
 Conolly was a man possessed of a deep Scriptural knowledge, 
 a capital textuary ; and I bless God that he enjoyed that 
 comfort in his captivity, that inward light, when the iron 
 of tyranny in his case as in that of holy Joseph entered 
 into his soul. Various enemies are always found to attack 
 the lone missionary. Nobly and well did this gallant soldier 
 acquit himself in the church militant, both in deeds of arms 
 and deep devotion to the cause of Christ. In 1838 I again 
 met with him in England. Here our friendship was renewed. 
 At Constantinople I learnt he expressed his deep affection for 
 me to Count Sturmer. I often wished to repay him my 
 debt of gratitude ; and the instant the news reached me of 
 his captivity in Bokhara, I offered my aid to release him 
 in letters to his family. I was given to understand by Mrs. 
 Macnaghten, Conolly's sister, to whom I made the offer of 
 going to Bokhara, that a deep sense of the probability of a 
 
 c 2
 
 20 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 fatal termination to such an undertaking, made the family 
 decline the offer. When I reflect on our past intercourse, 
 it brings with it the pleasing reflection that the spiritual 
 element was mainly dominant in it ; that we were together 
 to become daily holier and better men ; that our hands did 
 not join in deeds of iniquity, but were upraised to God our 
 Maker and Saviour. His firm conduct at his dying hour 
 reminds us forcibly of the bearing of those brave soldiers 
 who died in the persecution of Decius and Diocletian. I 
 hope to see my Conolly among them at the hour of Christ's 
 coming in glory. 
 
 I cannot speak more of Cawnpore, for it is embittered to 
 my memory, and shall pass on to Lucknow. Here I was in- 
 troduced to the king of Oude, and his Majesty gave me ten 
 thousand rupees, one thousand pounds sterling. With this 
 money I repaid to John Hookham Frere, who lately resided at 
 Malta, my excellent deceased friend, the sum of five hundred 
 pounds, which he had generously advanced to me to defray 
 the expense of my mission. 
 
 His Majesty said he would appoint a day for the mullahs 
 to hear my faith discussed. I held disputations with several 
 Mussulmans of the Sheah persuasion, and lectured here on 
 the prophecies of the second coming of our Lord. 
 
 On February the 2nd, in the presence of the king, clothed 
 in royal robes with a crown on his head, I entered into my 
 appointed disputation with the mullahs. Major Low, and my 
 most beloved friends Sir Jeremiah and Lady Bryant, were 
 there also. I cited, in proof of my belief, the fifty-third 
 chapter of Isaiah. All the mullahs opened their Bibles, and I 
 stated the argument for the Trinity. A discussion took place 
 on the twenty-first chapter of Isaiah, whence, to my astonish- 
 ment, they attempted to show from the " burden on Arabia " 
 the mission of Muhammed. This is erroneously translated in 
 the Arabic Bible, " prophecy on Arabia." I proved to them, 
 however, that it meant a prophecy predicting a calamity to 
 Arabia. This of course settled the question.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 21 
 
 I must here fully state my hearty conviction the result of 
 the experience of more than twenty years of travels of the 
 immense utility of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The 
 Word of God would have been entirely extinct among the 
 Eastern Christians but for that Society. Its copies are in the 
 hands of mullahs of all denominations, not only in Asia, but 
 even in the deserts of Turkistaun. The agents they employ 
 are excellent men ; I only need mention the Rev. H. Leeves, 
 at Athens, and Benjamin Barker, Esq., at Mytilene, the capi- 
 tal of Lesbos. It is utterly absurd to say that all benevolent 
 societies are to be under the direction of bishops ; even the 
 Church of Rome, in her powerful discipline, has never follow. 
 ed this plan, that all benevolent societies are necessarily to 
 be placed under episcopal control, nor does the Church of 
 Armenia. We have hospitals without bishops, why should 
 not the Word of God be circulated by the layman or the 
 presbyter ? I thank God that there is also a Society for Pro- 
 moting Christian Knowledge, which does not give only the 
 Bible, but also the Liturgy of the Church of England ; for 
 neither the Jews nor the Muhammedans are without a litur- 
 gy. And it is a most important feature to show the agree- 
 ment of the Church of England with other forms of faith in 
 this particular. I confess I should also like to see a society 
 of the Church of England, which should give to the world a 
 systematic theology, both doctrinal and practical ; and such a 
 system ought to have the sanction of all the bishops, as well as 
 the learned presbyters of the Church of England : of this I 
 should like to see a transcript in every language, and circu- 
 lated to the four winds. 
 
 I had also a dispute, in writing, with Ameer Sayd Ahmed 
 Mujtehed of the Sheahs, at Lucknow ; but it is too long for 
 me to insert in this brief abstract of my former Indian con- 
 nexion, which led to my intimacy with Captain Conolly, and 
 to my second journey to Bokhara. 
 
 From Lucknow I passed to Benares, the holy city of India :
 
 22 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 whoever dies there will obtain Inokshu, ' absorption into the 
 Deity. 1 I consider this is little better than the comfortable 
 system of Nirwana, or 'annihilation,' of the Buddhists, who 
 hold in a final state of annihilation of all things. This is the 
 ultimate boon offered by a faith embraced by the largest por- 
 tion of the East, thank Heaven, not of the world, for the 
 Christians now outnumber any other denomination. 
 
 This is the case with the spiritualizers in the Christian 
 church : they have an unscriptural, unprophetical, unnatural 
 dislike to hear of any thing but Nature's doom and Nature's 
 death. Nothing will satisfy them but that the world, animate 
 and inanimate, once happy but for a single day, should draw 
 its penance onwards to the utmost longevity of miserable age, 
 and then sink into annihilation. The ghosts of the Lamas 
 of Thibet, who move about in the air, are the sisters of the 
 forms visible in their shadowy Paradise. I do expect to rule 
 over a renovated earth, purified and redeemed, and inhabited 
 by living creatures in flesh and blood, and though in flesh 
 and blood, redeemed from Satan, sin, and death. If a phan- 
 tomizing system is spirituality, the Buddhists at Lassa, the 
 SoofFees at Shiraz, and the Hindus at Nadown, might claim 
 analogous influences. 
 
 The Hindu writings contain no reference to Jesus in the 
 sacred books. I need scarce particularize the feelings with 
 which, after various wanderings, I lectured in Henry Mar- 
 tin's pulpit at Dinapore. At Giyah, famous for its Hindu 
 pilgrimages, I explained the Gospel in Persian to Hindus 
 and Muhammedans. 
 
 At last the kind Bishop of Calcutta received me in his 
 house on the 22nd March, 1833. Again I experienced in 
 this city the splendid hospitality of Lord and Lady Wm. 
 Bentinck. I lectured to about twelve hundred persons in the 
 town-hall. The Baptist missionaries, Marshman and the 
 veteran Carey, welcomed me gladly also, and invited me to 
 their splendid and unique establishment at Serampore.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 23 
 
 From Calcutta I passed to Masulipatam, whence I visited 
 Hyderabad. While there, the inquiries were proceeding with 
 respect to the Thugs, and I believe that I first laid a com- 
 plete statement of that question before a British public. As 
 the story of these monsters, exhibiting a totally new form of 
 crime, is now fully known in this country, this wholesale 
 murder and theft system, I shall not here enter into it. On 
 my journey from Hyderabad to Madras, I was attacked with 
 cholera the instant I entered the bungalow of Mr. Bruce of 
 Nellore, at Ramapatam. It was accompanied by cramp and 
 dysentery. With no European near me, I commended my 
 soul to God. My hands and feet became convulsed, but 
 I felt peace in Christ amid all my sufferings. I prayed to 
 Him to send me relief, and I had scarce done so before a voice 
 exclaimed near me, in English, " I see you have the cholera 
 morbus : my husband died of it two months ago." The per- 
 son who spoke was a half-Indian, or, as she called herself, in 
 humility, a half-caste, the wife of a serjeant of Vellore, of 
 the name of Gillespie. She gave me a whole bottle of brandy 
 with two hundred drops of laudanum, and other remedies.* 
 These remedies of my female mediciner stopped the vomiting 
 at intervals. Dr. Cooper, sent by Mr. Bruce, arrived next 
 morning ; he gave ine warm water with salt, and twice, forty 
 grains of calomel ; this stopped the vomiting for two hours. 
 He asked me whether I would submit to his putting a hot 
 iron on my stomach. I said, " Yes." He branded me three 
 times, and, God be praised, it stopped the cholera morbus 
 entirely. Four days I remained there ; on the fifth I was 
 carried to Nellore, where I remained twenty days in a critical 
 
 * The kindness of this woman, and others, convinced me that it is too 
 harsh an assertion to affirm the general depravity of the half-Indians. There 
 are generous and noble-minded people among them, and surely it must 
 be the interest of a great and powerful empire like our own to efface all 
 offensive expressions, giving an infamy skin deep only to a high-minded 
 and well-educated and numerous class of its subjects. The Governor-general 
 now receives all distinctions of colour at his table. The mei'chant-princes of 
 Prophecy ought, undoubtedly, to efface all such odious appellations.
 
 24 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 state from bilious fe^er. After this I attempted to proceed in 
 a palanquin to Madras, but at forty miles from Nellore I was 
 attacked with a violent spasm, which obliged my bearers to 
 carry me on their shoulders to a native bungalow. Here 
 Mr. Prendergast, the sub-collector, found me, and dear Dr. 
 Cooper came a second time to assist me. After four days, I 
 reached Madras. I recovered sufficiently to lecture there at 
 St. Thomas on the Mount, a spot where it is believed that 
 St. Thomas the Apostle suffered martyrdom : so says Eastern 
 tradition and many Fathers of the church. 1 saw here Dr. 
 Roller, the fellow -labourer of Schwarz. He was eighty-five 
 years of age. 
 
 I left Madras August 31st, 1833, and, after various move- 
 ments, arrived at Trichinopoly. Here I found a hundred 
 and fifty native Christians, observing caste, but relinquish- 
 ing it at the Lord^s table : and here I received an invitation 
 from the most famous missionary of the East, the Rev. Mr. 
 Rhenius, of Palamcottah, more enterprising, bold, and 
 talented than Schwarz himself. The number of Hindus to 
 whose conversion he has been instrumental, amounts to twelve 
 thousand. I cannot express the satisfaction I felt at the 
 immense progress he was daily making under my own eyes 
 among the Hindus. I lectured to them ; Rhenius and 
 Shaffter, his fellow-labourer, interpreted, for I did not under- 
 stand Malabar, and they could not understand Persian. 
 
 I must reluctantly pass much, and go on to Cochin, which 
 I was anxious to reach from its well-known Jewish popula- 
 tion. I found there black and white Jews celebrating the 
 feast of Tabernacles. Those that are called black Jews are 
 people who became Jews of their own accord at Cranganore, 
 and in other parts of the country, of black and half-black 
 colour. For this reason, the white Jews do not intermarry 
 with them. They have neither priests nor Levites, nor 
 families, nor relations on foreign coasts : they are only found 
 in the Malabar coast. They observe the law as white Jews
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 25 
 
 do. They are most numerous at Cochin. Many of the black 
 Jews, however, assert that their ancestors became Jews when 
 Haman fell, and affirm (though the white Jews deny it) that 
 they were there when the white Jews came to Hindustaun. 
 They consider themselves as slaves to the white Jews, pay 
 them yearly tribute and a small sum for the circumcision of 
 their children, and for permission to wear frontlets in prayer 
 time. They do not sit down with the white Jews, nor eat 
 with them. In this they resemble the Americans in the 
 United States, who do not eat with the negro population. 
 The immorality of the white Jews of this place was frightful. 
 I met among them a Polish Jew, a man of extraordinary 
 talents, possessing almost more than the immense facility of 
 his countrymen in general in the acquirement of language. 
 He knew eighteen languages. 
 
 I pass intermediate spots and come to Goa, the scene of 
 the labours of the great Francis Xavier. Here around, in 
 all directions, with overflowing eyes I saw the cross of Christ 
 Christian churches, and the idols of Hindustaun displaced. 
 The Augustinian convent here is a highly valuable insti- 
 tution. They spoke nobly of Buchanan and his undaunted 
 behaviour before the Inquisition. They condemned it, and 
 agreed with me that our government did right to suggest its 
 abolition in 1810. All their books came from Lisbon. There 
 had been Jews at Goa, they told me, until they were exiled 
 by the Inquisition. The Portuguese viceroy of Goa, Don 
 Manuel de Portugal Castro, corresponded with me on various 
 matters, and expressed his high satisfaction at my labours; 
 he was a nephew to Don Pedro : as did also the government 
 secretary, Nunez. The Jesuits were suspected of having 
 removed the body of Francis Xavier, which was carried 
 there from China, (for he died in China,) at the time of 
 their departure ; but it was not so, since, on the inspection 
 of the tomb, the body of that approved servant of God was 
 still found within it.
 
 26 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Proceeding on my journey I came to Poonah, where I 
 arrived on November 21st. I went with the learned mis- 
 sionary of the Scotch Missionary Society, Mr. Stevenson, 
 among the Beni Israel, children of Israel, living at Poonah. 
 They are totally distinct from the rest of the Jews in Europe 
 and Hindustaun. Soon after the destruction of the first 
 Temple, they came in seven ships, they say, from Arabia 
 to Hindustaun, where they have since forgotten their law, 
 but continue to repeat in Hebrew certain prayers which they 
 have learnt from the other Jews; they also read the Pen- 
 tateuch, but without understanding the language. They 
 have synagogues, but they have not, like the rest of the 
 Jews, the Sepher Torah, or, in other words, the Pentateuch 
 written on parchment. They say, " As we are soldiers, and 
 do not keep the law, the Sepher Torah may do us harm if 
 it stands in the midst of us." They serve as soldiers in our 
 armies, and are esteemed the best native troops. They are 
 far superior in morality to the Jews of Cochin. They have, 
 however, in their houses Hindu idols, and seem to trust in 
 charms and amulets. This is a curious and literal fulfilment 
 of the prophecy in Deuteronomy xxviii. 36 : " And there 
 shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 11 I questioned 
 them about Jesus : they repeated the current Jewish objec- 
 tions, but did not possess any original views. The Beni 
 Israel amount, around Bombay, to nine thousand two hun- 
 dred and fifty souls. 
 
 I reached Bombay on November 20th, and was received 
 very kindly by Lord Clare, Archdeacon Carr, the Rev. Dr. 
 Wilson, Mr. James Farish, and others. I preached here to 
 many, and especially to the Beni Israel. I went one day 
 while here with that champion of our faith against Muham- 
 medans, Parsees, and Hindus, the Rev. John Wilson, D.D., 
 who may be called the missionary to the Hindu philosophers, 
 to see a Fakeer celebrated for his austerities. The nails of 
 his hands were grown into and through his cheek. He was
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 2*7 
 
 lying in the sun. I asked him, " How can one obtain the 
 knowledge of God?" His answer was, "Do not ask me 
 questions: you may look at me, for I am a god." I have 
 no doubt he thought that he had attained, like Roman 
 saints, to limits beyond mortality ; but how sad was the fact, 
 that the penance which he thought had thus elevated, had in 
 reality proportionately depressed him, since the Supreme mea- 
 sures man by his practical might, founded on Gospel truth, 
 and not by his theoretical visions, based upon nothing. 
 
 At Bombay I called with Dr. Wilson on Daood Captan, a 
 captain in the Bombay native army, a person of immense 
 obesity. He was of the Beni Israel. He was very much 
 prejudiced against me, believing me to be a magician, and 
 capable of making proselytes to Christianity by forbidden 
 arts. He, with the rest of his people, believed that I had 
 raised the dead from their graves. On my calling on him, 
 he was shaking his fat sides from sheer alarm. On my an- 
 nouncing myself as Joseph Wolff, and requesting him to 
 show me the synagogue, he rudely said, " No, I shall not 
 show it you, for you are a magician." I then muttered 
 something mysteriously to myself, and motioning with my 
 finger, I said to him, " Daood Captan, you are too fat." 
 He grew alarmed, and, fearing the fascination of the Evil 
 Eye, said, " Sir, sir ! let my fatness alone." I then said, 
 " Show me your synagogue." He complied immediately. 
 
 Hence I passed to Mocha. The high-priest at Sanaa has 
 the title of Ab-Beth-Din < Father of the Court of Law. 1 
 Sixty years ago there was a curious disputation among the 
 Jews of Sanaa. They thought that they could ascertain 
 their genealogy, and that they were in possession of ancient 
 documents to prove this; and a dispute arose among them 
 who was to be greatest. They listened, however, to the wise 
 counsel of Shalom Ben-Ahron, their Nassi, and Rabbi Ya- 
 hyah Salekh, their Ab-Beth-Din, to destroy their genealogies. 
 The whole congregation of Sanaa rose as one man, burnt
 
 28 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 their genealogies, and exclaimed, " Peace ! peace for ever in 
 Israel." 
 
 I pass my adventures at Loheyah, Massowah, and Jiddah, 
 where I met with the raving St. Simonians. As a proof of 
 the accuracy of their theology, I need only add, that I saw 
 a tract written by a St. Simonian to the Jewish ladies, in 
 which he addressed them in the following manner : " Read 
 the prophecies of Solomon," (who never wrote prophecies,) 
 " and your book of the Prophet Baruch in the Hebrew 
 tongue," (which does not exist in Hebrew). In Jiddah it is 
 said the mother of mankind lies buried : outside the gate of 
 Jiddah they show the tomb of Eve. Jiddah is an Arabic 
 word, and means grandmother, namely, Eve. Jiddah con- 
 tains sixty thousand inhabitants. It is the great passage 
 town to Mecca, and seventy-two thousand pilgrims go thi- 
 ther annually: if the number be less, the angels fill up the 
 vacancies, according to Muhammedan tradition. Every pil- 
 grim casts seven little stones at the devil, and sixteen against 
 the devil's two children. The reason of this hard usage of 
 the children is not very apparent. 
 
 From Jiddah I embarked for Suez, after I had visited 
 Cairo, and went thence to Alexandria. I arrived from thence 
 at Malta, on March the 20th, 1834. There I remained the 
 greater part of 1834 and 1835, preparing my travels from 
 1831 to 1834 for publication.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 2<J 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Embarks from Malta for England, March 1835. Leaves England for 
 another Mission, October 1835. Proceeds to Malta Alexandria 
 Rosetta Cairo. From Cairo to Mount Sinai. Monastery of St. 
 Catharine Trappist M. J. de Geramb. March 29th, 1836, at Tor 
 thence to Suez. Embarks for Jiddah. Proceeds to Mosawah on the 
 African coast. Adventures in Abyssinia Languages, Chronology, and 
 Religion of that Country. Zaasega Tigre Axum Gondar Mount 
 Senafe Mount Halay. Return to Jiddah. Jeisaun Beduins. Beni 
 Hobab. Shereef Aboo Mesameer his Cruelty. Loheya. Ibrahim 
 Pasha. Saneef. Proceeds to Sanaa. Meets with the JRechabites 
 their kind treatment of him. Saves the Caravan from being pillaged. 
 Jews o/ Yemen. Sanaa beaten by the Wahabites. Reaches Mocha 
 attacked with Typhus fever. Embarks for Bombay proceeds thence 
 to the United States of North America. New York enters the 
 Anglo-catholic Church ordained Deacon by Bishop Doane. Indians 
 not proved to be Descendants of the lost Ten Tribes. Leaves New 
 York, 2nd of January, 1838. Arrives in England receives Priest's 
 Orders of the Lord Bishop of Dromore takes the Incumbency of 
 Linthwaite, Yorkshire. 
 
 IN March, 1835, I embarked for England in the Firefly, 
 where I staid till October ; but returned to Malta by the 19th 
 for another missionary tour. The first place that I arrived 
 at was Alexandria. There I met, among numerous other 
 individuals, my old friend the celebrated Boghos Youssuf 
 Bey, the Armenian, the prime-minister to Muhammed Ali. 
 Mr. Salt saved him in the very nick of time, for Muhammed 
 Ali had bagged him ; he was already in the sack, with safe 
 orders for a sufficient allowance of Nile water for the re- 
 mainder of his life, when the order was countermanded, and 
 by the wonderful vicissitudes of oriental fortunes, he became 
 the prime favourite of the Pasha.
 
 30 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I passed thence, via Rosetta, to Cairo, where I took into 
 ray service an Armenian from Tiflis, a most consummate 
 rascal, Bethlehem by name, who had been in the employ of 
 Oubia, the chief of Simean and Tigre in Abyssinia. Of this 
 worthy, Oubia, the interesting work of Major Harris on Shoa 
 gives a good account. This fellow Bethlehem promised to 
 carry me through Abyssinia on his head. He had been sent 
 by Oubia to procure an Aboona from the Kopts ; but the 
 Kopts would not send one without the usual fee of six 
 thousand dollars. By the way, Monsieur Fresnel, a gentle- 
 man of high oriental acquirements, whom I met there, had 
 married an interesting girl, that I learnt, to my astonishment, 
 was once of the Galla tribe. The chief rabbi of Cairo came 
 this time to see me. He told me, at the beginning of his ad- 
 dress, that my having been ten times in Egypt with the same 
 leading object, proving Jesus to be the Messiah, had cer- 
 tainly produced an effect upon them, for it looked both like 
 pertinacity and sincerity. They received the exposition of 
 my views most kindly ; but the rabbi said at the last, that his 
 nation would only be convinced by the actual presence of 
 Jesus in glory. 
 
 I left Cairo on the 10th of March, and on the ] 6th set out 
 for Mount Sinai for the second time. On the 18th I reached 
 Khorandal. The Beduins received me most cordially. Sheikh 
 Hassan introduced his wife to me, that I might bless her, for 
 she was barren. He told me he had married four wives, and 
 divorced three for this cause, but this one he sincerely loved. 
 She, however, often threatens him that she will tear out his 
 beard if he takes another wife. I next visited the convent on 
 Mount Horeb, the monastery of St. Catherine. They all re- 
 ceived me well. This time I noted in the ' Book of Strangers ' 
 the following lines, written by the celebrated Trappist Ge- 
 ramb : " I arrived here, Feb. 25th, 1833, at the convent of 
 Mount Sinai. On the 28th I lay with my face in the dust 
 on the holy mountain. The Eternal, in his mercy, gave to
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 31 
 
 Moses, the most ancient of historians, the sublimest of phi- 
 losophers, and the wisest of legislators, this law, the necessary 
 foundation for our own. Quitted March 3rd. Marie Joseph 
 de Geramb." 
 
 March 29th, 1836, I proceeded thence to Tor. I must not 
 omit to mention that I received at Mount Sinai the promised 
 book of Johannes Stauros, a Jew from Bulgaria, converted to 
 Christianity. I read it with great delight ; and I perceived 
 that he, like myself, held in a personal reign of Christ. It is 
 also very remarkable, that the monks who had read the book 
 were quite prepared for my view of the question, and them- 
 selves entertained it after having carefully read the book. 
 They remarked to me that the 3rd chapter of Habakkuk was 
 a prophecy predicting the final coming of Christ in glory ; 
 and they read with great enthusiasm the words, " God came 
 from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. 
 His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his 
 praise. Before Him went the pestilence, and burning coals 
 went forth at his feet. He stood, and measured the earth : 
 He beheld, and drove asunder the nations ; and the everlast- 
 ing mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow." 
 The superior struck the earth with great animation, exclaim- 
 ing, " On this spot mighty events shall yet be seen." I cannot 
 endure the manner in which I hear travellers speak of this 
 Hospice of the desert. These monks are excellent people. 
 
 A mission for Arabs ought to be established upon Mount 
 Sinai. The missionary might either lodge in the convent of 
 St. Catherine, or in the village called Tor, the ancient Elim : 
 from thence he might make excursions to Akaba and Petra. 
 At Suez, also, a mission might be established. 
 
 I reached Suez on April the 6th, 1836, to embark there 
 by the Hugh Lindsay, expected from Bombay, for Jiddah. 
 While there, Koodsee Manoole, the British agent, at whose 
 house I resided, and several of the Greek priests, had inter- 
 views with me. Some of their strange traditions affected me
 
 32 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 much ; one was, that Satan was not convinced that Jesus was 
 the Son of God until he had seen the curtains in the Temple 
 rent, the sun darkened, and the earth convulsed. My ser- 
 vant, Bethlehem, in some discussions that took place about the 
 authority of councils, made a judicious remark on one, that 
 "for his part he could not profess himself wiser than three 
 hundred and eighteen Fathers of the church." One can 
 perceive by these remarks of the Eastern Christians, that they 
 have a high respect for ancient councils ; and of this we can 
 as little deprive them as we could the Lutherans of their 
 Augsburg Confession, the Church of England of her Thirty- 
 nine Articles, or the Kirk of Scotland of the Westminster 
 Confession . 
 
 I embarked in the Hugh Lindsay on the 6th May. Singu- 
 lar to say, Mr. Hugh Lindsay was my fellow-passenger in the 
 same ship, which bears his father's name, in 1834, when he 
 came from China : we reached Jiddah on May llth. I found 
 the Simonians infinitely wilder than on my last visit, advo- 
 cating a community of women, and that ships ought to be 
 manned with women. One Saint Simonian woman married 
 four Frenchmen at the same time ; and even the Turkish 
 governor was so scandalized, that he protested against such 
 abomination in one of their holy cities. Here I found a letter 
 from my interesting friend Dr. Charles Ovenden. He after- 
 wards proceeded to the camp of Khursheed Pasha, fell ill, and 
 on my return from Abyssinia I called on him in his last ill- 
 ness. He exclaimed, " God be praised, you are come ! Dear 
 Mr. Wolff, pray with me." I remained with him read to 
 him ; he expressed deep repentance for all his sins, gave me 
 the direction of his father in Enniskillen, and died. At 
 Jiddah I met the English travellers Messrs. Bayley and 
 Ormsby. I considered Mr. Ormsby an extremely sensible 
 gentleman. Here I found Hadara, an Abyssinian, and pro- 
 fited by his acquaintance to learn Amharic previous to 
 entering Abyssinia.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 33 
 
 1 left Jiddah for Mosawah, on the African coast, where I 
 arrived on the 30th May, 1836. Here they speak the purest 
 Ethiopic. The governor of this place told me that there are 
 four great Sheikhs in the world, as there are four quarters of 
 the world ; that every Sheikh had forty bodies. Thirty-nine 
 bodies go for nothing, with which he may commit every 
 crime ; but with the fortieth he must serve God. On quit- 
 ting Mosawah, my servant Bethlehem gave me to understand 
 that he was an Abyssinian gentleman, and could no longer 
 act as my servant, but as my escort. No help for this; so I 
 bore it patiently. 
 
 The 5th of June we reached Eylet, and thence proceeded 
 to a place inhabited by the Shiho. Our guide was the 
 nephew of the chief who governs the Arabs at Mosawah, 
 called Nayeb, (Lieutenant). Here Hadara fired at a wolf 
 which charged us, and he sheered off. Elephants wander 
 about here in great numbers : tigers, also, are not uncom- 
 mon. We ascended the mountains of Hamazien on the 7th, 
 and reached Asmara on the 9th. The customs of the Abys- 
 sinians are peculiar. Their churches resemble synagogues : 
 they are all round buildings. In the first and outer apart- 
 ment, the congregation sit and pray. There is another 
 smaller division, answering to the Holy of Holies, where the 
 priest enters. They kiss the door-posts on entering the 
 church, put off their shoes, and pray silently. The priests 
 are dressed in white, like the ancient Levites. When the 
 Abyssinian women grind meal, they make bare the leg and 
 the thigh, and have their children on their backs. Every 
 Abyssinian has but one legal wife granted to him by the 
 church; other women are concubines; nor is divorce allowed. 
 They baptize by immersion, and circumcise on the eighth day. 
 The 10th of June I arrived at Zaasega, where I met Hyloo, 
 the chief of the province of Hamazien, a young man of thirty. 
 His complexion was a brilliant black, and a most good-natured 
 smile played over his whole countenance. 
 
 D
 
 34 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Seven languages are spoken in Abyssinia. The Aboona is 
 the chief spiritual authority. He is always a Kopt, and sent 
 by the Koptic patriarch of Alexandria. He ordains priests 
 and deacons, and lives at Gondar; receives tithes from all 
 property, and his income is about 30,000 dollars. To my 
 utter astonishment, one day while I was conversing with 
 Hyloo and the priests and the people about religion, they all 
 shouted out, " He is our Aboon in disguise.' 1 They fell 
 down at ray feet, kissed them, and implored my blessing, and 
 desired me to spit at and upon them. I was compelled to 
 perform such an extraordinary sputation, that my throat was 
 completely dry. They compelled me to submit to have my 
 feet washed, and for them to drink the water of ablution. 
 Protestations were useless ; but as it is a crime for an Aboona 
 to smoke, I ordered my pipe and smoked. But even this 
 would not convince them ; they said it was a feint to deceive 
 them. Hundreds of cows were brought to me as a present, 
 and corn, milk, &c. : and so matters went on until we reached 
 Adwah. The people actually carried me on their shoulders. 
 
 The Abyssinians reckon from the creation of the world till 
 now, 1846 A.D., 7^36 years; and the present year would 
 stand in their reckoning 1838 A. D. The belief with regard 
 to a future state in the Abyssinian church is, that after death 
 there is a separate state of souls, the good in Paradise, the 
 evil in Sheol. After the coming of the Lord, the righteous, 
 they say, will be gathered to Him, the evil to Hinnom. 
 Adam and Eve were driven, they say, to a land called Feyt. 
 Enoch and Elijah are now hid in Paradise, and both shall 
 appear at the coming of the Lord. I inquired of their priest, 
 who had called on me, the Gebra Maskal, how men would be 
 saved? He replied, that one must first be baptized, and take 
 the sacrament at a certain age ; use confession to a priest, 
 give alms to the poor, and leave off all evil. 
 
 On June 18th I left Zaasega with three persons, Mueller 
 an excellent Swiss), Hadara, and Bethlehem. Hyloo gave
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 35 
 
 orders for a hundred sheep to be killed for us in passing- 
 through his country, but we received only two. At Zaft'a, 
 which we reached on the 19th, a fertile country thickly in- 
 habited, we heard the people praying in the Ethiopic tongue, 
 using a corrupt liturgy, full of invocations of Mary, angels, 
 and saints. My white appearance shocked excessively the 
 Abyssinian ladies : they called out when they saw me, " Woe 
 unto us ! woe unto us ! that this Kopt has appeared among 
 us, white as the devil himself" The priests, however, saluted 
 me as Aboon, and implored my blessing. I replied that I 
 was no Aboon. They exclaimed, " Whatever you are, bless 
 us. 11 I did so. Through Kooda Falassee and Kudus Mi- 
 chael Onamaty I was carried on the shoulders of the people. 
 The singular notion that the Abyssinians know how to change 
 themselves into hyaenas, I found very prevalent. The war- 
 rior chief, one of the finest looking men in Abyssinia, Ghebra 
 Amlak, the length of whose hair reminded me of Absalom, 
 came to me at midnight, and with tears implored my bless- 
 ing. I said, " I am not your Aboon." He replied, " I 
 know it, father; but bless me, for you are a servant of 
 Christ."" He and his soldiers carried me the next day over 
 rocks and mountains for an immense distance on their shoul- 
 ders. On July 23rd I saw the convent Kudus Gabriel. The 
 monks of Abyssinia have carefully kept up the memory of 
 their great queen, the Queen of Sheba, and Menelik, her son 
 by Solomon, from whom the royal houses of Shoa and Gondar 
 trace their descent. 
 
 June 24, 1836. We arrived at a plain called Marab, and 
 at a village named Behesa we found Oubia had been devas- 
 tating the country. Wald Raphael, the chief of this village, 
 supplied us with a goat. I demanded of him and his people 
 how they punished crimes ? They replied, by hanging, cru- 
 cifying, and stoning ; by the infliction of forty stripes save 
 one ; and the bodies of criminals were given to the beasts of 
 prey. I gave Wald Raphael three Amharic Testaments and 
 
 D 2
 
 36 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 a Psalter. The great saint of Abyssinia, Tekla Haymanot, 
 made such an impression on the Devil by his preaching, that 
 he actually became a monk forty years. " Cucullus non 
 facit monachum," is certainly true in this instance. Tekla 
 Haymanot stood forty years upon one place, praying, until he 
 broke his leg. Twenty-four elders, more modern traditions 
 say, surround the throne of God with censers in their hands, 
 and Tekla Haymanot is the twenty-fifth. He had six wings 
 like angels. 
 
 25th June we arrived at a beautiful village called Shahagee, 
 where my servant Bethlehem told me that, unless I disbursed 
 two thousand dollars, he would get me murdered. I instantly 
 dismissed him. 
 
 I arrived at Adwah, the capital of Tigre, June 26th, 1836, 
 where I met Gobat, the missionary. With him I determined 
 to return to Jiddah, for he was very ill. July 26th, I took 
 a dozen of Psalms and Testaments, and went with them to a 
 convent, Abba Kareema, five miles east of Adwah. Here re- 
 sided one hundred monks, with their superior. I observed 
 the scriptural usage here of pouring water over the hands. 
 The younger priest in a cottage, (for the monks dwell in cot- 
 tages, two by two,) poured water over the hands of the elder, 
 as Elisha did over Elijah. 
 
 August 5th, I visited Axum, the holy city of the Abys- 
 sinians, which even the Galla chief that had invaded the 
 country dared not enter, but dismounted from his steed and 
 fell on his face at the sight of it. It is the city of refuge 
 for all criminals. Rupell has given an excellent account of 
 this place. 
 
 The utility of convents in the middle ages is abundantly 
 apparent, since even the Vandals who invaded Europe never 
 approached those sacred places, from a reverence for their 
 sanctity. Thus did the monks transmit to us, by their own 
 immunity from surrounding evil, the sacred oracles. Much 
 effusion of blood is daily prevented by the monks in Abys-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA, 37 
 
 sinia, as it was by the Christian monks in the middle age, 
 and is also by the derveeshes of the Muhammedans. The 
 influence of the monastic character is very remarkable over 
 these periods. When the Swiss, in the time of the Emperor 
 Sigismond, were at variance, neither the bishop of Constance 
 nor the ambassadors of the Emperor were able to re-establish 
 peace. The diet was already on the point of dissolving, and 
 the cantons rushing to civil war, when suddenly the hermit 
 Nicholas Von der Flue, who passed by the name of Brother 
 Klaus, commanded peace in the name of Christ crucified, and 
 was instantly obeyed. No traveller could wander in Tiirk- 
 istaun, if the Khaleefa of Mowr would not take the defence- 
 less pilgrim under his protection. What could the great 
 Athanasius have done when flying from the fury of the 
 Arians, if he had not found an asylum in the Thebais among 
 the pious hermits who lived there under the directions of St. 
 Anthony, and made the deserts resound with doxologies to 
 the Son of God ? 
 
 The church is magnificent. Fifty priests and two hun- 
 dred monks reside around it. I circulated here gratis many 
 copies of the Psalms of David and the New Testament. 
 Pilgrims came to Axum from Shoa, Gojam, and all parts of 
 Abyssinia. Columns of immense size are standing at Axum, 
 and on my demanding who built them, they answered, Shem, 
 Ham, and Japheth. Of the kingdoms of Abyssinia, Shoa is 
 the best regulated : the report that reached me of our new 
 ally, Sahela Selassee, was, that he possessed great political 
 talents, and was beloved by his subjects. His country was 
 surrounded by the Gallas, with whom he preserved friendly 
 relations, and thereby prevented the invasion of his country 
 by the Amhara people. Gondar is the capital of this latter 
 kingdom. Here also exists a descendant of the house of 
 Solomon, but in great poverty, for his knights have divided 
 the country among them. Ras Ali, a Galla chief, plunders 
 Gondar at his pleasure.
 
 38 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Quitting Adwah on the 1st September, with Gobat and 
 his family, and Andreas Mueller and Hadara, I proceeded to 
 Mount Senafe, which I reached on the 10th. The Abys- 
 sinians were then celebrating their new-year's day, called 
 Kuddees Yohanna (Holy John), in commemoration of John 
 the Baptist. Women, men, children, and beasts are baptized 
 on that day. 12th September I reached Halay, the highest 
 mountain in Abyssinia, twelve thousand feet above the level 
 of the sea. 
 
 October 2nd I arrived at Jiddah. Gobat embarked for 
 Kosseyr, whilst I remained behind, as my services were no 
 longer required to protect him. Here I determined to set 
 out to see the Rechabites around Sanaa, previous to my 
 return to Abyssinia. Passing Lyt for the second time, where 
 my leaving a Bible on the tomb of a buried saint created such 
 terror through the whole country that the book was sent to 
 Mecca, I came, October 14th, to Confoodah, where I had a 
 most interesting conversation with the soldiers of the Pasha's 
 army, and Ahmed, an officer in that body, formerly a der- 
 veesh. When Ahmed demanded of me whether Saheb Ze- 
 maan (the Lord of the Age) must not arrive before Jesus at 
 his second coming? I replied, " Elijah the prophet shall first 
 come;" and should have continued the disputation, which had 
 already extended to some length, but for the drum beating to 
 muster. This coming of Elijah is denied by the greater part 
 of the Protestants. I refer for confirmation of my opinions to 
 Augustin, Treatise, iv. 1 ; John i. 20, " Art thou Elias ? 
 He answered, No." I view John as the forerunner of Christ 
 in one coming, Elias in another. John had the same Holy 
 Ghost as Elias, therefore stood in the spirit and power of 
 Elias. But as Elias must come, and as this is expressly 
 declared, it must be at the second coming. 
 
 October 19th we arrived at Jeisaun, a miserable bay for 
 ships, inhabited by Beduins. Here one of the Arab sheikhs 
 of the tribe of Hobab, brother-in-law of Moses, called on me.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 39 
 
 He knew Hebrew exceedingly well ; and even the Arabic 
 dialect of the children of Hobab is mixed with Hebrew 
 phrases from the book of Moses They observe outwardly 
 the Muhammedan law, but inwardly are attached to the law 
 of Moses. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact, that among all nations where reli- 
 gion is enforced by the civil law, sects will arise, who, if I 
 may so express myself, have two religions ; one outwardly 
 observed to avoid exclusion from civil privileges, and the 
 other the religion of the heart, and which they practise in 
 secret. Thus, for instance, the very Beni Hobab of whom 
 we have spoken, confirm this; the Shamseea (worshippers of 
 the sun), in Mesopotamia, outwardly profess Muhammedan- 
 ism, and in secret are worshippers of the sun. The Daoud- 
 dee, or the believers in the divinity of king David, among the 
 Bakhtyaree in Persia, the Georgians in Bokhara, though for 
 centuries resident there, inwardly are Christians, outwardly 
 Muhammedans. Full sixty thousand Jews in Spain are out- 
 wardly Roman Catholics, but regularly meet in secret, and 
 exclaim, " Hear, Israel ! the Lord our God is one Lord, 1 * 
 which expression forms their pass-word with each other ; and 
 I was struck with amazement to find even in the United 
 States of North America, that many of the Indians, especially 
 among the Cherookees, have adopted outwardly the Pro- 
 testant religion, in order, as they hope, to prevent Congress 
 from sending them further into the interior. 
 
 He informed me, that near Sanaa the other branch of the 
 children of Hobab were encamped, i. e., the Beni Arhab, 
 children of Rechab. A great number of their tribes came 
 down from the mountain Seir. They related to me the his- 
 tory of Moses, of his wandering in the deserts under the gui- 
 dance of Hobab, who at last refused to go further. "Do you 
 know," said they to me, " Moosa, the prophet of God ? The 
 peace of God be upon him ! Hobab, our father, was his 
 brother-in-law."
 
 40 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Shereef Ahmood Aboo Mesameer, of the tribe of Hobab, 
 governed in the mountain of the Aseer, for Jeisaun is at the 
 foot of the mountain. He punished criminals by putting a 
 nail in their forehead, and therefore received the name of 
 Aboo Mesameer, ' the father of nails.' I give one anecdote 
 as characteristic of the man. 
 
 One of the Banians, or Indian merchants, went one day, by 
 land, from Hodeydah to Aboo Areesh. He was attacked by 
 robbers, who said, "Give up your property. 1 ' He replied 
 ** I am in possession of dollars belonging to Ahmood Aboo 
 Mesameer." The robbers, fearful of being literally nailed, 
 left him untouched. 
 
 I proceeded thence to Loheya, and from thence to Ho- 
 deyda, a town that contains thirty thousand inhabitants. 
 Here were the head-quarters of Ibrahim Pasha, commander- 
 in-chief of Muhammed Ali's troops in Yemen. I do not 
 mean the son, but the nephew of the Pasha. With him I 
 held a very long religious discussion. Amongst other points 
 of our conversation, he advised me to direct my attention to 
 the conversion of Rothschild. 
 
 I had also here a long conversation with Muhammed Johar, 
 a learned gentleman, formerly governor of Hodeydah. The 
 Arabs of this place have a book called Seera, which treats of 
 the second coming of Christ, and his reign in glory. 
 
 I must not omit that, in a visit here to Ibrahim Pasha I 
 missed my way, and had nearly arrived at the harem of the 
 ladies. The Pasha laughed, and said, "I am astonished that 
 such an absent man as yourself should ever have found his 
 way to Bokhara." Hussein Effendi, the present governor of 
 Hodeydah, is the kindest Turk I have met with. I translated 
 to him The Fridolin and the Crows of Ibycus, of Schiller. 
 
 The heat here was intolerable. How this country got the 
 name of 'Araby the Blest,' I cannot conceive; uncultivated 
 lands, parched up with the burning heat, destitute of all 
 inhabitants, save mountaineers, are, in my opinion, most
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 41 
 
 unblest regions. All over Yemen there prevails the singular 
 expectation that a mighty man of Arhab, i. e. Rechab, will 
 arise and become the sword of Yemen. After passing nume- 
 rous spots I arrived, on the 26th November, at Beit Alfake, 
 where Muhammed All's officers had circulated the report that 
 his beard had become black again, a certain token, in their 
 notion, that he was to live much longer. 
 
 After this I came to Saneef. Its sheikh and inhabitants 
 are of the tribe of Naasraan, i. e. Christians, or Moonasera, 
 the Christianized. I requested to learn the history of their 
 tribe. They told me " a disciple of Jesus, Bulus, or Paul 
 by name, came to Yemen unto our ancestors, who had been 
 worshippers of idols, but afterwards became Naasraan,* 
 (Christians,) and therefore we have retained the name, though 
 we exclaim now, God, and nothing but God, and Muhammed 
 the prophet of God." Others told me that a certain Bandanos 
 (Pantaenos) came to Arabia, and converted the Arabs to 
 Christianity. I demanded, " Are there any Christians in 
 Yemen ? The sheikh replied, " All Yemen, with the excep- 
 tion of the Jews and the children of Rechab, exclaim, There 
 is God, and nothing but God, and Muhammed the prophet 
 of God." Paul says he went to Arabia, in Galatians i. 17. 
 
 I gave the sheikh a Bible, as he expressed a deep desire to 
 have one. Saneef is at the foot of the mountain of Borro, 
 inhabited by the tribe of Aram, mentioned in Genesis x. 23. 
 Its inhabitants are Wahabites. They desired Bibles, and I 
 gave some to them. 
 
 I left Saneef on November the 29th, and proceeded on the 
 road to Sanaa, which I learnt was besieged by the Rechabites. 
 Of course the caravan with which I was travelling ran no 
 small risk on this account. I therefore took a mule and went 
 on alone to Sanaa, desiring the chief of the caravan to wait 
 until he heard from me. As soon as I had passed Matna, I 
 
 * And besides this, many Arabs went to the pillar of Simon Stylites, and 
 he preached to them the Gospel; and thus it spread in Yemen.
 
 42 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 saw a swarm of the Rechabites rushing to me, exclaiming, 
 " Hoo, hoo, hoo !" Holding up my Bible, I stopped them at 
 once, and they shouted, "A Jew, a Jew !" We dismounted, 
 and, sitting down, I told them that I saw, twelve years ago, 
 one of their nation in Mesopotamia, Moosa by name. They 
 inquired, "Is your name Joseph Wolff?" "Yes," I 
 replied. They then embraced me. They were still in pos- 
 session of the Bible I gave to Moosa, twelve years before my 
 arrival in Yemen. 
 
 I spent six days with the children of Rechab, (Beni Arhab). 
 They drink no wine, plant no vineyards, sow no seed, live in 
 tents, and remember the word of Jonadab the son of Rechab. 
 With them were children of Israel of the tribe of Dan, who 
 reside near Yerim in Hatramawt, who expected, in common 
 with the children of Rechab, the speedy arrival of the Messiah 
 in the clouds of heaven. Neither party now offers sacrifice. 
 They requested me to remain among them, and teach them 
 the doctrine of the Messiah, as they called the Gospel, and to 
 marry one of the daughters of Rechab. The children of Re- 
 chab say, "We shall one day fight the battles of the Messiah, 
 and march towards (Kuds) Jerusalem." They are the 
 descendants of those whom the Muhammedans call Yehood 
 Khaibar, who defeated Muhammed in several battles; but 
 they were at last themselves defeated, for they had sinned, and 
 the Lord of Toor (Sinai) was not with them. I sent them to 
 the chief of the caravan to fetch about eighty Hebrew Bibles 
 and Testaments, which I gave them. One of their party, 
 Looloe, belonging to the powerful tribe of Hamdan, a friend 
 of the Beni Arhab, escorted me and the whole caravan safely 
 within the gate of Sanaa, where I entered in the month of 
 December. 
 
 Sanaa is called Uzal, (Gen. x. 27,) and exhibits a mag- 
 nificent spectacle to the eye. It is in a valley surrounded 
 by four mountains. The city has the loveliest of gar- 
 dens, which furnish pomegranates, grapes, and cherries. The
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 43 
 
 houses are of stone, four stories high, with terraces to walk on 
 in the cool of the day. Here they show us a very ancient 
 house in ruins, called Kaser Saum, the college of Shem, the 
 son of Noah. The Imaum, or prince, resides in a splendid 
 palace, built in a Gothic style resembling a fortress. He has 
 eight other palaces. Like the Deys of Tunis, and formerly of 
 Algiers, he seldom leaves his palace, and is always afraid of a 
 revolt of his soldiers. He received me very kindly, made me 
 a present of a shawl, a robe of honour, and twenty dollars, 
 for effecting the entry of the caravan. I regret to say he is 
 drunk from morning to night, and the Jews of Sanaa furnish 
 him with brandy and wine. He was sitting on a divaun when 
 I entered, surrounded by black slaves: he is completely 
 black, as black as a Beduin. He is a man of no talent or 
 energy. He invited me to stay at his palace ; but I declined 
 his offer, and took up my abode with the Banians, or mer- 
 chants from India. 
 
 Here I may as well notice the Jews of Yemen generally. 
 While at Sanaa, Mose Joseph Alkaree, the chief rabbi of the 
 Jews, called on me. He is an amiable and sensible man. 
 The Jews of Yemen adhere uniquely to the ancient interpre- 
 tation of Scripture in the passage Isaiah vii. 14, "a virgin 
 shall conceive ;" and they give to the nn^y the same interpre- 
 tation, virgin, that the Christians do, without knowing the 
 history of Jesus. Rabbi Alkaree asserted, that in Isaiah liii. 
 the suffering of the Messiah is described as anterior to his 
 reign in glory. He informed me that the Jews of Yemen 
 never returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonish captivity; 
 and that when Ezra wrote a letter to the princes of the cap- 
 tivity at Tanaan, a day's journey from Sanaa, inviting them 
 to return, they replied, " Daniel predicts the murder of the 
 Messiah, and another destruction of Jerusalem and the tem- 
 ple ; and therefore we will not go up until He shall have 
 scattered the power of the holy people, until the thousand two 
 hundred and ninety days are over." I demanded, " Do you
 
 44 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 consider these days to be literal days?" The Alkaree re- 
 plied, " No; but we do expect the coming of the Messiah, 
 from the commotions now going on in Yemen. We think he 
 begins to come from Teman, i. e. Yemen ; for you see the 
 tents of Cushan are now in affliction, and the curtains of Mi- 
 dian tremble. There is now war in the wilderness, unprece- 
 dented in our memory. There are twelve gates at Sanaa. 
 As soon as one of them, the Bab Alastraan, which is always 
 kept closed, is opened, we expect Him. Rechab and Ham- 
 dan are before it." I then expounded Isaiah liii., and read 
 him the holy history of Jesus. He said, " Your exposition is 
 in better agreement with the ancient interpretation : I ap- 
 prove it much more than that of our nation, which ascribes 
 the passage to Josiah." This kind Jew assisted me in the dis- 
 tribution of Testaments among his people. Sanaa contains 
 fifteen thousand Jews; in Yemen they amount to twenty 
 thousand. I conceive the total population of the Jews, 
 throughout the world, amounts to ten millions. I baptized 
 here sixteen Jews, and left them all New Testaments. 
 
 A fever seized me while at Sanaa. I left it, and slept the 
 first night with Sheikh Ali, of Looloe, of the tribe of Ham- 
 dan. We passed Matria. At K names, a band of the Waha- 
 bites, whom I mentioned above, rushed down from the moun- 
 tain, exclaiming, " The books you gave us do not contain the 
 name of Muhammed. 
 
 W. " You ought now, then, as the name is not in that 
 holy book, to come to some decision." 
 
 Wahabites. " We have come to a decision ;" and saying 
 this they horsewhipped me tremendously, and rode off, say- 
 ing, " This is our decision." 
 
 Joseph Ben Alnataf, a Jew, accompanied me hence to 
 Mocha. Numbers of soldiers came down from the mountains 
 to fight against the troops of Muhammed Ali. They de- 
 manded seventy dollars of me. 
 
 W. " I am an English subject."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4,5 
 
 Soldiers. " In Yemen we know not the name of an Eng- 
 lishman. In Yemen we know only Allah uaala ilia Allah, 
 u Muhammad Rasool Allah, (God, and nothing but God, 
 and Muhammed the prophet of God). For infidels we have 
 three things, tribute, death, and kalima (confession of faith)." 
 I yielded, and gave my last penny. 
 
 I reached Mocha, by the mercy of God, towards the end 
 of December, and set out again for Abyssinia, but caught a 
 typhus fever at Hodeydah, where its kind governor and 
 Monsieur Devaux for six weeks tended me most affectionately. 
 Finding myself too weak to recross Abyssinia, I embarked in 
 the Hugh Lindsay for Bombay. 
 
 I then recovered, and determined to set out thence to the 
 United States of America. A Swedish vessel, the Amalia, 
 received me. We stopped at St. Helena, where I lectured on 
 the second coming of Christ. The kindness of Major-general 
 Middlemore and all his family, and Colonel Trelawny, I shall 
 ever gratefully remember. I arrived in New York in the 
 month of August, 1837. Here I found myself surrounded 
 with a phalanx of friends, of all religious denominations. I 
 lectured in the Tabernacle on the personal reign of Christ, 
 and the restoration of the Jews. I was here introduced to 
 Bishop Doane, and arrangements were speedily made for my 
 reception into the episcopal church. Doctors Henderson and 
 Chapman examined me in ecclesiastical history, the Articles 
 of the Church, Hebrew and Greek, as well as natural theo- 
 logy and philosophy. By this worthy bishop of New Jersey 
 I was ordained deacon, and then preached at Philadelphia, 
 Washington, and Baltimore, repeatedly. On the motion of 
 John Quincy Adams, I received permission to give a lecture 
 in the Congress Hall, in presence of all the members of Con- 
 gress of both houses, the bishop of Virginia, and the clergy 
 and citizens of Washington. I had the same honour con- 
 ferred on me by the government of New Jersey and Penn- 
 sylvania.
 
 46 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 It will naturally be asked what I think of that extraordi- 
 nary question lately so much mooted in Europe and America, 
 and so much connected with my own researches, "Whether 
 the Indians spring from the Ten Tribes of the Dispersion?" 
 With respect to ancient tradition, the rule of Vincentius 
 Lirinensis, though not infallible, is one of the best criteria : 
 " What has always been believed, by all, and every where." 
 This is not traceable in the Indians. They have not at all 
 times and in all places, and all conjointly affirmed, " We are 
 the Ten Lost Tribes of the Dispersion." On the contrary, 
 they know nothing of any such tradition. I trace no remark- 
 able affinities in their language to lead to such a conclusion ; 
 nor are the rites among them, quoted as analogous to the 
 Jewish, sufficient to justify this conclusion. I am sure all 
 nations will be found connected with the Jewish, as the great 
 centre of spiritual worship. All rites will be found, in their 
 uses and abuses, to maintain somewhat of the great principles 
 inculcated in the Jewish law ; but I am not prepared, from 
 such grounds, the result of a common origin from the first 
 parents, to affirm them all to be necessarily descendants from 
 the lost tribes, because, in sooth, no other hypothesis suits 
 the reigning taste. 
 
 People who have a preconceived favourite system, try to 
 maintain it ad outrance, and think they see it realized when 
 nothing of the kind in reality exists. Worthy people in 
 America desired me to travel about with them, in order that 
 I might convince the Indians of their extraction from the 
 Jews ; but this was putting the argument the wrong way. I 
 wanted the Indians to convince me of their origin, and not to 
 aid in deluding them into this notion, as I perceived many 
 well-intentioned people did. I came among the Mohican 
 tribes near New York, and asked them " Whose descendants 
 are you ?" They replied, " We are of Israel."" I asked, 
 "Who told you so?" and expected to learn much ancient 
 tradition. To my great surprise they said, " Mr. and Mrs.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 47 
 
 Simons, of Scotland." I asked, " What did your ancestors 
 tell you about it?" " All our ancestors told us that we were 
 born under the earth ; and a woman among us looking out of 
 the earth, was taken hold of by a spirit: that spirit led us up 
 to the surface of the earth ; and there we lived in peace until 
 the white men came, by whom we were subdued." 
 
 Many of their customs, besides words in their language, 
 and their physiognomy, rather seem to me to betray a Tatar 
 race. Thus, for instance, they have the word kelaun, great, 
 which is also used in the same sense at Bokhara. They have 
 nine as a favourite number, which the Tatars also have. The 
 Turkomauns also play on a flute in a melancholy strain 
 around the tent of their beloved mistresses, and the Indians 
 adopt a similar fashion. 
 
 The Jews in America are of very recent origin, princi- 
 pally composed of emigrants from Germany, Poland, and 
 England. I regret to say they are mostly unbelievers in 
 their own law, and marry without distinction among Quakers, 
 Anabaptists, and other sects. There are honourable ex- 
 ceptions. 
 
 At New York I received a visit from Noah the Jew, so 
 well known for his love to Israel. The emigration of Roman 
 Catholics from the Austrian and German states was by thou- 
 sands at this period, 1838. The Leopoldine Society of Aus- 
 tria sent out numerous missionaries to America, to obtain 
 among its sectaries converts to the Roman Catholic faith. If 
 Romanism were successful, it would scarce be worse than the 
 mad folly of some of the sectarians of America, or the detest- 
 able perversions of Scripture of which they incessantly avail 
 themselves. There are thousands of Shakers in America ; 
 and when they are asked, Why do they turn about in a 
 circle ? you get as an answer, " Does not the Scripture say, 
 Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?" Ezekiel xxxiii. 11. The 
 Roman Catholics, however, have found opponents in America
 
 48 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 among the Episcopalian and Dutch communities, that have 
 more than out-matched them in disputations, confuting Ro- 
 manism on truly Catholic principles. Vituperation does the 
 Romanists good, and raises their cause ; but if the contro- 
 versy be confined to the great question, On what does a 
 church depend ? they are scattered easily. A church founded 
 on the authority of the Bible, and a church founded on her 
 own authority alone, the great distinctions between Roman- 
 ists and Anglo-catholics, need only clear exposition to show 
 which has the advantage. It is true, Rome has an authority 
 beyond what she claims; but as it is one which she rejects, 
 she is not entitled to the benefit of it in controversy. This is 
 the great question, the true authority of the church in Scrip- 
 ture. Collateral points may work into this, and become im- 
 portant to confirm it ; but this properly defined, as I believe 
 it to be in the Articles of the English church, duly and re- 
 verentially obeyed by its laity, rigorously followed out by 
 a practical energy, strong in proportion to the strength it 
 inhales from its nearness to the purest spring, this will, I 
 believe, yet produce, and certainly has even now in part 
 produced, a state of Christendom unparalleled in earthly 
 history. 
 
 I may say, without fear of any imputation of vanity, that 
 I have now seen and made myself acquainted with all the 
 branches of the Catholic Church, and with all the sects ex- 
 isting on earth ; and I have not shunned to &it at the feet of 
 the bishops in the Roman Catholic Church, in the Armenian 
 Church, in the Greek Church, in the Chaldean and Abys- 
 sinian Church, with Wesleyans, Independents, and learned 
 Baptists; and the result of my investigation is, that the 
 Church of England is the pearl of price and jewel of the 
 earth, and the mightiest master-piece of Bible illustration 
 which the world has witnessed since it fell under the yoke 
 of sin.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4Q 
 
 At Washington, I must not omit to mention the kindness 
 I received also from its distinguished president, Mr. Martin 
 Van Buren, that shrewd, clever, polished, and refined states- 
 man. In his drawing-room I gave a short lecture before 
 several members of the Congress. 
 
 I quitted New York on January 2nd, 1838, accompanied 
 to the vessel in which I embarked by numerous friends, and 
 arrived in England on January 28th. Instantly on my ar- 
 rival in England, in the Isle of Wight, I gave an account of 
 my missionary proceedings for eighteen years ; also at South- 
 ampton and London. Being introduced to the Marquis of 
 Anglesea, in whose house I dined and delivered a lecture, 
 his lordship recommended me to the Marquis of Normanby, 
 lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and to Archbishop Whately. The 
 University of Dublin conferred on me the degree of LL.D. 
 From America I received the degree of D.D. from the Pro- 
 testant Episcopal College of St. John's, Annapolis, Maryland. 
 I then received priest's orders in Ireland, by the Lord Bishop 
 of Dromore, in June 1838. Immediately afterwards I was 
 made honorary chaplain to Lord Viscount Lorton, and after 
 eighteen years' peregrination in the world, tired out, and en- 
 feebled in constitution, I contemplated now seriously settling 
 in England as one of the clergy of its national church, when 
 the Rev. Hugh Stowell, of Manchester, was kind enough to 
 procure me the situation of incumbent at Linthwaite, near 
 Huddersfield, Yorkshire, where I had the princely income of 
 twenty-four pounds per annum, collected by pew rents, and 
 no augmentation from Queen Anne's Bounty. Previous to 
 my arrival, the Pastoral Aid Society had given eighty pounds 
 to my predecessor ; but as I did not apply for it anterior to 
 my accepting the living, and as they said Lady Georgiana 
 had a sufficient income, they refused to give it to me. 
 
 Here I cannot but note, that the state of the British 
 church, according to Parliamentary returns in 1835, viz. of 
 

 
 50 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 nearly five thousand livings, or about one-half of the total 
 number of livings returned, viz. ten thousand four hundred 
 and seventy-eight, being under two hundred pounds per 
 annum, was a position of ecclesiastical matters that called 
 loudly for the attention of the Premier ; and I am pleased to 
 see that Sir Robert Peel directed the powers of his vigorous 
 intellect immediately to it. Disparity of incomes in any 
 church, want of promotion of deserving men, create a faint- 
 heartedness in its members that must prove deleterious to 
 the church's great interests.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Quits Linthwaite for the Curacy of High Hoyland. Hears of the Imprison- 
 ment of his friend Conolly at Bokhara. Writes to his Family, offering 
 to proceed thither in 1842. Leaves High Hoyland. Receives from his 
 Congregation a Testimonial of Respect. Puts a Letter in the Morning 
 Herald, July 1843, stating his willingness to go to Bokhara Captain 
 Grover replies to it. Dr. Wolff goes with his Family to Bruges. Cor- 
 respondence with Captain Grover. Arrives in England Interview 
 with Stoddart and Conolly Committee. Public Meeting convened 
 Address of Dr. Wolff Speech of the Chairman, Sir J. Bryant, detail- 
 ing former Intimacy between Dr. Wolff and Lieutenant Conolly. Em- 
 barks on the Mission October 14, 1843. Arrival at Gibraltar Charac- 
 ter of Bishop Tomlinson. Malta Athens Interview with the King 
 and Queen of Greece. Dardanelles. 
 
 BESIDES the smallness of income at Linthwaite, from the ex- 
 posed situation of the locality Lady Georgiana as well as 
 myself were constantly attacked with quinsy. I therefore, 
 after a stay of two years, took the curacy of High Hoyland, 
 near Wakefield, in 1840, with a salary from the rector, who 
 lived two hundred miles distant, a very worthy gentleman, 
 the Rev. Christopher Bird; and these were assuredly the 
 happiest of my days. I visited my poor people, and there 
 existed a mutual attachment between us. But our expenses 
 far exceeded our income ; we became involved in debt from 
 the necessity of the case ; and therefore the Lord Bishop of 
 Ripon, my worthy diocesan, wrote to the Bishop of London 
 to procure me a foreign chaplaincy. His lordship of London 
 promised to bear it in mind, and I left with regret my parish- 
 ioners in 1843. I received a testimonial of the respect enter- 
 tained to me by my congregation, conveyed by a piece of 
 plate, and we were about to settle at Bruges ; but previous 
 to my departure from High Hoyland, I offered myself to go 
 
 E 2
 
 52 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 to Bokhara to save Stoddart and Conolly. This offer was made 
 in 1842. I also tendered my services to go to Cabul, to save 
 the prisoners there ; but it did not appear at that moment 
 necessary. I then went to reside at Richmond in Surrey. 
 
 In July 1843, I put into the Morning Herald the follow- 
 ing letter : 
 
 PROPOSAL FOR THE LIBERATION OF COLONEL STODDART 
 AND CAPTAIN CONOLLY. 
 
 To all the Officers of the British Army. 
 
 Gentlemen, 13, Richmond Green, Richmond, July 2. 
 
 Though a missionary and a clergyman myself, and not an 
 officer, I do not take up my pen in order to excite your sympathy 
 in behalf of a clergyman or missionary, but in behalf of two of 
 your fellow-officers, Captain Conolly and Colonel Stoddart, who 
 are at present captives in the great city of Bokhara ; but having 
 been myself two months at Bokhara ; and knowing, as I do, the 
 character of the inhabitants of Bokhara, I am fully convinced that 
 the report of their having been put to death is exceedingly doubt- 
 ful, much more so by the source from which the report originated. 
 
 If, therefore, one of you, gentlemen, would be inclined to accom- 
 pany me to Bokhara, or merely pay the expenses of my journey, 
 I am ready to go there ; and I am fully confident that I shall be 
 able, with God's help, to liberate them from captivity, with the 
 assistance of my Turkomaun friends in the desert of Khiva, and 
 one of the derveeshes ; but I would undertake the journey without 
 making myself responsible to the British Government, and en- 
 tirely on my own responsibility. 
 
 I merely want the expense of my journey, and not one single 
 farthing as a compensation ; even in case of complete success. 
 
 I shall be ten days more at Richmond, Surrey ; if, therefore, 
 one of you brave officers is now ready to accompany me, or to 
 assist me in making the journey, let him come to me, and we may 
 talk over the matter more fully. 
 
 I am, Gentlemen, 
 
 Your humble servant, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF, 
 
 I.atf Curate of High Hoyland, Yorkshire, formerly Missionary 
 in Persia, Bokhara, and Affyhunistann.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 53 
 
 The next day I had a letter from Captain G rover, who in- 
 formed me that he would provide the requisite funds, and 
 would call on me the following day at Richmond. Not wish- 
 ing that Lady Georgiana should be made uneasy about my 
 intended journey to Bokhara until all was finally settled, I 
 determined, if possible, to anticipate Captain G rover's visit. 
 In consequence, immediately after breakfast I walked up and 
 down Richmond Green to intercept the captain, and to con- 
 verse with him before he saw Lady Georgiana. I soon per- 
 ceived a stranger looking anxiously about him, and on ad- 
 dressing him at a guess, found that he was Captain Grover 
 himself. We shook hands most heartily, and he immediately 
 told me that he had offered to proceed at his own expense to 
 Bokhara, and had been refused the only security for his safety, 
 he considered, viz. a letter from government, and the permis- 
 sion to wear his uniform. He wished me to proceed via Oren- 
 bourg, as he did not anticipate any cordial assistance from the 
 British government, who had in his opinion most unaccount- 
 ably abandoned the officers to their fate. He then told me that 
 he would make a national matter of it, if he could not get it 
 taken up, as he thought it ought to be, as a government ques- 
 tion. He stated his intention to call a public meeting, and 
 appoint a committee, which would enable him to communicate 
 more easily with the government, and to enforce all necessary 
 measures for my protection. 
 
 On communicating with Lady Georgiana, she felt reluctant 
 to my encountering the matter, and we went to Bruges to 
 await the issue of Captain Grover's efforts. The circum- 
 stances connected with these officers I found to be the fol- 
 lowing. Colonel Stoddart was on a direct mission from the 
 government to Bokhara ; Captain Conolly on a mission to 
 Khokand and Khiva, from the Indian government: and he 
 was further instructed to aid and assist Colonel Stoddart in 
 Bokhara, and had strict injunctions that Colonel Stoddart, in 
 his political capacity there, was empowered to claim his ser-
 
 54 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION. 
 
 vices at any period. After this, various communications took 
 place between myself and my friend Captain Grover, in which 
 he detailed the progress that he had made to carry out his 
 object, and he further published a small pamphlet, giving a 
 few clear and succinct details of the then state of the Stoddart 
 and Conolly question. This pamphlet of Captain Grover 
 drew public attention to the matter ; and then there appeared 
 an account of the death of both these officers in the paper, 
 on the authority of one Saleh Muhammed, who simply stated 
 what he had heard, but not what he had seen. This state- 
 ment had further the official guarantee of the signature of the 
 charge d'affaires at Teheraun, Colonel Sheil. This semi- 
 official statement produced no effect ; and on Captain Grover 
 communicating with me, with a view to ascertain what I 
 thought of that statement, I wrote to him the following letter, 
 which is here inserted as illustrative of the feelings and mo- 
 tives which influenced me in undertaking this journey : 
 
 My dear Sir, Bruges, August 27, 1843. 
 
 I read the statements of Muhammed Saleh in the Globe, 
 copied from the Times, two days before you were kind enough to 
 send to me the Times, and I confess that I doubt more than ever 
 the truth of the report of their having been put to death ; for if 
 such an event had taken place in the city of Bokhara, containing 
 a population of 180,000 inhabitants, he would not have heard 
 that story of their heads having been cut off by one of the execu- 
 tioners alone, but by the loud expressions of indignation of thou- 
 sands of the inhabitants ; but it. seems from the report of Saleh 
 Muhammed, that only one of the executioners made him ac- 
 quainted with the history. I say there would have been loud 
 expressions of indignation ; for having been myself two months at 
 Bokhara, I know that the person of a guest is considered as 
 sacred, and the mullahs, who are all-powerful at Bokhara, would 
 have deposed the Ameer. The mullahs of Bokhara themselves 
 told me, that if the Ameer Almoomeneen (this is the title of the 
 prince) suspects a person strongly, he either gets him poisoned 
 secretly distant from Bokhara, or strangled, for they do not cut 
 off heads with a knife. Beside these considerations, allow me to
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 55 
 
 give you the following account of my own journey to Bokhara 
 in 1831. 
 
 When I arrived the second time at Teheraun, in July 1831, 
 (for I was there the first time in 1825,) I called on my old friend 
 Khosrow Khan, to whom I had heen introduced in 1825 by Sir 
 Henry Willock and Sir John Me Neill. He (Khosrow Khan) sent 
 immediately for a Persian merchant who was very well acquainted 
 with the state of Bokhara, and had just arrived from thence ; and 
 the following dialogue took place between that merchant and 
 myself in the presence of Khosrow Khan. 
 
 After Khosrow Khan, who was one of the ministers of Fut 
 Allah Shah, had informed that merchant of my plan to go to 
 Bokhara, he (the merchant) turned to me, and said, 
 
 " Name tuwanee berawee," i.e. Thou canst not go. 
 
 W. "Tshera?" i.e. Why? 
 
 Merchant. "As soon as you arrive in Khorassaun, the Turko- 
 mauns, who are cursed Sunnees, and therefore invade Khorassaun 
 (the inhabitants of which are good Sheahs,} in order to make 
 slaves of the Khorassanee, will certainly make a slave of you ; 
 and if you should succeed to come as far as Sarakhs or Merve, 
 the Turkomauns would put you to death the first moment you 
 should arrive there. And even if you were to arrive at Karakol, 
 
 there the governor, another Harram Zadeh (son of a ) of a 
 
 Sunnee, would receive you in the kindest manner, and then give 
 secret orders to have you drowned in the <d.mmoo (Oxus), and the 
 greatest misfortune for you would be to arrive safely at Bokhara ; 
 for Moorcroft, Guthrie, and Trebeck Sahib, after they had given 
 thousands of rupees to Ameer Behadur, have been put to death 
 openly at Bokhara by his express orders." 
 
 However I, undaunted, proceeded to Bokhara. It is true that 
 I was made a slave in Khorassaun, but not by the " cursed Sun- 
 nees," i.e. the Turkomauns, but by the banditti of Muhammed 
 Izhak, Khan of Torbad Hydarea, people of Khorassaun, and of 
 the sect of Sheah, who made slaves of me and ten companions of 
 mine, all of them Sheahs, made slaves by their own co-religion- 
 ists, with the design of selling us to the Turkomauns ; but the 
 very fact of my being an English subject was not only the cause 
 of my own liberation, but of all the Sheah slaves of Torbad, where 
 a regular slave-market existed, and where every year hundreds of 
 Sheahs were sold by the above-mentioned Sheah Khan ! The
 
 56 
 
 Turkomaun chiefs who were at that time at Torbad, declared me 
 to be their mehmoon (guest), for whom they would go thousands 
 of miles to give their lives for me. They sent the Arabic Bibles 
 I gave to them to their mullahs at Sarakhs and Khiva, declared 
 me to be the forerunner of the Muhdee and Jesus, and desired 
 my blessing. 
 
 After my arrival at Meshed, the capital of Khorassaun, the Sheah 
 merchants, and the Sheah mullahs of Meshed, again assured me 
 that Moorcroft, Guthrie, and Trebeck had been publicly put to 
 death, and at Bokhara. On my arrival among the Turkomauns 
 in the desert of Sarakhs, I lodged with the Jews, but the wild 
 sons of the desert paid me every respect ; even their mullah, who 
 had got the Bible which I gave when at Torbad to the Turkomaun 
 Sayd Neyaas, came and asked from me the fatkha, blessing! I 
 fixed on their tents public proclamations, announcing to them the 
 second coming of Christ in glory and majesty, called on them to 
 repent of their evil doings, and especially exhorted them to give 
 up the practice of making slaves of the Persians. I remained 
 among them twenty-two days, and so far from their attempting to 
 put me to death, I had every morning numbers of Turkomauns 
 demanding my blessing, which I granted on condition of their 
 giving up the occupation of tshapow, i. e. slave-making. I then 
 set out with one single Turkomaun from Sarakhs to Morvr, and 
 Bokhara ; was not murdered in either of those places, though it 
 was predicted by the merchant at Teheraun. The governor of 
 Karakol gave me, according to the custom of the country, bread 
 and salt to eat, and tea mixed with salt, and horse-flesh beside, 
 and was far from disposed to give the order to drown me in the 
 Ammoo, or Oxus. On my arrival at Bokhara, notwithstanding 
 that a Jew there, Elias by name, who knew me at Bagdad, be- 
 haved very hostilely towards me, on account of his knowing that 
 I came to convert them, and declared me openly before numbers 
 of the inhabitants to be a Russian spy, I was treated with the 
 greatest hospitality : and there I learned, to my astonishment, that 
 neither Moorcroft, nor Guthrie, nor Trebeck, had been put to 
 death at Bokhara. Moorcroft himself died at Ankhoy, not within 
 the dominion of the king of Bokhara, and he died of fever. 
 Guthrie and Trebeck died at Mazaur, governed by a khan who 
 is a rebel against the king of Bokhara, whom the Goosh-Bekee 
 (vizier) to the king of Bokhara told me that he strongly sus-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 57 
 
 pected had poisoned Guthrie and Trebeck. Now mark ! a few 
 days after my arrival there, the mullahs of Bokhara went in a 
 body to the Ameer, and said : " your Highness ! Joseph Wolff, 
 the Englishman who has arrived here, has informed your vizier 
 with frankness that the Persians had told him that we had put to 
 death Moorcroft, Guthrie, and Trebeck. His report agrees with 
 what we heard from others, that the rascally Sheahs have given to 
 the city of Bokhara, which is Kawat Islaame Deen, (Energy of 
 Islam,) the name of ' Murderer of Guests,' who are considered 
 sacred by us. We must therefore treat Joseph Wolff, and every 
 English traveller after him, with the highest regard and respect, 
 and give him money if he wants it, in order that he may give a 
 real statement of our dispositions towards guests, and our scrupu- 
 losity in the treatment of guests!" The Ameer replied: " By 
 my head ! Joseph Wolff must be treated well ; and he will soon 
 be convinced that the Guzl-Bash are liars!" and well treated I 
 was ; and I am now in possession of the passport. I was well 
 treated throughout the kingdom of Bokhara, and so was Lieu- 
 tenant Burnes, afterwards Sir A. Burnes. 
 
 It is true that I was stripped again afterwards, but not in the 
 kingdom of Bokhara, but fourteen days' distant from it, at 
 Doo-ab, near But-Bamian; not by the Sunnees, but by Sheahs, 
 who are by far worse than Sunnees. It is true that the expe- 
 dition to Affghanistaun may have caused a change of sentiments 
 towards the English, but this would only lead to a detention and 
 strict surveillance of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, not 
 to a violent murder of them ; and if it had led to such, why has 
 it never been confirmed by the Chekarpoore merchants at Tehe- 
 raun and the Jews of Meshed ? for the merchants in the caravan- 
 serai of Chekarpoore at Bokhara have continual intercourse with 
 the Chekarpoore merchants at Teheraun ; and those Chekarpoore 
 merchants of Bokhara, jealous as they are of English travellers, 
 certainly would have noised it abroad, if such a deed had been 
 perpetrated at Bokhara. I also forgot to add, that whilst I was 
 well treated at Bokhara, letters arrived from the Jews of Meshed, 
 stating that it had been currently reported at Meshed and Isfahan 
 that I had been put to death by order of the Ameer. 
 
 Now, having given you my reasons for disbelieving Saleh 
 Muhammed's account, I repeat again my willingness to proceed, 
 if all can be arranged by the 1st of October. I get letters after
 
 58 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 letters, making inquiries, as if they had to confer a personal 
 favour upon me ; whilst I wish to undertake the journey not for 
 my own pleasure, but from a sense of philanthropy. 
 Such being my motives, 
 
 I remain, yours truly, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 I trust my readers will not deem me too sanguine in consi- 
 dering the account of Saleh Muhammed, alluded to in this 
 letter, as false, since it afterwards turned out to be substan- 
 tially so ; or inconclusive in reasoning, in placing the story of 
 the death of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly on a simi- 
 lar basis, with respect to veracity, to that before us as to the 
 death of these English travellers, which also turned out to be 
 totally unfounded. I received, shortly after this, fresh com- 
 munications of the further progress of the mission on behalf 
 of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, and replied in the 
 following terms : 
 
 My dear Captain Grover, Bruges en Belgique, Sept. 4, 1843. 
 
 I am glad to learn that the project with regard to Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly seems to be on the fair way of 
 being realized. 
 
 It would not be the first time that I have been enabled to be of 
 service to others, even at the expense of my missionary proceed- 
 ings. In the year 1836, 1 intended proceeding to Timboktoo from 
 Abyssinia, but on my arrival at Adwa in Tigree, I found Mr. 
 Gobat the missionary very ill, and unable to return to Europe 
 with his wife and child ; I therefore renounced my plan of going 
 to Timboktoo, and brought Mr. Gobat and his family safely to 
 Jiddah. I fell ill after this myself, which obliged me to change 
 my plans altogether. The committee of the Church Missionary 
 Society thanked me for that act. 
 
 In the year 1821, when in the Isle of Cyprus, I saved the lives 
 of four priests, who were sentenced to be put to death ; and three 
 boys of the Greeks, whose fathers were put to death, were sent by 
 me to England. In 1821 I established the Mission at Jerusalem, 
 when all the friends at home thought it was impossible. 
 
 You may make use of these statements, in case that you think
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 59 
 
 they will be useful ; but pass them over with silence in case that 
 you deem it proper. 
 
 After I shall have been informed that five or six hundred 
 pounds have been paid into the bank of Messieurs Drummond 
 and Co., 49, Charing Cross, and a passport from Lord Aberdeen, 
 to the following purport, Itev. Joseph "Wolff, English Clergy- 
 man, travelling in Central Asia, shall have been given, accom- 
 panied with two letters, according to Lord Aberdeen's own pro- 
 mise, simply recommending me to the good offices of Sir S. 
 Canning and Colonel Shell, without involving Lord Aberdeen or 
 the ambassadors in any responsibility, I shall proceed instantly 
 from Bruges with Lady Georgiana to London, to see once more 
 my son, who is educated at Rugby ; but I shall only stay at Lon- 
 don till the first October packet sails for Malta from Falmouth. 
 Perhaps the Colonial Secretary would also give me a letter for the 
 governor at Malta, and the Admiralty for the admiral in the 
 Mediterranean. My missionary character has been a passport at 
 Bokhara in 1832, and also in other most dangerous places; and 
 I trust it will prove so again to me, and Stoddart and Conolly, 
 with God's help, in 1843. 
 
 Pray, after all is settled, ask from the Jews' Society one dozen 
 Hebrew Bibles and Liturgies for the Jews at Bokhara. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 I hope my readers will perceive my object in laying before 
 them a large mass of the correspondence antecedent to my 
 departure, since I trust it will produce this important result, 
 viz. the clear indication that my course and plan were well 
 and dispassionately weighed, and that no unseemly haste was 
 exhibited in my own conduct, or apparent in the proceedings 
 of any party. I continued to receive from Captain Grover 
 renewed assurances of the confidence entertained in the result 
 of my exertions, and I again wrote to him as follows relative 
 to a public meeting which it was his intention to convene : 
 My dear Grover, Bruges, Sept. 6, 1843. 
 
 I beg you to state frankly and openly to the ladies and 
 gentlemen of the meeting, that I am fully aware of the doubts en- 
 tertained with regard to Colonel Stoddart's and Captain Conolly's
 
 60 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 being still alive ; but at the same time tell them also, that nothing 
 has shaken my wish of ascertaining the fact with my own eyes; 
 and should they be dead, (which I trust is not the case, and have 
 reasons to doubt,) the people of Bokhara and their prince will be 
 struck with amazement and consternation, on their observing that 
 such interest is taken in England in the lives of their country- 
 men ; and it may have a great moral and religious influence 
 among them. When I set out in the year 1821 for the purpose of 
 preaching the Gospel at Jerusalem, all my friends, among whom 
 was that man of God, Mr. Simeon himself, thought it impossible ; 
 however, I went there and preached the Gospel, and, with God's 
 help, was thus the first cause which induced the Society for Pro- 
 moting Christianity among the Jews to send a permanent mission 
 there; and my going to Bokhara the second time may thus lead 
 to other results. Let us show to Muhammedans that Christians 
 love each other so much, that they are ready to lay down their 
 lives for each other ! Yours affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 Of the contents of this letter I am, on its re-perusal after 
 this distance of time, still further convinced that the prin- 
 ciple I then laid down, that my Mission would produce a 
 good result to England, happen what might to myself 
 personally, has been realized ; and I feel fully satisfied that 
 a moral dignity has been lent to England by this Mission 
 among the oriental nations, that will last and produce far 
 more beneficial results to her power than if it had been 
 attended with every possible success. It has, at least, de- 
 monstrated that death does not intimidate an Englishman, 
 and that he will demand from the very executioner and 
 butcher of bis countrymen the strictest account of such 
 atrocities, either at the head of armies, or as the simple 
 Christian with no other arms than the Word of Truth, 
 the Bible. I need only allude to the positive fact, subse- 
 quently developed in the further progress of this narrative, 
 that with no other power on my part than that of a simple der- 
 veesh, the Ameer of Bokhara proffered to send an ambassador 
 with me to give an account of his conduct to our government,
 
 OF DR, WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 61 
 
 though fully assured by me that my mission was not political, 
 and that he actually did send him. This ambassador also was 
 to proceed first to the Sultan, to obtain his intercession with 
 England, but of this, more hereafter ; and I need not appeal 
 for further evidence than that, as to the utility of the noble 
 mission of the Stoddart and Conolly committee. 
 
 My letter of the 6th was well received, when read to 
 them, by the Stoddart and Conolly committee, which was 
 formed September 7th, 1843 ; and that body of gentlemen 
 manifested a most enthusiastic interest in my mission. Cap- 
 tain Grover was installed as its President, a most necessary 
 measure, as it enabled him to put himself in communication 
 with Government, and to demand all necessary aid. It 
 further emboldened me in my design, as I had then to deal 
 with a recognised organ of communication. Captain Grover 
 had informed the committee that I was prepared to start 
 when 500/. was raised for that object, but that he trusted 
 2000/. would be realized speedily. To this communication 
 I replied, giving my plan of proceeding ; and, in return, re- 
 ceived a letter, dated September 15th, from Captain Grover, 
 communicating the information that the route proposed was 
 accepted by the committee, and informing me that he should 
 take apartments for me in London near Portman-square. It 
 also communicated the highly- valuable accession of the hero 
 of Navarino, Sir E. Codrington, and the celebrated traveller 
 Mr. J. Silk Buckingham, as members of the committee ; as 
 also the munificent contributions of Lords Beauvale and 
 Melbourne to the fund. 
 
 About this period Lieutenant Eyre, so well known for his 
 distinguished conduct at Cabul, did me the honour to send 
 me the following spirited and high-minded communication : 
 
 Rev. and dear Sir, Meerut, Sept. 11, 1843. 
 
 I have but just perused your letter of 2nd July last, in 
 which you so nobly offer to proceed to Bokhara, for the purpose 
 of procuring the release of those enterprising but unfortunate
 
 62 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 officers, Colonel Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly ; both of 
 whom I had once the pleasure to know personally, and with the 
 latter of whom I was on most friendly and intimate terms. Had it 
 been my good fortune to be present in England when your letter 
 appeared, I would not have hesitated for an instant to accept the 
 invitation which you gave to any British officer to accompany 
 you; and I feel assured we could have managed between us to 
 raise sufficient money for the purpose. Even now, if I am not 
 unhappily too late, I offer myself as your companion, and I have 
 just despatched a letter to the secretary of the Cabul Belief Com- 
 mittee, urging that a sufficient sum may at once be placed at your 
 disposal, to use in case of necessity ; and I am not without hope 
 that my suggestions may be attended to. 
 
 Though not enjoying the pleasure of your personal acquaint- 
 ance, I am sufficiently acquainted with your character to feel con- 
 fident that you are, of all men, the most likely to succeed in the 
 object you at present have in view. I heard much of you when 
 you were in India from our mutual friends D'Arcy Todd and poor 
 Arthur Conolly himself. My own name may be not quite un- 
 known to you, as one of those British officers who fell into the 
 hands of Akbar Khan, on the retreat from Cabul, in January 
 1842, and who, after a captivity of more than eight months, 
 experienced so wonderful and so unlooked-for a deliverance, when 
 on the point of being carried into Toorkistan, with their wives 
 and families. The remembrance of my own most providential 
 liberation arms me with all the necessary confidence and resolu- 
 tion for joining in this effort on behalf of my less fortunate 
 countrymen, who are still, perhaps, languishing in a miserable 
 imprisonment at Bokhara. To be, in the most remote degree, 
 instrumental in their deliverance, I should esteem the greatest 
 happiness that could befall me; and if when this letter shall 
 reach your hands, no more suitable companion should have 
 offered himself, we might perhaps manage to meet each other at 
 Bombay, or some other place, thence to proceed by whatever 
 route shall seem to you most feasible. 
 
 I should not despair of reaching Bokhara in safety by the route 
 of Cabul, because I know that both Dost Mahomed Khan and his 
 son, Mahomed Akbar, are interested in the fate of Stoddart, with 
 whom they were once shut up in the same prison at Bokhara, and 
 formed a personal friendship in consequence. They would there-
 
 OF DR, WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 63 
 
 fore be likely to afford every facility to such a journey as you 
 contemplate; and they might even feel some gratification in 
 seeing one, who had been so recently a prisoner in their hands, 
 appearing with so much confidence amongst them again, and 
 trusting to their feelings of humanity. The Khiva route, however, 
 which you propose, seems the most free from risk, and easiest of 
 accomplishment to one starting direct from England. 
 
 I will now tell you all I have been able to learn about our two 
 captive countrymen. 
 
 The last authentic intelligence was contained in two letters 
 from Arthur Conolly himself to his brother John, then a hostage 
 at Cabul in the summer of 1842, in which he drew a melancholy 
 picture of their situation in a prison at Bokhara. For four months 
 they had no change of raiment; their dungeon was in a most 
 filthy and unwholesome state, and teemed with vermin to a degree 
 that rendered life a burden. Stoddart was reduced to a skeleton, 
 and his body was covered with putrid sores. They had, with 
 great difficulty, prevailed on one of their keepers to represent 
 their wretched condition to the King, and were then awaiting his 
 reply, having committed themselves to God, in the full assur- 
 ance that unless soon released, death must shortly terminate their 
 sufferings. 
 
 The King was always described to us by the Affghans as a 
 mad and merciless tyrant, being subject to fits of insanity, during 
 the continuance of which all around him trembled for their lives. 
 This picture of him may be overcharged ; but if true, it is almost 
 destructive of hope. 
 
 You have, of course, heard the story derived, through Colonel 
 Shell, from a Persian who professed to have actually seen the 
 graves in which Stoddart and Conolly had been buried. This 
 story has, however, been contradicted by two highly respectable 
 Jews, both of whom I know intimately, and whom I believe to be 
 honest upright men. They have received letters from friends at 
 Bokhara, mentioning both officers as still alive ; and information 
 has been received from other quarters, that the two graves were 
 those of two servants who had offended the King. There was a 
 popular belief, at the time of their execution, that they were 
 British officers, and this may have been what misled Colonel 
 Sheil's informant. 
 
 Sept. 18th. Since writing the foregoing, I have received a
 
 64 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 reply to my application from the Cabul Relief Committee, who 
 regret that they are debarred by the rules of the fund to place any 
 money at your disposal, but expressing their readiness to assist 
 your undertaking to the utmost of their power. I greatly lament 
 that nothing can now be done by this mail, but I shall stir the 
 matter in the papers. I have just learned that my troop is 
 ordered to Agra, to form part of an army there to assemble. 
 Should my public duty in this country interfere with the private 
 wish I have here expressed, you will still believe I take the great- 
 est interest in your proceedings, and shall rejoice with all my 
 heart to hear of your success. God be with you, my dear sir, 
 and believe me, Yours very faithfully, 
 
 VINCEXT EYRE, 
 Lt. Hone Artillery. 
 
 The numerous useful suggestions contained in this letter, 
 it is almost unnecessary to particularize: I was glad to find 
 that the route I had proposed seemed the best to this expe- 
 rienced traveller. The sufferings of the British officers, as 
 described in this letter, I need not say added fresh fuel to 
 my earnest desire to reach them ; and though the character 
 of the Khan, which was fully realized in my own instance 
 afterwards, was any thing but satisfactory to my feelings, I 
 confess, yet had I on the instant possessed the magic carpet 
 of Prince Houssein, I should have immediately used it to 
 transport myself to Bokhara to inquire into their sad destiny, 
 if possible to redress their fearful wrongs. No reply could of 
 course be given to this letter, which arrived in England after 
 I had started, and reached me at Constantinople. 
 
 Nor was this the only offer I received indicative of the 
 deep sympathy entertained for the British envoys. Lieu- 
 tenant-colonel Napier, on hearing of my offer, immediately 
 volunteered to accompany me in the following letter : 
 
 gi r Merchiston Hall, Horndean, Hants, August 17- 
 
 I see by the public papers that you are anxious to proceed 
 to Bokhara, to inquire into the case of Colonel Stoddart, and 
 would wish to be accompanied by a military man : I have been a 
 good deal in the East, and if such an expedition could be managed
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 65 
 
 and authorized by the British government, it would give me 
 great pleasure (under certain provisoes) to have the advantage of 
 the company of so experienced a traveller as yourself. Believe 
 me, reverend sir, to remain Yours truly, 
 
 E. NAPIER, 
 Lt. -Colonel, H. P. Unatt. 
 
 To resume the thread of my story: to the letter before 
 alluded to from Captain Grover, I subjoin my reply. 
 
 My dear Captain Grover, Bruges, Sept. 18, 1843. 
 
 I beg you to tell the members of the Committee that 
 I am highly flattered with the confidence they place in me. I 
 think that Malta will be the shortest way ; therefore try that I 
 may be enabled to start with the first steam-packet in the month 
 of October, and that all may be prepared for that time. I am 
 very glad that Lord Melbourne and the hero of Navarino take an 
 interest in this matter. I shall be able to consolidate the forty- 
 one pounds, which are in Drummonds' hands from the separate 
 committee. After the necessary five hundred pounds shall be 
 collected, and the passports and letters from the Foreign-office 
 procured for Sir Stratford Canning and Colonel Sheil, I shall be 
 very happy to attend a meeting at London, and state more at 
 large the importance of ascertaining the truth of the report of 
 Muhammed Saleh, which has since, according to the newspapers, 
 been contradicted by pilgrims from Bokhara, who passed Constan- 
 tinople. It is very extraordinary that neither Sheil, nor any one 
 from Teheraun, mentions that the report had been confirmed by 
 caravans from Bokhara, nor by the Jews of Meshed; and the 
 whole evidence depends on the too circumstantial account of 
 Muhammed Saleh, as Miss Stoddart lately wrote to me. 
 
 I do not like to come to London with Lady Georgiana until all 
 is settled, on account of the expense which I should incur at Lon- 
 don; for having never had a living in England, and being only 
 lately a curate in Yorkshire, with an income of sixty pounds per 
 annum, which obliged me to leave the place in order to live in 
 the cheap town of Bruges, I do not like to go away from here, 
 where I have hired apartments, and incur expenses at London 
 for other apartments, until I am on the very point of starting for 
 Bokhara. I think that such a meeting would be highly useful. 
 
 If we find both Conolly and Stoddart dead, the Asiatic nation, 
 
 F
 
 (36 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 the Muhammedans, will have perceived by my inquiring after 
 them that the Christians love each other, and are not indifferent 
 at the fate of two of their brethren; and they will exclaim, as in 
 the time of Tertullian the heathens exclaimed: 'How these 
 Christians love each other/' And, further, this mission will 
 make the people of Bokhara apprehensive of the consequences, 
 and deter them from doing so again; and also, knowing as I 
 do, that the powerful Khans of Khiva, Shahr Sabz, and Khokand, 
 are (but especially that of Shahr Sabz) enemies of the King of 
 Bokhara, I may ascertain how far these Khans will be prepared to 
 take up the case, and unite with England in punishing the Khan 
 of Bokhara, if he should have done such a thing. Many other 
 beneficial results may accrue from this journey. But I repeat my 
 most firm conviction, that I do not believe one single word of 
 the circumstantial account of Muhammed Saleh, for there is 
 no nation in the world like the Persian, who can tell lies in the 
 most circumstantial manner. 
 
 1. I shall take with me a clergyman's gown and cassock, my 
 hood, and a shovel hat. 
 
 2. One dozen or two of Hebrew Bibles and Testaments, and of 
 the Common Prayer-book in Hebrew, for the Jews of Bokhara, 
 Shahr Sabz, Khiva, Samarcand, Balkh, and Khokand. These 
 you may get from the London Society for Promoting Christianity 
 among the Jews. 
 
 3. Two or three dozens of silver watches, for the Grand-mullah 
 and mullahs of Bokhara, the Khans of Khiva, Shahr Sabz, and 
 Khokand. The Ameer of Bokhara shall not get one single thing, 
 in case he was the cause of their death. 
 
 4. Two or three dozens of maps in the Arabic characters, pub- 
 lished by the Church Missionary Society. 
 
 5. Three dozens of Robinson Crusoe, translated into Arabic 
 by Mr. Schlienz, at Malta. I distributed a great many copies of 
 this book when at Sanaa and Loheya, in Arabia, and I assure you 
 that it excited a great sensation. Robinson Crusoe's adventures 
 and wisdom* were read by Muhammedans in the market-places of 
 Sanaa, Hodeyda, and Loheya, and admired and believed! All 
 these circumstances I would state in the meeting, and an interest- 
 ing meeting we shall have. 
 
 On reading the book which I gave them, the Arabs exclaimed, " Oh, 
 that Robinson Crusoe must have been a great prophet ! "
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA 67 
 
 Lord Viscount Canning wrote to me, that whenever I should 
 come to London, and wish to see him, he shall he most happy to 
 receive me. I think that it will be well to make him and Lord 
 Aberdeen acquainted with the contents of my letters, in order that 
 they may see I have a well-matured plan, and do not intend to 
 make use of the name of Government in my proceedings, and that, 
 after all, I don't intend to rush into danger like a wild fanatic ! 
 
 If I was in London, we could combine many things together, 
 which cannot be done so well by letter; but, as I have said. I 
 fear the expenses. My health is quite well, and so I am not 
 afraid, on this score, not to be able to make this journey. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 P. S. You should send your pamphlet, and all the proceedings 
 of the committee, to the Turkish, Russian, and Persian ambassa- 
 dors at London ; and also to Arteen Bey, Muhammed Ali's envoy, 
 by which means the news will spread to Bokhara before I arrive 
 there, and may effect the liberation of Stoddart and Conolly before 
 I get there. Communicate it also to the French ambassador. 
 
 On this subject I need offer but few observations, except to 
 note the trouble that I experienced from a solitary member 
 of the Stoddart family ; but I shall not further honour that 
 individual, save by the simple statement, that if an individual 
 had been selected from out the entire world who ought to 
 have clasped in tears and gratitude the knees of my friend 
 Captain Grover, one would have naturally expected him to 
 have been that individual who most grossly insulted and 
 abused Captain Grover at the public meeting at Exeter Hall, 
 on my return to England ! The British public exhibited on 
 that occasion their sense of that ungrateful attack on the 
 friend of Stoddart, by expressions of no doubtful character. 
 
 But I will not anticipate matters. The particulars de- 
 tailed in this letter show, I trust, that I was not a man 
 prepared madly and recklessly to risk my life ; but prove, I 
 conceive, that my plan for the mission was both comprehen- 
 sive and as secure as circumstances would permit it to be. 
 
 F2
 
 68 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 After a further communication with Captain Grover on the 
 convening of a public meeting, in which I was desirous of 
 laying before the public my former experience in the habits of 
 these countries, and of detailing my journey to Bokhara in 
 1830, and of my curious reception in that interesting and 
 ancient city, I again, on the 26th of September, announced 
 to him my intention of coming to England to prepare for the 
 expedition, and also my plan of embarkation by the October 
 packet of the 15th from Southampton to Malta, and that I 
 purposed quitting Bruges on the 1st of October for that 
 object. Before, however, I did so, I addressed to Captain 
 Grover the following letter : 
 
 Bruges, Hfitel du Commerce, 
 To Captain Grover. Sept. 28, 1843. 
 
 You will have received my letter of the 25th, as an 
 answer of yours received via Antwerp, by which you will perceive 
 that ray proposed plan exactly agrees with the wish of the com- 
 mittee, stated in your letter of the 25th. I shall come over to 
 England, via Ostend, on Monday, in the afternoon ; for we shall 
 sail from Ostend on the 1st of October, in the evening. I hope 
 that the Iberia is a steamer, for I would not run any risk in a 
 sailing vessel at this season of the year ; and in case that it is a 
 government packet, perhaps the Admiralty would grant to me a 
 free passage in her. However this is only a query. With regard 
 to the watches I mentioned, you must contrive that they are 
 bought clear from the five hundred pounds, which must go en- 
 tirely for my expenses to Bokhara, and back to London. 
 
 The reasons of my going to Bokhara are, 
 
 1st. To perform a Christian act, by attempting the liberation of 
 fellow-creatures, of two gallant officers of my adopted country. 
 
 2nd. To liberate a friend, an intimate friend of mine, in the 
 person of Conolly. 
 
 3rd. To be useful to England. 
 
 4th. To perform a promise given to the prime-minister of 
 Bokhara, that I would remove the prejudice from the Europeans 
 caused by the calumny of the Persians, that the people of Bokhara 
 were murderers of guests.
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. Oj 
 
 5th. To show to Asiatics how highly an Englishman and a 
 Christian values the life of his fellow-creature, by exposing 
 myself to the fatigues and dangers of a journey from the Thames 
 to the Oxus ; and thus to inspire respect for the name of an En- 
 glishman in the minds of the Usbegs and their prince. 
 
 6th, and lastly. To be the instrument of drying the tears from 
 the eyes of Conolly's family, and his friends. 
 
 I hope, my dear friends, that there will be no disappointment, 
 for it would be distressing if I were to come to England, and then 
 the plan to be given up. There is only one disappointment 
 which I should be glad to learn ; and that is, that accounts were 
 to reach you that Stoddart and Conolly have arrived at Teheraun. 
 This would be indeed an agreeable disappointment for me. 
 
 I beg you to express to the Committee my sense of heartfelt 
 gratitude for the confidence they have placed in me. I beg you 
 to make acceptable to Sir Edward Codrington, whom I had the 
 honour to know when at Malta, my humble respects, and kind 
 regards to the brothers of the justly-lamented Sir Alexander 
 Burnes. 
 
 I am, yours truly, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 I arrived in England on October 1st, 1843. The day 
 after my arrival in London I had an interview with the 
 committee, when Captain Grover, according to his promise, 
 gave me a cheque on his bankers for five hundred pounds. 
 I explained to the committee my reasons for disbelieving 
 the statement of Saleh Muhammed, to which the Govern- 
 ment gave credit, and detailed at full the plan I purposed 
 following during my journey and residence at Bokhara. 
 I promised to go directly thither, and on no account to 
 deviate from the direct route. It was agreed on between 
 us, that as soon as I had ascertained that Stoddart and 
 Conolly had been put to death, or that I should have 
 conveyed them safe to Teheraun, that my engagement with 
 the committee should cease, and that I should be at liberty 
 to proceed wherever I might please. The committee were 
 most anxious for my personal safety, and Captain Grover
 
 70 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 did all in his power to impress upon my mind the great 
 dangers and difficulties to which I was about to expose 
 myself; and also as to the uncertainty of my being able 
 to clear up the mystery, should I reach Bokhara. I gave 
 the committee a short account of my previous journeys to 
 Bokhara, of the kind manner I was treated by the Ameer, 
 and of my acquaintance with many of the most important 
 persons of that reputedly holy and learned city. My sacred 
 character of Mullah would also command respect, I had 
 no doubt ; and the charitable object of my journey would, 
 I trusted, insure me the kindness of all. My knowledge 
 of Hebrew would enable me to communicate secretly with 
 the Jews, and of Persian and Arabic with other parties. 
 Captain Grover remarked, that every means would be 
 employed to make me believe the officers were dead ; to 
 which I replied, that nothing but seeing their bones would 
 satisfy me, and these I would bring to the committee. I 
 expressed a wish that a public meeting should be convened, 
 1st, that the objects of the mission might be understood, 
 and benefit me by preceding me wherever I went; 2nd, 
 with a view to the reimbursement of Captain Grover, by 
 the British public; and 3rd, that any of the relatives of 
 the Stoddart or Conolly family, or others, might then have 
 an opportunity of showing their sympathy with my mission, 
 by aiding it by all the means in their power. 
 
 A meeting was immediately convened at the Hanover- 
 square Rooms, Major-general Sir Jeremiah Bryant, C.B., 
 in the chair. My friend Captain Grover detailed the 
 singular circumstances under which we became acquainted; 
 and certainly our juxta-position as a British officer and a 
 Protestant divine, both devoutly and sincerely occupied on 
 one common purpose of philanthropy, to which he elo- 
 quently alluded, was alone one of remarkable singularity. 
 I pointed out to that meeting, that on my first expedition 
 to Bokhara, in 1832, a report prevailed that the travellers
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 71 
 
 Moorcroft and Trebeck had been barbarously murdered by 
 the Khan of Bokhara, which proved wholly unfounded. I 
 indicated also my reception by the Goosh-Bekee, or ( king's 
 ear,' to whom I had notified my purpose to visit Bokhara 
 and Balkh, to converse with my people the Jews about 
 Jesus, and, if possible, to trace the Tribes of the Dispersion. 
 Eighteen years had been consumed by me in missionary 
 labour. That I considered Bokhara and Samarcand to be 
 one of their positions, if extant, in common with a celebrated 
 rabbi at Jerusalem, and that I was supported in that view by 
 the remarkable passage in 1 Chron. v. 26. I showed that I 
 was plundered, beaten, and enslaved by the Turkomauns, 
 but that such was the respect entertained for derveeshes, 
 that my liberty was restored to me. I pointed out the 
 feelings under which I entered the gates of Bokhara, the 
 Kawate Islaam-ud-Deen, the strength of Islamism, the city 
 of Afrasiab, the supposed Habor of Scripture, the rival and 
 supplantress of Samarcand, the place of residency of Behadur 
 Khan, the treasures of which are so celebrated that they are 
 mentioned in the poems of Hafiz, the asylum of the Nogay, 
 the Jew, the Girgese, once the Hindoo Bokhara, so harshly 
 treated by Ghengis Khan, and then again by Tamerlane. I 
 entered it with my Bible in my hand, on a horse sent me 
 by the 'king's ear.' I stated what I knew of the Jews, 
 of their ignorance of their religion ; that the mullahs were 
 quite indignant at the reported death of Moorcroft and 
 Trebeck ; my utter disbelief of Saleh Muhammed's state- 
 ment, and my full confidence that I should return in peace. 
 
 The chairman, Sir Jeremiah Bryant, particularized many 
 points connected with Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly. 
 He entered on the merits of the Conolly family most feel- 
 ingly. One brother, he stated, had died a prisoner among 
 the Affghauns; another had been shot through the heart 
 while aide-de-camp to General Sir R. Sale ; the third (Arthur) 
 was the object of their present solicitude. The Journal
 
 72 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of Captain Conolly was before the public. He had himself 
 seen Wolff and Conolly together in 1832 at Cawnpore, in 
 a controversy which Dr. Wolff was conducting with the 
 Muhammedan doctors. He further stated, in conclusion, 
 his conviction that I was eminently fitted for the mission, 
 from my former experience, general acquaintance with Asiatic 
 countries, and strong personal attachment to Captain Conolly. 
 The thanks of the meeting were unanimously voted all 
 standing to my friend Captain Grover, for his chivalric 
 and high-spirited devotion to the cause ; and Captain Grover, 
 in returning thanks, said that the offer of entering on the 
 mission, made by himself personally, was only an echo of 
 the general sentiments of the British army, numerous officers 
 having volunteered to undertake the mission many to 
 accompany Dr. Wolff, among whom he could name Colonel 
 E. Napier, provided they were permitted to go as British 
 officers. Of the position which the Government assumed in 
 this matter relative to myself, the following letter in reply 
 to a communication from Captain Grover by Mr. Addington 
 will be sufficiently evidential : 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 
 respecting a proposal made by Dr. Wolff to proceed to Bokhara, 
 with the view of ascertaining, by personal observation, the real 
 facts as regarding Lieutenant-colonel Stoddart and Captain 
 Conolly. I am to state to you, in reply, that Lord Aberdeen 
 much regrets that he is unable to share with you tbe doubts which 
 you express of the correctness of the account sent home by Her 
 Majesty's charge d'affaires at Tehran. The narrative of Mahomed 
 Sauleh is so clear and consistent throughout, while the truth of 
 portions of it is corroborated by other evidence, that Lord Aber- 
 deen would not consider himself justified in encouraging any 
 person to undertake an expedition to Bokhara with tbe view of 
 ascertaining a fact of which Lord Aberdeen sees no reason to 
 entertain any doubt, and which expedition might be attended with 
 the same melancholy results to the person sent, as those which 
 Lord Aberdeen, in common with the families of tbe deceased
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 73 
 
 officers, so deeply deplores. Moreover, the instructions which 
 >his lordship addressed to Lieutenant- colonel Sheil a few days 
 after the receipt of the intelligence of the death of the officers ; 
 and those which, in compliance with your request, he addressed 
 to the same gentleman on the 4th of April and the 29th of May, 
 sending to him on the latter occasion a statement of the report 
 received from India ; and in addition to these instructions, one 
 to the same effect addressed to him by direction of the Governor- 
 general of India on the 25th of March, will cause him to institute 
 any further inquiries which he may have the opportunity of setting 
 on foot, in order to relieve the anxieties felt by the families of the 
 deceased. If, however, Mr. Wolff should still proceed on his 
 proposed expedition, Lord Aberdeen will, of course, recommend 
 him to the good offices of Lieutenant-colonel Sheil ; but his 
 lordship would not feel himself justified in assuming, on the 
 part of Her Majesty's government, any responsibility connected 
 with that undertaking. I am> g n . 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) H. U. ADDINGTON. 
 
 I expedited matters with all possible dispatch, and arrived 
 at Southampton for embarkation on the 14th of October. 
 While there, the celebrated authoress of the Undying One, 
 the Honourable Mrs. Norton, came forward to shake hands 
 with me, and to wish me heartily well on my journey. I 
 was much gratified by this lady's attention, and I trust to 
 win many regards to the way of truth by those singular 
 circumstances in which it has pleased the Almighty to 
 dispose of my lot. I was also visited by a young gentle- 
 man of high birth and noble family on board ship, the 
 Honourable Frederic Walpole, as fine a fellow as ever 
 breathed, who expressed his wish to accompany me, if 
 circumstances had permitted him. I thank God that he 
 did not, for I never should wish to see any young man enter 
 Bokhara. If it were possible, in the present state of the 
 world, to conceive scenes that would justify to the full the 
 awful injunctions in Leviticus against the Canaanitish nations, 
 they are certainly enacted in that atrocious city.
 
 74 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 We set sail in the Iberia for Gibraltar on October 14, 
 1844. My fellow-passengers were twenty-three in number, 1 
 and among them I made the acquaintance of Lady Augusta 
 Paget, and her daughter. The first day her ladyship 
 conversed largely with me ; on the second, the ominous 
 evils of a sea-voyage began to indicate themselves, and her 
 ladyship took to her berth. Doctor Gilchrist, the super- 
 intendent of the medical board at Gibraltar, also an old 
 acquaintance, was on board : the chief engineer of the 
 Sultan, Mr. Haigh, and his lady ; they were both of the 
 Wesleyan persuasion, and were from Penzance, in Cornwall, 
 and emphatically assured me that I should meet some other 
 good people on board. I must not omit, also, to mention, 
 among my other companions, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson. 
 This gentleman, a most good-natured personage, was pro- 
 ceeding to Constantinople to superintend the building of 
 the British palace. 
 
 My previous habits made me support the voyage better 
 than my fellow-travellers. I walked about on deck without 
 a hat, and every morning had sea-water poured over me. I 
 slept on the sofa in the dining-room, rarely in my berth. 
 We made nine miles an hour, and arrived off Ushant on 
 the 15th. I wrote to my dear wife and son at this period, 
 to beg them to pray for me, and that, by the Lord's will, 
 I trusted we should again be soon united, and live happily 
 together in God ; and if the world and the church did not 
 reward me, and both had neglected much worthier beings, 
 still to keep their minds fixed on Christ, that Christ, who 
 after all he had done in nineteen centuries was still expected, 
 since as yet the heathen are not given to him for his inherit- 
 ance, nor the utmost parts of the earth for his possession. 
 
 We were off Ushant on the 15th, as I observed ; and 
 on Sunday, the 16th, my poor fellow-passengers were too ill 
 to admit of my performing divine service, and matters were 
 not mended when we slipped into the Bay of Biscav. On
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 75 
 
 Monday, the 17th, I gave a lecture to the ship^ company, 
 and at 6 P.M. we passed Cape Finisterre. On Tuesday, the 
 18th, I lectured again. We had then Cape St. Vincent in 
 sight. On the 19th, when off Cadiz, I continued my lecture. 
 On the 20th, early in the morning, we entered Gibraltar. 
 I immediately went on shore, breakfasted with Dr. Gilchrist, 
 and then called on my old friend Dr. Burrow, archdeacon 
 of Gibraltar. As soon as I had sent in my name, the worthy 
 archdeacon came out and led me into his drawing-room, 
 where I was introduced to his two daughters, and to the 
 Rev. Mr. Buchanan, chaplain to the forces ; and I met also 
 a Mr. Levy, missionary to the Jews of Gibraltar. The 
 venerable archdeacon expressed a deep interest in my present 
 enterprise, and immediately introduced me to his Excellency 
 the governor, Sir Robert Wilson. The chivalrous conduct 
 of Sir Robert Wilson in delivering Lavalette from imprison- 
 ment and death, and the interest I always felt in Madame 
 Lavalette, that sweet affectionate woman, rendered my inter- 
 view with him most pleasing. I could have wished that 
 circumstances had permitted Sir Robert to have accompanied 
 me to Bokhara. Were the whole lives of some men re- 
 counted, how far more wonderful would they appear than 
 any romance. The governor and his daughter received me 
 in a most cordial manner, and expressed their deep sympathy 
 in my present mission. I was also introduced to Major 
 Wilbraham, the secretary, who had been in Persia, and knew 
 Colonel Stoddart. Major Wilbraham was inclined to believe 
 the report of Saleh Mu hammed : however, he admitted that 
 it would be well to come to a certainty. 
 
 The Bishop of Gibraltar had left that fortress a few weeks 
 previous, and returned to Malta. The Church of England 
 could not have sent a better man to the Mediterranean than 
 Dr. Tomlinson : he combines in his person every requisite for 
 a bishop in the Levant. Dr. Tomlinson does not sit down in 
 one place, and make mere excursions of amusement : he is
 
 76 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 quickly observed at Athens, consecrating a church there, 
 again at Constantinople, after that at Oporto, and soon at 
 Gibraltar. An English bishop in the Levant ought to be 
 acquainted thoroughly with the literature of his own country, 
 and be master of the French and Italian, and also know 
 something at least of the Arabic literature ; now Dr. Tomlin- 
 son is master of all these languages, with which qualities he 
 unites the most essential of all qualities, i. e. PIETY. 
 
 It was very fortunate that the Lord Bishop of London 
 had, previous to his proposing to send a bishop to the Me- 
 diterranean, held a conversation with the Rev. C. Schlienz, 
 missionary to the Church Missionary Society, who, being 
 well acquainted with the oriental languages, and also the 
 customs and manners of the East, was able to suggest 
 measures, in accordance with which the bishops in England 
 seem to have acted in sending out that excellent prelate, 
 Dr. Tomlinson, to Malta. It would be highly advisable to 
 send Dr. Tomlinson to Chaldea, in order to investigate the 
 present state of the Nestorians, and to afford them relief; 
 or, should Dr. Tomlinson not have time, it would be well 
 to send there the Rev. George Williams, Fellow of King's 
 College, Cambridge, who has not only travelled in Palestine, 
 but has taken trouble to learn the language. 
 
 We left Gibraltar on the evening of the same day as our 
 arrival ; the excellent Archdeacon Burrow wished me to stay 
 with him one or two months. He said that nobody agreed 
 better with him than myself in all his opinions. On the 21st 
 of October I continued my lectures to the passengers ; Sun- 
 day, the 22nd, I read divine service and preached ; Monday, 
 the 23rd, I lectured again. Tuesday, the 24th, we were off 
 Tunis ; Wednesday, the 25th, we sailed with contrary wind, 
 and passed, early in the morning, the island of Zemra. We 
 had before us the island called Pantaleria, thickly inhabited, 
 the Botany Bay of Naples. I had a conversation with 
 several travellers on the necessity of faith and obedience.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 77 
 
 and on the personal reign of Christ, and the restoration of 
 the Jews. 
 
 At ten in the morning of the 26th October we reached 
 Malta. On our entry into the harbour, a servant of Mr. 
 Hunter came on board to fetch the lad Abbot, from Smyrna, 
 who was passenger on board the Iberia, from London, on his 
 way to Smyrna; but as his father, a merchant at Smyrna, 
 was performing quarantine at Malta, Mr. Hunter was com- 
 missioned to take care of the boy. I therefore wanted to go 
 with Hunter's servant, first of all, to Mr. Hunter, as I had a 
 letter for that gentleman from the house of Baring ; but the 
 boats were in such crowds near the Iberia, that one of the active 
 boatmen took hold of one of my feet, and dragged me into 
 a boat different from that in which Abbot was rowing off'. 
 Scarcely had 1 arrived on shore, when numbers of Maltese 
 exclaimed, " Come sta, Signore ? come sta, la Signora Geor- 
 giana?" It was quite touching. 
 
 I then hastened to the governor. The first person I met 
 was the old servant of Sir Frederic Ponsonby : he delivered 
 my card to Captain Tidy, aide-de-camp to the governor. 
 Captain Tidy exclaimed, " Oh, Doctor Wolff', your arrival 
 was expected ; I was at the taking of (I forget the name of 
 the place) together with Captain Conolly." General Stuart 
 and Lady Stuart shook hands most cordially with me, and in- 
 vited me to dine with them at seven o'clock in the evening ; 
 and as the captain of the Iberia determined to stay till mid- 
 night, I was able to accept the invitation, which I at first 
 believed was impossible. His Excellency promised me every 
 assistance in his power. On my going out again from the 
 general's room, the servant asked me whether I had seen Lady 
 Emily Ponsonby ? I told him all I knew about her lady- 
 ship, and that her ladyship's countenance always brightened 
 up when I mentioned the name of Malta to her in England. 
 
 The general then sent an orderly with me to the admiral, 
 Sir Edward Owen, a venerable old gentleman. His aide-de-
 
 78 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 camp, Commander Bedford, knew me in former times, and 
 was very glad to see me ; and on announcing me to the good 
 admiral, he immediately asked me to breakfast with him. He 
 had already received a letter about me from the Admiralty, 
 via Marseilles, and regretted that he had not detained the 
 Orestes, which sailed two days before my arrival for Con- 
 stantinople ; but he told me that I would arrive sooner in the 
 Iberia, than by the Orestes, as the latter was obliged to stop 
 several days at Corfu. He gave me letters for Admiral Wal- 
 ker (Yavar Pasha), at Constantinople ; for the captain of the 
 Devastation, at Constantinople ; for Captain Stirling, of the 
 Indus, and Sir Edward Lyons, at Athens. He then placed 
 his carriage at my disposal. 
 
 I then went first of all to Dr. Tomlinson : the person who 
 opened the door was Carlo, the servant of Mr. Schlienz, now 
 servant to the bishop of Gibraltar. His lordship received me 
 with great kindness, and his sister told me that she knew 
 Lady Georgiana and Lady Maria West, and inquired very 
 kindly after both. His lordship then entered most frankly 
 with me into the state of missions. His lordship gave me 
 letters for the English clergy at Athens ; for Doctors Bennett 
 and Southgate, at Constantinople ; and a commendatory letter 
 from his lordship to all the bishops and priests in the East. 
 I here append it : 
 
 Reverend and dear Sir, Malta, October 26, 1843. 
 
 I am glad to hear that you are about to proceed imme- 
 diately to ascertain the fate of poor Colonel Stoddart and his 
 fellow-sufferer in Bokhara. I hope that you may be prospered on 
 your way, and that, with the blessing of God, you will succeed in 
 your object. It is melancholy to think of such men being left 
 without assistance, if they are still alive ; but at all events, your 
 journey must be productive of good. You will hardly need any 
 introduction in the countries to which you are going ; but you are 
 quite at liberty to show this letter, wherever it may be of service 
 to you. I beg you will commend me to any of the oriental bishops 
 and clergy of my acquaintance whom you may meet with in your
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 79 
 
 journeys. Praying that you may be preserved by the goodness 
 and mercy of God from all the dangers of the way, 
 I remain, dear sir, 
 
 Your faithful servant in Christ, 
 
 G. GIBRALTAR. 
 
 His lordship told me that Mr. Frere was very anxious to 
 see me ; I therefore went out to him in the Pieta. He was 
 there with his old servants Beppo and another, who were re- 
 joiced to see me. I was shown, as usually in former times, to 
 his drawing-room ; his table was covered with books, and 
 memorials from poor Maltese. After a while, my dear old 
 friend entered the room weeping for joy, inquired after my 
 wife and my son Henry most kindly, and talked over our for- 
 mer intimacy. His speech was somewhat feeble, and he told 
 me that he had had at Rome an attack of an apoplectic 
 stroke, but his memory is exceedingly good. I stopped with 
 him about an hour, and he was sorry to learn from me that I 
 was sailing off the same day, as he wanted to invite a party to 
 meet me, among others the governor, the admiral, and Miss 
 Hamilton. Before I left him, he kindly gave me an order for 
 twenty-one pounds on Bell & Co., and a strong letter of in- 
 troduction to Sir Stratford and Lady Canning. I then took 
 my leave of the good old man, and went in the carriage to 
 Miss Hamilton. 
 
 After some pleasant chat with this delightful old acquaint- 
 ance (who, alas ! has died since these words were written), 
 I next called on Mr. Christian, who wished me to accom- 
 pany him to his country-house, but I had no time for it. 
 He inquired after all my friends, and after Lady Emily 
 Ponsonby. I then left him ; and on leaving his house, I met 
 Paolo, my old cook, out of service. I next went to visit Mr. 
 Weiss, who was quite overjoyed to see me: he is no longer 
 connected with the Church Missionary Society. 
 
 On my returning to the palace of the governor, I met with 
 Archdeacon Le Mesurier, who expressed great joy in seeing 
 me. He looks as well as ever, and is as stout and active as.
 
 80 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 ever. There must be something in the climate of Malta 
 which makes people younger rather than older. 
 
 At seven o'clock I came to the governor, when he introduced 
 me to Lady Stuart and to his daughters ; and I met at table 
 my old friend Sir Hector Greig. I also met with Colonel 
 Edward, Captain Tidy, and some ladies. Sir Hector wished 
 me to come back to Malta, and offered me a bed in his house, 
 but I could not accept it. I returned to the Iberia at eleven 
 o'clock at night ; and as the Vernon was lying opposite, which 
 was commanded by Captain William Walpole, I went on 
 board of her, but Captain Walpole was on shore. I left a 
 few lines with him for friends at home. 
 
 We left Malta that night, the 26th, and experienced on the 
 27th hot but excellent weather : our rate nine knots per hour 
 on to Athens. We reached the harbour of the Piraeus on 
 the 29th of October, at three in the afternoon. On my arrival 
 I went on board the Indus, which was then in the Piraeus, 
 where I saw Sir James Stirling, the commodore of the British 
 navy in the Archipelago, and accepted his polite invitation to 
 breakfast. I then proceeded to Athens to see Sir E. Lyons, 
 and not finding him at home, called on the English chaplain 
 at Athens, the Rev. H. D. Leeves. In company with this 
 gentleman who received me with the greatest cordiality 
 and his daughters, I proceeded to the Acropolis ; and on the 
 Areopagus, where St. Paul preached, I read Acts xvii., " Ye 
 men of Athens, 1 ' &c. 
 
 During my stay with Mr. Leeves I saw Jonas King, my 
 old fellow-traveller, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin, American mis- 
 sionaries, and Constantinos, one of the Greeks whom I had 
 sent to England in the year 1822, from Cyprus, and who has 
 now a flourishing school at Athens. The father of Constan- 
 tinos was beheaded in 1822, during the revolution, and I had 
 saved him and three other boys from slavery, and despatched 
 them to England : one of them, Paolo Pierides, is now 
 a physician in Scotland, and his brother a schoolmaster at 
 Larnica.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 81 
 
 On my return home from the house of my old friend, the 
 Rev. Mr. Leeves, I found a note from Sir E. Lyons, inviting 
 me to breakfast with him on the following morning at eight 
 o'clock. I did so, and as Sir E. Lyons expressed a desire 
 that I should be introduced to King Otho and her Majesty 
 the Queen, and as I was glad of the opportunity, it was 
 arranged. Mr. Leeves, pursuant to Sir E. Lyons' request, 
 introduced me to Dr. Rueser, a Bavarian, who immediately 
 conducted me to the Rev. Father Arnott, the king's confessor. 
 It is contrary to etiquette for the ambassador to introduce 
 under two days' notice, which my stay did not permit me to 
 give. Father Arnott, on my introduction to him, told me 
 that he had seen letters of mine written to Dumreicher at 
 Alexandria. They expressed great joy that they had made 
 my personal acquaintance. They introduced me to a lady in 
 waiting to her Majesty, who was born two miles distant from 
 Weilersbach, my native place: we conversed a great deal 
 together, and laughed much about several subjects. They 
 gave notice, first of all, to Count Mavromichale, the cham- 
 berlain : he announced me to his Majesty, who immediately 
 ordered him to bring me to his room. His Majesty is a 
 tall, meagre-looking gentleman, dressed in Greek costume. I 
 made a profound bow, and his Majesty immediately said, 
 " You have made, and are now making, a great journey for a 
 benevolent purpose." 
 
 W. I had the high honour of being introduced to your 
 Majesty's royal father at Rome. 
 
 King Otho. In what year ? 
 
 W. In the year 1818, when he was accompanied by Dr. 
 Ringseis and Counts Seinsheim and Rechberg. 
 
 K. What nations have you visited and conversed with ? 
 
 W. Jews, Muhammedans, Chaldeans, Yeseede, Syrians, 
 Sabeans, Persians, &c. 
 
 K. In what state are the Chaldean and Armenian churches, 
 
 G
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 what are their tenets, and does the Armenian church recognise 
 a head of its religion like the Pope of Rome ? 
 
 W. The Patriarch of Ech-Miazin, at the foot of Mount 
 Ararat, has the title of Katokhikos, i. e. Catholicus, and he 
 alone has the power of consecrating bishops, and sending them 
 over all the countries where Armenians are to be found. 
 
 K. Whose descendants are the Armenians ? 
 
 W. According to Armenian historians, they are descend- 
 ants of Hayk the brother of Belus, one of the builders of 
 the tower of Babylon. 
 
 K. Have the Armenians a literature ? 
 
 W. Yes ; in the fifth century the great Mesrob translated 
 the Bible into the Armenian tongue : Moses Vocazer, Cho- 
 rinazi, the historian, and Isaac, are celebrated writers a- 
 mong the Armenians. In the eleventh century they had the 
 great patriarch Nerses Shnor-Haale, and Archbishop Nerses 
 Lampronazi. At present they have very clever men at St. 
 Lazarus in Venice, as an instance I may mention Father 
 Pasquale Aucher ; and at Calcutta, Hoannes Avdal. 
 
 After having given his Majesty the detail of their tenets, 
 he asked me the reasons which induced me to believe that 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly were alive. I gave 
 him my reasons, and told him that I had hoped to find also 
 Lieutenant Steer and Dr. Balfour, who were made prisoners 
 in the war of Affghanistaun. His Majesty asked me where 
 I had left Lady Georgiana and my family, and how many 
 children I had ? I satisfied his Majesty also on this subject. 
 The conversation lasted a whole hour. 
 
 I was then introduced to Madame Blosco, ne'e Comtesse de 
 Witzleben, a niece of Friedrich Leopold, Count of Stolberg,* 
 
 * This charming writer is too little known in England. I extract from 
 his last work on " Love" the following passage. It breathes forth the true 
 spirit of experimental Christianity : 
 
 " By sufferings we begin to pay attention to ourselves. Tribulation makes 
 us weary of the world ; in tribulation do we seek help and consolation from
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 with whom I talked about her uncle ; she announced me to 
 her Majesty, who immediately ordered me to appear before 
 her. She is really a most beautiful and lovely queen the 
 very beau ideal of a queen. When I approached her for the 
 purpose of kissing her lovely hands, she hastened to put oft 
 one of her gloves, and I then kissed it. 
 
 Queen. What travels you have undertaken ! What asto- 
 nishing travels ! 
 
 W. In order to obtain a great object, one must make great 
 exertions. 
 
 Q. Have you found the Jews very much opposed ? 
 
 W. Sometimes; but they generally treated me with great 
 politeness. 
 
 Q. Have you often been attacked on the road ? 
 
 W. I was a slave. 
 
 Q. You must have a great deal of courage. 
 
 W, I am mostly afraid of the sea ; for there is a proverb 
 among the Jews in Germany, that the water has no beams. 
 
 Her Majesty laughed, and I observed, " Your Majesty 
 thinks now that I, after all, betray my descent from the Jews 
 by that observation, for the Jews do not like the sea." 
 
 God. The more one is guided by God in that school of love, the greater 
 progress one makes in the way of salvation ; so that holy souls not only suffer 
 with resignation in God, but even rejoice in tribulation also. For in it they 
 begin to submit themselves to God with a perfect heart, to prove to him 
 their love, which increases by gratitude for his kindness who purifies them 
 like gold in the fire, in order that they may become men well pleasing to 
 him, in the furnace of suffering by the tire of love. They increase in 
 resemblance to that Saviour, who entered not into glory until he had suffered 
 on the cross. Children of God have not only sufferings in common with 
 other men, but they experience also in the soul sufferings of which others are 
 ignorant, the sufferings of love. Penetrated by a feeling of love to God, 
 they feel bitter pain and grief that he is known to so few, loved by so few ; 
 that even now Christ crucified is a stumbling-block and foolishness to 
 baptized infidels, as he was formerly to Jews and Gentiles, that the 
 enemies of the Gospel sneeringly triumph, and the believers feel as a killing 
 in their bones while they daily say unto them, Where is your God ? Psalm 
 xlii. 10. Penetrated by a feeling that God loves them, the believers feel 
 bitter sorrow that their love to God in return is so cold," &c.
 
 84 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Q. Have many of the Armenians and Chaldeans joined 
 the Church of Rome ? 
 
 W. About 60,000 Armenians and 3,000 Chaldeans have 
 joined the Church of Rome. 
 
 Q. What religion have the Armenians ? 
 
 W. They are Monophysites,* but are a most interesting 
 and inquiring people. 
 
 Q. What kind of people are the Chaldeans ? 
 
 W. They live at Mosul, Diarbekir, Ooroomia, Salmast, 
 and in the mountains of Kurdistaun. They are beyond doubt 
 descendants of the Jews converted to Christianity, for they 
 call themselves the " children of Israel." They have their 
 patriarch, Mar Shemaan by name, who pretends to be a lineal 
 descendant of St. Peter. Some thousands of them have been 
 converted to the Church of Rome, especially those residing at 
 Mosul, and in the village called Alkush, the birth-place of 
 Nahum the prophet, and also the place where he was buried. 
 
 Q. Are there more Roman Catholic or Protestant mis- 
 sionaries ? 
 
 W. Roman Catholic. 
 
 Q. Who have made most converts ? 
 
 W. The Roman Catholics; but the Protestants have of 
 late had very considerable success in India. 
 
 Q. What an enthusiastic and sincere man you are: I ad- 
 mire your zeal. Do you not fear now going to Bokhara ? 
 
 W. I am carried on by the object. 
 
 Q. It would be well if all the Churches were united together. 
 
 W. This is much to be prayed for; but this union will 
 only be realized at the second coming of our Lord. 
 
 Q. Do you expect that this will soon happen ? 
 
 * A sect that believes that the human nature of our Lord has been ab- 
 sorbed into the divine, and so both natures are one nature ; contrary to the 
 beautiful distinction in the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, and the close 
 declaration of the second Article of our church, " That two whole and per- 
 fect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and the Manhood, were joined 
 together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very 
 God and very man."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 85 
 
 W. Yes, I do; but I intend that if I should preach the 
 Gospel again in Russia, not to act under the Lutheran consis- 
 tory, but under the Russian synod, and have my converts 
 baptized in the Russian church. 
 
 Q. This is well meant, but I doubt whether the Russian 
 synod would agree to it. 
 
 W. I think that they would, for this was the contention 
 with the Scotch missionaries at Astrachan ; for they were not 
 allowed to carry on their mission, as they refused to submit 
 to having their converts baptized by the Russians. 
 
 Q. Have you had much success in your mission ? 
 
 W. I was the first who went to Jerusalem to preach the 
 Gospel there to the Jews, at a time when the war \vas raging 
 between Greece and Turkey, and my mission there excited 
 the attention of the public in England to the importance of 
 a mission at Jerusalem. The Jews at Jerusalem began first 
 to inquire after my arrival into the merits of the Christian 
 religion, induced by my conversations with them. Through 
 my mission at Jerusalem, the Jews at Jerusalem, Sichem, 
 Aleppo, and Bagdad directed their attention to the subject 
 of Christianity. I also was the first who made the Jews, 
 resident in Persia, Khorassaun, the whole country of Bo- 
 khara, Affghanistaun, the deserts of Turkistaun, Khokand, 
 and Chinese Tartary, acquainted with the New Testament, 
 and thus many Jews at Constantinople were converted through 
 my instrumentality ; and I baptized Jews in Egypt, Java, 
 Sanaa, Yemen, and Bokhara. I was the first who brought 
 the subject of the Jews before the universities of Oxford, 
 Ley den, and Utrecht, and before the Congress of the United 
 States of America. 
 
 The conversation turned to different other subjects, and 
 then her Majesty most graciously took leave, and I bowed and 
 went away. The conversation lasted one hour. Madame 
 Blosco then told me that her Majesty was particularly de- 
 lighted with my interview with her.
 
 86 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I next went with Mr Leeves and Mr. King to see the Pre- 
 sident of the Greek senate, Bishop Neophytos, for the Synod 
 is composed of five bishops. I am sorry to learn that the 
 Greek Church in Greece is no longer under the Patriarch of 
 Constantinople. After my visits were over, I dined with Mr. 
 Leeves, and then said ' Good by.' Mr. Leeves and Mr. King 
 accompanied me on my way to the Iberia, but it was too late, 
 for the Iberia had already sailed for Syra ; I therefore went 
 on board her Majesty's ship Indus, and Messrs. Leeves and 
 King proceeded immediately to Sir E. Lyons', where Sir 
 James Stirling, the captain of the Indus, was at dinner, 
 and Lieutenant Leicester of the Indus also went on shore to 
 report my missing the Iberia to Sir James. Sir James Stirling 
 returned forthwith to the Indus, and ordered Captain Om- 
 maney, of the steamer Vesuvius, to prepare immediately for 
 taking me as far as Syra,, where the Iberia was to stay twelve 
 hours ; and at eleven o'clock of the 31st, we overtook, most 
 fortunately, the Iberia, when I was hailed with cheers by the 
 whole ship's crew and passengers, and then at four o'clock we 
 sailed for Smyrna, where we arrived on the 1st of November. 
 We only stopped two hours, during which time I saw Temple, 
 the American missionary, and Mr. Calhoun, the agent of the 
 American Bible Society : Lewis and Meredith were in the 
 country. On the 2nd of November I arrived in the Darda- 
 nelles. I confess that I was rather disappointed with the 
 fortifications, and I really believe that Gibraltar would be far 
 more difficult to be taken than the Dardanelles. Military 
 men would quote to me, " Ne sutor ultra crepidam," " Don't 
 travel beyond Bokhara." I freely confess I should find some 
 little difficulty in taking either.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 87 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Constantinople Interview with Sir Stratford Canning. Doubtful reports 
 at Constantinople about Stoddart and Conolly. Interview with the 
 Charge" d'Affaires of Naples relative to Signor P. Naselli, who had 
 visited Bokhara. Nature of Evidence as to the existence of Stoddart 
 and Conolly procured at Constantinople. Official papers from the 
 Sultan, the Sheikh Islam, and others. Visits to Count Sturmer. At- 
 tempts made by certain parties to deter Dr. Wolff from proceeding to 
 Bokhara. Letter of Mr. James Calvert. Interview with the Ileis 
 Effendi and the Sheikh Islam. Syrian Church Ephrem Syrus. Kind- 
 ness of Sir i.Stratford Canning His Excellency pays all Dr. Wolff's 
 Expenses to Trebizond. High opinion entertained by all Parties of 
 Captain G rover. Embarkation for Trebizond. 
 
 ON the 3rd of November I arrived in the harbour of Constan- 
 tinople. I immediately reported my arrival to the Rev. 
 Horatio Southgate, the American episcopal missionary, for 
 whom I had a letter from the Bishop of Gibraltar. I was 
 received very cordially by him and his wife : they have two 
 very nice children, and Mrs. Southgate is a very charming 
 lady. I immediately sat down and wrote to Sir Stratford 
 Canning, who lives now at Buyukdere, ' great valley, 1 a large 
 village on the Bosphorus, twelve miles from Constantinople, 
 and announced to his Excellency my arrival at Constantinople. 
 I received the next day from him an answer, which I subjoin 
 verbatim, to show the extreme kindness of our distinguished 
 ambassador : 
 
 Dear Sir, Buyukdere, Nov. 3, 1843. 
 
 I am happy to hear of your arrival, and hope to have 
 the pleasure of seeing you here whenever it may suit your conve- 
 nience to come. Will you dine here on Sunday, or Saturday?
 
 83 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 We dine at half-past six. I cannot offer you a bed in the house, 
 but there is a respectable inn at no great distance; or if you 
 prefer returning to Pera at night, there is at present a splendid 
 moon. 
 
 With respect to your letters, I had applied for them before your 
 arrival, and I think you had better see Mr. Frederick Pisani, the 
 first interpreter of this embassy, and inform him more particularly 
 of your wishes. 
 
 On the subject of the steamer I am less at liberty to act as you 
 desire. The vessel is expected every day to move in a different 
 direction from yours, and before she is free you will probably 
 have embarked in one of the weekly boats to Trebizond. I return 
 you the letters you inclosed for my perusal. I beg you will be- 
 lieve me, dear Sir, 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 STRATFORD CANNING. 
 
 His Excellency also gave permission to Mr. Southgate to 
 allow me to preach in the chapel, on Sunday, the 12th of 
 November. On the 5th of November I received a letter 
 from Mr. Leeves, of Athens, of the following gratifying 
 contents : 
 
 My dear Mr. Wolff, Athens, Oct. 31, 1843. 
 
 I take advantage of the French steamer of to-day to do 
 what I wished to have done last night by Sir James Stirling, but 
 had not time ; namely, to write you a line. You will remember 
 the Greek proverb I quoted to you in the boat of the Indus last 
 night, " Every hindrance is for good." So I trust it has proved 
 now ; for your misfortune of last night has called forth many 
 expressions of kindness and sympathy in your honourable and 
 benevolent mission. When we got up to Sir Edmund Lyons' 
 house last night, the first movement of Sir James Stirling's heart 
 upon hearing this mishap was, " We must not let Mr. Wolff's 
 funds be affected by this : we must raise a purse among ourselves 
 to pay his passage in the French steamer." And when Sir Ed- 
 mund Lyons, who was then out of the room, returned, he imme- 
 diately closed with the idea of sending you on in the Vesuvius; 
 and the thing had been fully settled between himself and Sir 
 James Stirling before Lieutenant Leicester came up from the ship 
 to make his regular report to his captain.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 89 
 
 I hope this may prove an omen for good in reference to your 
 mission, and that God will open the hearts of all men, English- 
 men and Greeks, Turks and Persians, Curds and Bokharians, Jews 
 and Gentiles, to provide facilities for its success, and that many 
 good results may flow from it, direct and indirect. I reckon 
 among one of its good results, that I and all my family have re- 
 newed our acquaintance with Joseph Wolff, and we shall, I trust, 
 remember you in our prayers. Do the same by us, and accept the 
 kind regards of all the party, both kissed and unkissed. 
 
 Would you not let us have a line from you sometimes ? It 
 would be interesting to all here; and among others, I have no 
 doubt, to the King and Queen, who were pleased with their inter- 
 view with you. And now God bless you ! and prosper abundant- 
 ly your errand, and restore you in safety to your wife and son, to 
 your adopted country and church. 
 
 Yours, affectionately, 
 
 H. D. LEEVES. 
 
 Nothing could be more kind and prompt than Sir Edmund was 
 in putting the Vesuvius at your disposal. 
 
 November the 4th, Mr. Schauffler, the missionary of the 
 American board of Commissioners for foreign missions at 
 Constantinople for the Conversion of the Jews, whom I had 
 sent to America seventeen years ago at my own expense, 
 called on me, and soon after Mr. Goodell, and welcomed me 
 very affectionately. 
 
 November the 5th, being Sunday, I went with Mr. and 
 Mrs. Southgate to church, and was clerk to Mr. Southgate. 
 At three o^clock I hired an araba (Turkish cart), and went 
 out to Buyukdere to Sir Stratford Canning, by whom, and 
 Lady Canning, I was received in the kindest way possible, as 
 also by Lord Napier and the rest of the attaches of the Bri- 
 tish embassy ; and there I also met with Princess Mavrocor- 
 dato. The general opinion was, that the fate of Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly was very uncertain. There 
 was here a Russian gentleman who had acquaintances at 
 Khiva, and who seemed to be inclined to believe the story of 
 their death ; but there were also people from Bokhara at Con-
 
 90 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 stantinople who related that there were two Englishmen at 
 Bokhara, one tall, another short and stout, and that the latter 
 was kept in custody by a keeper of the mosque outside the 
 city of Bokhara. The ambassador, however, suspended his 
 judgment on the subject, and advised me not to call on the 
 Bokharians until he had made more inquiries about them. 
 After dinner, Sir Stratford Canning asked me to expound 
 and read prayers. I left his Excellency at twelve o'clock at 
 midnight, after which he ordered his boatmen to bring me 
 on board the Devastation, for Captain Robinson her com- 
 mander, to whom I had a letter from Admiral Sir E. Owen, 
 was kind enough to invite me to sleep on board the steamer. 
 Captain Robinson is a most amiable and pious gentleman. 
 
 On the 6th I called on Dr. Bennett, the chaplain to the 
 embassy : he went immediately with me to Captain Walker, 
 who is admiral of the Turkish fleet, and has the title Yavar 
 Pasha. He knew me already in London, and promised me 
 every assistance in his power. He is a very modest and de- 
 lightful man, and his wife is a most excellent and amiable lady. 
 He had no carriage to offer me to bring me back to Pera, 
 where I lived with Mr. Southgate, and he offered me a horse ; 
 but as I was afraid to mount a horse, I preferred hiring a 
 cart dragged by oxen, and returned thus to Constantinople. 
 On coming back to Southgate, I learnt that Mr. Brown, the 
 American charge d'affaires, had called on me, and wished to 
 inform me that the Neapolitan charge d'affaires desired to 
 know when he could call on me, in order to speak with me 
 about Signer Naselli, who had proceeded to Bokhara, whose 
 fate was also doubtful. 
 
 I forgot to mention that Mr. Frederick Pisani, the first in- 
 terpreter to the British embassy, called on me on Sunday the 
 5th of November, at eight o'clock in the morning, and told me 
 that the despatches from government in England had instruct- 
 ed them that all the necessary documents, just as I desired 
 them, should be procured for me, and that I should have them
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 91 
 
 on the 17th of November, those from the Sultan as well as 
 those from the Sheikh Islam ; that he had already applied for 
 them, and that the Turks expressed their astonishment at my 
 courage and determination. 
 
 On the 7th of November, when Sir Stratford Canning was 
 in his palace of Pera, with Lady Canning and Lord Napier, 
 I had a confidential conversation with the ambassador on the 
 subject of Conolly and Stoddart ; all I can say about it is, 
 that the conversation was not discouraging. He again in- 
 vited me to dine with him the week following, and to expound 
 again ; he also promised to give me despatches to Trebizond 
 and Erzroom, so that my journey to Persia would cost but 
 little. 
 
 At this period I was visited by the charge d'affaires of the 
 king of Naples, who informed me of Cavalier Pietro Naselli 
 Florey, a Sicilian, of whom it was also reported that he had 
 been put to death ; but this report had turned out to be a 
 mere fabrication, and therefore he could assure me of sincere 
 thanks on the part of his Neapolitan Majesty, if I could 
 make inquiries about him on my arrival at Bokhara, which I 
 promised to do. 
 
 The evidence that I encountered at Constantinople with 
 respect to Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly was of the 
 most conflicting description. I subjoin the following details, 
 which then reached me : 
 
 I. Monsieur Danielewsky, late consul of his Imperial Ma- 
 jesty at Khiva, and now occupying the same position at Bel- 
 grade, assured Sir Stratford Canning that he had seen several 
 persons from Bokhara when at Khiva, some of whom de- 
 clared they had witnessed the execution of the British officers. 
 Some stated their belief that it had taken place from hearsay, 
 and some even described their persons, agreeing therein with 
 the impression which Mr. D. had received from others respect- 
 ing their personal appearance on former occasions, before their
 
 92 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 labours and their sufferings had become an object of public 
 interest. 
 
 II. The following letter to Sir Stratford Canning was also 
 communicated to me. 
 
 Sir, Trebisond, August 16, 1843. 
 
 Dr. Casolani, of the quarantine department, has inform- 
 ed me that several natives of Bokhara have recently arrived at 
 the lazaretto from the interior, with one of whom Dr. Casolani, 
 entered into conversation respecting Colonel Stoddart and Captain 
 Conolly. The Bokharalee stated that he quitted his native place 
 about six months ago ; that he was in Bokhara at the time news 
 reached that place of the reverses which the British forces had 
 met with in Affghanistaun, and that on such news being commu- 
 nicated to the Ameer or chief of that country, the two English 
 ambassadors then there, (meaning Messieurs Stoddart and Con- 
 oily, and who are described by the Bokharalee as a tall, and the 
 other as a short man,) were called up for sentence. On being 
 offered their liberty, provided they embraced Mahomedanism, the 
 tall man refused it, and was put to death by having his throat 
 cut ; and that the short man, seeing the sad fate of his companion, 
 had actually embraced Mahomedanism, and his life was spared. 
 The latter, according to the Bokharalee's statement, now exists, 
 and is employed as a servant in one of the mosques at Bokhara. 
 The name of the Bokharalee who gave Dr. Casolani the informa- 
 tion is Abdul Rahim-Jam Muhammed : he proceeds to Constan- 
 tinople, with his companions, by one of the steamers, on departure 
 to-morrow. He possesses a Turkish passport, granted him from 
 this quarantine department, No. 11. If the person in question 
 be properly interrogated, in a language he understands, I have 
 no doubt that other particulars of importance, connected with 
 the fate of the two British officers in Bokhara, might be obtained. 
 
 I have, &c. 
 
 FRAS. J. STEVENS, 
 V. Consul. 
 
 III. Sir Stratford Canning sent suddenly for me on the 
 8th of this month (November), and told me these words: 
 " I have good news for you. There are people here from
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 93 
 
 Bokhara, who state that both Stoddart and Conolly are alive ;* 
 I advise you, therefore, not to go to see those people of 
 Bokhara for two or three days, until I have seen them myself, 
 and I will then let you know when to see them yourself. I 
 am not quite so enthusiastic as you, but I shall rejoice if I 
 should find the report confirmed." 
 
 IV. The ^Impartial Journal, Politique, Commercial, 
 et Litteraire, Smyrne, Vendredi, 3 Novembre, 1843, had 
 the following paragraph, headed INDES ORIENTALES, Bom- 
 bay, 2 Octobre : " Le bruit a circule ces jours ci, et il parait 
 venir de bonne source, que le Colonel Stoddart, dont on 
 a annonce la mort, est en me a Bokhara, ou il est retenu 
 prisonnier." 
 
 I received a visit from Frederick Pisani, first interpreter 
 to the British embassy, on the 5th of November (Sunday 
 morning), and I requested him to get me the following 
 documents : 
 
 1. A common travelling firmaun from the Sultan, mention- 
 ing the cities of Bokhara, Khokand, and Khiva. 
 
 2. Letters from the Sultan to the king of Bokhara, order- 
 ing him to set at liberty the English travellers Colonel Stod- 
 dart, Captain Conolly, and also the officers Lieutenant Steer 
 and Dr. Balfour, if there. Should the above-mentioned 
 officers be dead, the Ameer should state to me the reasons 
 of their having been put to death, and how far he (the 
 Ameer) is willing to make reparation to the satisfaction of 
 the relations of the officers. 
 
 3. That I should not be detained one single day at Bokhara, 
 but be sent back immediately with the said officers to Con- 
 stantinople, where I was expected by the Sultan; in either 
 case, after the space of six months from the time of my 
 departure from Constantinople. 
 
 * In reply to those who have stated that my journey to Bokhara was 
 undertaken on insufficient grounds, I have simply to refer to the opinion of 
 our ambassador in Persia.
 
 94 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 4. The Sultan should also give me letters for the kings of 
 Khokand and Khiva. 
 
 5. Letters from the Sheikh Islam to the mullahs of Bo- 
 khara, Khiva, and Khokand, to the same effect. 
 
 The letters, he informed me, would be procured, and 
 firmauns, before the 15th of November, and that on the 17th 
 of November Sir Stratford Canning would send me in a 
 steamer, free of 'expense ', to Trebizond and Erzroom. 
 
 My stay at Constantinople excited the liveliest interest in 
 all directions. I preached repeatedly in the ambassador's 
 chapel, and expounded to his Excellency's family. Walker 
 Pasha invited me, with great kindness, to see him. The 
 Count and Countess Stiirmer, the Austrian Internuncio, also 
 invited me to dine with them on the 23rd of November. 
 Countess Stiirmer said to me on that occasion, "How happy 
 you will be, if you meet with Captain Conolly again : you 
 deserve it, and Conolly loved you very much. He always 
 spoke of you when he was at Constantinople. 1 " His Excel- 
 lency Count Stiirmer observed, that he had learnt from several 
 persons that the notion of the personal reign of Christ and 
 the restoration of the Jews was believed by many in England. 
 I met there the Russian and Prussian ambassadors, and also 
 General Jochmus, who conversed with me a good deal about 
 Charles Churchill, of whom General Jochmus told me he 
 took such an interest in the Jewish nation, that he would wish 
 to become a second Judas Maccabasus. After dinner I lec- 
 tured in German, 
 
 I. On Christ's personal coming and reign on earth. 
 II. The first resurrection. 
 
 III. The renovation of the whole earth. 
 
 IV. The restoration of the Jews to their own land. 
 V. The conversion of all the tribes of Israel to the faith 
 in Christ Jesus. 
 
 VI. The blessedness of the believers in the heavenly Jeru-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 95 
 
 salem, who shall be the kings of the earth, whilst the nations 
 not converted to Christianity shall be their subjects. 
 
 VII. A continual intercourse between the saints above and 
 the people below shall take place. 
 
 VIII. The coming of the real Elijah before the advent of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Count and Countess Sturmer then observed, that my views 
 agreed in a great degree with those of the Rev. George Fisk, 
 prebendary of Lichfield, whose acquaintance they had made 
 at Constantinople. 
 
 It might appear from all this that I was neglectful of the 
 high purposes of my mission amid these pleasant attentions, 
 but the following letter from Sir Stratford Canning's head 
 interpreter will probably acquit me of any unnecessary delay : 
 
 Dear Sir, Pera, Nov. 14th, 1843. 
 
 I have received his Excellency's letter about your affair : 
 I have answered it. I am going on with your papers, but with 
 all my zeal and the good will of his Excellency the minister for 
 foreign affairs, we are both afraid it will be impossible to be ready 
 for you this week. 
 
 Have the kindness to send me a note, with the names of the 
 principal towns you are to pass through. Seven or eight names 
 will do for the whole of Turkish Asia. 
 
 I am, very truly yours, 
 
 FRED. Pis AN i, 
 
 First Interpreter to II. B. M. Legation. 
 
 At this period I despatched to my kind friend, Captain 
 Grover, the following letter : 
 
 My dear Grover, Constantinople, Nov. 11, 1843. 
 
 The greatest interest is excited here, among the mem- 
 bers of the diplomatic body, about my mission into Bokhara. 
 His Excellency Count de Stiirmer, Internuncio of his Majesty the 
 Emperor of Austria at the Sublime Porte, has expressed a wish 
 to make my personal acquaintance, and has invited me to dine 
 with him next Monday. To-morrow (Sunday) at four o'clock, I 
 shall expound the Scriptures in the British embassy, when also 
 Admiral Walker and Lady Walker will be invited to attend there,
 
 90 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 and also to dinner. I am promised to have my papers from the 
 Sultan and the Sheikh Islam on the 16th; and on the 1 7th I shall 
 set sail for Trebizond, and then I shall have no delay till 
 Teheraun. I hope to arrive at Bokhara at the end of January. 
 Pray ask government whether I shall be allowed to ransom them 
 (Stoddart and Couolly), or any other English prisoners, in case I 
 am demanded. Yours, affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 The Internuncio, who had promised to assist me to the full 
 extent of his power, furnished me with the kindest proofs of 
 it, and addressed to me the following letter: 
 (TRANSLATION.) 
 
 Reverend Sir, Constantinople, November 20, 1843. 
 
 I have, alas ! not succeeded in my endeavours of pro- 
 curing for you letters of recommendation for Khiva and Bokhara. 
 Only the Sublime Porte is in correspondence with those countries, 
 and from that quarter you will receive letters of introduction, 
 through the application of the British embassy. I send you here- 
 with letters of recommendation for the excellent Austrian consul, 
 who is at the same time Russian consul ; and herewith I also send 
 to you a letter for my particular friend Count Colloredo, ambas- 
 sador to his Majesty the Emperor of Austria at the court of St. 
 Petersburg. I beg you at the same time to accept, as a mark of 
 respect from me, Hammer's History of the Osman Empire, which 
 may be an amusement to you on your long journey. Should you 
 return safely to England, I beg you to send to me in return for it 
 your Journals, which I and my wife will read with the greatest 
 attention. 
 
 Could we have the pleasure of seeing you once more to dinner 
 next Monday ? or would you mention some other day convenient 
 to yourself, Friday excepted, in case that you want to eat meat ? 
 With true regard, I am, reverend sir, 
 
 Yours, most sincerely, 
 
 COUNT STURMER. 
 
 Various attempts were made at this period to deter me from 
 proceeding to Bokhara : hints were thrown out, that it would 
 be better not to proceed beyond Meshed, and to pour money 
 into Bokhara.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 97 
 
 By the kindness of Sir Stratford Canning I was, however, 
 speedily enabled to announce my departure to my friend Cap- 
 tain Grover in the following letter : 
 
 My dear Grover, Buyukdere, British Palace, 24th Nov., 1843. 
 
 The enclosed translation of the Sultan's letters to the 
 kings of Khiva and Bokhara, will convince you of the great in- 
 fluence of Sir Stratford Canning at the Porte. 
 
 The Committee will also be glad to learn that Sir Stratford 
 Canning ordered Mr. Stephen Pisani, his dragoman, to introduce 
 me in person to the Grand Vizier, the Reis Effendi, and the 
 Sheikh Islam, all of whom have treated me with the greatest dis- 
 tinction. I leave to-day for Trebizond . 
 
 In great hurry, yours truly, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 Sir Stratford and Lady Canning acted like parents to me, and 
 the dragomans, Messieurs Frederick, Stephen, and Count Pisani, 
 showed themselves, in spite of their manifold occupations, most 
 zealously anxious in my behalf; and also Lord Napier, Mr. Alli- 
 son, and the rest of the attaches, displayed the deepest interest in 
 the cause. 
 
 I insert the letter of the Sultan to the Ameer of Bokhara ; 
 and as that to the king of Khiva is couched in similar terms, 
 with the exception of simply urging that monarch to recom- 
 mend me to the king of Bokhara, and to treat me with the 
 highest possible distinction in the event of my arriving in 
 his dominions, I do not think it necessary to give this latter 
 communication. 
 
 Letter from the Sultan Abdul Medjid to the Khan of 
 Bokhara, dated Nov. 21, 1843. 
 
 Your Greatness knows that the English government, having 
 requested some time since that we should graciously assist in the 
 deliverance of two English officers that you had put in prison, we 
 wrote to you to that effect. 
 
 As now Dr. Wolff, an English clergyman of distinction, is sent 
 by the English nation to Bokhara to obtain information concern- 
 ing the fate of the two officers above mentioned, as well as of two 
 other Englishmen since arrived there, to take them with him and 
 
 H
 
 98 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 conduct them to their country, the English government has again 
 on this occasion requested, in a particular manner, that we should 
 write to you a Sovereign Letter to request you to deliver up the 
 above-named prisoners, to consign them to Dr. Wolff, and to 
 cause them to return home. 
 
 Your Greatness knows, and it is superfluous to tell you, that 
 the maintenance and preservation of the close and sincere friend- 
 ship which exists since the most ancient time between our Sublime 
 Porte and the Court of England, is the object of the desire of both 
 parties ; and, therefore, that the requests of the above-mentioned 
 Court are favourably received. 
 
 It is therefore certain, that we ought to interest ourselves to 
 the effect that the above-mentioned prisoners be restored to liberty 
 and sent back to their country. In fact, it is a thing incompat- 
 ible with the principles observed by governments, and with the 
 dignity of sovereignty, to arrest and imprison such Moussafirs ; 
 and it is fit that your Greatness should cause them to return 
 whence they came. 
 
 From the sentiments of equity and justice which animate you, 
 and your obedience to our august person in our quality of Khaleef, 
 we have the certainty that, conformably to what we have above 
 remarked, you will be graciously disposed to liberate the prison- 
 ers, if they are still at Bokhara ; we expect that your Greatness 
 will have the goodness to consign them to the clergyman above 
 named, and to make them depart immediately, that they may 
 return to their country by way of Constantinople. 
 
 It is to express this expectation, and to consolidate the edifice 
 of our sincere friendship, as well as to inquire the state of your 
 health, that we have written to you this Sovereign Letter, on the 
 receipt of which, if it please God, we expect that your Greatness will 
 kindly employ your willing attention to the end above mentioned. 
 
 Some idea of the interest excited in the fate of the Bokhara 
 captives may be formed from the following paragraph from 
 the Turkish Gazette, dated 26 Sheval, or 20th November : 
 
 About three or four years ago, two English officers, both well 
 versed in science and literature, were travelling for information : 
 on arrival at the city of Bokhara, the governor there, suspecting 
 them to be acting as spies, ordered them to be seized and thrown 
 into prison. Their relatives and friends, not having received any
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. <j<J 
 
 intelligence from or about them, were very anxious to know the 
 truth, and made several inquiries ; but the only information they 
 could obtain was from some Bokhara merchants, who reported 
 that whilst there (at Bokhara), they had heard that the govern- 
 ment had these two officers executed. Such information not 
 being satisfactory or positive, the above-named friends and rela- 
 tions, anxious to elucidate this affair, have selected the celebrated 
 Mr. Wolff, a gentleman well versed in several languages, and who 
 has been a great traveller in Asia, to proceed to Bokhara, and 
 ascertain the fate of the two officers. This gentleman has now 
 arrived, and is to proceed by the steamer to Trebizond, from 
 thence to Erzroom, Persia, &c. 
 
 The following communication from Mr. James Calvert, 
 agent to the East India Company at Malta, further indicates 
 the interest excited on behalf of Colonel Stoddart and his 
 
 fellow-sufferer : 
 
 Constantinople, 23rd Nov., 1843. 
 
 Should Dr. Wolff happily find Colonel Stoddart alive, 
 he is requested to communicate to him that his friend Mrs. Sidney 
 Horton, who has been residing at Siena some years, takes a most 
 lively interest about him. On the 29th of November, 1841, she 
 wrote to my son Charles as follows: "1 am in expectation that 
 my son may arrive at any moment at Malta from India, and also 
 that a friend of mine will do so by the very next steamer. Will 
 you, therefore, make inquiry, and if he be there, take the trouble 
 of letting him have the inclosed note,* [addressed to Colonel 
 Stoddart,] and ask him in what way you can be useful to him : 
 this I ask as & friend. Colonel Stoddart is an interesting person, 
 and remarkable as being set free from a most barbarous captivity 
 at Bokhara of more than two years duration." 
 
 On the 24th January, 1842, Mrs. Horton writes to my son: " I 
 hope the Bombay Summary will bring me good news of my son, 
 from whom I have received a letter, quite well, I am thankful to 
 say : he had joined his new regiment at Poonah. There is not, I 
 fear, much chance of his coming to Europe for years to come. I 
 am rather fidgety about Colonel Stoddart, as he will have to pass 
 through a country (Affghanistaun) now rendered so dangerous to 
 travellers." 
 
 * This note is at Malta. 
 
 H2
 
 100 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Mrs. Horton writes to me on the 27th February, 1843: " You 
 will have seen in the papers the dreadfully tragic fate of my poor 
 friend Colonel Stoddart : it has affected me more than I can ex- 
 press, and it appears nothing can be done to obtain satisfaction, 
 not even the knowledge of the cause of such cruelty." 
 
 I have been absent from Malta and residing here since April 
 last, but shall return there shortly. My correspondence with Mrs, 
 Horton has, therefore, been very seldom. I received here a letter 
 from her, forwarded from Malta, and as it related to some matters 
 to be attended to, I sent it back to Malta, and do not recollect its 
 date, but it must have been dated about August last. 
 
 I need scarcely say how truly I shall rejoice to hear of Colonel 
 Stoddart's and Captain Conolly's safety, and should he pass 
 through Malta, how happy I shall feel to render him every service 
 in my power. 
 
 Should Dr. Wolff have an opportunity of writing to Europe 
 before his return, I shall feel gratified to hear from him any parti- 
 culars he may have it in his power to give me from Bokhara, 
 or, if after his departure, of his proceedings there : if he writes 
 through Constantinople, his letter may be addressed to the care 
 of Messrs. C. S. Hanson & Co. With the most fervent wishes 
 for his safe return, accompanied by Colonel Stoddart, Captain 
 Conolly, and any other captives he may succeed in releasing, 
 
 JAMES CALVERT, 
 Agent to the East India Company at Malta, 
 
 I should indeed be wanting in every principle of gratitude 
 and affection, were I to be insensible to the great kindness 
 shown to me by all the resident ministers at Constantinople, 
 and by none more heartily than our own distinguished ambas- 
 sador and his lady. After preaching, by his kind permission, 
 in his chapel, I was repeatedly invited to Buyukdere; and 
 after discharging duty at Pera, on the 12th November I left 
 for Buyukdere, and preached and read service there also. I 
 remained there until the 21st, when 1 delivered a lecture in 
 the ambassador's chapel, where the above-mentioned diploma- 
 tists were again present, and the chapel was crowded with 
 other people besides. On Wednesday the Russian ambassador 
 sent his first dragoman, Monsieur de Semayloff, with me to
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 101 
 
 the house of the Reis Effendi (minister of state for foreign 
 affairs), in order to make the acquaintance of Haje Muhammed 
 Shereef, a sheikh from Bokhara, who had just arrived from 
 Mecca, and was on his way to Bokhara. On our arrival at 
 the palace of the Reis Effendi, his Excellency was already in 
 his carriage on his way to the seraglio. Monsieur de Semay- 
 loff went out of the carriage in which we both came, and ap- 
 proached the Reis Effendi, to ask his permission to introduce 
 me to the sheikh. The Reis Effendi immediately asked, 
 " Have you Joseph Wolff with you ? Sem. * Yes." " Pray 
 bring him here, for I myself wish to see him." His Excel- 
 lency (his name is Rifaat Pasha), as soon as he saw me, said 
 that the Sultan had written all the letters in the strongest 
 manner, and that his Majesty and the whole court admired 
 my courage and philanthropy, and his Excellency wished to 
 speak with me also the next day. He sent immediately one 
 of his officers back with me to his palace, to introduce me 
 to the Bokhara sheikh, who at once recollected having seen 
 me twelve years ago at Bokhara, in the house of the Goosh 
 Bekee. He promised me every assistance on his arrival at 
 Bokhara, but as he went via Orenbourg, I was not able to 
 go with him. 
 
 On the 23rd, Sir Stratford Canning sent with me Mr. Ste- 
 phen Pisani, his most energetic and clever interpreter, to the 
 Sheikh Islam, the first mullah of the Muhammedan relio-ion 
 
 O 
 
 at Constantinople, who is the only person allowed to sit down 
 in the presence of the Sultan, and the Sultan even kisses his 
 hand. His influence extends not only over Turkey and Ara- 
 bia, but into Central Asia, and wherever Muhammedans of 
 the Sunnee persuasion exist. He also received me in the 
 kindest manner, and told me that he had already sent his let- 
 ters for me to the mullahs of Khiva, Bokhara, Khokand, and 
 Daghestaun. His Felicity (this is his title) is a man about 
 seventy years of age, with a white beard, a large green turban 
 upon his head, clothed in a kind of red velvet tunic, with a
 
 102 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 white band around it. Another mullah was sitting on his 
 left, at a considerable distance from him, upon the divaun. 
 The Sheikh Islam offered me a pinch of snuff: I replied, 
 " Though I was not used to take snuff, I considered it such a 
 high honour to do so with so distinguished a personage, that 
 I would take a very hearty pinch." And so I did, and my 
 sneezing after convinced him of the truth of my remark. I 
 then expressed my joy to have now seen all the heads of every 
 religion on earth ; and that it was my wish that the good 
 understanding which then subsisted between England and the 
 Porte might long continue. The Sheikh Islam replied that 
 this was also his ardent desire. 
 
 I then called on the Reis Effendi, who delivered to me 
 eight letters of introduction : 
 
 I. From the Sultan : 1. to the king of Khiva ; 2. to the 
 king of Bokhara, which his Majesty wrote with his own hand 
 at night. 
 
 II. From the Sheikh Islam : 1. to the mullahs of Bokhara; 
 2. to the mullahs of Khiva ; 3. to the mullahs of Khokand. 
 
 III. From the Reis Effendi ; 1. to the Pasha of Trebizond ; 
 2. to the Pasha of Erzroom ; 3. to the General-in-chief of the 
 army at Erzroom. 
 
 The Reis Effendi then advised me to call on the Grand 
 Vizier, and on the Cadi of Roumelee, which I did, by all of 
 whom I was received with the greatest kindness and politeness, 
 and all of them recommended me particularly to the Sheikh 
 of Bokhara above mentioned, whose name was Haje Muham- 
 ined Shereef Bokharaae. I then returned to the Reis Effendi, 
 who said to me, " I am very much concerned about you, and 
 so we are all at court ; and therefore you ought not only to 
 call on me, but on all the ministers of the Sultan, as the 
 Grand Vizier and the Cadi of Roumelee. With the latter you 
 can speak Arabic and Persian, for he is a very learned man." 
 I did accordingly, and both the Grand Vizier and the judge 
 of Roumelee expressed a great interest in my mission. I met
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 103 
 
 there with Mr. Allison, the first secretary to the British em- 
 bassy, who told me that the general impression was that I 
 was an ambassador. 
 
 On my return to Mr. Southgate's house, I met first of all 
 a Syrian Jacobite bishop from Mardeen, who menaced Mr. 
 Southgate with the threat that he would induce the Syrians 
 to unite with the Russian church, if he did not give him more 
 money. One can perceive by this circumstance the sad state 
 of the Eastern churches ; and the best mode of establishing- a 
 union with them is, to give them first, knowledge of the Gos- 
 pel ; and secondly, to make them acquainted with translations 
 into Arabic, from the old Syriac, not understood by the com- 
 mon people in the Syrian church, the beautiful liturgy of 
 Ephrem Syrus, of whose piety I give an example by a trans- 
 lation of one of the Prayers of that great man, who was born 
 in the birth-place of Abraham, the ancient Ur of the Chaldees, 
 now called Or fa by the Turks, Ruha by the Arabs, and Edessa 
 by the Armenians, at Edessa in the year 370, A.D. as they 
 affirmed when I was there in the year 1824; but Ecclesiastical 
 History and Assemanni inform us that he was born in the 
 neighbourhood of Nisibin, the Acad of Genesis x. 10. It is 
 related of his parents, who were agriculturists, that they made 
 him when a boy acquainted with the Scriptures, of which he 
 became an enlightened interpreter. 
 
 He early deplored that he had, at one time, doubts of God's 
 providence, and had believed in fate. He became the dis- 
 ciple of Jacob, bishop of Nisibin. It is further related of 
 Ephrem Syrus, that he was totally unacquainted with worldly 
 sciences, and only versed in the Scripture ; and that this in- 
 exhaustible fountain made of him one of the most learned 
 fathers of the church. This is the translation of a prayer 
 of Ephrem Syrus, recited every day in the churches of the 
 Maronites in Mount Lebanon, and by the Syrians in Me- 
 sopotamia :
 
 104 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 PRAYER OF EPHREM SYRUS. 
 
 " Jesu! Parent and best of Pastors, I call upon thee with sup- 
 plication and mourning ; I call on thee as the royal Psalmist 
 has instructed me, Have mercy upon me, God, according to 
 thy great mercy : wash me thoroughly from my wickedness, and 
 cleanse me from my sin. Against thee only have I sinned, and 
 done evil in thy sight, and provoked thee grievously to wrath ; 
 but thou art gracious and long-suffering beyond our faith ; thou 
 wiliest not that thine indignation burn against us, neither wilt 
 thou suffer the favour of thy countenance to be over-clouded by 
 our sin. By the love of thy Father, and of thy Spirit, I pray and 
 beseech thee to pardon all my transgressions. Thou seest me as 
 one of those most happy sheep who live under thy care: but, 
 wretched man that I am ! I have departed from the flock, foolishly 
 wandering hither and thither, suffering myself to be deceived by 
 the devices of the betrayer. O beloved shepherd ! come forth, I 
 pray thee, and seek me ; and having found me, bring me back to 
 the fold on thy shoulders, that angels above, and thy spouse the 
 Church below, may rejoice together with all thy children over the 
 sheep which was lost and is found. 
 
 " Suffer me not, Lord ! to be plucked out of the way of thy 
 mercy, that allureth and draweth to thyself the most wretched of 
 mankind. Accept the penitence of thy most unworthy servant 
 who sues to thy Majesty, and through the abundance of thy grace 
 vouchsafe forgiveness unto him as thou didst unto the thief, and 
 be pleased to heal all the wounds of sin, to which none but thyself 
 can administer relief. most blessed Jesu ! the health and sal- 
 vation of men, and the giver of all good ! thou who didst offer up 
 thyself on the mount of Calvary, that thou mightest reconcile our 
 nature to thine Eternal Father by the all-prevailing sacrifice of 
 thy body, and out-pouring of thy soul unto death, receive, I be- 
 seech thee, my supplications and prayers, for thy name's sake ! 
 Amen." 
 
 Ephrem Syrus died a deacon in the Syrian church. 
 
 Another Syrian called on Mr. now Doctor Southgate, and 
 ne related to me the following account of Ephrem Syrus. 
 When Ephrem Syrus came near Orfa, he besought God that 
 the first person whom he should meet, should tell him some- 
 thing from the holy Scripture. The first person he met with
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 105 
 
 was a woman of bad character ; he looked at her for a mo- 
 ment, and then, sorrowful, looked away from her, afflicted 
 that his prayer had not been heard. The woman, who ob- 
 served that after he had looked at her he became thoughtful, 
 put herself in his way, and looked at him. He asked her 
 why she stood before him ? She replied " I have a right to do 
 so, for I was taken from thee, as thou art a man ; and thou 
 lookest upon the earth, from which thou hast been taken I" 1 
 Ephrem was astonished that God had heard his prayer in such 
 an extraordinary manner, that the first whom he was to meet 
 should tell him something from Scripture. 
 
 When he had taken a house in the city, he observed that a 
 coquet lived near him, who was able to look from her window 
 into his room. She called to him, " My father, give me thy 
 blessing. 1 ' He went to the window : when he perceived the 
 woman he said, " I pray God that he may bless thee !" She 
 asked whether he was not in want of any thing in his lodg- 
 ing ? " Yes," he replied, " some stones and clay, in order to 
 wall up the window through which thou art able to look." 
 " Thou treatest me harshly," she replied. " I should like to 
 become intimate with thee, and thou art averse to speak with 
 me." " Well," Ephrem replied, " come with me to the pub- 
 lic market-place." She replied, " Should we not be ashamed 
 there, in the presence of so many people?" " If," he replied, 
 "we have reason to be ashamed before men, have we not rather 
 more reason to be ashamed before God, who looks into the 
 inmost recesses of our hearts?" The woman was touched, 
 the ray of mercy shone through her heart ; she repented, he 
 read with her the Scripture, and she died a penitent woman. 
 
 Ephrem Syrus preached the tidings of salvation to Jews 
 and Gentiles. 
 
 I met also Mr. Nicolayson, just arrived from Jerusalem, 
 who was very glad to see me, and he expressed a wish that I 
 should come to see them at Jerusalem. I received then a note 
 from Sir Stratford, requesting me to go back with him to
 
 106 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Buyukdere, in the steamer Devastation. I did so accordingly. 
 On the 24th, Lady Canning herself sewed up my letters from 
 the Sultan and the Sheikh Islam in my coat, gave me tea and 
 sugar, and saddle and bridle. Sir Stratford gave me a teles- 
 cope and compass. I cannot express how much the whole 
 committee owe to Sir Stratford and Lady Canning. Two 
 days before quitting Constantinople I visited the convent of 
 the Bokhara and Samarcand derveeshes, who were highly re- 
 joiced when they perceived that I was acquainted with their 
 country, but were not able to give me any information about 
 Colonel Stoddartand Captain Conolly. 
 
 I must not omit to mention, that the Rev. Mr. Nicolayson 
 was waiting to obtain a firmaun in order to be allowed to 
 erect a church at Jerusalem, without which they never can 
 build. I am glad to perceive that by the firmaun which has 
 been now granted to the London Society for promoting Chris- 
 tianity among the Jews to build a church at Jerusalem, that 
 the plan which I recommended in my first and second editions 
 has been followed, and that they are allowed to build a church 
 within the limits of the British consulate, which restriction is 
 three times repeated in the firmaun itself. 
 
 I must not, however, forget to mention also my obligations 
 to Lord Napier, to Messrs. Allison, Tod, Wood, F. Pisani, 
 Count A. Pisani, all attached to the British mission, and to 
 Mr. Lafontaine, who exerted himself kindly in obtaining in- 
 formation for me about Stoddart and Conolly. Mr. Hunter, 
 also, one of the proprietors of the Times., was most actively 
 engaged in spreading a favourable report of my mission. 
 Count and Countess Stiirmer, and Mr. de Titow, furnished 
 me with letters for the road. Sir S. Canning paid my passage- 
 money to Trebizond. Before I left, Sir Stratford said, " You 
 must return via Constantinople, for if you succeed we receive 
 you in triumph ; if not, we will try to console you. And 
 with either result, your expedition must be viewed as a na- 
 tional act, and will conduce to the honour of the British
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 107 
 
 nation." Many other persons made the remark, " What a 
 bold, straightforward, generous gentleman Captain Grover 
 must be." 11 
 
 At one o'clock (November 24), I embarked on board the 
 Metternich, an Austrian steamer, commanded by a kind cap- 
 tain, Signer Clician, which vessel Count Sturmer ordered to 
 call for me at Buyukdere. Lord Napier gave me, when on 
 board, Luther's Exposition of the Epistle of St. Peter, print- 
 ed in German three hundred years ago ; and also the Life of 
 Goethe, written by Falck, a remarkable work, as Falck died 
 before Goethe. All the rest of the attaches accompanied me 
 on board, and took leave of me. I took with me one servant, 
 a Servian, Michaele. Signor Clician showed to me the book 
 in which his passengers had written their names ; and I met 
 with the following, 
 
 Lord Pollington, May twenty-eighth, 1838, from Constantino- 
 ple to Trebizond. I have passed three days very pleasantly on 
 board the Metternich^ and I have every reason to thank Captain 
 Ford for his kindness. 
 
 And most remarkable : 
 
 I beg to add my thanks to Captain Clician for his kindness 
 during a passage from Constantinople to Trebizond. 
 
 August 24, 1839. ARTHUR CoNOLLY.
 
 108 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Arrival at Trebizond Singular Report of Signor Ghersi. Interview with 
 the Pasha of Trebizond. Subscription to Mission at Trebizond. De- 
 parture for Erzroorn terrific Route Gumush-Khane. Conviction of 
 the Turks that their Empire is sinking. Murad Khan Oglu Balahor 
 Bayboot. Kob curious Story of a Derveesh at this Village. Ash- 
 kaleh Elijehtebbe Warm Springs. Erzroom. Dispute between 
 Turks and Persians on Frontier Question. Mr. Brant, the Consul 
 his Kindness Interview with Pasha of Erzroom. Etymon of Erz- 
 room. Pasha of Erzroom pays Dr. Wolff's Expenses to Persian fron- 
 tier. Letter from Erzroom to Captain Grover. Baptism of a con- 
 verted Jew. Proposed Route Detention at Erzroom by inclemency 
 of Weather. Kindness of Colonel Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Red- 
 house. Letter to Captain Grover Letter from Colonel AVilliams. 
 Public Address to the Muhammedans. Letters to England. Contri- 
 bution to Mission from a Gentleman at Trebizond. Address to the 
 Armenians. 
 
 ON the 26th of November, the steamer stopped towards 
 the evening for one hour at Samsoon, where Mr. Richard 
 White Stevens is British vice-consul, brother to Mr. Francis 
 Iliff' Stevens, British vice-consul at Trebizond. Mr. Stevens 
 at Samsoon called on board the Metternich, and told me 
 that I was already expected at Trebizond and Erzroom, and 
 that his brother at Trebizond had prepared a room for me. 
 We then stopped a few hours at Sinope, where Diogenes was 
 born. On the 27th I arrived at Trebizond, a spot famous in 
 history for the hospitality with which it received the 10,000 
 Greeks with Xenophon. Here, the instant they saw the sea, 
 they exclaimed, " The sea ! the sea ! the sea !" Justinian and 
 Hadrian beautified and improved this place. 
 
 Trebizond is the native place of Cardinal Bcssarion, who, 
 in the fifteenth century, engaged and seduced by the splendid
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 109 
 
 presents and promises of the Latin pontiff, employed the whole 
 extent of his authority and the power of his eloquence to per- 
 suade the Greeks to accept the conditions of peace that were 
 proffered by Eugenius, with regard to the procession of the 
 Holy Spirit, purgatory, the legality of unleavened bread 
 in the Lord's Supper, and the supremacy of the Pope. 
 
 Bessarion was the protector and supporter of the Platonic 
 school, a man of unparalleled genius and erudition. It was 
 also the birth-place of George of Trebizond, or Georgius Tra- 
 pezuntius, though Tiraboschi contradicts this, assigning him 
 the name of Trabezuntius simply from the former residence 
 of his family in that place. Tiraboschi makes him a Cretan, 
 and born there in 1395. He studied long at Padua, and was 
 Greek professor at Vicenza ; he was afterwards summoned to 
 Rome, but banished thence for some offence committed in his 
 version of the Almagest of Ptolemy. Though restored, lie 
 was again unfortunate enough to incur fresh displeasure, and 
 was imprisoned in the castle of St. Angelo. He died in 1488. 
 
 The pears of Trebizond are famous. The Goths conquered 
 that place, and cut to pieces thousands of its inhabitants. 
 
 On our arrival, Dr. Casolani, superintendent of the quaran- 
 tine, came on board, and expressed a very sincere joy and 
 sympathy with my present object. Soon after, Mr. Stevens, 
 the British vice-consul, sent to me Mr. Dixon, son to Dr. 
 Dixon at Tripolis, whom we knew at Malta, and that gentle- 
 man welcomed me in the name of Mr. Stevens. Arriving at 
 the house of Mr. Stevens, he and his two very amiable sisters 
 received me with the greatest cordiality, and a room was pre- 
 pared for me. In the evening I met a large party at dinner. 
 The Austrian vice-consul, Signor Ghersi, also called on me : 
 I had known him twelve years previous. He stated to me, 
 that eight inhabitants of Bokhara had just arrived, who said 
 that both Stoddart and Conolly were alive : the first, they 
 said, under the name of Abdul Samut Khan, commanded the 
 artillery, and that Conolly acted under him as his Kiaya.
 
 110 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 On the 28th of November, Mr. Stevens, the vice-consul, in- 
 troduced me to the Pasha of Trebizond, for whom I had a 
 letter of introduction from the Reis Effendi. He received us 
 in the most satisfactory manner, gave me a passport for the 
 road, and a tatar. He is, however, generally regarded as a 
 great brute, bigoted, and an enemy to the reforms made by 
 the Sultan. He cannot bear Europeans, and tries to discou- 
 rage every attempt to civilize his people at Trebizond, and 
 maltreats the Christians whenever he has an opportunity. 
 An association of European Christians ought to be established 
 for giving protection to the Eastern Christians, to Armenians, 
 Greeks, and Chaldeans. It is true that the Christians in the 
 East are now, by long oppression, so degraded, that they will 
 not feel much gratitude for the assistance of Europeans ; but 
 we ought not to do good in order to receive thanks from men, 
 but for the sake of humanity. Even civilized people do not 
 always feel gratitude for benefits received. 
 
 Trebizond is inhabited by Armenian and Greek Christians, 
 beside Turks, and some European Christians. And around 
 Trebizond are great numbers of villages inhabited by Greeks, 
 who outwardly profess the Muhammedan religion, but in 
 secret they practise the Christian religion. This they have 
 carried on since the establishment of Muhammedanism at 
 Constantinople. They have their priests, who, in secret, are 
 ordained by the patriarch of Constantinople, and by the 
 bishop of the Greek church at Trebizond. 
 
 I lectured in Italian that same evening, and through the 
 great kindness of Mr. Stevens four thousand four hundred 
 piastres were collected for defraying the expense of my jour- 
 ney to Erzroom, equivalent to forty-four pounds sterling ; so 
 that I had not yet drawn one single farthing from my money 
 since I left England. 
 
 Messieurs Stevens and the Misses Stevens are the children 
 of Mr. Stevens, my solicitor at Malta ; the most kind-hearted, 
 hospitable, and excellent people I ever met with. Mr. Ghersi
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. Ill 
 
 is also a very nice, open-hearted, and liberally minded gentle- 
 man, and so is Dr. Casolani. 
 
 I set out, on the 1st of December, for Erzroom, with my 
 Servian attendant, Michael, a tatar of the Pasha and an ex- 
 cellent Turk, who always walked near me when I ascended 
 the precipices of Trebizond. The road from Trebizond to 
 Erzroom was horrid, so that I walked the whole day on foot. 
 
 On my arrival at Gumush-Khane, which means ' house of 
 silver, 1 for there are silver mines there, as I had a letter from 
 Ghersi, the Austrian and Russian consul at Trebizond, for a 
 wealthy Armenian, Arrakel Cibukci-Oglu (the son of the pipe- 
 maker) by name, I took up my lodging with him, where 
 I also met with the Armenian archbishop, a well-informed 
 gentleman, who was very glad to make the acquaintance of 
 " Mr. Wolff," of whom he had heard so much. 
 
 I met in his house also with an Armenian pilgrim from 
 Jerusalem, who had just arrived from that city, and had seen 
 there the bishop of the Protestants. The Armenians at Gu- 
 mush-Khane, however, are not satisfied with their archbishop, 
 and accuse him of tyranny. The Sultan has conferred great 
 powers on the Armenian and Greek bishops, and encourages 
 them in punishing those of their flock who have intercourse 
 with the Protestant missionaries; and therefore the worthy 
 missionaries stationed at Trebizond and Erzroom have their 
 hands tied, and can do nothing. Messrs. Bliss and Benjamin, 
 missionaries from America stationed at Trebizond, and Messrs. 
 Peabody and Jackson at Erzroom, are most worthy people, 
 quiet and peaceable, and zealous in their work ; but the 
 Armenians are prohibited by their bishops to receive them 
 into their houses. 
 
 What a beautiful country the Turkish empire would be if 
 in the hands of a European power, for it is blessed with every 
 thing by nature ; but it will never be improved by the Turks, 
 for, beside their natural indolence, the Muhammedans have a 
 strong conviction on their minds that they will be driven out
 
 112 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of their present possessions, and that their labours will be for 
 the benefit of Christians, who will become the rulers of their 
 country. This conviction has not only been produced by the 
 superiority exercised over them by the European powers, but 
 also by old traditions, sayings, and prophecies of their own. 
 And it is for that reason that I always engaged the attention 
 of their mullahs when I spoke to them about the second com- 
 ing of Christ, the restoration of the Jews, and that those 
 events shall be ushered in by unheard-of judgments over all 
 countries. 
 
 There are in Gumush-Khane" two hundred Armenians, two 
 hundred Mussulmans, four hundred Greeks, and eight Catho- 
 lic Armenians. The Armenians have one church, and the 
 Greeks four churches. The Armenians lamented that their 
 schoolmaster had just left them, and that they were without 
 a school at present ; but the archbishop wrote for one to Con- 
 stantinople. The archbishop of Gumush-Khane" is also arch- 
 bishop of Trebizond, and his net income amounts annually to 
 the vast sum of eighty dollars, i. e. sixteen pounds sterling. 
 
 I left Gumush-Khane' on Monday the 4th of December, 
 and re-crossing the river before the town, took a more easterly 
 direction through a rocky valley, surrounded by a line of 
 mountains. After some hours ride, the country assumed a 
 more pleasant appearance : we observed it was covered with 
 verdure, and goats were running about in the plain. We slept 
 that night at a miserable place called Murad Khan Oglu, and 
 the next day we arrived, in the afternoon, in a village called 
 Balahor, for which place I had a letter from the archbishop 
 of Gumush-Khane for an Armenian called Stephan, who re- 
 ceived me hospitably in his house, which was remarkable for 
 having a dome, in contrast to the general flat roofs of the 
 East. Most of the Kurdish houses are of that form, and also 
 in Armenia : they are exceedingly dark. My poor host was 
 very kind. 
 
 On the 6th of December we arrived at Bayboot, surrounded
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 113 
 
 by high and bare mountains : a rapid stream runs through the 
 place. It contains four hundred Mussulmans, and one hun- 
 dred Armenians, and has six mosques and one church. As 
 I had a letter for Mombjoo Oglu Stephan, an Armenian 
 merchant, I was hospitably received by him ; and the Arme- 
 nian priests also called. A place of quarantine is established 
 there, where the Turks and others who come from the interior 
 of Turkey, are obliged to undergo the quarantine for nine 
 days. An Italian physician, Luigi Ercolani by name, was 
 placed over it : he called on me, and I found him to be well 
 versed in the Italian literature, and, as a Roman by birth, 
 well acquainted with the distinguished characters of that 
 city ; he seemed also to be well versed in his profession. He 
 informed me that the greatest physicians in Italy at that 
 period were Dr. Buffalini at Florence, and Drs. Folchi and 
 Mattei at Rome. I also had a visit from an Armenian, Haje 
 Anbar by name ; when he entered the room all rose, for he 
 had only arrived three months ago from Jerusalem : he spoke 
 kindly of the English, and the account of the state of Jerusa- 
 lem was rather gratifying. The Armenians live in peace there 
 not disturbed or oppressed by the Turks, and Zacharias 
 Wardapet is their patriarch. He told me that he accom- 
 panied Bishop Alexander to Beth-Lehem. 
 
 December 7th, we arrived in the village called Kob, whence 
 the tatar was obliged to take two men to carry me safely over 
 the mountains, covered with snow, for two hours. I paid to 
 the poor people fourteen piastres. I am now a more wretched 
 horseman than I ever was before, so that Dr. Casolani, and 
 Mr. Stevens the vice-consul of Trebizond, found it to be 
 expedient to send with me a Turk, Omar by name, who 
 always walked near my horse when I rode, but I generally 
 preferred walking. An excellent fellow he was : when the 
 horse stumbled in the least, and I cried out, he immediately 
 took hold of the bridle, and exclaimed, " Sarar yak, Beyk 
 Zadeh /" < No danger, Son of the Bey I 1 
 
 i
 
 114 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 In the time of Sultan Murad, a holy derveesh was residing 
 in this village of Kob. When the Sultan Murad was return- 
 ing from his expedition to Persia, he came to this village ; 
 and meeting that derveesh, he took him with him to Constan- 
 tinople in order to mock at him. On their arrival at Stambool, 
 that derveesh was bold enough to reprove openly the monarch 
 on account of his tyranny ; for which the Sultan, in his wrath, 
 ordered him to be put into a fiery furnace, from which, how- 
 ever, the holy man came out untouched. The Sultan, per- 
 ceiving by this that he had to do with a real man of God, 
 took him into his treasury, and told him that he should take 
 out of it whatever he pleased. The derveesh selected a girdle 
 and a book, at which the Sultan was much surprised, and 
 asked him why he had not taken money ; he replied that he 
 was not in want of money, but requested the Sultan that he 
 should permit him to return to his native village, and there 
 bestow upon him various fields and meadows for his and his 
 descendants' benefit. The Sultan, gratified at his moderation, 
 gave him the grant of his request by a firmaun, which secured 
 to him and his heirs the village of Kob, free of tribute. 
 After his return to his native village he commenced hus- 
 bandry, and prospered. He had a wife, who used to take his 
 food in the field to him ; and he also had a daughter, who 
 went on a certain day to take her father's food to him : on her 
 arrival in the field she discovered that the plough used by 
 her father was drawn by griffins, and the harness was of 
 snakes and serpents. She returned home and related what 
 she had witnessed, which so annoyed her father that he offered 
 up a prayer that no female of the family should ever arrive 
 at a marriageable age. The second generation is now living, 
 and they have never been able to rear a daughter beyond ten 
 years old, but they have sons. The descendants of this good 
 derveesh still occupy the village. They have built a college, 
 and every person in the village of Kob knows how to read and 
 write. They have abolished smoking, as an idle habit, and
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 115 
 
 there is not a pipe to be seen in the village. Sixty men atv 
 residing in the village above the age of eighteen, and the rest 
 are composed of females. The head of the village, Sheikh 
 Abd Ullah, grandson of the above holy derveesh, is now per- 
 forming a pilgrimage to Mecca. 
 
 We then arrived, after seven hours from Kob, in the village 
 called Ashkaleh, where one crosses, the first time, the western 
 Euphrates, called in Turkish Kara Soo, ' black water ;' near 
 Dia-Deen the eastern Euphrates flows, called Moorad ; when 
 they are united together about Kaban Madan, they are called 
 Frat. At Ashkaleh I found again three derveeshes from 
 Bokhara, who left that city four months ago. I asked them 
 whether they had seen at Bokhara some English travellers? 
 
 Bokharalee. Yes ; and it was reported for some time that 
 they had been killed, but there was no truth in it ; but one of 
 them came from Khokand, with whom the king of Bokhara 
 was angry, believing that he did assist the king of Khokand, 
 and therefore put both the tall and short Englishman into 
 prison ; he let them out after some time, and they now teach 
 the soldiers of Bokhara the European Nizam. 
 
 I recommended these Bokharalee to Mr. Stevens at Tre- 
 bizond, and requested him to send them in a steamer to the 
 British ambassador at Constantinople: this was done at my 
 expense, and for which I paid six hundred piastres. The 
 names of these derveeshes were : 1. Muhammed Badur, of 
 Tashkand, in the Great Bokhara ; 2. Muhammed Nasar, of 
 the city of Bokhara ; 3. Haje Falwan, of the city of Shahr 
 Sabz, near Bokhara; 4. Haje Rustam, of Heraut. 
 
 On the 9th of December, 1843, I arrived at Elijehtebbe, 
 where Pompey defeated Mithridates, a place deriving its 
 name, like Thermopylae, from its hot springs, elijeh, spring, 
 and tebbe, warm, tepid. A mineral bath is to be found 
 there, where a Turk asked me whether the Balms (consul) of 
 the English nation, residing at Erzroom, was not the " Kraal 
 Ittylce * Oglu" the son of the king of England. This question 
 
 i 2
 
 116 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 at least was, so far, gratifying, for it showed that our consul 
 was respected at Erzroom ; and thus I found it also to be the 
 case, for on my arrival there the Turkish inhabitants of Erz- 
 room, who thirteen years ago looked upon a European with 
 contempt, saluted me kindly, and many walked with me to 
 the house of the British consul, my old kind friend and host 
 James Brant, Esq., who resided thirteen years ago at Trebi- 
 zorid. He received me with his usual straight-forward and 
 cordial hospitality, and delivered me letters from my dear 
 Lady Georgiana. He informed me that several of the English 
 residents at Erzroom wished me to administer the sacrament 
 to them on the day following, the 10th of December. 
 
 There was a dispute between the Turks and Persians with 
 regard to the frontiers and the Kurds : British, Russian, 
 Turkish, and Persian commissioners were therefore sent here 
 to settle the affair. The following British subjects were, for 
 this cause therefore, at Erzroom : 1. James Brant, Esq., her 
 Britannic Majesty"^ consul. 2. H. H. Calvert, Esq., cancel- 
 liere to the consulate. 3. George Guarracino, Esq., attache 
 to the consulate. 4. P. Zohrab, Esq., dragoman, and his 
 wife and daughters. 5. Joseph Dickson, Esq., M.D., son to 
 Dr. Dickson at Tripoli. 6. Colonel Williams, R.A. ; and 
 
 7. Honourable Robert Curzon, son of the Honourable Robert 
 Curzon and Lady La Zouch : both these latter gentlemen 
 were the commissioners on the part of the British government. 
 
 8. J. Redhouse, Esq., secretary and dragoman to the com- 
 missioners, the greatest Turkish scholar in Europe : he was 
 here with his amiable wife. 
 
 From Russia the following gentlemen were present as com- 
 missioners: 1. Colonel Dainese, commissioner. 2. Moukhine, 
 interpreter. 3. Proseuriakoff, secretary. 
 
 From the Persian side : Mirza Takee, plenipotentiary. 
 
 Turkish side : Envery Effendi, plenipotentiary ; and Dr. 
 De Camin, his physician. 
 
 There live also at Erzroom Signor Garibaldi, Russian
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 117 
 
 consul ; French consul, Monsieur Goepp ; French interpreter, 
 Monsieur Belin ; Russian consul's secretary, Dr. Bertoni. 
 Bekir Pasha, attached to Envery Effendi, called on Mr. 
 Brant ; he is a descendant of Abu Bekir, speaks English 
 well. There are also here the Revs. W. C. Jackson and 
 Josiah Peabody, American missionaries ; excellent people. 
 
 10th December, 1843, being Sunday, I read divine service, 
 preached, and administered the sacrament to about seven 
 English friends. All the British attended, except the Hon- 
 ourable Robert Curzon, who was prevented from attending, 
 simply by weakness resulting from a dangerous fever. 
 
 His Excellency the Pasha of Erzroom, Kamilee Al Haje, a 
 very amiable and polite man, paid a visit to Mr. Brant, my 
 generous host, who had the kindness to introduce me to his 
 Excellency, the above-mentioned Pasha. I delivered my 
 letter from the Reis Effendi to him : he promised me everv 
 assistance in his power. The Russian consul also visited 
 me". On the llth I called on Colonel Williams, who had 
 first called on me, on Mr. and Mrs. Redhouse, and Mr. 
 Curzon, who knew Lady Georgiana at Malta. 
 
 On this evening we had a very pleasant party at Mr. 
 Zohrab's, the dragoman to Mr. Brant. I recollected Mrs. 
 Zohrab and her daughters at Malta. There is a great deal 
 of snow at Erzroom, and in the country around. No one 
 could be more kind than Mr. Brant was to me, and all the 
 officers of the consulate. I was now only four days distant 
 from Mount Ararat. There are at Erzroom about forty 
 thousand inhabitants, mostly Mussulmans, six thousand Ar- 
 menians, and some hundred Armenian Catholics, with their 
 bishop. I may also as well note here the etymon of Erzroom. 
 It is derived from Eras, land, Room, Rome, indicating that it 
 was part of the eastern Roman empire ; and the Greeks are 
 to this day called by the Turks, Room ; and in Turkistaun 
 and in Persia the Sultan of the Turkish empire is called the 
 Sultan of Room. 
 
 Tuesday the 12th, I baptized the child of Mrs. Stagno*
 
 118 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 and prepared a Jew, who went by the name of Robinson 
 Crusoe^s servant, Friday, for baptism ; he was servant to 
 Colonel Williams, who gave him a most excellent character. 
 Shah Jemaal Addeen, of the celebrated family of derveeshes 
 named Nakhsbande, a sheikh from Bokhara, called on me : 
 he told me that I should find my friends alive, and that he 
 would give me letters. 
 
 On this day I breakfasted with Colonel Williams ; Mr. and 
 Mrs. Redhouse and Mr. Brant were also there : after which 
 Mr. Brant the consul, Colonel Williams the commissioner, 
 and Mr. Redhouse the interpreter to the commissioners, and 
 myself, mounted our horses and called on his Excellency the 
 Pasha of Erzroom, Kamil Pasha by name. I was dressed in 
 my canonicals. On entering the palace of the Pasha, Envery 
 Effendi, the commissioner of the Sultan, for whom I had a 
 letter from the Reis Effendi, was also there. Both the Pasha 
 and the commissioner rose on our entering the room, and 
 shook hands with us in the English manner. Chairs were 
 offered to us ; we sat down : then pipes, coffee, tea, and 
 sherbet were brought. A long conversation about the Ara- 
 bic and Persian literature took place ; also on the history 
 of Muhammed, the Arabian prophet, and on my travels 
 through Asia. I then told them some anecdotes about Fre- 
 derick II., and took in both the Pasha and the commissioner 
 with the fish and the ring. 
 
 His Excellency the Pasha promised to defray the whole 
 charge of my journey from Erzroom to the Persian frontier, 
 and to send two soldiers with me at his own expense. My 
 dear English friends here furnished me also with every thing 
 necessary ; and Messrs. Brant, Williams, Redhouse, and his 
 amiable wife, took care of me like a brother. 
 
 On Wednesday the 13th I dined with Colonel Williams; 
 Mr. and Mrs. Redhouse, and Messrs. Calvert and Guarracino 
 also dined there. I slept that night at Colonel Williams's, 
 and on Thursday the 14th of December I gave the sacrament 
 to the Honourable Robert Curzon and Mrs. Redhouse. In
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 11<J 
 
 the afternoon I lectured in the house of Mr. Brant, where 
 Bekir Pasha and Anwaree Effendi were among the hearers; 
 and as Anwaree Effendi does not understand English, Mr. 
 Redhouse interpreted every sentence to him. Messrs. Pea- 
 body and Jackson, and their wives, were also present. 
 
 On the 16th I wrote as follows to Captain Grover. 
 
 My dear Grover, Erzroom, Dec. 16, 1843. 
 
 I thought it would be the easiest way, and the best, to 
 have my letter to Lady Georgiana copied by Mr. Guarracino, the 
 attache to the British consulate at Erzroom, and send it to you. 
 You will also herewith find inclosed another evidence of eight 
 Bokhara pilgrims, which I got to-day through the kindness of our 
 excellent consul, Mr. Brant, with regard to Colonel Stoddart's and 
 Conolly's being still alive and well treated at Bokhara. God 
 grant that it may be so ! I am, however, very much encouraged 
 by it. 
 
 As the road from Erzroom to Tabreez was covered with snow, 
 Colonel Williams most kindly furnished me with a suit of winter 
 clothing, and boots, &c., for the journey ; so that I shall not be 
 able to set out from Erzroom for Tabreez before next Wednesday, 
 the 20th of December, when I shall leave Erzroom early in the 
 morning. The commissioner of the king of Persia has also fur- 
 nished me with letters of introduction to his friends on the frontier 
 of Persia, and at Tabreez. Mirza Takee (this is the name of the 
 commissioner) knew me at Tabreez, and was aware that I took with 
 me from Persia Mirza Ibraheem to England, at my expense, and 
 that he is now professor of the Persian language at the East India 
 College, near Hertford, Haileybury. 
 
 Yours, affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 On Sunday the 17th of December I performed again divine 
 service in the British consulate, and after the second lesson I 
 baptized Israel Jacob, the above-named servant to Colonel 
 Williams, one of her Majesty ""s commissioners at Erzroom. 
 Israel Jacobs was a Jew from Germany. Colonel Williams, 
 Mr. Brant, her Britannic Majesty's consul at Erzroom, and 
 Mrs. Redhouse, stood as witnesses. I preached also, after the 
 prayers were over, a sermon on the personal reign of Christ
 
 120 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 and the restoration of the Jews. In the afternoon a Muham- 
 medan from Bokhara called on me, the first that has told me 
 that he had heard that Colonel Stoddart had been killed. 
 
 A visit to Envery Eifendi, the commissioner on the part of 
 the Turkish government, prevented my writing to Captain 
 Grover this day. Mr. Brant and Mr. Zohrab accompanied 
 me. Envery Effendi was much amused with my carelessness, 
 and that I should have come to Erzroom without winter 
 clothing. Envery Effendi also gave me letters to Balool, 
 Pasha of Bayazid, and to the Turkish consul at Tabreez. 
 
 I delivered this afternoon another lecture here on my late 
 journey from Bokhara to Calcutta, when again not only the 
 English commissioners, but also Envery Effendi and Bekir 
 Pasha attended it. I circulated here also in Turkish my 
 Call to the Mussulman Nation, which was published iti 
 Galignani and the Herald. Mr. Redhouse kindly translated 
 it, and another translation of it has been made into the Persian 
 tongue. It is scarcely possible to imagine the interest evinced 
 by my English friends here in my mission. I only wished to 
 be enabled to show my gratitude to them in some way or 
 other. No brother can be more kind to me than Mr. Brant, 
 the consul, and Colonel Williams. 
 
 The following was to be my route, by the blessing of God : 
 Dec. 21. Hassan Kaleh . 6 hours 18 miles. 
 
 22. Khorassaun . . 8 24 
 
 24. Mullah Soleiman . 15 ,, 45 ,, 
 
 25. KaraKlesea . . 7 21 
 
 27. Diadeen . . 12 36 
 
 28. Bayazid . . . 6 18 
 
 29. Awajik . 8 24 
 
 30. Kara Aineh . . 8 24 ,, 
 
 31. Zorahweh . . 8 24 
 Jan. 2, 1844. Khoy . . 11 32 
 
 3. Taswej ... 8 farsang 32 ,, 
 
 4. Tawshea . . . 6 24 
 
 5. Tabreez . 8 32 
 
 354
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 121 
 
 By this plan I considered that I should be on the 7th of 
 January at Tabreez, and on the 20th of January at Teheraun. 
 
 December 19th, Mrs. Redhouse was kind enough to put 
 together my papers, and to get for me biscuits and warm 
 clothing : in short, both this lady and her husband took care 
 of me like brother and sister. A tremendous snow-storm in 
 the night, and we had in the morning a slight earthquake. 1 
 found that I should not be enabled to set out before the fol- 
 lowing Thursday, as the roads were blocked up with snow. 
 Last night, for a whole hour, many guns were fired every five 
 minutes, in order to warn poor travellers of the situation of 
 the citadel, to save them from snow-drifts, as there are great 
 quantities of marshes, &c. I received this day a note from 
 Mr. Brant, the consul. He wrote to me, 
 
 A poor French doctor, who persisted in starting yesterday for 
 Kars, is, I fear, lost in Deveh Bouyoon, a mountain near Erzroom : 
 he got before his people, who returned, but there is no news of 
 him. The Pasha sent out people to look for him, &c. 
 
 JAMES BRANT. 
 
 I was clothed by Colonel Williams's kindness in the follow- 
 ing manner : in an aba, trousers made immensely large, a 
 waistcoat and coat of the same. The coat is precisely the form 
 of a shooting-jacket : over this a large loose coat, sleeves and 
 body entirely lined with fur of wolfs skin : thus I was a 
 Wolff in wolfs clothing: round my waist a large woollen 
 shawl. On my feet, first of all some thick worsted stockings, 
 light boots lined with fur, over all large leather boots like 
 the Horse Guards, that came up to my hips : attached to my 
 fur coat was a hood to draw over my fur cap when travelling, 
 and a large pair of fur gloves sown to my coat. With all 
 this, my friends believed me to be snow proof: Mr. Curzon 
 told me that I looked like a gentleman on a shooting expedi- 
 tion. Should I be detained till after Christmas, the hospita- 
 ble Mrs. Redhouse promised me a good Christmas dinner, 
 roast beef, plum-pudding, mince-pies, &c.
 
 122 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 On the 21st I wrote to my kind friend Captain Grover, the 
 following letter : 
 
 My dear Grover, Erzroom, Dec. 21, 1843. 
 
 A more active and benevolent fellow than yourself is 
 not existing ; I therefore write to you on a particular subject. My 
 host here, James Brant, Esq., her British Majesty's cnsul at Erz- 
 room, is a most excellent, educated, and philanthropic gentleman, 
 through whose activity and exertions the commerce between Tur- 
 key and Persia has been most considerably increased and facili- 
 tated. Through his endeavours, six new consulships have been 
 established in the interior of the Turkish empire, in places the 
 most bigoted ; and I can bear witness to the fact, that the spirit 
 of the inhabitants of Erzroom has considerably been changed 
 for the better. Formerly no European could have gone out in his 
 European dress : now a European is respected. The streets have 
 been made better, and the commerce between Turkey and Persia 
 has considerably increased. 
 
 As the consul-general of Tripolis in Barbary, Colonel Warring- 
 ton, is an old gentleman, and probably to be soon pensioned off, I 
 should be much obliged to you if you would be kind enough to 
 recommend him, by means of your other friends, to the Foreign- 
 office. He is very anxious to contribute towards the abolition of 
 slavery in Africa, and also to establish consulships in the interior 
 of Africa. Pray do so. 
 
 The horses for my departure, and the two officers of the Pasha 
 (cavasses), are already ordered to accompany me to Bayazid ; but 
 the snow is still so great, that neither caravans go or come, and 
 therefore it is impossible for me to set out this week on my journey. 
 I am exceedingly vexed, but it cannot be helped. Colonel Wil- 
 liams has also written to Sir Stratford Canning, that they were 
 obliged to keep me from going almost by force. 
 
 Yours, affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 On the the 22nd, I received from my excellent friend Colonel 
 Williams, the subjoined communication: 
 
 My dear Dr. Wolff, Erzeroom, Dec. 22nd, 1843. 
 
 I send you a pair of saddle-bags, and will request the 
 Pasha to allow my cavass to affix a Turkish and Persian copy of
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 123 
 
 your Address to the Mussulmans at the gate of the principal Per- 
 sian khaun, (better than palace or mosque). 
 
 I am sorry you did not think of it before, and I recommend you 
 to cause to be posted up this document the moment you arrive at 
 Tabreez and Teheraun. 
 
 You will find your sheep-skin "sleeping-bag" in the saddle- 
 bag ; and pray, my dear Doctor, DO NOT FORGET TO PUT YOUR FEET 
 INTO FT ! 
 
 With regard to your last question, I have not, and shall not 
 ask or allow any person to club with me. I consider it my duty 
 as a British officer to assist, in every possible manner, to forward 
 your most praiseworthy and courageous attempt to release or dis- 
 cover the fate of my brother-officers, for, recollect, we are all 
 brothers in the army. Yours? yery faithfully? 
 
 W. F. WILLIAMS. 
 
 P. S. I do not think you can set out to-morrow. When my ca- 
 vass gets permission, he will come to you for the two copies, and 
 then affix them to the khaun. 
 
 The address alluded to in this letter, which I subjoin, was 
 circulated among the Muhammedans in the Turkish empire, 
 Persia, and Khorassaun, and from thence sent by Muhamme- 
 dans to Affghanistaun, Cabul, Cashmere, and Bokhara. 
 
 Followers of Islam / 
 
 In the whole Turkish empire, Arabia, and Affghanistaun, 
 you remember me well. I have been among you at Damascus, 
 Egypt, Aleppo, Bagdad, Isfahan, Bokhara, Cabul, and Hindus- 
 taun. I have conversed on the coming of Jesus Christ with Mu- 
 hammedans, Jews, Parsees, and Hindus. I have been well re- 
 ceived, though differing in religious sentiments, by the Grand 
 Mogul of Delhi and the Shah of Persia, the Grand-Mullahs of 
 Bagdad, Constantinople, Isfahan, Cashmeer, and Bokhara. I 
 have been to the utmost boundaries of the world, even to America, 
 which is situated on the other side of the ocean, exhorting people 
 to do good, and to repent for the sake of Jesus. And having 
 learnt that two British officers of high merit, Colonel Stoddart 
 and Captain Conolly, have been put to death by order of the 
 Ameer of Bokhara, and also a Neapolitan officer, Cavaliere Naselli 
 by name, I am going to the Great Bokhara to ascertain the truth
 
 124 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of that report; for I cannot believe it, as I was well received at 
 Bokhara, and with great hospitality. Besides this, such an act is 
 against the rites of hospitality, so sacredly observed by Muham- 
 medans. I go there to demand the bodies of these people alive, 
 and if dead to demand the reason of their death. The Sultan of 
 Constantinople, whose life may God preserve, and the Sheikh 
 Islam, whose life may God preserve, have given me letters to the 
 Ameer of Bokhara and to the Grand-Mullahs of that town. I call 
 now on all the Muhammedan Princes and Mullahs throughout the 
 world, to send letters of recommendation on my part to the King 
 of Bokhara, that he may receive me well. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 The terrible state of the weather prevented my departure, 
 for which event I was most feverishly anxious, as I considered 
 that possibly the fate of Stoddart and Conolly depended on 
 my speed. Anxious beyond measure that I might appear to 
 realize to the full the noble and philanthropic views of those 
 who had despatched me, I addressed to Captain Grover the 
 following letter : 
 
 My dear Grover, Erzroom, Dec. 25, 1843. 
 
 About ten people have been brought to Erzroom dead 
 from the road of Tabreez and Trebizond, so that you will not 
 wonder that my dear friends here, Colonel Williams and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Redhouse and Mr. James Brant, did not allow me to start till 
 now for Tabreez ; but I shall leave this on the 27th instant. Colo- 
 nel Williams has furnished me with an entire suit of warm cloth- 
 ing. Not less than thirteen people from Bokhara have given 
 the assurance to Mr. Stevens, the vice-consul of Trebizond, that 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly are alive ; and I rejoice to 
 learn that also Lord Aberdeen has great hopes of their being alive, 
 as I perceive by his despatches sent to Colonel Sheil through the 
 British embassy at Constantinople, and from thence to Colonel 
 Williams, with the request of allowing me to read the docu- 
 ments. 
 
 Give my love to every member of the Committee, and to your 
 family. 
 
 Yours, affectionately, 
 
 'ii WOLFF.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 125 
 
 I think that I have already mentioned to you, that the Pasha of 
 Erzroom pays all the expense of my journey as far as Persia. 
 
 The weather continued in unmitigated severity until Christ- 
 mas. Stragglers were daily brought in from the roads dead, 
 and my kind and excellent friends in Erzroom would not 
 permit me to depart. On Christmas-eve, which I spent with 
 Colonel Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Redhouse, and Bekir Pasha, 
 we all wrote to Lady Georgiana. 
 
 Bekir Pasha is the chief of the artillery. Thirteen people 
 from Bokhara in all had now given me their assurance that 
 Stoddart and Conolly were alive. A gentleman from Trebi- 
 zond sent me here five hundred piastres, which I received on 
 Christmas-eve, for the object of my mission. I trust I shall 
 not omit to record any instance of kindness received ; but if I 
 do, a traveller's hurried life must plead my excuse. The 
 Pasha of Erzroom drew out a call on all the Mussulmans, 
 exhorting them to take an interest in my present mission. If 
 the kindness of every class of religionists on earth can preserve 
 a life, I feel that mine will be so, and that I go back to Bo- 
 khara with a moral force that amounts to the full measure of 
 political power. 
 
 From this place I wrote to his lordship the Bishop of Lon- 
 don a long letter on the zeal and excellent character of the 
 Rev. H. Leeves, and other agents of the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, beseeching his lordship also to send a clergy- 
 man to Erzroom, for the British consulate ; to my most belov- 
 ed friend Sir T. Baring, commending Mr. Brant's interests to 
 his charge ; also to Henry Drummond, on various matters of 
 religious interest. On the morning of Christmas-day I ad- 
 ministered the sacrament to seven English people, and the 
 Jew whom I had baptized. This took place at Mr. Brant 
 the consul's private house, under whose hospitable roof I re- 
 mained seventeen days. Before I left Erzroom, I published 
 also the following address to the Armenian nation :
 
 120 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Descendants of Hay k, and Followers of Gregory Lusa/voritsh, 
 Mesrop, Moses Vocazer, and Nerses Shnorhale ! 
 
 I have been declared the friend of the Armenians by public let- 
 ters of your late venerable Katokhikos Ephrem, and Nerses the 
 present Katokhikos of Ech Miazin ; and my having established 
 schools for you at Bussorah and Busheer prove that I was your 
 friend, and am still your friend ; I have therefore to address to you 
 the following petition. I am now going to Bokhara for the pur- 
 pose of ransoming Colonel Stoddart, Captain Conolly, and Cava- 
 liere Naselli. From having been a Jew, it gives me particular 
 pleasure to prove to the Gentile world that I love my Saviour, the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, by being ready to lay down my life for the 
 brethren, Gentiles as well as Jews. Knowing that the Armenians 
 of Astrachan, Orenbourg, and Moscow are in correspondence with 
 merchants of Bokhara, I beg you, and particularly your Arch- 
 bishop Scrope at Astrachan, to write to the few Armenians resid- 
 ing at Bokhara, and also to recommend me to the great Emperor 
 Nicholas Paulowitch, that he also may recommend me to the 
 Ameer of Bokhara, so that his Majesty the Ameer of Bokhara 
 may be induced to deliver up the above-mentioned officers. 
 Your affectionate brother in Christ, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 Before the late war of the Russians with Turkey, there 
 were several thousand families of Armenians at Erzroom ; but 
 General Paskewitch, on his return to Russia, advised the Ar- 
 menian bishop, and the rest of the Armenian population of 
 Erzroom and the adjacent country, to follow him into Russia. 
 About 90,000 families of Armenians in the Turkish empire 
 followed the call of that hero, and they settled in Georgia, 
 Karabagh, and other parts of the Russian empire.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 12" 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Departure from Erzroom, December 27. Kerujak Hassan Kaleh Ko- 
 massor Delhi Baba Armenian Marriage at this last Village. Taher, 
 a Kurd Village. Mullah Soleiman, an Armenian Village. Kara Kle- 
 sea Kolassur Utsh Kelesea Diadeen Ghizl-Deesa. Tremendous 
 Snow-storm. Awajick Karaine Sehr Abad Khoy Tashwish Taw- 
 sar Tabreez. Visit to an old Acquaintance in Prison, Muhammed 
 Khan Kerahe. Autograph of the Khan, giving his Descent. Birth of 
 Ghengis Khan. Timur the Derivation of his Name. Falsity of the 
 Statement of Saleh Muhammed no certain Information of Stoddart 
 and Conolly. Letters of Introduction to Bokhara Letter to Stoddart 
 and Conolly Committee. Armenian Festival and Khatshauran, or 
 Washing of the Cross. St. Nierses of Lampron Life and Writings of 
 this learned Armenian Prelate. Decay of Muhammedanism. Depar- 
 ture from Tabreez, January 20th. Seydabad Tekmetash Awful 
 Storm Kulagh. Conversation with Derveesh. Tata Sultan Kema- 
 alee Howdbeen. Opinions of Mussulmans changed with respect to 
 the Giaours. Turkman-Jaa Miana Sanjoon Khoramtarah Chal- 
 deans Meeting with their Metropolitan their Descent from Israel. 
 Ceremonies and Doctrine of the Chaldean Church. St. Thomas the 
 Apostle. Siyadehen Kasween Sephir Khaja. 
 
 QUITTING Erzroom on the 27th, I waded through the snowy 
 mountains from Armenia unto the frontier of Persia. My 
 hardships were fully equal to those I experienced on the route 
 to Erzroom, when the Turk that accompanied me by the side 
 of my horse made me climb over various precipices, where I 
 was compelled for safety to creep upon my stomach. 
 
 In leaving on this day the truly hospitable dwelling of Mr. 
 Brant, two fine stately cavasses of the Pasha (to whom I was 
 ordered by the Pasha not to give a farthing, as he would pay 
 them himself) were in readiness outside the British consulate, 
 on horseback, smoking their pipes. Colonel Williams had 
 come on horseback to the consulate, with one of his servants. 
 I then mounted my horse, and so did my Servian servant,
 
 128 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Michael, crossing himself and calling on the Virgin and St. 
 George for protection, not omitting Saint Nicholas, the 
 patron saint of Servia. The snow was still so high that I 
 wanted to go on foot, but Colonel Williams said to me, in a 
 commanding voice, " Never go down from your horse : for as 
 long as you see that your other horse will be able to carry 
 your baggage, this one will also be able to carry you. And 
 beside this, imagine that you have behind you the people of 
 Muhammed Kerahe of Torbad, driving you with their whip." 
 This allusion to my old persecutor made me smile and obey. 
 Colonel Williams accompanied me to a distance of six miles, 
 just to the spot where, eight days before my departure, a 
 French physician and ten muleteers had perished in the snow ; 
 and then Colonel Williams dismounted from his horse, gave 
 me a glass of Tenedos wine to drink, drank my health, shook 
 hands cordially with me, and returned to Erzroom. I con- 
 tinued my journey, accompanied by the above-mentioned 
 cavasses, one mile further to a village called Kerujak, where 
 we slept in the stable of a kind-hearted Turk ; but the stables 
 in Turkey have elevations made on purpose for travellers, 
 where they are not exposed to the danger of being kicked by 
 the horses, and these elevated places are pretty clean. A good 
 pilaw was brought to me in the evening. 
 
 In the morning of the 28th we rose with the sun, and con- 
 tinued our journey; but the snow was still so high, that I 
 certainly would have followed the bent of my inclination and 
 walked on foot, if Colonel Williams had not made me promise 
 not to descend from my horse, as long as the other could carry 
 my baggage. I kept my eyes steadily fixed on the other 
 horse, and perceiving that he waded, though with difficulty, 
 through the snow, I remained firm ; and thus we arrived that 
 day six miles distant, to a place called Hassan Kaleh, where 
 we again resided with a Turk. Hassan Kaleh was built by 
 Oossun Hassan, the great prince of the dynasty of the White 
 Wethers.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 129 
 
 On the 29th of December we travelled as far as Komassor, 
 where we slept in the house of an Armenian, whose room was 
 not as clean as the stables of the Turks. There are only 
 thirty houses of the Armenians in this place. 
 
 December 30th we arrived at Dehli Baba, where I again 
 slept in the house of an Armenian. There are here thirty-five 
 families and three priests. Most of the Armenians were gone 
 on horseback to a neighbouring village, to fetch a bride, ac- 
 companying her, with musical instruments and clapping of 
 hands, to their own village. The next day, December 31st, 
 the road was so thickly covered with snow, that 1 was obliged 
 to take with me two Armenians to drag me with my horse 
 through the snow, until we arrived, a distance of six miles, at 
 the village called D^har, inhabited by Kurds. We slept in 
 the house of one of the Kurds, who scarcely gave us any thing 
 to eat, even for money, and certainly would have plundered 
 me, if I had come without the men of the Pasha of Erzroom. 
 
 January 1st, 1844. I arrived on this day at Mullah 
 Soleiman, inhabited by Armenians, who two hundred years 
 ago were all converted to the Roman Catholic faith by a 
 Romish missionary, Soleiman by name, from whom the place 
 took its appellation. The priest of the place, a well-informed 
 man, was ordained by Abraham, bishop of Merdeen, whom I 
 knew twenty years ago when at Merdeen, in Mesopotamia. 
 This kind priest expressed his regret at my not having taken 
 up my abode in his own domicile. 
 
 January 2nd, I arrived at Kara Klesea, where a church was 
 established, according to tradition, by the preaching of the 
 apostle Thaddeus. The place is called in Armenian, Pakre- 
 Ant. 
 
 Jan. 3rd. Arrived at Kolassur, a place colonized by Per- 
 sians from Erivan, which they left in 1827, in order not to be 
 subjects of the Russian government. The mullah of the place 
 called on me. He knew how to read the Koran without 
 understanding it, and he was surprised when I translated to
 
 130 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION" 
 
 him some parts of the Koran from the Arabic into Persian. 
 I then spoke with him about the merits of the Gospel. 
 
 January 4th, I arrived at Utsh-Kelesea, * three churches, 1 
 a convent, called Wank in Armenian, where Gregory the 
 Enlightener converted many thousands of the Parsees and 
 Armenians to the faith in Christ ; and there also King 
 Tiridates was converted by St. Gregory, and baptized in 
 the Euphrates, which flows there. This Utsh-Kelesea must 
 not be confounded with Utsh-Kelesea, or Etsh-Miazin, near 
 Erivan. 
 
 The superior of Utsh-Kelesea recognised me from my 
 former visit in 1831, when I was sick three days in that 
 convent, and at that time accompanied by a priest, called 
 Simon, to Tabreez. I refreshed myself now again among 
 the pious and exemplary inmates of that convent for a whole 
 day, and then set out, on the 5th of January, for Diadeen, 
 a miserable village entirely inhabited by domiciled Kurds, 
 where I lodged in the house of a very civil, kind-hearted, 
 and hospitable Kurd. One hour after our arrival, two sol- 
 diers arrived from Bayazid, on their way to Erzroom, and 
 as the inhabitants of the villages are always obliged to furnish 
 the soldiers gratis with horses to the next station, my Kurdish 
 host ordered one of his men not to suffer the postman who 
 brought me and my people to go away in the morning with 
 his horses, without taking the two soldiers with him back as 
 far as Kara-Klesea, whence I came; and therefore enjoined 
 his servant to have a good look-out during the night, in order 
 that the postman from Kara-Klesea might not be able to take 
 the horses out of the stable in a stealthy manner, which they 
 are accustomed to do. However, sleep overcame the servant 
 at night, and as I was not able to rest that night, I saw the 
 postman coming into the stable and taking away the horses j 
 but not having been aware at the time of the arrangement 
 made by my landlord, took no notice of it. One hour after 
 the departure of the postman the servant awoke, and perceiv-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 131 
 
 ing the horses taken away, he exclaimed "Pesevenk!" i. e. 
 Ruffian, and gave the alarm, but it was too late. In the 
 morning the two soldiers from Bayazid demanded for awhile to 
 have the horses which were to take me on ; but I gained the 
 point, and two very bad horses were given to the soldiers, and 
 I set out for Ghizl-Deesa, a most miserable Kurdish village, 
 where our two cavasses were obliged to beat one of the Kurds 
 with a whip, in order to convince him of the necessity of 
 affording to us a shelter in his house. Scarcely had we en- 
 tered his house, before clouds covered the sky so rapidly, and 
 snow fell to such a degree, that actually a person could not 
 see his neighbour standing near him : so that, snugly settled 
 in a warm stable, I exclaimed, " Al-hamdoo Lellah Rabb-ul- 
 Alemeen !" (Praise to God the creator of the world,) " that I 
 am already in the house."" My Kurdish host observed, " If 
 I had known before that this European says ' Al-hamdoo 
 Lellah Rabb-ul-Alemeen, 1 I would have taken him in at 
 once. 1 " However, one hour after the sky cleared up again, 
 and it ceased to snow, when I heard a voice from the street 
 asking whether an Englishman had arrived ; and immediately 
 after a courier (gholam) sent from Colonel Sheil, of Teheraun, 
 with despatches for Erzroom, entered the room, and told me 
 that a mehmoondar* had been sent to Awajick from the Prince 
 of Tabreez, at the request of Mr. Bonham, with an order 
 (rakuni) to furnish me with horses as far as Tabreez. 
 
 January 7th, I arrived at Awajick, where I was very hos- 
 pitably received by the governor, Khaleefa Kooli Khan. At 
 Awajick I dismissed the two cavasses from the Pasha of 
 Erzroom, and though I was not obliged to pay them one 
 farthing, I gave to them a present of two hundred piastres, 
 and they returned to Erzroom ; and I continued my journey 
 with Ismael Beyk, the mehmoondar of the Prince of Tabreez, 
 towards that city. 
 
 * From mehmoon, a guest, and rfar, having ; a person sent to prepare a 
 lodging for another. 
 
 K 2
 
 132 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 January 8th, we slept in the miserable Persian village 
 called Karaine. January 9th, we arrived at Sohr-Abad. On 
 the 10th at Khoy, a city of calamities, at one time in the 
 hands of the Sultan, at another under the Persians ; frequent- 
 ly destroyed by the hand of man, and also suffering from re- 
 peated earthquakes. Here I lodged in the splendid house of 
 my old acquaintance Soleiman Khan, now governor of Khoy, 
 who is a freemason, though a Muhammedan. He treated me 
 at supper with excellent wine. He told me that on my arrival 
 at Teheraun, it would be worth while to make the acquaintance 
 of a renowned derveesh, Mirza Naser Ullah Sadder Almema- 
 lek, after I had called on the Haje, the prime-minister of Mu- 
 hammed Shah ; for the latter personage was the enemy of the 
 derveesh, and if I was to call first on the derveesh, the Haje 
 might be offended. In the night time a fire broke out in the 
 same house where I slept, and a considerable part of it was 
 burnt down ; but I slept so soundly, from being tired out by the 
 journey and cold, that I knew nothing about it till the morn- 
 ing, when the fire was extinguished, and I was informed of it. 
 
 January llth, I arrived at Tashwish ; on the 12th at 
 Tawsaj ; and on the 13th at Tabreez, the capital of Ader- 
 bijan. Here was fought, in 1490, a battle between Oossun 
 Hassan and his son Ogor-lu I. In the beginning of the 
 sixteenth century Shah Isma-eel founded there his empire, 
 when only fourteen years of age. 
 
 The news of Stoddart and Conolly in this place (Tabreez) 
 did not amount to more, however singular it may appear, 
 than mere repetitions of accounts in Galignani, and other 
 European newspapers. I found here the Times, Herald, 
 Post, and Chronicle, all which papers may be gratified to 
 learn that they circulate in Tabreez. To these may be added 
 the Allgemeine Zeitung, the first paper of Germany. I noti- 
 ced these in the hands of the Russian ambassador and consul. 
 
 I was introduced, on January 15th, to the Prince of Tab- 
 reez and the chief mullah, who promised to furnish me letters
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 133 
 
 for Meshed. At this place I received for the first time the 
 communication from Lieutenant Eyre, already given. Here 
 also I received an extremely kind letter from the excellent 
 Colonel Williams, from Erzroom. 
 
 I had here also the satisfaction of transmitting to my son 
 an autograph letter from the Sheikh Islam to the Sheikh 
 Islam in Daghestaun, for as I had abandoned that route 
 it became useless. 1 sent to him also a beautiful golden 
 compass and telescope, given to me by dear Sir Stratford 
 Canning. 
 
 On my introduction, as stated above, to his royal highness 
 Bahman Mirza, Prince-governor of Tabreez, he was pleased 
 to receive me most graciously, and his vizier called upon me. 
 I paid, on the 16th, by the especial permission of the prince, 
 a visit to an old acquaintance, Muhammed Khan Kerahe, of 
 Torbad Hydarea. He is now a prisoner at Tabreez, by 
 order of the king. In the year 1831 , as my readers have al- 
 ready seen, I was made a slave of by the people of Torbad 
 Hydarea, but their khan, by order of Abbas Mirza, set me 
 again free. This fellow had put out the eyes of hundreds of 
 people, and cut off noses, &c. ; and sold not less than 60,000 
 Persians to the people of Bokhara. His own turn, however, 
 came, and as I like to see people in misfortune, not to triumph 
 over them but to console them, I went to pay him a visit. 
 At present, being in prison, he receives company at home, 
 not being allowed to stir out of the domicile assigned him 
 by (he king, except with a few honourable attendants, the 
 prince's guards, by way of security. On my seeing him, he 
 immediately recognised me, reminded me of the bastinadoes 
 which he had inflicted on those who made me a slave and 
 took my money ; but he prudently omitted to state that he 
 put this latter commodity into his own pocket, and, as orien- 
 tals have long recollections, and one may meet them in out- 
 place regions, and rather unexpectedly, I omitted to revive 
 any unpleasant reminiscences. By one of those freaks of
 
 134 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 physiognomy that occasionally happen, his appearance is 
 remarkably mild, but I should shun that eye if I met it 
 in the desert. 
 
 The manner in which he was made prisoner, was as follows. 
 When Abbas Mirza was in Khorassaun, in the year 1831-2, 
 he struck terror into the different chiefs. At last he (Abbas 
 Mirza) sent this khan a laanat-namah, i- e. a letter, in which 
 Abbas Mirza wished that all the curses should come upon 
 him (Abbas Mirza) himself, if he did not treat well Mu- 
 hammed Khan Kerahe, in case that he would immediately 
 come and pay him a visit. Muhammed, whose father, Izhak 
 Khan Kerahe, strange to say, was similarly entrapped by 
 the royal family, believed the assurance of Abbas Mirza, 
 and came to Meshed, riding on the back of a splendid horse. 
 On the road, Yahya Khan, one of the chamberlains of Abbas 
 Mirza, came to meet him, and advised Muhammed Khan to 
 make a present of his horse to Abbas Mirza. Muhammed 
 Khan answered sternly to this proposal of Yahya Khan, " I 
 never shall part from this horse, for which I have given 
 twelve fellows like thee as an exchange." When Muhammed 
 Izhak Khan arrived at Abbas Mirza^s, he was given to 
 understand that he was a prisoner. This does not redound 
 to the honour of that great and amiable man, Abbas Mirza. 
 Beneath is a translation of the autograph of this celebrated 
 captive chieftain, which he wrote in my presence : 
 
 Translation of the Autograph of Muhammed the son of 
 Izhak Khan Kerahe, fyc. 
 
 Muhammed, son of Izhak Khan Kerahe, Tatar of the 
 family of Ghengis Khan. 
 
 The ancestors of Ghengis Khan were Oolinjah Khan and 
 Olamgoo, a Mogul, who had twins : the name of the one was 
 Mogul Khan, and the other Tatar Khan, from whom all the 
 Tatars descend, as the Moguls do from Mogul Khan. The sons 
 of Ghengis Khan were, 1. Hutshi Khan; 2. Jaktay Khan; 3. 
 Aktaye Khan ; 4. Tule Khan.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 135 
 
 After the death of Ghengis Khan, the children of Tule Khan 
 became kings. Mikukahan Khan sat upon the throne of Ghengis 
 Khan, who sent his brother, Halaku Khan, into Persia, and re- 
 sided for awhile at Tabreez, whence he went to Bagdad, and 
 killed Muattesim, the last of the khaleefs of the family of Abbas. 
 The tribe of Kerahe had accompanied Halaku Khan to Tabreez. 
 and after the extinction of the dynasty of Ghengis Khan, the 
 Kerahe emigrated to Turkey ; but when Tamerlane became the 
 conqueror of the world, he removed forty thousand families of the 
 Kerahe tribe from Turkey to Samarcand ; of which number, how- 
 ever, twelve thousand separated and returned to Khorassaun, 
 whose descendant I am. 
 
 Muhammed also told me the story of Ghengis Khan's mo- 
 ther having become pregnant by a beam of the sun, which 
 entered into her mouth. Of Timur, he said his very name 
 was prophetic; for Timur means mm, and Timur was a 
 man of iron. And here Muhammed Khan Kerahe became 
 quite animated, and said, " I aspired after the honour of be- 
 coming another Tamerlane and Ghengis Khan, and my name 
 was already a terror among the khans of Khiva and Bokhara, 
 and ambassadors even were sent to me from the Ghirgese 
 and the Cossacks. I had secret correspondence with Russia, 
 (which latter words he whispered into my ear). But in the 
 midst of this career, a stop was put to it by Allah above. I 
 am now little, and am fallen from my high estate. Allah is 
 great, and man unconscious of his destiny. My name was 
 Muhammed Kale-Kaan, which means Muhammed the Head- 
 tearer." 
 
 At this place I arrived at the complete demonstration that 
 the account, on which Government relied, of Saleh Muham- 
 med, was untrue, from a merchant who called on me at the 
 British consulate on the 17th January, and told me that at 
 the time he left Bokhara, twelve months previous, Stoddart 
 and Conolly were both shut up in the fortress. He further 
 stated that he then saw Samut Khan, in whose house Stoddart 
 formerly lodged. Mr. Bonham and myself examined him,
 
 130 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 and all he knew was, that both were in prison ; and he was 
 told by Samut Khan, that if once a person is imprisoned in 
 the (Ark) castle, no one knows whether he is dead or alive. 
 
 I regret to say that the report of the state of this country, 
 at the time of my visit, was most lamentable. The king was 
 reported to be entirely governed by a bigoted, ambitious, and 
 jealous old Haje, so that all the English officers were dismissed 
 his service. He never sent, as Abbas Mirza his father did, 
 any Persian to Europe to be instructed there. Not a medical 
 man was to be seen throughout Persia. The king himself 
 was a victim to the gout, for which his quack physician pre- 
 scribed brandy. He was victimized, not by hydropathy, but 
 brandypathy. I must, however, confess that the Haje was 
 more kind to me on my arrival at Teheraun, than I had room 
 to expect from this report of his character at Tabreez. He 
 seemed to me to be the Persian Cardinal Wolsey. I learnt 
 also that he had altered his system, and sent young men to 
 France and England to be educated in various arts and pro- 
 fessions. 
 
 Mr. Bonham, the consul-general, furnished me with the 
 strongest recommendations from all the authorities here, civil, 
 military, and ecclesiastical, for Teheraun and Meshed. Mr. 
 Bonham is a connexion of Sir Robert Peel, having married a 
 niece of Lady Peel. His hospitable dwelling received me 
 the instant I arrived, and nothing could exceed the kindness 
 shown to me by him and his amiable lady. Mr. Bonham was 
 not in possession of any information on the subject of Stoddart 
 and Conolly. 
 
 Colonel Sheil was the only person of whom I yet had heard 
 up to this period, who appeared to be convinced of their death, 
 but he had sent no one to ascertain the fact. I was given to 
 understand in this place, that Colonel Sheil was a retired and 
 silent man, doing nothing on his own responsibility ; and that 
 report led me to doubt still further the intelligence on which 
 he relied.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 137 
 
 On Sunday, the 14th, I preached to the English, and ad- 
 ministered the sacrament to them. I also received on that 
 day a visit from the Persian governor of the place, and I have 
 already mentioned my visit to his highness Bahman Mirza; 
 but I omitted to say that Mr. Bonham accompanied me, and 
 that the mehmoondar was sent to me at his suggestion by 
 Prince Bahman Mirza to Awajick, six stations from Tabreez. 
 His royal highness promised also to send again, on Thursday 
 the 18th, a mehmoondar with me as far as Teheraun. He 
 further furnished letters of introduction for Teheraun and 
 Meshed. The Haje also furnished a letter for the prime- 
 minister of the Shah. 
 
 In company with Mr. Bonham I also called on the Imaum 
 Jemaat, the high-priest of Tabreez, who gave me letters for 
 Abdul Samut Khan at Bokhara, with whom Stoddart resided. 
 I ascertained that at Ooroomia, six days distant from Tabreez, 
 there were American presbyterian missionaries, who did a 
 great deal of good by instructing the people, and as they do 
 not interfere with the discipline of the Nestorians, they deserve 
 every praise and encouragement. 
 
 I am always rejoiced to learn that Episcopalians send out 
 missionaries ; but in the mean time, as long as this is not done, 
 the state of the Eastern churches is in such a sad condition, 
 that modest, prudent, and ssealous presbyterians might be ren- 
 dered useful to them, and these very presbyterian missionaries 
 would perceive, from the state of the East, that Episcopacy 
 is a primitive condition of the church, and Congregationalism 
 an anomaly. And thus, while it cannot be denied that they 
 enlighten the East, it will also follow that they take back with 
 them to their own homes a portion of its light, to the benefit 
 of the country from which they were sent forth. Archbishop 
 Magee once told me, that he would like to make the Wesley- 
 ans auxiliaries to the church ; and thus the Church of England 
 might make the Presbyterians auxiliaries in spreading the 
 Gospel through the East. Dr. Grant, Messrs. Perkins, Mer-
 
 138 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 rick, and Stoddard, are very worthy men on this mission. 
 From this place I addressed the following note to the Com- 
 mittee of the Stoddart and Conolly Fund : 
 
 Tabreez, 19th Jan., 1844 : 
 Gentlemen, the day of my departure for Teheraun. 
 
 Through the kindness and indefatigable exertions of Mr. 
 Bonham, her Britannic Majesty's consul-general in Persia, I leave 
 here to-day for Teheraun, accompanied by a mehmoondar from 
 his royal highness Prince Bahman Mirza, and furnished with the 
 following letters of introduction : 
 
 1. From his royal highness Bahman Mirza, for Mirza Ali Nakee 
 Khan, at Teheraun ; and for the Assaff-ood-Dowla, governor of 
 Meshed, and the king's uncle. 
 
 2. From Mirza Lutf Ali, the Imaum Jumaa (chief mullah) at 
 Tabreez, for the Haje, prime-minister of the king, at Teheraun ; 
 for Mirza Askere, chief mullah at Meshed ; Haje Ibrahim, brother 
 of Samut Khan, at Meshed ; for Samut Khan, chief of the artillery, 
 at Bokhara. 
 
 3. From Mullah Muhammed, Mujtehed at Tabreez, for Haje 
 Mirza Moosa Khan, chief of the mosque at Meshed. 
 
 4. From Agalar Khan, brother to Manujar Khan, for his Ex- 
 cellency the Assaff-ood-Dowla, governor of Meshed ; and for Haje 
 Mirza Mousa Khan, at Meshed. 
 
 5. From the Sheikh al-Islam, for the Assaff-ood-Dowla, at Me- 
 shed ; and the chief priest of Bokhara. 
 
 6. From Haje Seyd Hussein, for Haje Ibrahim, at Meshed; and 
 Samut Khan, at Bokhara. 
 
 You would therefore do well to write letters of thanks to the 
 following personages : 
 
 1 . To their Excellencies the Governor and Admiral at Malta. 
 
 2. To Sir Edmund Lyons, Bart., her Britannic Majesty's am- 
 bassador in Greece, requesting him also to convey your thanks to 
 their Majesties the King and Queen of Greece ; to Sir James Stir- 
 ling, K.N. ; Captain Ommaney, of the Vesuvius ; to the Revds. 
 H. D. Leeves, Hill, and Jonas King, in Athens. 
 
 3. To his Excellency Sir Stratford, and also Lady Canning. 
 
 4. To Lord Napier, at Constantinople. 
 
 5. To their Excellencies the Count Stunner, Austrian inter- 
 nuncio at Constantinople, and Countess de Stunner.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 139 
 
 6. To Monsieur Titow, Russian ambassador at Constantinople. 
 
 7. To F. Stephens, Esq., her Britannic Majesty's vice-consul 
 at Trebizond. 
 
 8. To Signer Ghersi, Russian consul at Trebizond ; for both 
 Stephens, Ghersi, and a few others, subscribed 407. you know. 
 
 9. To James Brant, consul, Colonel Williams, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Redhouse, at Erzroom. 
 
 10. To the Pasha of Erzroom, who paid all the expenses of my 
 journey as far as Awajick, the frontier of Persia. 
 
 11. A letter of thanks to E. W. Bonham, Esq., her Britannic 
 Majesty's consul-general, and his lady, for the kind hospitality 
 they afforded to me, and the encouragement they gave, and the 
 interest they took in my present object. 
 
 Yours, affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 Why is Mr. Bonham not made ambassador? He is so much 
 respected in Persia. He arrived here in 1832, and knows the 
 country and language well. 
 
 Among many signs of the times that clearly indicate the 
 diminishing power of the fanaticism of the Muhammedans, 
 the following is not among the least. On the 19th January, 
 the Armenians celebrated their Khatshauran, i. e. the wash- 
 ing of the Cross, in which they employed Muhammedan 
 soldiers to fire salutes. This is a wonderful alteration of the 
 Osmanlees. By the way, on that occasion, in which Armeni- 
 ans, Georgians, and Greeks united in the festivity, my Persian 
 servant Michael became so drunk as to be incapable of doing 
 any thing; and when I reproved him for it, after he got 
 sober, he coolly replied, " What should one do else on such 
 a grand day !" 
 
 Many Armenians, also, who had become Muhammedans, 
 have openly returned to the Christian faith. I must here 
 note further, with respect to the Armenian church, that it is 
 well known that the Emperor Nicholas attempts at present to 
 unite the Armenian church with the Russian : a great division 
 therefore has taken place among the Armenians. Some of 
 them say it is right, for in former times, in the year 1179, 
 Emanuel Comnenus made the attempt. Others of the Armc-
 
 140 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 nians say that the Czar has no right to interfere with their 
 church. Those who are in favour, refer to the speech of 
 Saint Nierses of Lampron. In order to understand these 
 remarks, I give the following sketch of the life of this extra- 
 ordinary man. 
 
 St. Nierses of Lampron, son of Ossinio, an Armenian noble- 
 man, patron of the Castel of Lampron, Prince of Sebaste, 
 was born in the year 1153. He received his early education 
 in the celebrated monasteries of Armenia, and then was taken 
 under the direction of the great Nierses Shnorhale or Ghlaya- 
 zee, who ordained him priest and gave him his own name, 
 for his former name was Sembate. After the death of Nierses 
 Ghlayazee, Gregory IV., at the request of the nation, con- 
 secrated him archbishop of Tarsus and Lampron. Nierses 
 of Lampron governed the church with zeal, and kindled 
 throughout Armenia the fire of Divine love, and reformed the 
 church by his preaching and writings; for he combined in 
 his own person divine and profane sciences in a high degree, 
 so that he was styled the Master of Armenian eloquence. He 
 was also acquainted with foreign languages. He has pub- 
 lished the following writings : 
 
 1. An Exposition of the Armenian Liturgy. 
 
 2. A Practical Commentary of the Psalms of David. 
 
 3. A Commentary on the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Book of Wis- 
 dom, and also the twelve Minor Prophets ; and their literal as 
 well as their allegorical sense. 
 
 4. Many Homilies upon the Dominical Festivals, and several 
 admonitory Discourses. 
 
 5. Several Letters, written with Apostolical zeal, to various 
 illustrious Persons. 
 
 6. The Life of Saint Nierses Gheliensis, rendered in elegant 
 verse. 
 
 7. Seven most beautiful Hymns : the first on Easter, the second 
 on Whit-Sunday, the third on the Ascension, and the fourth on the 
 Festival of the sons and nephews of St. Gregory the Illuminator. 
 
 He also translated several works from different languages 
 into Armenian, among which The Explanation of the Apo-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 141 
 
 calypse of St. John, written by Andrea, archbishop of Caesa- 
 rea ; The Rules of the Order of St. Benedict ; and The Life 
 and Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, are highly esteemed. 
 The distinguished prelate had nothing more at heart than 
 the preservation of charity, and unity in the church ; he was 
 therefore called, by other nations, a second Paul of Tarsus. 
 The above-mentioned patriarch Gregory, encouraged by the 
 Emperor Emanuel Comnenus, intended to re-establish har- 
 mony between the two churches, the Greek and Armenian, 
 divided for a long time from each other on account of differ- 
 ences in the doctrine and discipline of the church. A council 
 was already commenced under his predecessor, and was only 
 interrupted by his death. A preliminary discourse was neces- 
 sary for the proposed union. Nierses was selected to write it. 
 He recited this speech in the council assembled in 1179, in 
 the patriarchal castle of Roomkalah, in Cilicia. We may 
 trace in this curious paper that the unity of the church was 
 believed by the Armenian Fathers to have been typified in 
 the architecture of the temple. 
 
 " Most holy fathers and teachers of the truth ! heads and pas- 
 tors of the people of Christ ! overseers and dispensers of the 
 house of God ! what do I now behold ? One harmonious body, 
 fit to be united to that great Head who rules us all ! Who has 
 brought you to this tranquil haven ? Ye messengers of peace to 
 the Universe, was not the Holy Spirit for our peace sent down 
 from heaven ? And to what end, if not to relay the foundation of 
 that ruined building, which the first Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
 Babylon, cast down to the ground? That Nebuchadnezzar who in 
 ancient time took away the sacred and undefiled vessels of gold 
 and silver consecrated to the use of the sanctuary, and gave them 
 to his children and to his concubines, for the use of their unholy 
 banquets. We also, O children of Sion ! were captives here, 
 having the harps of our God suspended to the branches of sterile 
 willows, and shedding torrents of tears, sighed, borne down 
 with the weight of cruel grief. Then did our tongues also cease 
 from giving praise to God ; then we asked, How can we sing the 
 Lord's song in a strange land ?'
 
 142 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 " But now the wrath of Heaven is appeased, and the measure of 
 the sin, for which we became wanderers on earth, is full. The 
 seventy years are now passed, of which God spake hy the mouth 
 of Jeremiah the prophet. They had been foretold through Divine 
 inspiration by Haggai and Zachariah, and propitious tidings they 
 gave us of our return and of liberty. The glory of the latter tem- 
 ple, of which you are to be the restorers, these prophets predicted 
 should be greater than that of the former. This new Joshua,* 
 son of Jozedek, on whose head is placed the superb crown, and 
 Zorobabel,f the son of Salathiel, whom the Spirit of God raised 
 up, these are they who recall you from slavery, and are become 
 our leaders towards the heavenly Jerusalem. 
 
 " Already I perceive your countenances are more serene, for al- 
 ready are. our feet arrived at the gates of Sion ; but if our joy be 
 not yet accomplished, it is because the house of our God is still in 
 ruins upon the ground. How can we have perfect gladness of 
 heart, while for the magnificent ornaments of the temple we find 
 substituted the devouring fire-brands of Nebuzar-aden ? 
 
 " Yet let not your spirit forsake you, O wise builders ! Take 
 courage, and begin the restoration of the house of your God. He 
 has brought you here, and He commands you by the mouth of his 
 holy prophets to gird up your loins to the accomplishment of so 
 noble an enterprise. Behold, how Zachariah comes in the name 
 of God, and speaks to you. 
 
 " Tell us, O blessed Prophet ! is it possible for us to rebuild 
 the temple, and bring it back to its ancient splendour, seeing 
 we are so few, and so lately delivered from bondage? 
 
 " The Prophet replies, ' Thus saith the Lord God Omnipotent, 
 Your hands shall be made strong, the hands of all of you who 
 hear these words from my mouth ; and as you were a curse to the 
 nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, 
 and you shall be a blessing. Be courageous, and your hands shall 
 be strengthened, for thus saith the Lord of Hosts, In like manner 
 as I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to 
 wrath, so again have I thought in these days to do well unto 
 Jerusalem, and to the whole house of Judah. Be ye comforted. 
 These are the things that ye shall do : Speak ye every man the 
 truth to his neighbour ; execute the judgment of truth and of 
 
 * Gregory the patriarch, by whose orders they were assembled. 
 t Emanuel Comnenus.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 143 
 
 peace in your gates ; let none of you imagine evil in your hearts 
 against his neighbour, and love no false oath ; for all these things 
 do I hate, saith the Lord Omnipotent. But rather encourage one 
 another in the work, ascend the mountain, cut down trees with 
 which to rebuild my house, and I shall have pleasure in it ; and 
 in this manner I shall be glorified, saith the Lord.' 
 
 " Behold, you have all heard the voice of the Lord our God, 
 that voice which brought you here from the four winds of the 
 earth; daughters of Sion, who were nursed in the confusion of 
 Babylon, and amidst the tumult of Calneh, you, who instantly 
 arose at the call of the patriarch, and you, as many as there be of 
 the people, gird yourselves, and hasten to build the house of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 " That this be done well, take counsel of Ezra, that Doctor of 
 the Law. Let us expel from the building all those that are born 
 children of the Chaldeans. Let us enter into the desire of happi- 
 ness in which our ancestors so ardently indulged, that God be not 
 displeased with us, seeing that we also turn aside from His holy 
 law. Thus in the magnificent undertaking of building the holy 
 Temple of God, the children of strangers will not be a stumbling- 
 block to us ; so shall we be enabled boldly to lay our hands to the 
 edifice. The protection of the Omnipotent God in the renovation 
 of his House will be prompt and effectual. But I fear some will 
 reproach me with the introduction of this example of the Old Tes- 
 tament, as though the just limits marked out for the subject of 
 this discourse had been exceeded. Let it not be so, for we know 
 that of old Saint Paul said, ' All these things happened unto them 
 for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition.' If we 
 believe that we are saved by the blood of the true Lamb from 
 the invisible Pharaoh, as the Jews were from the visible one ; if 
 we pass through the sea of Sin as they passed through the Red Sea ; 
 if we have as a guide the spiritual rock, like as they had the 
 material one ; and if we enter, through Jesus Christ, into heaven, 
 as those who, following Joshua the son of Nun, entered into the 
 land of promise, all these things come to us through the eye of 
 love and faith, as in reality they actually happened to the Jews ; 
 for all the holy books clearly demonstrate that the law was a 
 shadow of good things to come. Among us also the temple ha 
 been erected to our God, like as it was erected among them ; and 
 whilst we were sojourners in the desert, we carried about with us 
 the tabernacle of the testimony.
 
 144 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 " But I will no longer go on in allegory ; I will explain my- 
 self more clearly. By command of Christ, whilst we were so wan- 
 dering in the desert of persecution amongst heathens, the holy 
 Apostles planted for us the tabernacle of the testimony of pure 
 faith. As Saint Paul says, ' I have laid the foundation, Jesus 
 Christ ; and let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon, for 
 you are the true temple of the living God, and the Spirit of God 
 dwelleth in you. Christ ruleth over his own house, which house 
 are we, and of this house Christ is the high priest.' 
 
 " This house of faith, which the Apostles built upon Christ, and 
 Christ upon them, (' upon this rock,' says He, ' will I build my 
 church,') our fathers led about with us for a long period through 
 the desert of Pagan persecution with much splendour and honour. 
 Within this spiritual house of faith, in which was the table signed 
 by the hand of God, that is to say, the body of Christ and his rod 
 that blossomed, illustrious champions were offered up in sacrifice, 
 yielding up life under the most cruel torments, while the holy 
 priests offered up to God their bright virtues as the incense with 
 which God was well pleased ; and even as they were led by Him 
 to their land of promise, so has He guided us also to the peace of 
 the Church under the most pious kings.* 
 
 " As the great Solomon planted the Temple of the Covenant, 
 and erected to God a house of stone, so Constantine firmly esta- 
 blished, with the aid of the general Council of Nice, the house of 
 the faith of Christ, agitated and harassed as it was on every side ; 
 and, so to speak, reforming that in the desert which was counter- 
 acted during the persecution of our pilgrimage, he rendered it 
 illustrious, and restored it to its primitive beauty. 
 
 " Thus our true and spiritual Temple was raised under the 
 reign of Constantine, with the co-operation of three hundred and 
 eighteen most holy Fathers, like as the material Temple of the 
 Jews was raised under the care of the reigning Solomon. The 
 shadow ceased and the reality was substituted, exhibiting itself in 
 the same form and beauty. 
 
 " The tabernacle of the Testament of the grace of Jesus Christ, 
 which the Apostles planted and their successors carried abroad, 
 had also its solid foundation whilst they reigned, according to the 
 decisions and laws of the holy Council of Nice. 
 
 * Abgar, Constantine, Tiridates, Theodosius the Great.
 
 OF DR WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 145 
 
 " In the Temple of old, the throne of God was erected. The 
 altar of expiation was made of gold, which Moses commanded, and 
 Bezaleel constructed ; but the meekness, humility, and love which 
 Christ commanded, and his Apostles practised, were left to us as 
 our depository. He rested on this throne, who once had not 
 where to lay his head ; and was pleased rather to dwell there, than 
 on the chariot of the cherubim." 
 
 The discourse was so well received, that the union would 
 have been established if Comnenus had not died. His suc- 
 cessor, Alexis II., was of different sentiments, on which 
 account the union did not take place. The archbishop of 
 Tarsus lived nineteen years after this council, and then died 
 on the 14th of July, 1198. 
 
 I met here, on January the 16th, Jaafr Khan, who was 
 brought up in England, and afterwards employed by Abbas 
 Mirza, in Meshed, where I knew him. He dined with me at 
 Mr. BonhanVs. He is a very intelligent Persian. It would 
 be well if there were many such among them ; but, alas ! they 
 are few. I must confess, that in general those natives who 
 are brought up in England, or have visited it, are frequently 
 not of the right sort, and turn out badly. Every one of them 
 who comes to England is immediately treated as a prince or 
 princess, honours which they do not appear at all reluctant 
 to assume. Thus, for example, " The Babylonian Princess,"" 
 when no Babylonian princess exists ; " Princess of Cash- 
 meer,"" " Nobles of Libanon," &c. After a while, these 
 persons return to their country discontented and perfectly 
 useless. Since October 14th, I found I had travelled the 
 following distances : 
 
 Miles. 
 From Southampton to Gibraltar .... 1300 
 
 Gibraltar to Malta 1000 
 
 Malta to Constantinople .... 800 
 Constantinople to Trebizond . . . 480 
 
 Trebizond to Erzroom 180 
 
 ,, Erzroom to Tabreez 348 
 
 L 4108
 
 146 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I have mentioned certain signs of the decay of Muham- 
 medanism ; I will adduce another. On the 18th January I 
 called with Mr. Bonham on Mirza Hashem, one of the family 
 of Muhammed, a man of immense wealth, who said to me, 
 " You should converse about religion with the chief mullah 
 at Kerbelay. If you convert him, all the Muhammedans will 
 follow his example." " But," said I, " you put to death a 
 Muhammedan who should venture to embrace the Christian 
 religion. 1 " " This was formerly the custom," he replied ; " but 
 now a Muhammedan, who would become a Christian, merely 
 needs to take an English passport and declare himself to be a 
 British subject, and he is safe."" 
 
 January the 20th. On this day, my mehmoondar made his 
 appearance at the door of the British consulate-general at 
 Tabreez. Mr. Bonham and Mr. Burgess accompanied me 
 on my journey seven miles. On the road, after their depar- 
 ture, I observed, to my great grief, that Michael, my servant, 
 was so drunk, that he was not able to hold himself on his 
 horse. I ordered him to dismount and give me back my 
 money, for I had given it to him to keep. He delivered up 
 the money, but in his drunken fit struck me, and left me 
 on the open road. As Messrs. Bonham and Burgess had 
 already returned to Tabreez when that fellow left me, I was 
 afraid that he might either die in the snow, for he had laid 
 down and slept, or be carried away as a slave, or be stript of 
 every thing ; I therefore sent back the keeper of the post- 
 horses to give notice to Mr. Bonham. who sent one of his 
 men, and he brought him by force to Tabreez. I had after- 
 wards to send his portmanteau after him to Tabreez. I 
 know not what became of him, whether he returned to Con- 
 stantinople where he was hired, or what else befell him. I 
 continued my journey, and arrived on that same day at 
 Seydabad. 
 
 January 21st. We arrived in the hilly village called Tek- 
 metash. It was tremendously cold, and scarcely had we
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 14? 
 
 reached the post-house (manzeleh), when the clouds covered 
 the sky, the horizon was darkened, and a tremendous rising 
 of the snow and sand from the ground in enormous masses 
 took place. No one dared stir from the house. The Per- 
 sians call this kind of storm kulagh. I never as yet in my 
 extensive travels had seen any thing like it. Such kind of 
 kulaghs kill in an instant the horse and the rider, especially 
 when accompanied with a blast, like death itself in dullness. 
 We were obliged to stay in that miserable place, more ex- 
 posed to the so-called kulagh than any other part of Persia, 
 two days. 
 
 The day I left Tabreez on my way to Teheraun, I met 
 with a learned derveesh in the place in which I had taken up 
 my abode after my servant had left me. On my entering 
 with him into a religious conversation, he broke forth into the 
 exclamation, " You are another Tata Sultan and Kemaalee 
 Howdbeen !" I asked, " Who were these two persons?" 
 
 Derveesh. The disciples of Buddr-Udeen Seemawn-Ogloo, 
 who, in the Hejrah 835, traversed the country of Room 
 (Turkish empire), taught that all the property of men ought 
 to be used in common houses, arms, and clothing, women 
 excepted. Tata Sultan, whose name also was Beerekledje 
 Mustapha, was a great friend of the Christians, and with one 
 of them he spent much time in holy meditation about God in 
 the island of Sakez, (i. e. Scio). Tata Sultan destroyed the 
 army of the Sultan of Room, Muhammed. At last Bayazeed 
 Pasha made Beerekledje Mustapha prisoner, and murdered 
 him, as it was believed, unmercifully, with all his disciples ; 
 but Beerekledje Mustapha is still alive, and a friend of Chris- 
 tians ; and you will, in unison with him, upset the empire of 
 Room and Persia. I heard of you at Delhi", where you have 
 conversed with Akbar Shah, the king of Delhi, and the Mow- 
 levees there ; and I have heard of you at Cashmeer. You 
 have been a Jew, and all great events proceeded from the fol- 
 lowers of Moses, and will proceed again until Eesa (Jesus) 
 
 L 2
 
 148 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 will again make his appearance. When these events shall 
 take place, and you shall see yourself surrounded by your 
 followers, then remember the derveesh of Geelan. Abd-ool 
 Wahab has not succeeded in reforming the world, but you 
 will." 
 
 The other Persians sat around us, listening with attention 
 to the words of the derveesh of Geelan, and then began to 
 converse about the bravery of the late Wuzeer Mukhtar, i.e. 
 Sir John Me Neill ; of his defying the king of Persia ; and of 
 his preventing the Shah from taking Heraut. Since the time 
 that Sir John Me Neill has left Persia, the Persians talk more 
 of him than of Sir John Malcolm. The Persians have a 
 great deal of perspicacity, and characterize the British am- 
 bassadors there in the following manner : 
 
 1. Sir John Malcolm, the Munificent. 
 
 2. Sir Gore Ouseley, the Scholar. 
 
 3. Sir Henry Willock, the good and kind-hearted Man. 
 
 4. Sir John Campbell, the determined and liberal Wuzeer 
 Mukhtar. 
 
 5. Sir John Me Neill, the shrewd, brave, handsome man, and 
 the best Persian scholar who ever appeared in Persia, and one 
 who at the same time was liberal. 
 
 6. Colonel Shell, a man who loves retirement. But they 
 give him credit for firmness. 
 
 The tone of Persians and Turks has also changed with re- 
 gard to their estimate of the British and Russian powers. 
 About twenty-four years ago the Turks spoke of England as 
 a power inferior to that of the Sultan, and the Persians spoke 
 of the Russians as men who never would be able to take Eri- 
 vaun ; but now, these Muhammedan countries have at last 
 been compelled to acknowledge the superiority of both, Rus- 
 sia as well as England ; and it is come so far, that both the 
 Turks as well as the Persians acknowledge that they cannot 
 go to war with each other, " for Russia and England will not 
 allow it." Instead of saying, as formerly, " No power can 
 take Stambool," the Turks as well as the Persians frequently
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 149 
 
 asked me, " When will the English come and take this 
 country?" 
 
 January 23rd. We continued our journey towards Turk- 
 man- Jaa.* A cold air prevailed, which penetrated my large 
 boots, given to me by Colonel Williams, under which I had 
 two pair of stockings. Suddenly I perceived an awful rising 
 of the sand, so that I was forced to rub my eyes and shut my 
 mouth. It soon increased terribly, with the snow falling from 
 the mountain peaks; and at this juncture my mehmoondar 
 called out "Kvlagh!"" but, most fortunately, after ten minutes 
 the kulagh ceased, the air grew warmer, and the snow fell 
 gently in flakes from heaven. Had the kiilagh lasted longer, 
 I should have been hurled down a precipice, from which I was 
 about twelve yards distant, but had not observed it. We 
 rode on after this at full gallop, and arrived safely at Turk- 
 man-Jaa, where we stopped the night. 
 
 January 24th. On this day we reached the large market- 
 town called Miana, where I obtained a decent room, and call- 
 ed on the mullah of the place, with whom I had a long con- 
 versation on the coming of Christ in glory and majesty. The 
 mullah Miana was a great admirer of Masnawee Roomee, an 
 extraordinary book, and which much resembles the writings 
 of Jacob Bohme. It is held in the same veneration by the 
 Sooffees of Persia, as Jacob Bohme is by the Mystics of Ger- 
 many. It was originally composed in Persian, but was trans- 
 lated into Turkish by Sheikh Ismael Moulewee, who added 
 to it a seventh volume. 
 
 January 26th, we arrived in the city called Sanjoon. Here 
 I met with Mirza Baker, the commander of the troops, who 
 lodged for the space of two months with me in the house of 
 Mirza Baba at Meshed in 1831. We talked over occurrences 
 of former days. 
 
 * It is so named from Turkman, and Jaa ' a place ; ' for the Turkomauns 
 had extended their plundering incursions to that place, and received there 
 a great defeat.
 
 150 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 January 28th I arrived at Khoramtarah, where I had the 
 pleasure of meeting with the Rev. Mr. Stocking, an American 
 Congregationalist missionary, stationary at Ooroomiah with 
 the Right Reverend Bishop Gabriel, Metropolitan of the 
 Chaldean Christians of that place; but beside him there is 
 another bishop at Ooroomiah, Mar Yohannan, the same who 
 was in America. As Mr. Stocking and the said bishop had 
 arrived before me at Khoramtarah, they had taken up their 
 lodging in another house ; but at my request they became 
 my guests. 
 
 There cannot be entertained any reasonable doubt of the 
 truth of the general tradition of the Chaldeans, of their being 
 the descendants of the children of Israel, for they call them- 
 selves Beni Israel (children of Israel) : their language is He- 
 brew; they have sacrifices called Doghran Shlama in the feast 
 of Transfiguration, consisting of a sheep, lamb, or goat ; they 
 have in their churches the Holy of Holies ; they have a veil 
 like the Jews; the bishops are of the tribe of Levi; the Ye- 
 seede are of the tribe of Judah, but the latter have apostatized ; 
 they have a river called Gozan ; the Jews of Chaldea call 
 them their nephews ; they have a horror of images, &c. ; they 
 have seven sacraments (Raase), and these are their names, by 
 which you will observe that they are entirely different, at least 
 the greater part, from those of the sacraments of the Roman 
 Catholics. They are as follow : 
 
 1. Blessing of the priest, or Ordination. 
 
 2. Consecration of the church. 
 
 3. Baptism. 
 
 4. Lord's Supper. 
 
 5. The Blessing of the old leaven. 
 6 Matrimony. 
 
 7- Service of the Dead. 
 
 Saint Thomas the Apostle came into Mesopotamia, where 
 they lived in captivity, and he preached to them the Gospel 
 when they lived near Mosul, in a place called Halah and
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 151 
 
 Habor, near the river Gozan ; so that the Jews of Bokhara 
 seem to have given, after this, to Bokhara and Samarcand the 
 name of their original settlements in Mesopotamia. Their 
 patriarchs resided first in Eelat Khoki ; after that at Marava, 
 three days' journey from Tabreez ; and then at Alkush, men- 
 tioned in Nahum i. 1 ; and after Tamerlane's invasion they 
 retired to Cochanes in the mountains. Some years ago, when 
 I was first curate at High Hoyland, the Bishop of London 
 sent to me a letter, purporting to have been written by the 
 Patriarch of the Chaldeans, produced by some pretended 
 Chaldeans. I wrote at once to the Bishop of London that 
 they were impostors; and Bishop Gabriel and Mar Yohannan 
 assured me that I was not mistaken in my suspicion, and that 
 the letter which they produced from the Patriarch was a 
 forged one. 
 
 January 29th. Stocking and Mar Gabriel continued their 
 journey towards Ooroomiah, and I towards Teheraun, and 
 arrived on the 30th at Siyadehen, where I had an excellent 
 well-furnished room in the house of the Ked-Khoda, the chief 
 of the village, Baba Abbas by name. 
 
 January 31st, I arrived at Kasween, which was formerly 
 the capital of the Persian kings ; and it was also once entirely 
 governed by a rebellious set of derveeshes called Lootee, or 
 ' the Fools? From Kasween I got such bad horses, that 
 on my arrival at Sephir Khoja, fourteen farsangs or fifty-six 
 miles from Teheraun, I was obliged to write to Colonel Sheil, 
 petitioning him to send five horses to my assistance. I how- 
 ever continued very slowly my journey. 
 
 The horses sent most kindly by Colonel Sheil (his own 
 horse for myself) arrived with a friendly letter from him, 
 inviting me to take a room in the British embassy.
 
 152 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Arrival at Teheraun. Interview with Colonel Shell. Interview with 
 Meshedee Rajab, Colonel Stoddart's Servant. Bokhara Eljee. Ac- 
 count of Latif. Barenstein. Preaches before the Embassy. Inter- 
 view with Mar Yohannan, the Chaldean Bishop his opinion of Ephrem 
 Syrus. Audience with the Shah. Letter of the Shah to the Ameer 
 of Bokhara. Interview with the Vizier of the Shah. Ambassador of 
 Bokhara tells Dr. Wolff that Stoddart and Conolly are alive no cer- 
 tainty at Teheraun as to their Death Ambassador of Khiva. Dilatory 
 Conduct of Colonel SheiL Borowsky, the Jew. Most distinguished 
 Generals in the East, Jews. Sefaweya Dynasty. Departure from 
 Teheraun. Colonel Sheil undecided in Opinion on the Death of the 
 Envoys Evidence of Jacoob. Dr. Wolff visits Palasht Darey Khar 
 Deh-Namak Surkhak. Enters Khorassaun. Interview with Prince 
 Seif Ullah Mirza at Semnan. Route through Aghwan Khosha 
 Damghan (reported to be the oldest City in the World) Deh-Mullah 
 Sharoot Miyamey Miyandasht Meher Khosroejerd. Sebzawar 
 Tower of human Skulls built by Tamerlane at this place. Route conti- 
 nued ; Safran Germ-Ab. Letter received by Dr. Wolff from the Per- 
 sian Viceroy of Khorassaun. The Assaff-ood-Dowla. Route continued ; 
 Nishapoor Report here of Stoddart and Conolly being alive. Route 
 continued; interview with Tamas Beyk Kadamgah Shereef-Abad 
 Askerea meets here with Mulkh Mehdee Saleh Muhammed, the 
 Akhund-Zadeh. Muhammed Ali Serraf, the agent of Colonel Stod- 
 dart suspicious Conduct of this Agent, 
 
 FEBRUARY 3rd. I arrived at Teheraun this day about twelve 
 o'clock. Colonel Sheil at once assured me that he would 
 give me every assistance in his power, in order to reach 
 Bokhara in safety. He (Colonel Sheil) had also detained in 
 his house Meshedee Rajab, from Heraut, who for three years 
 was servant to Colonel Stoddart, by whom he was sent to 
 Cabul. He had suffered imprisonment at Bokhara, and I 
 took him into my service to accompany me to that city. 
 Stoddart and Conolly owed him one hundred and eighty 
 tomauns, which were paid to him by Colonel Sheil.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 153 
 
 Colonel Shell told me that he had seen the Eljee (ambassa- 
 dor) from Bokhara, who told him that he did not believe that 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly were killed, but kept 
 in prison ; but the Russian ambassador told me that the Eljec 
 from Bokhara had told him that they were killed. I asked 
 Rajab, my servant, what his impression was : he told me it 
 was not certain that they were killed, for there had been peo- 
 ple at Bokhara detained frequently for five years in prison, 
 and believed by all the inhabitants to have been killed, and 
 then suddenly had made their appearance again. So much is 
 certain, that no one at Bokhara, of whom I can get intelli- 
 gence, has witnessed the execution either of Conolly or Stod- 
 dart ; and at least in this point the account of the Akhund- 
 Zadeh, with regard to the execution of both gentlemen in the 
 presence of many people, I found was not exact : and my 
 determination, therefore, of going straight to Bokhara was 
 unshaken and unabated. Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott, 
 " My castle strong the Lord he is." 
 
 I must confess that I attached no importance to the account 
 of Latif, who appeared at Hyderabad with the story of hav- 
 ing had letters from Stoddart, which had been taken from 
 him, and that he was alive ; nor to the totally opposite ac- 
 count of the Jew Barenstein at Lahore, pretending to have 
 witnessed the execution of both, with four others. 
 
 I did not believe LatiPs account; for, 1st. it seemed im- 
 probable that they should take the letters from him, and suffer 
 him to proceed on to India ; 2nd. I always found that people 
 flying off in their story on a subject of the highest impor- 
 tance to a trivial matter, try by that to avoid a strict investi- 
 gation on the graver question. Thus, for instance, when I 
 had the intention of going to Timboktoo in the year 1836, a 
 Maltese was sent to me, who pretended to have been at Tim- 
 boktoo : on my examining him, he diverged in his answers as 
 fast as he could from the main point, and began to talk about 
 Rome. I suspected him at once; and after this I heard by
 
 154 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Mr. Dixon, the Swedish consul of Tripoli, that the above 
 Maltese had never come further than Tripoli. Thus Latif 
 was examined by the authorities at Hyderabad, and he flew 
 off and talked about Yar Muhammed Khan at Heraut, and 
 the regret of the people of Candahar; and besides this, Rajab, 
 who knew Latif, told me that he was a notorious liar. 
 
 Nor did I believe Barenstein's account, for it was entirely 
 in contradiction with Saleh Muhammed's statement, and every 
 one who knows the timid disposition of the Jews of Bokhara, 
 will know at once that they would have prevented Barenstein 
 from witnessing such a horrid act ; and, as I have already said, 
 thus much was certain, that nobody had witnessed their exe- 
 cution, and even the ambassador of Bokhara expressed only to 
 the Russian ambassador his belief that they had been killed. 
 In short, nobody knew, and therefore further sifting was neces- 
 sary. Another fact struck me: according to Saleh Muham- 
 mad's account, the Ameer was induced to kill them, because 
 people from Affghanistaun demanded their death ; and the 
 Russian ambassador told me that the Bokhara Eljee told him, 
 that the Ameer had proceeded against Stoddart for having 
 despised his warning, and continued his correspondence with 
 his countrymen in India, and Conolly for having gone to 
 Khokand. I myself did not wish to go to the Eljee of Bo- 
 khara until I had seen the Shah and his prime-minister, and 
 Colonel Sheil promised to procure me an interview with both. 
 To Bokhara to Bokhara ! was my firm resolve ; and even if 
 the Ameer should tell me that they were dead, I was deter- 
 mined to demand their bodies, and put them in camphor, and 
 carry them with me to Constantinople, and thence to London : 
 at all events, I determined to see their bodies. 
 
 The king of Persia wrote a letter to his relation at Meshed, 
 commanding him to send on with me a mehmoondar to Merwe, 
 which belongs now to the king of Bokhara; and the prime- 
 minister wrote a letter to Mirza Askere, the chief-priest at 
 Meshed, requesting him to give me strong letters to his 
 influential friends at Bokhara.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 155 
 
 His Excellency Count de Medem promised me a letter of 
 recommendation in Russian, and I requested him also to have 
 my doctor's diplomas and ordination-papers translated into 
 Russian, for they have Russian interpreters at Bokhara. 
 
 His Excellency, agreeably to his promise, forwarded me 
 the following letter to the Ameer of Bokhara : 
 
 January 30, 1844. 
 
 Doctor Joseph Wolff, a Christian priest, of great celebrity in 
 Europe, and well known there for his extreme piety, has now 
 determined on a journey to Bokhara, with the intention of obtain- 
 ing of your Majesty the liberation of Colonel Stoddart and Captain 
 Conolly, his personal friends, in order to conduct them to Europe, 
 by the route of Meshed and Constantinople, or rather by Oren- 
 burg and St. Petersburgh, according to circumstances. 
 
 Dr. Wolff has determined on this voyage in full reliance on the 
 Most High, and the wishes of all the European nations, who con- 
 sider him as a derveesh exclusively occupied with religious and 
 scientific meditations, and completely indifferent to worldly affairs, 
 accompany him in his enterprise. 
 
 Persuaded that the recommendation of the Minister of his 
 Majesty the Emperor of Eussia in Persia will contribute to obtain 
 for him a favourable and gracious reception on the part of your 
 Majesty, I take the liberty of strengthening him by this note. 
 
 The object of Dr. Wolff is also to deliver many other Europeans 
 retained in slavery in Asia, and among this number is a Cavaliere 
 Naselli, who two years since went from Teheraun to Bokhara, 
 and to whom I trust your Majesty will not deny permission to 
 return to his country, if he manifests any desire to do so. 
 
 I preached and read prayers in my room in the British 
 embassy, when Count de Medem and all the interpreters 
 and Russian attaches, and also the Russian consul-general, 
 besides the English Protestants, attended. I preached on 
 Psalm ii. 8. 
 
 There are here also two interesting gentlemen attached to 
 the British embassy, Mr. W. Taylour Thomson, from Scot- 
 land, who had accompanied Colonel Chesney in his Euphrates 
 expedition, and has also visited Khiva ; arid Mr. Glen, son to 
 the celebrated missionary Glen, of Astrachan. He (Mr. Glen)
 
 156 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 is a young gentleman of very considerable acquirements, and 
 is well acquainted with the oriental languages. Colonel Sheil 
 himself is a great Persian and Turkish scholar. I also met 
 again here with my old friends Mr. and Mrs. Reed ; the for- 
 mer copied my journal in the year 1831, when on my way to 
 Bokhara, and bestowed the same favour again on me now. 
 
 From this moment I began to draw money on the Drum- 
 monds in good earnest; for I had to appear respectably at 
 Bokhara as the great mullah from England, as described by 
 the Sultan and the Sheikh Islam, and others. But as the 
 mullahs among the Muhatnmedans live with great simplicity, 
 I determined to do the same. I also determined not to neg- 
 lect to search for the other officers at and around Bokhara, 
 and every sepoy I might pick up. 
 
 I met here, February 5th, Mirza Abool Hassan Khan, 
 minister for foreign affairs; he remembered Lady Catherine 
 Long. Certainly Teheraun is an agreeable place: a little 
 burst of the sun of civilization on me, after what I had passed 
 and what I knew I was going to, was quite charming. I 
 shall miss its sweet society, I thought, much in the deserts of 
 Turkistaun. Colonel SheiPs notion of keeping the ambassador 
 of Bokhara as a hostage for my return, I thought very good. 
 I was received by him on this occasion, whatever notions I 
 might entertain of his conduct on my return to Teheraun, 
 with unaffected kindness and hospitality, and with great cor- 
 diality also by Messrs. Thomson and Glen, the attaches ; and 
 I wish this to be understood of all our diplomatic agents in 
 Teheraun, in the fullest sense that the words unaffected kind- 
 ness and hospitality can convey. 
 
 Mar Yohannan, the Chaldean bishop from Ooroomia, 
 mentioned above, was here when I arrived. From conversa- 
 tions with him I am still further confirmed in my notion that 
 the Chaldeans are, as they themselves say, the children of 
 Israel. Mar Yohannan was a great admirer of Ephrem Sy- 
 rus, and no wonder ; for the eloquence of that Father of the 
 church is astonishing. I well remember the sensation which
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 157 
 
 was produced in the Syrian church at Mosul, when the Syrian 
 archbishop Elias translated from Ephrem Syrus' writings into 
 Arabic the following words of that great Father. Ephrem 
 Syrus commented on Matt. xxv. 31, 32: "When the Son 
 of man shall come in his glory," etc. " Behold the King of 
 kings upon the throne of his glory, and the human race ga- 
 thered together before Him ! At the mere description of this 
 truth, it is to me as if I was fainting away, the bones within 
 me are shaken, tears fill my eye, I am deprived of my voice, 
 my lips tremble, my tongue stammers, my thoughts are 
 confused ! Any thunder-storm frightens us : how much less 
 shall we be able to bear the sound of the trumpet which shall 
 awake the dead ! (The bones of all the human race shall 
 rise, who sleep in the bosom of the earth). At the sound of 
 this trumpet they shall be gathered together, and brought to 
 life again : then the trembling earth and the sea shall give 
 back the dead. Behold the earth in flames ! the righteous 
 at the right, and the unrighteous placed at the left by the 
 angels ! Hear the hymns and hallelujahs of the angels ! 
 Behold, the heavens are open, behold the Lord of glory ! 
 behold the terrible book opened ! " The bishop was inter- 
 rupted by the tears and sobbings of the congregation. 
 
 February 7*h, 1844. On this day I had an audience of 
 the Shah. Colonel Sheil was kind enough to introduce me 
 to his Majesty. 
 
 His Majesty sent, previously to our going to him, the 
 nephew of his Excellency Mirza Abool Hassan Khan, mi- 
 nister for foreign affairs, who called, and said that it was his 
 Majesty's wish to see me : Colonel Sheil and Mr. Thomson 
 accompanied me. I had put on my canonicals, and my 
 Doctor's hood over them. His Majesty was sitting upon a 
 divaun, about eight feet from the place where we took our 
 position. As only ambassadors are allowed to sit down, Co- 
 lonel Sheil, myself, and Mr. Thomson were standing. The 
 moment we had made our bows, his Majesty at once said that
 
 158 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 he was rejoiced to see me again, and, to my greatest surprise, 
 reminded me of all the minutiae of our conversation at Meshed, 
 of Lady Georgiana being the sister to the Earl of Orford ; of 
 her having been at Malta during my peregrinations; that I 
 was made prisoner by Muhammed Khan Kerahe ; that I had 
 only one son, &c. His Majesty then informed me that he had 
 written several letters, and one for the king of Bokhara him- 
 self ; and his Majesty admired my philanthropy, and told me 
 if Stoddart and Conolly were dead, I might make them alive 
 by my prayers ! Once actually I forgot myself, and inter- 
 rupted his Majesty whilst he was talking, when Colonel Sheil 
 gave me a push ; but his Majesty wished me to say what I 
 wanted to say, and then continued the assurances of his pro- 
 tection and countenance. We made our bow, after having 
 been one hour with his Majesty, and then retired : we experi- 
 enced on the whole a most gracious reception. 
 
 I here give a literal translation of the letter of the Shah to 
 the Ameer of Bokhara. 
 
 (TRANSLATION.) 
 
 The Enlightener of the dawn of Sovereignty and Dominion, the 
 Personage worthy to occupy the throne of power and government, 
 the Exalted Star in the heaven of splendour and greatness, the 
 Illustrious Sun in the firmament of magnificence and felicity, the 
 best of the Rulers of illustrious rank, the Most Excellent of the 
 Sovereigns illustrious for their generous deeds, the Chosen of the 
 pillars of the governments of Islam, the Assister in the path of 
 the religion of Mustapha, Ameer Nusr Oollah: May your greatness 
 and splendour not perish ! May the glory of splendour, sove- 
 reignty, and dominion be with you ! 
 
 We make known to your friendly mind, that amity and cordi- 
 ality among those who believe in the unity of God, and are of pure 
 minds and dispositions, and who secretly and publicly coincide 
 with each other in opinion, and whose native countries and do- 
 minions are in close neighbourhood, are required, and it is there- 
 fore expedient, that the chain of correspondence should never at 
 any time be broken, or that the bonds of friendship should be 
 snapped asunder between the two parties of Islam.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 159 
 
 Now as the High in rank, the Possessor of genius and under- 
 standing, the Endowed with sagacity and judgment, the Prop of 
 the learned among the followers of Messiah, the Chief among the 
 wise people of Christendom, the English Padre Wolff, has the in- 
 tention of proceeding in that direction, urged by the sincere friend- 
 ship which exists between us, and in order to promote the unani- 
 mity of Islam, we are induced to issue this auspicious friendship- 
 denoting letter, the love-increasing zephyrs of affection being 
 reflected towards your benevolent mind, and the opportunity 
 being favourable for announcing the ties of friendship which of 
 old and now bind us. 
 
 In a former friendly letter we requested the princely Ameer, as 
 friendship and correspondence are established between the two 
 ever-enduring governments of Persia and England, that the high 
 in rank Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, English officers, 
 who have been for some time at Bokhara and are detained there, 
 should be released and sent along with a trust-worthy person to 
 Meshed. 
 
 Now as the above-mentioned person of high rank (Dr. Wolff) 
 is proceeding to Bokhara for the purpose of obtaining the release, 
 and inquiring into the condition of those two officers, we also 
 hope that the princely Ameer, as the above-mentioned person of 
 high rank is one of the learned and distinguished persons of that 
 government, will enjoin the authorities to show him all necessary 
 kindness and hospitality, so that he may with all freedom and 
 tranquillity employ himself in making inquiries as to their condi- 
 tion, and so that having completed his business he may return 
 perfectly satisfied. 
 
 The peculiarities of the rules of friendship and cordiality are 
 these ; that the gates of amity and correspondence having been 
 opened by the keys of the pen of unanimity, you should send 
 letters containing the glad tidings of your auspicious condition, 
 and that you should acquaint the ministers of this government 
 with all occurrences of importance, and believe that we shall con- 
 clude them agreeably to the most pure friendship. 
 
 May the days of sovereignty and dominion be perpetual ! 
 
 On our leaving the room, Khosrof Khan, a friend of Lady 
 Georgiana, was in waiting, who told me that he would call on 
 me. He wanted me to procure him one of the newly-invented
 
 160 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 bellows to make fire with, which I promised to get for him. 
 He made numerous inquiries about my son, and wife and fa- 
 mily. He is one of the chief eunuchs of the king, and was 
 formerly the prime favourite of Futt Allah Shah, but is not 
 so much so of the present king. Is it not rather remarkable, 
 that some of these eunuchs are married to several wives ? 
 for instance, Manujar Khan, the present governor of Isfahan. 
 February 10th, I went to call on the ambassador of the 
 king of Khiva, of whom more anon : but I must now continue 
 to speak of the visits I made on Wednesday, the ^Jth of Fe- 
 bruary. After I had left his Majesty's presence, Mr. Thomson 
 called with me on the Haje Mirza Agasee, who is the prime- 
 minister and factotum of the king; and an extraordinary man 
 he is. He has the king entirely in his power ; under the garb 
 of a mullah, he lives with royal pomp, and scarcely ever says 
 that the king 'will do so,' but the Haje 'has commanded': 
 " I, the Haje, intend to send troops to Bokhara," &c. All 
 the rest of the ministers approach him with reverence. When 
 Muhammed Shah was as yet prince, Haje Mirza Agasee was 
 his tutor, and predicted to him that he should be king ; and 
 after the execution of the late Kayem Makaam, he was made 
 vizier. He received me with great affability, asked me to sit 
 down near him ; and when I told him that I considered my- 
 self happy to see the great vizier of the great Shah, the Haje 
 said, " I am no vizier ; I am a mullah, like yourself, a poor 
 derveesh, who cares nothing for this world, I only think of 
 the other world." We then talked about England. He ex- 
 pressed his admiration of the rest of the English nation ; and 
 then informed me that a person from Khorassaun had written 
 to him that Stoddart and Conolly had been killed, but he was 
 not certain. But I called after this on the ambassador of the 
 king of Bokhara, who decidedly denied the whole of it, and 
 believes them to be in prison. The ambassador of the king 
 of Bokhara, and his secretary, when I called on them, treated 
 me with the greatest kindness, and expressed a wish to accom-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 161 
 
 pany me themselves into Bokhara, and assured me that the 
 king would receive me with the greatest distinction. In 
 short, nothing was known at Teheraun about them, as 
 little as at London, and only my going there would solve the 
 mystery. I called yesterday, the 8th, also on the ambassador 
 of the king of Khiva, who is a great enemy to the king of Bo- 
 khara ; he advised me to request of Colonel Sheil to tell the 
 Shah, that he would not allow the ambassador of Bokhara to 
 stir from Persia until I had safely returned. I, of course, gave 
 no answer to this advice, as Colonel Sheil did not wish to have 
 it known that he had already spoken to the Shah about it. 
 
 Not a single eye-witness of the death of Stoddart and Co- 
 nolly had as yet appeared ; the ambassador even of the king of 
 Khiva was not able to afford me any additional information. 
 " Maalloon neest" * Nothing is certain about it, 1 was the 
 answer to all inquiries. I do not think Colonel Sheil free 
 from blame, since from his vicinity it does seem that he could 
 easier arrive at the truth ; but I admit that the Persians have 
 such a horror of Bokhara that it would be almost impossible 
 to induce them to go there, even for a thousand tomauns. 
 Colonel Sheil rendered me most effectual aid: the Russian 
 ambassador has done the like. With all these aids, Colonel 
 Sheil said and so did every one, if they were alive, I should 
 get them. 
 
 I must not omit to mention, that Colonel Sheil also inform- 
 ed me that he had sent, two months before my arrival at 
 Teheraun, a gholam of the embassy to the AssafF-ood-Dowla, 
 at Meshed, requesting that his Excellency would send an 
 express messenger to Bokhara with letters to the Ameer, in 
 order that the Ameer might surrender to him the bones of 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, in case they were 
 dead, and their persons in the event of their being alive. 
 Now I must say, if such a thing had been done immediately 
 on the imprisonment of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, 
 with the terror that the Ameer feels at the very name of the 
 
 M
 
 162 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla, such a measure would certainly have saved 
 their lives. Therefore, as I am now in England, and reflect 
 on these points more coolly, I cannot but blame Colonel Sheil 
 for having delayed the adoption of so strong a measure until 
 I was en route, and when he knew that I was en route. My 
 readers will have observed that I speak of Colonel Sheil with 
 all the gratitude I owe to him, and with a due sense of his 
 personal kindness to me; but still a portion of his conduct 
 with regard to these gentlemen will always remain, I fear, 
 somewhat mysterious. After all, as I shall prove hereafter, 
 Colonel Sheil sent there a thorough rascal, Hassan Baba, who 
 was not of the slightest use. This fellow arrived two months 
 before me at Bokhara, and was never once admitted into the 
 Ameer's presence, and was even afraid to stir out of his house. 
 A most efficient agent, certainly ! 
 
 On the llth of February I preached at the British embassy 
 in German and English, and administered the sacrament to 
 two Chaldean bishops, Mar Yohannan and Mar Joseph. 
 After the service, I requested one of them, Mar Yohannan, 
 to pronounce the blessing, which he did. I have forwarded 
 from them letters to the Bishop of London, requesting him to 
 print their liturgy in London. 
 
 On reflection, I found that I should be awkwardly situated 
 at Bokhara. If I kept a journal, it would look suspicious; 
 I therefore determined to carry neither paper nor ink with 
 me, to write in Persian, and send all the letters through the 
 medium of the Ameer. The ambassador of the king of 
 Khiva, a hostile power to Bokhara, told me that his sovereign 
 had a great esteem for Captain Conolly and Mr. Thomson, 
 one of the attaches here, and he had warned Conolly, on this 
 very account, not to go to Bokhara. 
 
 I find my mission has excited great interest in St. Peters- 
 burgh. I met here Dr. Labat, professor of medicine at Paris, 
 who assured me also of this. Letters have been despatched 
 to Orenbourg, to the governor, to render me all the assistance
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA, 163 
 
 in his power. I baptized here, on February 12th, the child 
 of General Semino, whom I knew at Meshed in 1831-2. The 
 Russian consul-general stood godfather, and Madame Labat, 
 wife of the gentleman just named, godmother. I read the 
 service in English, Italian, and German. After the baptism, 
 a splendid breakfast was given. Madame Labat is an ex- 
 tremely clever woman. She has accompanied her husband to 
 Egypt, Suez, Algiers, St. Petersburgh, Astrachan, Bakou, 
 Tiflis, and Teheraun ; and they purposed at that time going 
 to Heraut, but he became afterwards physician to the Shah. 
 The child I baptized was as black as a negro ; and so is 
 Madame Semino, who was formerly Borowsky's wife. 
 
 After I had returned in 1829 with Lady Georgiana from 
 Jerusalem to Alexandria, a Jew, Borowsky by name, called 
 on me, of dandy-like appearance, who pretended to be the son 
 of a Jewess, the mistress of Prince Radzivil. He seemed to 
 me of a boasting disposition, which rendered me reluctant to 
 have any intercourse with him, and he supported himself at 
 Alexandria by giving lessons in mathematics and English. 
 He left Alexandria in the beginning of 1830, and set out for 
 Bombay. On my arrival at Tabreez in 1831, I sat at table 
 with Sir John Campbell and Dr. (now Sir John) Me Neill, 
 when a letter came from the British resident of Busheer, men- 
 tioning to Sir John Campbell that a Polish nobleman, Borow- 
 sky by name, had arrived at Busheer from Bombay ; that he 
 was of gentlemanly appearance, but as he had brought no let- 
 ters of introduction, he had not been received at the British 
 embassy. I immediately said to Sir John Campbell, " Borow- 
 sky is not a Polish nobleman, but a Jew whom I knew at 
 Alexandria." I soon after left Tabreez, and proceeded on my 
 way to Bokhara. When I arrived in Khorassaun in 1831, 
 towards the end of October, I was made a slave by the people 
 of Muhammed Khan Kerahe of Torbad Hydarea, who went 
 by the name of " the Head-tearer," on account of his cruelty. 
 I have given some details of this personage in a few previous 
 
 M 2
 
 164 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 pages. After I was liberated from captivity, by the interfer- 
 ence of Abbas Mirza, I arrived at Meshed in utter destitution. 
 I wrote, therefore, to Captain Shee, who was with the army 
 of Abbas Mirza at Nishapoor, requesting him to send me 
 money and clothing. A few days after my having written 
 to Captain Shee, a gentleman in the uniform of an English 
 general entered my room, exclaiming, " How do you do, 
 Mr. Wolff?" It was General Borowsky, the same person 
 whom I knew at Alexandria. He related to me his singular 
 adventures singular even in an Eastern land, where men do 
 seem to rise as it were by the possession of Aladdin's lamp, or 
 some process equally marvellous. He had become acquainted 
 with Colonel Chesney at Busheer, with whom he had formed 
 an intimate friendship ; and Colonel Chesney introduced him 
 to Sir John Campbell, who then recommended him as a man 
 of talent to Abbas Mirza. That prince took him into his 
 service. Borowsky assisted Abbas Mirza most essentially, 
 taking for him the strong town of Cochan, in Khorassaun ; 
 and it was Borowsky also who took the castle of Sarakhs, arid 
 made prisoner the leader of the Turkomauns. After the death 
 of Abbas Mirza, he gave most essential assistance to Muham- 
 med Mirza, the son of Abbas Mirza, and enabled him to as- 
 cend the throne of his grandfather, Futt Allah Shah. Borow- 
 sky confessed to me that he was the son of Jewish parents, on 
 the father's as well as the mother's side. He left the interest 
 of the British government, and joined the Russian party in 
 Persia, and was shot at the siege of Heraut. His wife, a 
 Georgian slave, received a pension from Muhammed Shah for 
 the essential services Borowsky had rendered to Abbas Mirza, 
 and after his death married General Semino. 
 
 It will probably be thought that I am about to take a chap- 
 ter from Mr. D'Israeli in the following assertions, and I may 
 be exposed, like him, to the laughing gibes of that sad fellow, 
 Punch ; but, notwithstanding, it is true that the most dis- 
 tinguished generals of the East are Jews. For instance,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 165 
 
 General Ventura, in the service of Runjeet Singh, and after- 
 wards of Sheer Singh, at Lahore, and who was the terror of 
 the Affghauns, and the beloved governor of Cashmeer, is a 
 Jew by birth ; his name is Reuben-Ben-Toora. I could name 
 several others. After the Jews, the Armenians are the most 
 enterprising people of the East. Samson Khan and Yakoob 
 Khan, from Tiflis, are brave and valiant generals, at present 
 in the service of the king of Persia; and Kriinitzki, arch- 
 bishop of the Armenians in Persia and Hindustaun, has esta- 
 blished of late an excellent college at New Joolfa, where the 
 Armenian boys are instructed in the French and English 
 tongues. 
 
 I must here mention some curious details of those two men, 
 Borowsky and Semino, which happened in the year 1831 at 
 Meshed. Borowsky was in my room when Semino entered in 
 full uniform, and demanded satisfaction from Borowsky for 
 having struck his (Semino's) servant. Borowsky told him 
 that he had been impertinent to him. Semino called him a 
 liar, upon which Borowsky spat in his face. Semino then 
 drew his sword. Borowsky said, " I will give you satisfac- 
 tion in an instant." On saying this, he attempted to seize his 
 pistols ; on which Semino gave a signal to his eight servants 
 at the door, who entered, bound Borowsky, and carried him 
 off. I immediately ran, although it was ten at night, to 
 Abbas Mirza, and procured Borowsky's release. The day 
 following a Persian court-martial was held, of which, singular 
 to say, I was president, and I decided that Semino should 
 remain in arrest for twenty-four hours, and then apologize 
 to Borowsky, as well as to myself. And this was done. 
 
 Borowsky died, as I have shown, after this, and left behind 
 a widow and twenty-two thousand ducats. Semino married 
 Borowsky's widow, in hopes of getting his money, but the exe- 
 cutors of Borowsky made away with it. He got the widow 
 without the money. Borowsky might smile at him in the 
 other world. Semino, though I thus punished him, as I have 
 stated, was now my great friend.
 
 166 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I saw this day, February 12th, a pompous Mussulman 
 from Masulipatam, on the Coromandel coast, in India, famous 
 for its snuff. He is, however, in reality of a renowned race. 
 He descends from the Sefaweya. He came for purposes of 
 religious discussion ; but my mind was so full of my poor 
 friends at Bokhara, that I did not undertake it, and simply 
 asked him some questions about the Sefaweya dynasty. He 
 says that there were eleven kings in Persia of that dynasty. 
 The first lived in 1590. I give their names: 
 
 1. Ismael, son of Sultan Junneyd. 
 
 2. Shah Tahmanee. 
 
 3. Shah Ismael. 
 
 4. Sultan Muhammed. 
 
 All these resided at Casween : the following at Isfahan, 
 
 5. Shah Abbas the Great. 
 
 6. Shah Sapee. 
 
 7. Shah Abbas II. 
 
 8. Shah Suleiman. 
 
 9. Shah Sultan Hussein. 
 
 10. ShahTaman. 
 
 11. Abbas III. 
 
 So far of the Sefaweya, the promoters of science and litera- 
 ture, by whose orders the Bible and Gospel were translated 
 into Persian. Their successors, 
 
 12. Nadir Shah : after him three kings, who reigned a 
 few months ; and then came to the throne 
 
 13. Kereem Khan, who married a daughter of the Sefaweya. 
 
 14. Ali Murad Khan. 
 
 This day, also, the ambassador of Khiva called on Colonel 
 Sheil, and brought me a letter of recommendation addressed 
 to all the Turkomauns of Sarakhs subject to the king of Khiva, 
 and informing them that I was in possession of letters from 
 the Sultan for the kings of Khiva, Khokand, and Bokhara. 
 
 On my departure from Teheraun, Colonel Sheil could 
 scarce conceal his grief at losing me ; he gave me some presents 
 for the king of Bokhara, consisting of a watch, &c., but he
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 167 
 
 was too ill to accompany me out of the town. Mr. Abbot, the 
 British consul of Teheraun, Mr. Holmes, both of whom had 
 arrived the day before my departure from Teheraun in this 
 capital, Messieurs Thomson, Reed, Karapet, and Glen, ac- 
 companied me one farsagh (four miles) out of town. I was, 
 on February the 14th, escorted by Sadik Beyk, his Majesty's 
 courier (gholam), Korban Ali Beyk, courier (gholam) to the 
 British embassy; Rajab, late servant of Colonel Stoddart 
 and Captain Conolly; Jaarwadar (muleteer), and a postilion 
 (Shakerd Japarjee) ; and furnished, beside my various letters 
 of introduction, with a firmaun from the King, containing an 
 order to the burgomaster (Ked Khoda), and every Hakem 
 (governor) of every town, to give to me, in every station, 
 without money, four chickens, pilaw, fifteen pounds of butter, 
 ten mans of wood, five pounds of wax candles, barley and 
 straw for the horses, and five horses. I arrived the first day 
 at Palasht, a miserable village, containing about twenty-five 
 houses, twenty miles from Teheraun. 
 
 Thursday, the 15th, I was annoyed by the muleteer, on 
 account of the bad horses he had procured ; but as the post- 
 horses are not always to be got, I preferred hiring five with 
 my own money to the trouble of waiting for them, and the 
 whole hire did not amount to seventeen tomauns and five 
 sahebkeran (8/. 10s.) from Teheraun to Meshed. We reached 
 that day Jvanee-Keif, twenty-eight miles from the former, a 
 very considerable village, surrounded by a range of gardens. 
 Though I travelled at his Majesty's expense, I of course gave 
 always two or three sahebkeran (one sahebkeran = sixpence) 
 as a present, but the person with whom I lodged was over 
 civil, for which he expected a large present, but was disap- 
 pointed ; and I must say that I never was so fortunate with 
 servants as this journey excellent servants they were, though 
 of different characters ; I mean by servants, all the attendants 
 above mentioned. 
 
 Friday, the 16th February, we went between the mountains
 
 168 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 called Darey Khar. Many murders have been committed in 
 this pass. We met here people from Heraut, who told me 
 that they were returning to Heraut with the intention to 
 murder Yar Muhammed Khan, the vizier of Heraut, who 
 had murdered their king, Shah Kamran, and was now tyran- 
 nizing over the people of Heraut. We arrived that day at 
 Kitshlagh, twenty miles from the Darey Khar. 
 
 Saturday, the 17th, we went towards Deh-Namak, ' village 
 of salt,' for the ground and water is salt. On the road we 
 met pilgrims on horseback, who, on their way to Meshed, sang 
 praises to Muhammed : 
 
 Comfort to Muhammed ! 
 
 Comfort to Ali ! 
 
 Prayers are worthy to be given to Muhammed ! 
 
 Here I was informed that there is a sect existing at Mazan- 
 deran, who have a superstitious belief in the effect of eating 
 swine's flesh. 
 
 Sunday, the 18th of February, arrived at Lasgerd, forty 
 miles from the Deh-Namak. There I remained overnight in 
 a castle, a most ancient building, constructed evidently before 
 the appearance of the Prophet, and the saying is current 
 that Genii had erected it. This spot was formerly a famous 
 place for Guebres. The inhabitants told me that the Genii 
 were, since the time of the Prophet, banished to Taht Solei- 
 man, near Tabreez, to Mazanderan and Sistan ; but they are 
 now chained, so that they are not able, as in former times, to 
 carry away beautiful girls and children. 
 
 Monday, the 19th, on passing the village Surkhak, we saw 
 that Prince Seif Ullah Mirza was on his hunting expedition, 
 and met his hounds. He is governor of Semnan, and brother 
 to the king. After twenty miles ride we arrived at Semnan, 
 a considerable town, containing about 6000 inhabitants. So 
 far we travelled in the province of Irak. Semnan is the first 
 town belonging to Khorassaun, coming from Teheraun. It 
 contains several colleges. The vice-governor gave me a very
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 169 
 
 good room in the caravanseray, and sent me the victuals 
 ordered by the king. 
 
 As I was not quite well, I stopped at Semnan the next 
 day, and called on the prince, who spoke with great regard 
 of Colonel Stoddart, whom he knew personally. He spoke, 
 also, very highly of Sir John McNeill, though he and all 
 the Persians accuse Sir John of having been the cause why 
 Muhammed Shah could not take Heraut. His Highness sent 
 me venison. 
 
 Wednesday, the 21st February, we arrived at Aghwan, 
 a caravanseray twenty-four miles distant. A child was lost 
 here in former times, which was restored to the mother by an 
 animal called Aghu, at the intercession of the great patron 
 saint of Khorassaun, Imaum Resa; hence the caravanseray 
 is called Aghwan. 
 
 Thursday, the 22nd February, we left this caravanseray, 
 and passed the ruined castle built by Nushirwan. We pass- 
 ed the cold mountain Tatawar, and arrived at a castle built 
 by the present Shah, called Sultan-Abad,* near the cara- 
 vanseray called Khosha, built by Shah Abbas. Muhammed 
 Shereef Khan, from Casween, assured me that he was a great 
 friend to the English people, for which he desired me to give 
 him wine ; as I had with me a few bottles given to me by 
 Colonel Sheil, I gave to him one of them. The climate is 
 particularly cold here. 
 
 Friday, the 23rd of February. Arrived, after twenty-four 
 miles ride, at Damghan, considered, after Balkh and Nisha- 
 poor, the most ancient city in the world ; and the numerous 
 ruins testify the truth of its antiquity. But the Kedkhoda 
 (burgomaster), who had been previously informed that a 
 great Elchee, * ambassador,' from England was coming, with 
 above two hundred men, was so frightened that he fled from 
 the town, and the colonel (Serhenk) was obliged to procure 
 victuals for me. 
 
 * Abad, abode. A curious union of European and Asiatic terms.
 
 170 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Saturday, February 24th, we arrived at Deh-Mullah : as I 
 felt very unwell, I got a barber to bleed me. 
 
 Sunday, the 25th, I entered Sharoot, a city containing 
 about two thousand inhabitants. I lived here in a house 
 erected expressly for the reception of respectable strangers by 
 Ismael Mirza, formerly prince-governor of Boostan, the same 
 who, twelve years ago, wanted to exact, a promise from me 
 that King William should give him six thousand tomauns 
 per annum, in case of his sending me safely to Bokhara : a 
 pension which just now would be welcome to him, for he lives 
 at Teheraun in poverty. It is surprising to observe the 
 change of feeling in Khorassaun towards the English people. 
 Twelve years ago the people of Sharoot insulted my servants 
 for serving an infidel ; now, I entered Sharoot in my clerical 
 habit and gown, and was well respected. This change is to 
 be ascribed to the entrance of Abbas Mirza into Khorassaun, 
 which brought, for the first time, many English people into 
 notice in this country ; and also to the invasion of the British 
 army into Affghanistaun. On Monday I remained here, and 
 visited the Muhammedan college of Sharoot, and conversed 
 about the Gospel With their mullahs. 
 
 February 27th, I reached Miyamey, and on the 28th 
 Miyandasht, From Miyandasht to Meher the road is con- 
 sidered rather dangerous, for the Turkomauns sometimes 
 make it still unsafe, though not in such a degree as formerly ; 
 I therefore was, according to the order of the king, escorted, 
 and Korban Khan, of Miyandasht, himself, with five horse- 
 men armed, accompanied me to Abbas-Abad ; and I must 
 here observe, that Korban Khan behaved in a very handsome 
 and disinterested manner. The road to Abbas-Abad is very 
 dreary, and not a single village was seen for forty miles. 
 
 February 29th, I arrived at Abbas-Abad, twenty miles. 
 
 March 1st, 1844, at Messenan, formerly a large town, but 
 now in ruins. 
 
 March 2nd at Meher, where I met a person from Torbad,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 171 
 
 who immediately recognised me as the person who formerly 
 was slave at Torbad. I also met a person, Soleiman by 
 name, who was Stoddart's servant for a few days. 
 
 Sunday, March 3rd, we arrived at a beautiful village call- 
 ed Khosroejerd. I had sent on the king's courier to procure 
 me a place for one hour's rest ; but the fellow was tired as 
 well as myself, and took lodging for staying there over-night. 
 Monday, March 4th, at Sebzawar, four miles distant ; a 
 town containing twelve thousand inhabitants. Here Tamer- 
 lane built a tower of the skulls of men whom he had slain in 
 battle, and hither it was that the Jews were transported from 
 Kaswin to Khorassaun, by Shah Abbas. Sebzawar is co- 
 vered with verdure and melons in profusion. Hence it 
 derives its name, Seb%, verdure ; awar, having. All the 
 mullahs called on me ; and as the Persians dislike Omar, 
 Osman, and Abubekr, they asked me therefore, Whom do 
 you like better, Omar, Osman, and Abubekr; or Ali, Imaum 
 Hussein, Imaum Resa, and Abool Casern ? W. The latter. 
 Mullahs. Why ? W. Omar, Osman, and Abubekr killed 
 people ; but the latter were more conciliating. 
 
 Tuesday, March the 5th, I arrived in a miserable village 
 called Safran. 
 
 Wednesday, March 6th, at Germ-Ab, i. e. ( warm water,' 
 for there is a spa. As I had learnt that the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla (viceroy) of Khorassaun, and uncle to the king, for 
 whom I had letters from the king, and who resides at Meshed, 
 was only twenty miles distant from Germ-Ab, for his diver- 
 sion, in a place called Maadan ; I therefore sent to him the 
 king's courier, my mehmoondar, to ask his Excellency whe- 
 ther he would receive me there or at Meshed. My meh- 
 moondar returned late in the night, with a letter from the 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla (viceroy) for his lieutenant-governor at 
 Meshed, to procure a good house for me at Meshed, and 
 provide me with every thing necessary, and at the same time 
 with a message to me, that he would receive me at Meshed
 
 172 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 on the 25th of the month Saffar, i, e. the 15th of March, 
 (after to-morrow,) when he would be at Meshed: and he 
 sent me word that Stoddart and Conolly were alive eleven 
 months ago, and that he had sent, only ten days before 
 my arrival at Germ-Ab, Hassan Baba, a Merwee, with pre- 
 sents to the king of Bokhara, at the request of Colonel Sheil. 
 For Colonel Sheil, as I mentioned, had sent three months 
 before my arrival at Teheraun an express gholam to 
 Meshed, requesting the Assaff-ood-Dowla to send on a man 
 to Bokhara, and to demand the bones of Colonel Stoddart 
 and Captain Conolly. Now is it not very remarkable, that 
 the man, though sent from Teheraun three months before my 
 arrival there, should have been delayed four months at Me- 
 shed, until the Assaff-ood-Dowla granted the wish of Colonel 
 Sheil ? That the man waited at Meshed four months until 
 he was admitted to the Assaff-ood-Dowla, is evident from the 
 circumstance that the gholam of Colonel Sheil came to Germ- 
 Ab on his way back to Teheraun. When I asked him, 
 "Why did you stop so long at Meshed?" he answered me 
 that Muhammed Ali Serraf, Colonel Stoddart's agent, to 
 whose care the letter was sent by Colonel Sheil, delayed giving 
 it to the Assaff-ood-Dowla until eleven days before 1 met the 
 gholam at Germ-Ab. Now here I cannot avoid making 
 another remark, for the matter is too important to be passed 
 over. Before I left England, I wrote a confidential letter to 
 Mr. Addington, of the Foreign-office, telling him that I should 
 do all in my power to prevent any political discussion on 
 account of my mission, in order that it might assume its 
 true form, and not become a question of Whig or Tory. 
 The subject is, however, too important to be disregarded, 
 and since I have come back, and been enabled to reflect on 
 the subject, I must say that it was very unfortunate that Co- 
 lonel Sheil did not know, before he put such confidence in 
 Muhammed Ali Serraf, the character of the man; and thus 
 the safety of the lives of the two envoys was left depen-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 173 
 
 dent on the trustworthiness of a villainous Persian, who was 
 surreptitiously concealing the property of one of the victims, 
 whom from the basest motives he had left to perish at Bo- 
 khara, holding his property from him and his relatives, and 
 sacrificing his life. 
 
 Mr. Ainsworth, in one of his late Magazines, says that " I 
 am unjust against Colonel Sheil, for Muhammed Ali Serraf was 
 employed by Colonel Sheil." But I would wish that gentle- 
 man to observe, that Muhammed Ali Serraf was first of all 
 sent with some other rascally Persians from Heraut to Bokhara 
 to ransom Colonel Stoddart ; instead of which, they, on their 
 arrival, intrigued with Abdul Samut Khan ; so that poor Stod- 
 dart was obliged to make Muhammed Ali his agent, and con- 
 sign his shawls to him, of which I was only able to save a 
 part, as will be seen hereafter. So that it was Colonel SheiFs 
 duty to have well known his man before he trusted to Mu- 
 hammed Ali Serraf, for what could Stoddart do otherwise ? 
 Muhammed Ali Serraf came recommended to Bokhara by the 
 agents of the British government ; and as Mullah Seffee, the 
 Jew at Meshed, said to me, " A drowning man takes hold 
 of any piece of wood in order to save himself." 
 
 Thursday, March 7th, 1844, I arrived at Nishapoor. Ni- 
 sam-Ool-Mulk, the celebrated vizier of Alparstan of the Sel- 
 juckian dynasty, adorned the city of Nishapoor, reckoned by 
 Orientals to be the most ancient city in the world, after Balkh. 
 It was destroyed in the year 1157 by the Khoosa, who burnt 
 the mosques, murdered the mullahs, and tried to convert the 
 Mussulmans to idolatry by torture. Youssuff Kakulli, a Tur- 
 komaun from Khiva, and Hassan Khan Kurd from Mazan- 
 deraun, both chiefs, called on me there; and Kakulli showed 
 to me a letter from his brother at Bokhara, who assured him 
 that the tall Englishman was still alive at Bokhara. Tamas 
 Beyk, chief of the couriers in Khorassaun, to whom all the 
 couriers (Japarjees) and theKafila Bashis (heads of caravans) 
 from Khorassaun come, a man active and well-inclined to the
 
 174 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 English interest, also called upon me, and assured me that 
 Mullah Kurban, the Kafila Bashi from Mymona, had assured 
 him that Stoddart and Conolly were still alive, in the Kalaa 
 (castle) outside Bokhara. 
 
 Friday, March 8th, I stopped on purpose with Tamas Beyk, 
 to see whether he would remain consistent in his story, and 
 he did. This Tamas Beyk, a man of the highest importance, 
 bitterly complained to me of the neglect with which he was 
 treated by Colonel Sheil ; that he always had taken particular 
 care that the gholams (couriers) of the British embassy 
 should be served well ; and that he had at different times 
 written to Colonel Sheil, but his letters had been treated with 
 contempt. Several other persons complained of Colonel Sheil, 
 even the Assaff-ood-Dowla ; whilst all of them said that 
 they were not so treated by the Russian embassy. I wrote, 
 therefore, openly to Colonel Sheil about it from Meshed : he 
 profited by my advice, but I think that my openness did me 
 harm. 
 
 Saturday, I arrived in the village called Kadamgah, ' place 
 of the foot, 1 inhabited by Sayids, where my mehmoondar had 
 prepared a place for me in the mosque ; but I declined accept- 
 ing it, observing that it was not decent to sleep in a place of 
 worship : all the Sayids exclaimed, " Khoob ademee," * He 
 is a good man.' Several of the chief Sayids came to me, and 
 wished to obtain from me a notion of the religion which I 
 profess, and which I faithfully conveyed to them. Many of 
 them expressed a wish to go to England, and to be better in- 
 formed of our religion and habits. The change for the better 
 I have met with in Khorassaun, since the time I was here in 
 1831, is surprising, a proof of what a well-regulated govern- 
 ment is able to effect ; for it is evidently now better governed 
 by the king and his lord-lieutenant, than it was under those 
 tyrannical khans, who have been successfully exterminated in 
 a most wonderful manner ; and the invasion of the British in 
 Affghanistaun has also much contributed towards it.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 1J5 
 
 Sunday thelOth, arrived at Shereef-Abad, the place where I, 
 in 1831, was the second time in danger of being made a slave, 
 and where I was beaten for not saying the Kalima. I lived 
 now again in the same house, feared and respected, though 
 arriving in my clergyman's gown, which made them stare. 
 
 On Monday, the llth of March, I arrived at Askerea, two 
 miles distant from Meshed. I had sent on before the king's 
 mehmoondar, and the gholam of the British embassy. The 
 first who came to meet me was Mullah Mehdee (Meshiakli), 
 the Jew with whom I had lodged twelve years ago, and who 
 treated me most hospitably when in distress and misery and 
 poverty, previous to the arrival of Abbas Mirza at Meshed 
 from Nishapoor. 
 
 All the Jews of Meshed, a hundred and fifty families, were 
 compelled, seven years ago, to turn Mussulmans. The occa- 
 sion was as follows. A poor woman had a sore hand ; a Mus- 
 sulman physician advised her to kill a dog, and put her hand 
 in the blood of it : she did so ; when suddenly the whole 
 population rose, and said that they had done it in derision of 
 their Prophet. Thirty-five Jews were killed in a few minutes ; 
 the rest, struck with 'terror, became Muhammedans, and the 
 fanatic and covetous Muhammedans shouted, " Light of Mu- 
 hammed has fallen upon them !" They are now more zealous 
 Jews in secret than ever ; but call themselves, like the Jews 
 in Spain, Anusim, ' the compelled ones.' Their children can- 
 not suppress their feelings when their parents call them by 
 their Muhammedan names. But Mullah Mehdee and Mullah 
 Moshe believe in Christ, and Mullah Mehdee asked me to 
 baptize him. He has been of the greatest use to the English 
 in Heraut and Candahar, as his testimonials from Rawlinson 
 and others amply indicate. 
 
 Soon after, Saleh-Muhammed, the Akhund-Zadeh, who 
 gave to Colonel Sheil the detailed account of the death of 
 Stoddart and Conolly, came also on horseback to meet me. He 
 is not the same person whom I supposed that I knew, and he
 
 176 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 is a Sunne"e, and may have heard the story at Bokhara ; but I 
 did not believe the truth of it, and was still of the opinion, 
 with many others, that both were alive. 
 
 The third who came out to meet me was Mullah Muhammed 
 Serraf, Colonel Stoddart's agent at Meshed. This person, I 
 was informed by Mullah Mehdee and others, held property in 
 his possession to a considerable amount belonging to Colonel 
 Stoddart. He himself never uttered a word about it ; on the 
 contrary, he spoke to me of Colonel Stoddart' s being in his 
 debt. He (Mullah Muhammed Ali Serraf) seemed to be a 
 civil, many-promises-making fellow, boasting of the services he 
 did to the English, a cowardly rogue, only bent upon his own 
 interest, and who had most shamefully neglected Colonel Stod- 
 dart's welfare, for which he was paid. At the recommendation 
 of Colonel Stoddart himself, who seemed to have been imposed 
 upon by the said Mullah, Colonel Sheil forwarded through 
 him all the letters to Stoddart. Now what struck me as 
 strange in him was this ; that the first words he uttered were, 
 " I shall now deliver to you the letter that Colonel Sheil sent 
 to me from the Sultan of Constantinople. 1 ' 
 
 W. Why did not you send long ago a man with the letter 
 to Bokhara, which you sent back once to Colonel Sheil after 
 the report of Stoddart's death, and which was sent a second 
 time to you by Colonel Sheil for the purpose of forwarding 
 it on ? 
 
 Mullah Muhammed. Every one was afraid to take it. 
 
 W. Why did you not send on the letter with the man of 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla, who was sent to Bokhara at Colonel 
 SheiPs request thirteen days ago ? 
 
 Mullah Muhammed. I was afraid that the king of Bokhara 
 might ask the man of the Assaff-ood-Dowla, " What have 
 you to do with the Sultan of Constantinople ? Who gave you 
 this letter?" 
 
 Could any thing be more annoying than this ? Besides, 
 Mr. Macnaghten and Miss Stoddart had forwarded, a year
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 177 
 
 previous, letters to Colonel Shell from Sir Moses Montefiore, 
 at my advice, for the Jews of Samarcand, Bokhara, and Balkh : 
 all these letters Mullah Muhammed Ali Serraf told me he had 
 sent on only one month ago to the Jews of Bokhara, if he 
 sent them at all. I became therefore more anxious than ever 
 to reach Bokhara, and determined that nothing should pre- 
 vent me from my design but death ; for the Assaff-ood-Dowla 
 himself sent me word that he had learnt that both were alive 
 eleven months ago. And I wrote therefore a second letter to 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla, on my arrival at Meshed, beseeching 
 him to send me on with the greatest speed and haste ; and his 
 Excellency proved that he was ready to do so, by sending me 
 on to Mowr with all the Turkomaun chiefs who were at 
 Meshed at the time.
 
 178 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Arrival at Meshed. Visited on arrival by the Heads of the Mosque. Dis- 
 tance traversed by Dr. Wolff Reported to be a Mullah two hundred 
 years old. The improbability of Saleh Muhamnied's Statement clearer 
 shown by further Examination of him. Muhammed Ali Serraf, a 
 Villain. Haje Ibrahim, brother of Abdul Samut Khan. Aga Abool 
 Kasem. Letters of Sir Moses Montetiore for the Jews of Bokhara de- 
 tained by Muhammed Ali Serraf, and not forwarded to Bokhara. High- 
 priests of the Mosque. Arrival of the Viceroy, the Assaff'-ood-Dowla, 
 at Meshed The Viceroy commends Dr. Wolff to the care of the Tur- 
 komauns. New Rooz, New- Year's Day of the Persians, March 20th. 
 Advice given by the Assaff-ood-Dowla to Dr. Wolff The Viceroy sends 
 Presents by Dil Assa Khan to the Ameer of Bokhara. Turkomauns 
 Delays used by the Turkomaun Chief, Dil Assa Khan. Letters sent 
 to the King of Khiva. Interrogation of Saleh Muhammed by Dr. Wolff. 
 Dr. Wolff quits Meshed. Extortion of Dil Assa Khan. Arrival at 
 Jehaar Gunbaz Threat of Assaff-ood-Dowla to Dil Assa Khan. Route 
 through Rabat, Mahel, Masteroon, Karagosh, Gonbazli. Arrival at 
 Mowr Hospitably received by Abd Arrahman, the Khaleefa of the 
 Turkomauns High Character of the English in Mowr. Description 
 of Abd-Arrahman Anecdote of the Protection of the Khivitesby the 
 Khaleefa Dancing Derveeshes. The Khaleefa offers Dr. Wolff the 
 means of Escape, and dissuades him from going to Bokhara Conversa- 
 tion with the Derveesh of Kashgar. Letter to Captain Grover. Sen- 
 sation created at Bokhara by Lord Ellenborough's Letter to the Ameer. 
 Letter to Lady Georgiana. Schools in the Desert. Ghengis Khan 
 March of the Russians to India. 
 
 ON my arrival at Meshed I was received in the most polite 
 manner by Mirza Askeree, Mirza Moosa Khan, both heads of 
 the religion and chiefs of the great mosque at Meshed ; which 
 is not a little thing. The Assaff-ood-Dowla* was expected 
 on the 15th of March to a certainty. 
 
 * Astaff, or Aiaph, is mentioned in the Kings and Chronicles as the recorder 
 of the empire in the time of Hezekiah. There was another of the race in 
 the reigns of David and Solomon. The Muhammedans say that he was the
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 But the above-mentioned Mullah Muhammed Ali Serraf, 
 in whose hands above two thousand tomauns 1 worth of pro- 
 perty of Stoddart was found, actually frightened one of my 
 servants, Rajab, from accompanying me to Bokhara, for he 
 would follow me only as far as Mowr. I took another servant 
 of Stoddart's, Abdullah by name, who turned out a most con- 
 summate rascal. I was now overrun with people, who came 
 from Heraut, Cabul, and other places from Affghanistaun, 
 Affghauns with testimonials from Rawlinson, Conolly, Todd, 
 and Doctor Riach, of the services they had rendered to the 
 British army. I copy one of these testimonials : 
 
 This is to certify, that Meer Allie Khan Khort was one of the 
 chiefs of the Kuzzlebash who accompanied me for the recovery of 
 the prisoners, and that he behaved most handsomely, and afforded 
 me all the assistance in his power. 
 
 (Signed) RICHMOND SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 September 20th, 1842. 
 
 I gave this fellow one tomaun, for he seemed to me to be in 
 great distress. But there came two others, who produced some 
 paper from Major Todd, by whom they were sent to Bokhara to 
 release Stoddart, who were most consummate rascals : the one 
 named Seyf Kulle Khan, and the other Tamas Kulle Khan. 
 They bitterly complained that they had been sent to Bokhara, 
 and had not been remunerated for it, whilst I knew from Aga 
 Abool Kasem, formerly British agent at Meshed, and from my 
 friend Mullah Mehdee, that they had received about one thou- 
 sand five hundred tomauns, or seven hundred and fifty pounds 
 sterling, as a reward. On mentioning Aga Abool Kasem, 
 formerly British agent here, the question may be asked, Why 
 
 wise Vizier of Solomon, and therefore viziers or viceroys in Persia have 
 frequently the title of Assaff-ood-Dowla, i. e. The Atsaff of the Empire. 
 AlloyerKhan, uncle to the present king of Persia, has now this title. He 
 is a man of great cunning and genius, and aspires to the throne of Persia. 
 He preserves a good understanding with the mullahs of Meshed, and is in 
 reality the king of Khorassaun. He is courted by Russia, but neglected by 
 England. 
 
 N2
 
 180 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 was he not employed by Colonel Shell in forwarding the letters 
 to Bokhara ? There are two very weighty reasons for it, if 
 not more. 1st. Aga or Mullah Muhammed AH Serraf was 
 Stoddart's agent, and recommended as such. 2nd. Aga Abool 
 Kasem candidly told me that he had declined to undertake 
 the task, as he had a brother residing at Bokhara who had not 
 the courage to assist him. And the above-mentioned rascals 
 told me that when they came to Bokhara they only had a 
 sight of Colonel Stoddart, but were afraid to speak to him ; 
 and all they did was, to deliver a note to him in a stealthy 
 manner, and to receive one from him in the same way. I 
 wrote to Colonel Sheil, and requested him to send on imme- 
 diately Mr. Thomson to Meshed, to look also into the affairs 
 of Mullah Muhammed Ali Serraf, Stoddart's agent, in order 
 that every thing might be delivered into his (Thomson's) 
 hands. Seyf Kulle Khan and Tamas Kulle Khan remained 
 at Meshed several months after they had got the money from 
 Todd to proceed to Bokhara. They did not move until Mu- 
 hammed Ali Serraf was sent with them. On their arrival at 
 Bokhara the trio did nothing but intrigue against Stoddart 
 with Colonel Shell's friend, Abdul Samut Khan. 
 
 All the Jews from Torbad, who saw me in slavery there in 
 1831, and those who knew me at Sarakhs, were here ; one of 
 them offered himself to me as a servant. I found that I 
 should not be enabled to set out for Meshed before the 25th 
 of March for Bokhara. 
 
 My journey up to this point was as follows : Miles 
 
 1. From Southampton to Constantinople .... 3300 
 
 2. ,, Constantinople to Trebizond 480 
 
 3. Trebizond to Erzroom 180 
 
 4. Erzroom to Teheraun 588 
 
 5. ,, Teheraun to Meshed 556 
 
 5104 
 There remained only to Bokhara 550 
 
 5654
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 181 
 
 Among the other wild Eastern rumours at Sharoot, a report 
 was spread that a mullah from England had arrived, two hun- 
 dred years of age, Joseph Wolff by name. 
 
 I forwarded hence three letters to the king of Khiva : the 
 first from the Sultan of Constantinople, the second from Colo- 
 nel Sheil, and the third from the ambassador of Khiva to the 
 court of Persia, whom I had met at Teheraun, with a letter to 
 his Majesty the king of Khiva, written by myself. My own 
 letter was in the following terms : 
 
 Joseph Wolff, the derveesh of the Christians in England, 
 sends his blessing to his Majesty the king of Organtsh, and wishes 
 him the wisdom of Solomon the Wise, (upon whom is the comfort 
 of God and peace,) and the power and riches of Timur Kurikanee, 
 the conqueror and possessor of the earth. Know ye, King, that 
 I am the well-known derveesh of England, and have traversed, 
 for the sake of Jesus, Egypt, Mount Sinai, Yemen, Jerusalem, 
 Damascus, Bokhara, Balkh, and Hind, and the New World, which 
 lies on the other side of the ocean. All these countries I. traversed 
 for the sake of God and Jesus, and for the good of my fellow- 
 creatures, telling princes and little ones that they should repent 
 and turn to God, for we are of God, and to God we must return. 
 I also spoke with the Muharnmedan mullahs, and with Jews and 
 Guebres, that we have to expect first of all the coming of Dejaal 
 (Anti-christ), who shall bring great mischief into the world, and 
 force many to worship him as God : but after him Jesus shall 
 come, and kill Dejaal with the breath of his mouth, and set up a 
 kingdom, that all nations shall serve Him; and in his time the 
 lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and the earth shall be 
 full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea ; and 
 universal peace shall prevail upon earth. 
 
 But now I go to Bokhara for another object. I have been 
 informed, and all England has been informed, that two English 
 officers of high rank, Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, have 
 been put to death at Bokhara ; and as the life of an Englishman is 
 dear to his people, the account has spread great indignation through- 
 out England, Russia, Germany, and America. I therefore said 
 that I would go to Bokhara, in order to ascertain the truth or false- 
 hood of that report ; and if they should be still alive, that I would
 
 182 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 demand their persons from the king of Bokhara. I beg, there- 
 fore, your Majesty to bestow on me the following favours: 1st. 
 To write to the king of Bokhara to grant my request ; 2nd. That 
 your Majesty will make known my mission, not only among 
 Khivites, but also send letters to all the Tiirkomauns and Haza- 
 rahs, and to the khans of Ankhoy, Maymona, and to the Ameer of 
 Cabul, and to the king of Khokand and Shahr Sabz. 
 
 Giving you my benediction as the great Derveesh, well known 
 throughout Frankistaun and in the land of Russia, 
 
 (Sealed) JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 To the Hazarah at Daragass, Arand, Ankhoy, and Khool- 
 lom : 
 
 Joseph Wolff, the derveesh of England, believer in Jesus, 
 sends his salutation and his blessing to the powerful tribe of the 
 Hazarah, celebrated among the heroes of Turkistaun, and whose 
 ancestors have been valiant companions in battle to the great 
 Ghengis Khan, the Tshagatay. Know ye that I am going to 
 Bokhara to demand from the Ameer Nasir Behadur Ullah, in the 
 name of God, and Jesus the Word of God, the release of Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly ; and after this I wish to pay you 
 a visit, and speak with you about the great trumpet which shall 
 be sounded, and the descent of Jesus from heaven, amidst the 
 shouts of angels. For I have learnt that you have a respect for 
 Englishmen, and especially such as Pottinger and D'Arcy Todd ; 
 and therefore I am confident that you will receive me kindly. I 
 therefore beseech you to announce my going to Bokhara among 
 the Ghirgese and Cossacks of the Desert. For it is of high 
 importance that all the inhabitants of Turkistaun should know 
 that Englishmen do not look with indifference on their brethren 
 in captivity, and that there is a derveesh whose life is devoted 
 
 to the service of God. 
 
 (Sealed) J. WOLFF. 
 
 I got both these corrected and fine copied at Meshed, by 
 Mirza Muhammed Noori, and forwarded by a relation of 
 Shah Soujah El-Mulck, late king of Cabul. 
 
 During the whole period of my stay at Meshed, the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla (viceroy) of Khorassaun, ordered his lieutenant 
 to treat me with all the respect of an ambassador, and three
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 183 
 
 rooms were placed at my disposal, and every day victuals 
 were sent to me by the Calandar. 
 
 On a second conversation with the Akhund-Zadeh, Saleh 
 Muhammed, my hopes were further raised of the probable 
 existence of Stoddart and Conolly. One solitary person at 
 Bokhara was also, he admitted, the sole source of his in- 
 formation. I did not believe his story : 1st. Because Tamas 
 Beyk, the chief of the Japaree of several provinces in Klio- 
 rassaun, a kind-hearted and excellent man, who lives at 
 Nishapoor, told me that Kurban, the chief of caravans, who 
 resides at Maymona, twelve days journey from Bokhara, and 
 who is there every three months, assured him that both 
 Stoddart and Conolly were alive, and imprisoned in the Kalai, 
 outside of Bokhara. Kakulli, also a Turkomaim chief, who 
 was likewise at Nishapoor, showed to me a letter from his 
 brother at Bokhara, in which he stated that Stoddart was 
 alive to a certainty. Further, his Excellency the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla (viceroy) of Khorassaun, to whom I sent the king's 
 courier to inquire where I should meet him, whether at 
 Maadan or Meshed, sent me word that Stoddart and Conolly 
 were alive last year. 3rd. The people of Meshed themselves 
 told me, that the report of their death had been current at 
 Meshed three years ago, when it was certain they were alive. 
 4th. It was reported for five years at Bokhara, that the 
 Goosh-Bekee had been put to death, when he suddenly made 
 his appearance again, and only died a short time since a na- 
 tural death. 5th. All people at Meshed say, " Kesee nadeed," 
 * No one has seen the execution.' 
 
 The further I investigated the character of Aga Muham- 
 med All Serraf, the greater rogue he appeared. Poor Stod- 
 dart ordered all his letters to be addressed by Colonel Shell 
 to him. The Sultan's letter was sent to him, for Colonel Sheil 
 had nobody else at Meshed on whom he could rely. 
 
 My proofs are these : on my first meeting him, I asked 
 him whether he had sent on the letter of the Sultan, which
 
 184 NARRATIVE .OF THE MISSION 
 
 he had received a year ago, and which he had sent back to 
 Colonel Sheil on the first report of their death, and which 
 Colonel Sheil returned with the express order of forwarding 
 it to Bokhara at any rate? I have shown how he equivocated 
 on that point ; and on my entrance into Meshed, he hesitated 
 as to giving me the letter, until I sent him a threatening mes- 
 sage, when he produced it, but brought with him one of his 
 friends who was at Bokhara, viz. Haje Ibrahim, brother to 
 Abdul Samut Khan, of whom Colonel Sheil told me after- 
 wards that cunning and knavery were depicted in his very 
 look ; and he sate down in my room, and said, with a loud 
 voice, " Have you a letter from the Queen of England for 
 the King of Bokhara?" I replied, "No, but I have letters 
 from the Sultan of Constantinople, from the King of Persia, 
 and from the Russian ambassador." Haje Ibrahim replied, 
 " All these letters are pootsh" which means, good for nothing. 
 " I will tell you what they will do with you as soon as you 
 arrive at Jehaar-Joo. They will put you in a little room, 
 take from you all the money you have, keep you there until 
 an answer comes from the Ameer, to whom they will report 
 your arrival. After his answer, they will bind your eyes, 
 that you shall not be able to see any thing about you in the 
 country, put you in the black well, and then kill you." I 
 asked, " How do you know that ? " He said, " Stoddart came 
 to Bokhara with a letter from the Vizier Muchtar, the British 
 envoy at Teheraun ; he was put in prison. After this, Conolly 
 came with letters from the ambassador at Cabul, or, as he 
 called him, the Laard Nawaub Saheb. He was put in prison. 
 Then a letter came from the Sultan. The Ameer cast it 
 away with disdain, and said, ' The Sultan is half a Kafir, 
 (infidel) ; I want a letter from the Queen of England.' Some 
 time after a letter arrived from the Sirkar of Hind, (the 
 Governor-general). This letter," said he, with a sneer, " sta- 
 ted, ' that Stoddart and Conolly were innocent travellers.'' 
 Upon which the Ameer was so angry, that he put both to
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 185 
 
 death ; and I have this account from my brother, Abdul 
 Samut Khan" 
 
 I beg the reader to remark this point with respect to this 
 important letter, which on my return to Teheraun, when Hajc 
 Ibrahim came thither for the money which he claimed for 
 Abdul Samut Khan, he boasted, in the presence of Mr. Glen, 
 one of the attaches of the British embassy, to have mentioned 
 to me, and then repeated all the above conversation at Meshed, 
 verbatim, especially relative to Lord Ellenborough's letter. 
 
 I immediately took the letter of the Sultan, which was in 
 the possession of Muhammed Ali Serraf, and put it into the 
 case with the other letters of the Sultan and the King of 
 Persia which I had brought with me, and told the fellows, 
 " Your endeavour to frighten me is in vain : I shall set out 
 from here, and need not the assistance of any one of you." 
 
 Aga Abool Kasem, formerly the British agent at Meshed, 
 a respectable merchant from Heraut, called on me, for I had 
 a letter for him from Colonel Sheil. I asked him why he did 
 not take the letter from Muhammed Ali Serraf, and send it on 
 to Bokhara? He, more upright than that fellow, told me, 
 " I have a brother at Bokhara, who is a coward, and who 
 would not have executed my wish ; and I should not have 
 liked to compromise him myself, for I never received a salary 
 from the British government, and I am a merchant." 
 
 On the 13th of March I by chance learnt from Mullah 
 Mehdee, the Jew, that several letters had been sent from Sir 
 Moses Montefiore to the care of Mullah Muhammed Ali 
 Serraf, Stoddart's agent. I immediately recollected that they 
 must be the same letters which I had advised Mrs. Mac- 
 naghten and Miss Stoddart to procure from Sir Moses Monte- 
 fiore, and forward them through Mullah Mehdee, of Meshed, 
 to the Jews of Bokhara, Samarcand, Balkh, and Khokand ; 
 but Colonel Sheil, of course, according to Stoddarfs direc- 
 tion, forwarded them through his agent, Mullah Muhammed 
 Ali Serraf. He called on me yesterday evening, and I said,
 
 186 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 " What have you done with the letters for the Jews of 
 Bokhara, &c. ? " 
 
 Mullah Muhammed. I broke the seal, took off the en- 
 velope, and had the direction of it written by Ismael the Jew 
 in Hebrew only; for as the English writing upon it might 
 make the Jews suspected, I thought that it was not safe. 
 
 Now there was some reason in this : but in the first instance, 
 in the East a letter without a seal goes for nothing ; secondly, 
 on my desiring him to produce the envelopes, which he said 
 he had preserved, I found that he only had forwarded the 
 letters to Samarcand, Balkh, and Khokand, but broken the 
 seal and kept back the most important of all, the letter of 
 Sir Moses Montefiore to the Jews of Bokhara. As I was 
 sure that Sir Moses Montefiore, who does not like me, would 
 be sorry if I was the deliverer of the letter, and seeing then 
 no necessity for it, I returned the letter to him in England. 
 And even the other letters, I found to a certainty, had only 
 been forwarded thirty days ago. 
 
 Aga Abool Kasem, the above-mentioned respectable mer- 
 chant, and formerly British agent, gave me this day the 
 following exact information as to the property of Colonel 
 Stoddart in the hands of his agent, (viz.) that Muhammed 
 Ali Serraf was in possession of shawls consigned to him by 
 Colonel Stoddart, which he had given as a pawn to mer- 
 chants to obtain money from them for buying land, for they 
 are to the amount of two thousand tomauns one thousand 
 pounds sterling. I asked him about that. He replied, that 
 he had still the shawls in his possession, and he intended to 
 deliver the shawls to Colonel Stoddart's sister in person ; and 
 then sat down to write a letter to his (Colonel Stoddart's) 
 sister. The fellow is a rogue ; he told me that Stoddart said, 
 (which has a lie on the face of it,) that he was to deliver the 
 shawls to his sister, who would richly reward him. 
 
 1 called on the 12th on the great high-priests at Meshed 
 Mirza Said Askeree, the Imaum Jemaat of Meshed, and Haje
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 187 
 
 Mirza Moosa Khan, Metwalle of the mosque, both of whom 
 have been very kind to me, and given me every assistance. 
 They wish to obtain a lithographic press, each one of them, 
 and the Assaff-ood-Dowla requires a beautiful spy-glass. I 
 wrote to England to get these things forwarded to them, not 
 by Stoddarfs agent, but by Mullah Mehdee, my friend. 
 
 March 15th. The Assaff-ood-Dowla (viceroy) of Khoras- 
 saun arrived here, and immediately sent his chamberlain to 
 welcome me. Three hundred Turkomaun chiefs from the 
 desert of Mowr were here, beseeching the Assaff-ood-Dowla 
 to bring their tribe near Meshed : by them I was to be es- 
 corted to Mowr. The Assaff-ood-Dowla will send one of his 
 men with me on to Bokhara. Report said that a Russian 
 ambassador reached that city a month previous to the time I 
 was at Meshed. 
 
 March 20th. The Assaff-ood-Dowla assembled the Tfirko- 
 mauns in his tent, read my letters from the various Sove- 
 reigns, and then said to them, " Here I entrust to you an 
 English mullah, recommended to the king of Bokhara by 
 four Powers." They stroked their beards, and swore to bring 
 me safely to Bokhara. 
 
 This is the New Roo% (new-year's day) of the Persians. 
 His Excellency the Assaff-ood-Dowla sent me sweetmeats, 
 and gold and silver pence, which are considered blessed 
 pence, to the value of five tomauns sterling, according to 
 Persian custom. I saw at his levee the Persian soldiers 
 drilled before him. One Turkomaun chief is appointed to 
 bring me safely to Bokhara ; and of the three hundred 
 Turkomaun chiefs, thirty go to the king of Persia, and the 
 rest ride on before to announce me to the Turkomauns of 
 Sarakhs and Merwe. 
 
 My letters from the Sultan and Sheikh Islam of Constantino- 
 ple for the king and mullahs of Khiva and Khokand, were sent 
 on by an express Turkomaun, for which I paid fifty tomauns. 
 I gave one hundred tomauns to the men of the Assaff-ood-
 
 188 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Dowla. The change of circumstances in Khorassaun surprises 
 me since the last twelve years, among the low as well as among 
 the high; I am here received by all the mullahs with the 
 same distinction as they treat each other. The Assaff'-ood- 
 Dowla is one of the shrewdest persons I ever met with. He 
 said to me, " Now I will tell you a few words which you must 
 learn by heart, and address to the king of Bokhara, and the 
 words are these : I am sent from England, and from the 
 Turkish government, and from the Russian government, and 
 the Persian government, by reason of that friendship which 
 subsists between these governments and England." I asked 
 him whether he would wish to have an English physician here ? 
 he replied emphatically, but with politeness, " There is no 
 necessity for that ; all we want is, the friendship of England." 
 He sent presents by Dil Assa Khan, chief of the Merwee, 
 who was to take me to Bokhara, for the king, amounting to 
 five hundred tomauns in value. Really our government ought 
 to recognise his great kindness, even to so mean a member 
 of its body corporate as myself. My letters from England 
 were conveyed to me by the hands of his own chamberlain. 
 My rooms were here a most extraordinary sight. On one oc- 
 casion, while I was writing to England, four Turkomaun chiefs 
 were seated on the ground, eating bread, sour milk, and pock- 
 eting the sweetmeats given to them ; Mullah Mehdee sate in 
 another compartment of the room, (I have privately baptized 
 him) ; Dil Assa Khan opposite to him, writing down what I 
 wanted for the road, such things as sugar, four horses, a 
 tent, dates, &c. ; Aga Abool Kasem, a Persian merchant, sit- 
 ting on the ground. Sadik Beg, the king of Persia's meh- 
 moondar, looks anxious about my safety. My own servants 
 consulting what I ought still to have with me. 
 
 On the 25th the Assaff-ood-Dowla sent for me, and desired 
 me to mention in my letters to England the following facts : 
 
 After the Turkomauns of Merwe had rebelled against the 
 king of Khiva, and killed the governor set over them by that
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 18 ( J 
 
 sovereign, they first of all sought protection from the king o f 
 Bokhara ; but he (the Assaff-ood-Dowla) having been inform- 
 ed of the ill treatment of Stoddart and Conolly, induced all 
 the Turkomauns to rebel against the king of Bokhara, and 
 three hundred Turkomaun chiefs, whom I myself had seen at 
 the palace, were come to Meshed to ask permission of him to 
 settle near it. The Assaff'-ood-Dowla has consequently se- 
 cured under his command the most powerful tribes, Sarakhs, 
 Mahal, Merwe, and Tajan. From these Turkomauns he sends 
 to Teheraun, not, as I first understood, thirty, but seventy, 
 as hostages to the king, in order to insure me a good reception 
 in the desert of Mowr, and also to obtain their powerful inter- 
 ference in case the king of Bokhara should resort to violent 
 measures against me. Besides this, he assured me that, should 
 the Shah have any scruples as to the detention of the Eljee of 
 Bokhara, he would detain him at Meshed until I reached it safe 
 and sound. When Colonel Sheil wrote to the Assaff-ood-Dowla 
 sixty days ago, to send on a man to Bokhara on the instant that 
 prince received the letter, which was not until long after the 
 arrival of the messenger at Meshed who was the bearer of it, 
 by the rascality of Muhammed All Serraf, he sent one with 
 presents to the amount of five hundred tomauns, and he said 
 that he should send further presents to the same amount by 
 Dil Assa Khan. He also said that he was ready to march on 
 Bokhara with the Shah's permission, and upon the first hint 
 from England, and that our own country would be the noble 
 liberatrix of a thousand slaves. 
 
 Were even the bones of Stoddart and Conolly produced to 
 me, I determined now to proceed to Bokhara, and to investi- 
 gate how they died. A strong prestige was also rising in my 
 favour. Yar Muhammed Khan, at Heraut, had been advised 
 by his friends at Meshed to write to the king of Bokhara to 
 release the prisoners and treat me well. The Hazarah, also, 
 in the deserts of Maymona, proclaimed my mission to Bokhara, 
 as far as Khoollom. The various delays at this place became
 
 190 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 so vexatious, that I wrote to the Assaff-ood-Dowla on the 24th 
 March complaining of Dil Assa Khan, the chief of several 
 tribes of Merwee, who wanted to stay till the 27th of this 
 month, when it was my wish to set out on the 26th (Tues- 
 day), and not on the Wednesday. His Highness ordered Dil 
 Assa Khan, accordingly, to leave on the 26th of this month. 
 Dil Assa Khan received from me one hundred tomauns, and 
 the Assaff'-ood-Dowla gave to him out of his own pocket three 
 hundred tomauns, and sent presents, as I have mentioned, for 
 the king of Bokhara to the amount of five hundred tomauns. 
 Colonel Sheil also had given to me some cloth (three pieces), 
 and a silver watch for the Ameer, in order not to appear empty 
 handed. The letters of the Sultan of Constantinople for the 
 king of Khiva, and the letters of the Sheikh Islam of Con- 
 stantinople for the mullahs of Khiva and Khokand, had also 
 been sent to the king of Khiva by Youssuff Mirza, the Shah 
 Zadeh, an Affghaun prince, who early/ this morning called on 
 me ; and who sent on a man to Khiva with a Turkomaun, to 
 whom I paid fifty tomauns, and shall have to pay him thirty 
 tomauns after he brings an answer from the king of Khiva, 
 which will be delivered to Colonel Sheil at Teheraun, for I 
 shall not be back from Bokhara until the answer returns from 
 Khiva. I also wrote to the king of Khiva, desiring him to 
 order the Turkomauns under his jurisdiction not to molest me 
 on the road, and to make known to all the Turkomauns the 
 reason of my expedition to Bokhara. This will have, as the 
 king of Khiva is at enmity with Bokhara, a two-fold effect ; 
 first of all, he will take good care to make it known among 
 all the Turkomauns, and at Shahr Sabz, Khokand, Samarcand, 
 Khoollom, and even at Bokhara, that the conduct of the king 
 of Bokhara is disapproved by the Sultan, and resented by the 
 other Powers of Europe ; and it will at the same time deter the 
 Usbeck Tatars from giving any further assistance to the king 
 of Bokhara. Mullah Mehdee, a friend of Yar Muhammed 
 Khan, at Heraut, wrote, in his name (not in my name), to
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 1Q1 
 
 Yar Muhammed Khan, that now was the time to succeed in 
 obtaining the support of England, by writing to the king of 
 Bokhara that he should set free the English prisoners, and 
 treat me with distinction on my arrival at Bokhara. Youssuff 
 Mirza, the Shah Zadeh, wrote also the same to him, and to 
 the Hazarah tribes of Maymona and Ankhoy ; to the latter 
 he wrote for the purpose of making it known among all the 
 mullahs, derveeshes, and awliyaans, in order that they might 
 call on the Ameer of Bokhara to suffer the strangers to go 
 back to their own land. 
 
 I also addressed a most respectful letter to the Ameer of 
 Bokhara, with the intention of delivering it myself, in which 
 I reminded his Majesty of the hospitable reception he granted 
 to me when at Bokhara twelve years ago, and my having 
 boldly defended him in England and throughout Europe when 
 I heard him accused of having been the murderer of guests ; 
 and petitioned his Majesty most humbly to allow me to bring 
 back my friends to their native country, or, should they have 
 died on account of some fault committed, to inform me of the 
 nature of their crime, and to permit me to carry with me to 
 England their corpses, to be buried there by their relations. 
 I put this letter into the hands of the Imaum Jemaat, of 
 Meshed, who read it in the mosque of Gowher Shah, where 
 five thousand people were assembled. 
 
 A caravan arrived here some days ago from Bokhara, and 
 the answer to my inquiries was, They may be alive, for no- 
 body has seen them executed, whilst the others were publicly 
 executed ; and the Goosh-Bekee, or vizier, who for five years 
 was supposed to have been put to death, suddenly came forth 
 alive and well from prison ; and the chief of the caravan of 
 Bokhara, Mullah Kereem by name, who is there every two 
 months and has a wife there, told me two days ago, that if 
 any one asserted that he had seen the execution of the two 
 Eljees, he was a liar ! And as I have said, even the Akhund- 
 Zadeh, Saleh Muhammed, told me that the two persons who
 
 192 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 were put to death, and of whom he gave a circumstantial ac- 
 count to Colonel Sheil, might have been two other persons, 
 and the executioner who told him the story might have belied 
 him ; and besides this, I must confess that two things appear- 
 ed suspicious to me in the extreme in the Akhund-Zadeh's 
 account. First of all, at one time he told me that the execu- 
 tioner from whom he had the story had been the executioner 
 of Stoddart ; on another day, when I asked him again which 
 of the two executioners had put Stoddart to death, he replied 
 that he did not know. Besides that, I used the method of 
 questioning him which Mr. Pitt applied to people whose vera- 
 city he suspected on a certain subject. He questioned those 
 people on other points ; so did I with the Akhund-Zadeh. I 
 asked him one day about the intended expedition of the Rus- 
 sians to Khiva: the answer of the Akhund-Zadeh was, that 
 he knew positively that not one single Russian came back to 
 Orenbourgh ; every one of them, with all the camels besides, 
 were killed. Besides that, he made a claim on Colonel Sheil 
 for one hundred and twenty tomauns, which I learnt from 
 different quarters he had received from Major Todd ; and I 
 learnt afterwards that he was of the party who frightened my 
 servant (Rajab) from accompanying me to Bokhara. Nothing 
 could induce this man to move beyond Mowr. He would 
 have left me at Meshed, as I have mentioned, but with great 
 reluctance on his part followed me to Mowr : further than this 
 he would not move, and evidently looked on me as a lost man. 
 The other servant of Stoddart, when at Heraut who is also 
 in my service told me, quite gravely, that he received once 
 two thousand stripes by order of the king of Persia, for having 
 served the British officers who were at Heraut during the 
 siege of Heraut. How difficult it is to find out the truth in 
 such a country of lies ! The Assaff-ood-Dowla is very anxious 
 to march against Bokhara, and take it. He is confident that 
 he could take Bokhara in less than half an hour. 
 
 The Assaff is really a great man ; he has brought by his
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 1<J3 
 
 prudent conduct, the greatest number of Turkomauns under 
 his sway. The Japow, or plundering expedition of the Tur- 
 komauns into Khorassaun, is through him in a great degree 
 abolished. He has erected caravanserays and other buildings. 
 There he keeps and maintains now the Shah Zadeh of Aff- 
 ghanistaun, in order to check, by continual fear, Yar Muham- 
 med Khan, of Heraut, who killed Kamran Shah one year ago. 
 But I felt very angry with him, for he might have sent me 
 away sooner if he had not kept me on account of the man 
 whom he sent to Bokhara thirty days~ago; five months ago, 
 also, Sheil sent an extra gholam to urge him to send one on to 
 Bokhara, but that delay did not happen by his fault, but by 
 the fault of Stoddart's agent. Now, however, he expects back 
 the man who went thirty days since, but I am determined to go 
 away next Tuesday, L e. to-morrow. I have already bought 
 four horses, victuals, &c. However, as a precaution, I de- 
 termined to write to Colonel Sheil, that he should send on a 
 man to Meshed, with an order from the Shah to send me on 
 immediately. 
 
 The trouble that Dil Assa Khan occasioned me is almost 
 inconceivable. Though ordered by the Assaff-ood-Dowla to 
 accompany me with the armed men to Bokhara ; though 
 letters were given to him for the king of Bokhara, the chief 
 Turkomauns of Sarakhs, and the Khaleefa of Mowr, the spi- 
 ritual head of the Turkomauns, writing to all that they should 
 take good care of me, for Persia, England, Russia, and Tur- 
 key would otherwise call them to account, all had little 
 influence on this fellow. His dread of Behadur Khan seemed 
 as unmitigated as his cupidity. I was obliged to pay him 
 a hundred tomauns in advance to begin. The Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla next charged him with presents to the king of Bo- 
 khara, and gave him orders to leave Meshed on the 26th. 
 He made, however, constant excuses, and at last sent me on 
 with one of his men to Canakoosha, twelve miles from Meshed. 
 Mullah Mehdee, the Jew, also accompanied me. Late in the
 
 194 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 evening a letter arrived there for me from Dil Assa Khan, tell- 
 ing me that the Assaff-ood-Dowla wished me to sit in a keja- 
 weh during the journey, or what they call at Cairo a shebrea, 
 in order not to attract too much the notice of the Turkomauns, 
 and to take beside another camel for water. I saw at once 
 into this contrivance on his part to extort more money from 
 me. I therefore sent Mullah Mehdee with a letter to the 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla, telling him that I was ready to hire a ca- 
 mel with a kejaweh, and also another camel, but that I hoped 
 his Excellency would order Dil Assa Khan to make no further 
 delay ; if not, I would go back, and proceed via Russia to 
 Bokhara. A kind letter arrived from the Assaff-ood-Dowla, 
 and I had taken the two camels in order to avoid delay ; but 
 still Dil Assa Khan came not until the 30th to Nazarieh, four 
 miles from Canakoosha, and even then he wanted to stay some 
 days more, until I positively ordered my servants to make 
 ready for returning to Meshed. 
 
 March 31st. We at last entered fairly the desert, and en- 
 camped on the plain, covered with shrubs, called Jehaar Gun- 
 baz. Dil Assa Khan so annoyed me with incessant demands 
 for money, that I sent on secretly Mullah Mehdee, who had 
 accompanied me so far, with a letter to the Assaff-ood-Dowla, 
 desiring him to send me another companion in my route. 
 Meanwhile I steadily refused Dil Assa Khan's demands. 
 
 Monday, April 1st. We arrived at Rabat Mahal, a desert 
 place, where I pitched my tent. The water here is very salt. 
 On the 2nd of April a horseman came in all haste behind us, 
 calling out " Stop, stop ! " We stopped, and the horseman 
 was sent after us from the Assaff-ood-Dowla, with a letter 
 from him for myself and Dil Assa Khan. His Excellency 
 wrote to Dil Assa Khan, " I will ruin you and your family 
 if you ask one single (derahem) farthing from my friend 
 Joseph Wolff, and do not discharge well your business." And 
 to me he wrote, that to Sarakhs I should not part from the 
 caravan ; and at Sarakhs I should take en with me, beside
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 195 
 
 Dil Assa Khan, also four Turkomauns and ten from Movvr, 
 where I am already announced by the two hundred Turko- 
 raaun chiefs. Dil Assa Khan is now very humble and sub- 
 missive. 
 
 We arrived at Masteroon, a fortress built upon the height 
 of the mountain, in order to watch the movements of the 
 Turkomauns of Sarakhs, and to prevent them from plunder- 
 ing the caravans ; fifty artillerymen are on this account placed 
 here with some cavalry by the Assaff-ood-Dowla. The chief 
 of those soldiers came to my tent. I made him a present of 
 a loaf of bread ; he observed, other Saheboon (a name given 
 to English gentlemen) made him always a present of some 
 tomauns. I replied, " that a mullah's bread is blessed." He 
 was quiet. 
 
 On the 3rd of April we arrived at Karagosh, ' black strait, 1 
 for the water is black here between two straits, and very salt. 
 
 On the 4th of April we passed the desert place of Abe- 
 Sherok, on route to Gonbazli, twenty miles from Sarakhs. 
 Here I had nothing left to eat but dates and bread, and rain- 
 water to drink. I had with me, up to this point, Rajab and 
 Mullah Seffee, the Jew, who served Conolly and Stoddart, 
 the first time when at Khiva, the second when at Bokhara. 
 He was also with Todd at Heraut. I cannot enough impress 
 upon the minds of the English people the necessity of sending 
 an English gentleman by birth to Meshed ; for though Mullah 
 Mehdee is very useful, still he needs the surveillance of an 
 English gentleman, and the agent of Stoddart, Muhammed 
 Ali Serraf, is a most contemptible fellow. 
 
 On the 5th of April (Friday), we arrived at Gonbazli, 
 three farsakhs (twelve miles) from the former: nothing but 
 a well in the desert, and very salt. On the 6th of April 
 (Saturday) slept again in the desert. We crossed the Derya 
 Sarakhs (river of Sarakhs), which conies from Heraut. On 
 the 7th we arrived at the camp of Nafas Beyk, who lives 
 twenty-four miles from Old Sarakhs, a ruin since Abbas 
 
 o 2
 
 196 NARRATIVE OF THE MfSSlON 
 
 Mirza came there accompanied by Borowsky. Nafas Beyk 
 treated me hospitably, for which he expected a khelat : I 
 gave him a Turkomaun shirt. Monday, the 8th of April, 
 we left the camp of Nafas Beyk, but lost our way in the 
 desert, as the sky was very foggy, and only found it again 
 on the 9th of April, (Tuesday). 
 
 To-day (10th of April, Wednesday) we made twenty-four 
 miles, and are in a desert place, where there is a Hausee-khan 
 a house of water made by a khan. I was now sixty miles 
 from Merve, and three hundred miles from Bokhara. I re- 
 ceived yesterday a letter from Mullah Mehdee, sent from 
 Meshed by a Turkomaun on purpose, enclosing a letter from 
 Yar Muhammed Khan, governor of Heraut, who promised 
 his powerful influence to me with the king of Bokhara. The 
 king of Bokhara intends to march against Khiva ; it is there- 
 fore probable that I shall meet him to-morrow at Merve, or, 
 after a few days, at Jehaar-Joo. 
 
 I was bothered every day to death by my companion Dil 
 Assa Khan, the man of the Assaff-ood-Dowla, for presents, 
 which I firmly refused. I arrived safely, April 12th, at 
 Mowr, and was received very hospitably by Abd Arrahman, 
 the khaleefa of Khiva and Bokhara. Nathan, and other Jews 
 who knew me twelve years ago when in this place, immedi- 
 ately called on me, and we talked over old times. I may safely 
 say that I was, in the year 1831, the only Englishman known 
 in the desert of Mowr, but now the names of Stoddart, 
 Conolly, Shakespeare (who is called Sheikh-Sefeer), Abbott, 
 Todd, Riach, and Thomson, are mentioned with respect and 
 regard, and the whole nation is admired ; so that Lord 
 Palmerston ought to have the thanks of Britain for having 
 invaded Affghanistaun, for even in Aflfghanistaun they think 
 now with affection of England and Englishmen. Abd Arrah- 
 man, my host, is a venerable old Turkomaun, worthy of his 
 office; a man without many words, without covetousness, 
 given to prayer, and a friend of hospitality. Conolly stopped
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 197 
 
 in his house when going from Cabul to Khiva. One of his 
 sons knew Major Todd well; if the British government in 
 India could be aware how highly respected Todd rendered 
 the English name throughout Turkistaun, they would not 
 have sent him back to his regiment. The name, and liberality 
 and kindness of Todd resound through the desert of Turkis- 
 taun; and thus is Riach respected, and the above-named 
 gentlemen; only Stoddart is described as a brave but rouyk 
 man universally ; Conolly as a man of religion. 
 
 The above-mentioned khaleefa Abd Arrahman told me 
 positively that Stoddart was alive, but in prison ; about Co- 
 nolly he was not quite certain. The Jew, Nathan, believed 
 them to be dead, but had his accounts from the Akhund-Za- 
 deh, Saleh Muhammed, Colonel SheiPs informant. Rain, 
 slowness of the camels, wind of the desert, occasional want of 
 water, mistaking the road on cloudy days, were all causes for 
 unexpected delays. Beside this, the country is in a warlike 
 condition. The Turkomauns here in Mowr, or Merve, lately 
 rebelled against Khiva, and killed their governor, so that they 
 may expect every moment an invasion of the army of Khiva. 
 There are two parties here and at Sarakhs, some tribes hold- 
 ing with Bokhara, the others with Khiva. I found Captain 
 Grover quite right; Stoddart was sent by Sir John McNeill, 
 but Conolly was also an accredited agent, for he was sent by 
 Sir W. Macnaghten to Bokhara to liberate Stoddart. 
 
 A letter from Bruges reached me here in seventy-five days. 
 Ghersi's account about Stoddart was erroneous, for Abdul Sa- 
 mut Khan is a Persian at Bokhara, head of the artillery, but is 
 erroneously believed by many to be an Englishman, or Ferin- 
 ghee. In this remarkable place (Mowr) there is an equally 
 remarkable man ; I allude to the Khaleefa of the Turkomauns. 
 
 Providence does appear in a most wonderful manner to ope- 
 rate by the most singular causes to restrain the wickedness of 
 men. The Turkomauns of the desert of Mowr and Sarakhs 
 are a people of such a perfidious disposition, and of such great
 
 198 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 rapacity, that one could not depend for a moment on their 
 promises, or on any treaties entered into with them ; for the 
 Turkomauns, as well as the Beduins in the deserts of Arabia, 
 do not consider consequences, but are only restrained by instant 
 infliction of punishment : and therefore no caravan could ever 
 dream of passing through the deserts of Mowr, Sarakhs, and 
 Rafitak, if there was not one man in that desert who knew how 
 to restrain the Turkomauns. This man is the great derveesh, 
 who has the title of Khaleefa, or successor of the Prophet, and 
 is addressed by the royal epithet of Hasrat, i. e. Majesty, and 
 to whom are paid all the honours due to royalty by the Tur- 
 komauns. His blessing they invoke previous to their going 
 on any expedition, and to him they give the tenth of all their 
 spoil. He receives all the caravans under his protection, and 
 shows hospitality to all the wanderers. His blessing is the 
 most ardent desire of the Turkomauns, and his curse their 
 deepest dread. He inculcates among them the rites of hos- 
 pitality, and tells them that Abraham was honoured with the 
 visit of angels, as a reward from God for his hospitality. 
 Even the kings of Bokhara, Khiva, Khotan, and Khokand, 
 and even the governor of Yarkand in Chinese Tartary, send 
 him presents, and give him the title of King. His name is 
 Abd Arrahman, * Slave of the merciful God ;' for, on the day 
 of his birth, the merciful God sent rain over the desert, after 
 it had not rained for a long time, such is his gifted nativity 
 in the mind of these simple-minded people. He has a son, 
 whose name is Kereem Werde, which means, ' The bountiful 
 God has given ; ' for after God had only given daughters to the 
 Khaleefa, He at last bountifully added a son to his family. 
 This is the man sent by Providence to keep the Turkomauns 
 in order to a certain degree. I say to a certain degree, for he 
 himself encourages them to fight and spoil the Sheeahs, which 
 he tells them is more acceptable to God than the performances 
 of pilgrimages to Mecca or to Masaur, near Balkh, where 
 Ali's camel ascended to heaven.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 199 
 
 Several years ago the king of Khiva had forced upon the 
 Turkomauns of Mowr a governor, who resided in the castle 
 of Mowr, with 600 Khivites. The Turkomauns conspired 
 against him, and slew him and several hundred of the Khi- 
 vites. About three hundred took refuge in the house of the 
 khaleefa Abd Arrahman. The Turkomauns rushed to his 
 house, and asked him furiously to deliver up to their vengeance 
 the rest of the Khivites ; but he boldly came out of his house 
 and said, " First you must put to death your Khaleefa, and 
 then those unfortunate men who took refuge under my roof." 
 The infuriated Turkomauns retired, and during the night- 
 time he escorted the remnant of the Khivites out of the desert 
 of Mowr, until they were safe from being pursued by the 
 Turkomauns. 
 
 During my stay at Mowr, a company of dancing derveeshes 
 arrived from Yarkand, who stripped themselves and danced 
 about until they sank down to the ground. The son of the 
 khaleefa, seeing them dance about thus, stripped himself 
 also, and danced about with them. The coincidence in the 
 method of naming his children, and of these wild rites, with 
 some passages in Scripture, cannot but strike my readers. I 
 adduce one in corroboration of the latter : " And he stripped 
 off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like 
 manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. 
 Wherefore they say, ' Is Saul also among the prophets ? ' ' 
 1 Sam. xix. 24. 
 
 The chiefs of the Turkomauns came from all parts, and 
 said to me loudly, " Write to your king of England, 
 that if he gives us a good sum of money, we will assist 
 him in sending an army to Bokhara, in order that he may 
 punish the king of Bokhara for having put to death Stoddart 
 Saib and Conolly Saib ; for we Turkomauns do not mind 
 who governs those countries of Bokhara and Khiva, whe- 
 ther Behadur Khan, or England, or Russia, if we only get 
 khelats (robes of honour) and tillahs, i. e. ducats. We
 
 200 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 are now sorely pressed by Khiva, for we have slain the gover- 
 nor, and the Kajar, i.e. Persia, cannot be trusted; and there- 
 fore we shall at last go nearer to the Russian territory, where 
 they have built a castle. A pity it is that the Kasaks and 
 Khirgiz and the snow have prevented the Russians from 
 marching towards Khiva, for we would have assisted them in 
 spoiling and killing the people of Khiva." 
 
 The khaleefa also told me, " If you wish to go to Bokhara, 
 I will send on a Turkomaun to Bokhara, and recommend you 
 to the king there previous to your proceeding hence ; yet I do 
 not advise you to go, for I thought, at first, that Conolly was 
 alive, but I am mistaken, he is dead, and it is quite a dif- 
 ferent person who is now with Abdul Samut Khan. Youssuff 
 Wolff, you are derveesh like myself; permit me to save you, 
 and to be instrumental to your escape to the Turkomauns of 
 Akhaul, who will bring you to Astarabad, whence you may 
 proceed to Khiva. Do not go to Bokhara." I replied, " To 
 Bokhara I must go." The khaleefa therefore wrote letters 
 to the governor of Jehaar-Joo, and to the king of Bokhara, 
 mentioning to them that I was a holy man, and came accom- 
 panied by Dil Assa Khan, a man of the Assaff-ood-Dowla ; but 
 that Dil Assa Khan designed to betray me, but he (the kha- 
 leefa) exhorted his Majesty the Ameer of Bokhara to treat 
 me well. 
 
 I think that it might be of the highest importance and bene- 
 ficial consequences, if the British government would charge 
 their ambassador at Teheraun to enter into a friendly corre- 
 spondence with the Khaleefa of Mowr, and send him presents 
 from time to time. He requested me to write to Colonel Sheil, 
 that he should intercede with the king of Persia in behalf of 
 four Turkomauns, who were kept as slaves by the king's 
 mother, in order that they might be set free again. I wrote 
 to Colonel Sheil, but I received no answer about them. He 
 also wished me to write to the Assaff-ood-Dowla, in whose 
 hands there were twenty Turkomaun prisoners, that he should
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 20 1 
 
 release them. I wrote to this effect to the Assaff-ood-Do\vla, 
 and he promised to do so. 
 
 The Jews who reside at Mowr, and are either from Heraut 
 or Meshed, are great favourites with the khaleefa ; and some 
 of those who were forced to become Mussulmans at Meshed, 
 exercise again the Jewish religion at Mowr. 
 
 Nathan, the above-mentioned old Jew, called on me one 
 day with a derveesh, from Kashgar. The derveesh from 
 Kashgar observed, " YoussufF Wolff, who is the author of 
 the fire and water? 1 ' 
 
 W. God. 
 
 Derveesh. No such thing ! Satan is the author of both ; 
 for fire and water are destructive materials, and therefore it is 
 impossible that God could be the author of them. And you 
 ought to know that there are two gods, one is God of the 
 world above, who is a good God, who created the light which 
 does not burn, and who created the rose and the nightingale ; 
 but a battle took place between God above and God below ; 
 and the God below marred all the creatures of God above ; 
 and this is a fight which still goes on. Men who act well are 
 servants of the God above, and his creatures. Men who act 
 badly are the servants of the God below. There shall be 
 another battle fought, when the God below shall ascend to 
 the seventh heaven with myriads of his soldiers; flying ser- 
 pents shall soar up with him : but the God below shall be 
 defeated, and at last shall become a humble subject of the 
 God above ! 
 
 I then read with the derveesh and Nathan the Jew, Reve- 
 lation xii., and showed to them how far Scripture agrees with 
 them, and how far not. I then said, " All that is, is the 
 work of God of that God who is above, and who is the 
 Creator of heaven and earth, and of Adam and Eve; and 
 after He had overlooked all things that He had made, He 
 pronounced every thing to be good. But Satan, in the garb 
 of a serpent, and who is called by the apostle the God of this
 
 202 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 world, beguiled Eve, and she her husband, and thus evil came 
 into the world. And as where tyranny prevails the country 
 becomes a desert, thus the world and men therein became 
 corrupt ; but Jesus, the Word of God, who descended from 
 heaven and was born of Mary, came to the world below to 
 unite again the Creator with the creature : and to effect this 
 great work, He showed his love to the creatures by giving his 
 life for them, but took it again after three days. He gained 
 by that first act a great many followers of all nations, and 
 those countries which follow Him are therefore better, and the 
 inhabitants thereof better, than those who do not follow him ; 
 but a combat is still going on between God and Satan between 
 the followers of the one and the other the seed of the serpent 
 and the woman's seed, and will be carried on until Jesus the 
 Meseeh, t. e. Christ, shall return with ten thousands of his 
 saints amidst the sound of the trumpet and the shout of arch- 
 angels, and the rising of those dead people who became mar- 
 tyrs for the sake of the religion of Jesus. And then Satan 
 shall also be killed, who, though called ' God,' is not an eternal 
 God, but was a created angel, who remained not faithful to his 
 Creator ; and then Jesus shall erect his throne at Jerusalem, 
 and there shall be a communication between the inhabitants 
 on earth and the inhabitants in heaven, and angels shall as- 
 cend up to God and descend upon Jesus his Son." 
 
 This same Nathan requested me to give him an account of 
 the English woman, Esther by name, who pretended that she 
 was to marry the Messiah at the day of his coming. This 
 report of Lady Hester Stanhope was widely circulated. 
 
 At the request of the Khaleefa, I addressed to Captain 
 Grover the following letter : 
 
 Desert of Merve or Mowr, 12th April, 1844. 
 
 My dear Grover, and to the whole Committee ! 
 
 I now write to you at the request of the Khaleefa or spirit- 
 ual guide of all the Turkomauns throughout the Desert, and even 
 the spiritual guide of the kings of Bokhara, Khiva, Khokand, Tash-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 203 
 
 kand, and Shahr-Sabz, who has the title Majesty (Hasrat) ; I am 
 his guest. He entered just now my room, and showed to me a 
 letter, in which he wrote to the king of Bokhara that it was of the 
 highest importance to deliver up the strangers to me, (i. e. Stod- 
 dart and Conolly,) and to make reparations for the insult to 
 England, and not to keep me longer than three days at Bokhara. 
 This letter was despatched by an express Turkomaun on horseback, 
 who will arrive in three days, and three days before me. 
 
 His Majesty also sends with me one of his own relations and 
 disciples, to introduce me properly to the king of Bokhara, and 
 ten Turkoniauns as far as Jehaar-Joo, the first town belonging to 
 Bokhara. 
 
 He desired me, therefore, to express to the Queen his ardent 
 desire to become a sincere friend to the British nation, and that 
 he accompanies this request with the following petition : One year 
 ago Raheem Dad Beyk, chief of the Hazara, made twenty prisoners 
 of the Turkoniauns of Mowr, and sold them as slaves to the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla, who will not deliver them up, though the Khaleefa 
 restored to the Assaff eight Persian slaves in his possession. Pie 
 (the Khaleefa) requests, therefore, the Queen or the Vizier of 
 England to intercede for the twenty Turkoniauns to the Assaff' at 
 Meshed, in order that the twenty Turkomaun slaves may be re- 
 stored to liberty, as he has not the thousand tomauns demanded 
 for them in his possession. I promised to his Majesty to write to 
 Lord Aberdeen, and also through you and the Committee to the 
 Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Give your assistance in this 
 affair, and Britain's name will be greater than ever in the desert 
 of Turkistaun. 
 
 In six days it will be decided whether Stoddart and Conolly are 
 alive, or whether I shall be allowed to leave the town again. In 
 six days I shall enter Bokhara. 
 
 Pray for your affectionate friend, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 While here, I cannot express how much pleased I felt with 
 the diligence and attention of Mullah Mehdee. My letters 
 of the date of the 3rd of February reached me even here by 
 the kindness of Colonel Shell and this valuable agent; but 
 had Mullah Muhammed Ali Serraf been the medium, the 
 villain would have kept them from me, possibly for a year.
 
 204 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Yar Muhammed, the present governor of Heraut, wrote most 
 strongly, I was told, to the king of Bokhara in my behalf. 
 
 The Assaff-ood-Dowla has behaved most handsomely during 
 my whole connexion with him; but Dil Assa Khan frustrated 
 all his benevolent purposes in every possible way. 
 
 The sensation created at Bokhara by the letter of Lord 
 Ellenborough I learnt was extraordinary. The Khan ex- 
 pected a direct communication from the Queen, and was 
 greatly irritated by not receiving it. 
 
 The desert here even, I repeat, rings with the names of 
 Todd, Riach, Shakespeare, Thomson. From the Affghanis- 
 taun war the English name is now known, respected, admired, 
 and even loved among the Turkomauns. The children of the 
 desert speak of the English as the noblest sons of the earth. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, which raised encouraging sensa- 
 tions, I could not but feel that I was about to place myself 
 wholly unprotected in the hands of a despotic monarch, of 
 more than ordinary cruelty even for an Eastern dynasty ; one 
 who had probably put to death many of my countrymen, as 
 well protected as myself. I committed myself, therefore, as 
 all should do in perilous circumstances, to the keeping of 
 God's good providence, which had so wonderfully sustained 
 me previously, and which I trusted would yet preserve me 
 for better things. In anticipation of the worst, I sent the 
 following letter to Lady Georgiana : 
 
 Merve or Mowr, 14th April, 1844. 
 
 My dearest and most beloved Georgiana, 
 
 I set out after two hours from here for Bokhara. The Kha- 
 leefa of Mowr has behaved most excellently towards me ; he has 
 sent one of his own disciples with me to Bokhara. Be of good 
 spirits, my dearest Georgiana, for all that may happen to me there 
 is of the Lord. I go there without much apprehension. I often 
 think of you and dear Henry, and pray pardon me, both of you, 
 if I have ever uttered an unkind word ; I love both of you more 
 than myself. All the Turkomauns behave very respectfully to me. 
 
 Your most loving husband, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 205 
 
 At Mowr, Nizam Oolmulk, the great vizier of Malek Shah, 
 of the Seljuck dynasty, established a school; and since that 
 time, as the Turkomauns assured me, a school is kept up, and 
 even now, the sons of the great Khaleefa keep a school at 
 Merw, in which they instruct the children in the Arabic and 
 Persian tongues, I must here observe that it is remarkable, 
 that wherever celebrated schools have existed in ancient time 
 among the Eastern people, they would consider it a sin to 
 give them up. It is thus invariably among the Muhamme- 
 dans, the Guebres, and the Jews. I instance, first, that at 
 Mowr already mentioned ; though a desert, a school is kept 
 there, on account of its antiquity. At Bassora, in the Persian 
 Gulf, though destroyed, the school is not given up ; at Bag- 
 dad the same ; and even the Arabs around Kufa have a 
 school ; and Teman or Yemen, where knowledge did not 
 cease in the time of Jeremiah, to this day has celebrated 
 schools, Zubeyd, Sanaa, Hodeydah, and Loheyah. And, 
 with regard to the Jews, I shall only mention that in the 
 city of Safet, where the great Simon Ben Yohaaye, the com- 
 piler of the book of Zohar, and the other compilers of the 
 Talmud, lived, a famous school is still existing. At Yazd, 
 in Persia, formerly the seat of Parsee learning, the ancient 
 Parsee language is still taught. 
 
 At Merw, all those Jews who have been constrained to em- 
 brace Muhammedanism in other parts of Persia, are permitted 
 to return to their ancient usages and religion. But it is a 
 remarkable fact, that there are some Jews at Mowr who have 
 professed the Muhammedan religion and become Turkomauns ; 
 and that there are Jews at Khiva, of whom I was told at 
 Mowr, who, though remaining Jews, have intermarried with 
 the Usbecks. And is it not striking, that Jews have received 
 the most powerful protection among the wild inhabitants of 
 the desert ? Thus Jews, who are tyrannized over at Bokhara 
 and Persia, fly to the inhabitants of the desert, at Mowr, Sa- 
 rakhs, Akhaul, and to the Hazarah in Affghanistaun. And this
 
 206 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 is even the case in Morocco, where they often fly from the 
 tyranny of the Emperor to the inhabitants of the desert at 
 Tafilla-Leth. And in Mesopotamia they escape from Bagdad 
 and Mosul to the wild Yeseede, in the mountains of Sunjar. 
 
 Here, before I proceed further, I have a few words to say 
 on the campaigns of Ghengis Khan in those regions. Ghengis 
 Khan was attacked by Jelaal-Oodeen, the son of Allahdeen 
 Muhammed, king of Organtsh or Khiva. The great Ghengis 
 Khan therefore marched from the city of Turkistaun or Haz- 
 rat Sultaun, first to Khokand, Khodjand, Samarcand, Bokhara, 
 Peykand, Jesmaan-Doo, Allat, Jehaar-Joo, Rafitak ; thence 
 to the borders of the Caspian, in the land of Khorassaun. 
 
 This leads me now to speak on the question agitated so 
 much in England, Will the Russians be able to march towards 
 India from that road ? Having so many people, as Macdonald 
 Kinneir and others, against me, who consider it improbable, 
 and being devoid of military knowledge, I may not be consi- 
 dered a competent authority ; but, despite of this, I must 
 give my decided opinion, that I believe that the Russians can 
 march with great ease through those countries. It will be 
 asked, Why were they not able to do so in 1838 and 1839, 
 when they intended to march against Khiva? I answer, that 
 in order not to involve themselves in war with the kings of 
 Khokand, Bokhara, and Shahr-Sabz, they intended to make 
 the whole route through the desert from Orenbourg to Khiva. 
 Probably they also did so to show England that they had no 
 design on Bokhara and Khokand, but only to get redress for 
 the insults they received from Khiva. But if once they deter- 
 mined to make themselves masters of those countries, nothing 
 is more easy than for them to march from the frontiers of Rus- 
 sia to the city of Hazarat Sultaun, or Turkistaun. Hence to 
 Khokand, and, with a few thousand troops, insure Samarcand 
 and Bokhara ; and the people, disaffected as they are with their 
 respective governments, will not fire a shot. Nothing can re- 
 sist in these countries a well-disciplined artillery and cavalry ;
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 and the body of the army may march to Khokand, to Cashgar, 
 and Cashmeer, and thence come down to Lahore and India. 
 Not one shot would be fired, for the people of Cashmeer would 
 receive them with open arms, and at Lahore the British army 
 would meet them, and then the strongest would have it. And 
 also there, much will depend upon whether the people of 
 the Punjaub are affected or disaffected to England. Or 
 they may go from Khokand to Kondus and Khoollom, thence 
 to But-Bamian ; and if they keep friends and promise liberty 
 to the Guzl-Bash from the yoke of Dost Muhammed Khan 
 and Akbar Khan, they will obtain a powerful body of auxili- 
 aries. And as the Guzl-Bash in Affghanistaun have been most 
 shamefully abandoned by the British army after the retreat 
 of Lord Ellenborough, they certainly will join the Russians. 
 I must also note, that the moment I heard that the English 
 had invaded Affghanistaun, I wrote from High Hoyland, where 
 I was the curate of the Reverend Christopher Bird, to Lord 
 Hill, the Commander-in-Chief, and told him that if the Eng- 
 lish people did not keep a bright look out near Cabul, they 
 might be cut to pieces by the mountaineers. So it happened. 
 But I say that, though T considered that whole war a gross 
 act of imprudence, Lord Ellenborough ought to have ordered 
 the troops to stop there five years after they had reconquered 
 Cabul and Ghuznee. The shout of the Affghaun nation at see- 
 ing the English return was, " These Englishmen are like birds 
 flying in the air ; nothing can be done with them. They are 
 more dangerous after defeat than victory ; we must submit." 
 The Guzl-Bash also would have taken fresh courage, and have 
 stood by them to a man. Christianity might have been es- 
 tablished among them, but by the sudden retreat the poor 
 Guzl-Bash have been left a prey to the vindictiveness of the 
 Affghaun s. Meer-Ali-Nake, as his letter from Shakespeare 
 proved to me, had assisted most gallantly the English people 
 in retaking the prisoners at But-Bamian, in reward for which he 
 is given over to beggary with thousands of other Guzl-Bash.
 
 208 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 There is also a loud complaint all over Affghanistaun, that 
 the English people did not behave well towards Nawaub Jabar 
 Khan, brother to Dost Muhammed Khan, who was the greatest 
 friend to the English before the war; so much so, that even to 
 this moment Dost Muhammed Khan frequently asks him in 
 a joking manner, " Now, brother, how are your friends the 
 English going on ?" It must, however, be confessed, that 
 nevertheless the name of the Englishman is respected all over 
 Affghanistaun and Khorassaun, as already said, and many of 
 the Saddoo-Szeyes still expect to regain their throne by the 
 influence of England. 
 
 It must also be observed, that the Russians have now 
 steamers in the Caspian Sea, and have built a fortress on the 
 shore, not far from Khiva, where they can easily land troops ; 
 no power can then prevent them from taking Khiva, and 
 when once Khiva is in their possession, they may march to 
 Balkh with the greatest ease : neither the Usbeck nor the 
 Hazara will dream of resisting the Russian army, and thus 
 they may proceed towards India as above stated. The other 
 way for the Russians to advance towards India is, to make 
 an alliance with the Assaff-ood-Dowla after the death of the 
 king, Muhammed Shah, and march with him through the land 
 of the Hazara, Maymona, and Ankhoy, towards Cabul : for 
 it must not be concealed, that the Assaff-ood-Dowla is more 
 favourably disposed towards the Russian than the English 
 government, for more attention is paid to him by the Russian 
 than by the English, and he was especially displeased at 
 his not receiving any answer to the letter which he sent 
 through me to his Grace the Duke of Wellington ; and it may 
 be asserted with certainty, that all the members of the royal 
 family in Persia are more inclined to Russia than to England, 
 and almost all the people in authority, whilst the populace in 
 general are more favourable to England ; and I have not the 
 least doubt, that one of the reasons for which the people in 
 authority are offended at England is, the shabby presents they
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 get from the British government, at the suggestion of Colonel 
 Shell. As instances, I only mention these three facts : 1st. The 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla twice sent to the king of Bokhara presents 
 to the amount of five hundred tomauns, once by Hassan - 
 Baba, who was sent by the Assaff-ood-Dowla, eleven days be- 
 fore my arrival at Meshed, to Bokhara ; and then by Dil Assa 
 Khan, who accompanied rne to Bokhara. To my great hor- 
 ror, after my return to Teheraun, Colonel Shell told me that 
 he had proposed to the British government to make a present 
 of a watch to the Assaff-ood-Dowla. Again, Abbas Kouli 
 Khan, who behaved so generously towards me, as I shall 
 show, was also considered as adequately remunerated by a 
 watch ; but I am glad to learn that Government made him a 
 present of a diamond ring, instead of the shabby present of a 
 watch, as proposed by Colonel Shell. 3rd. Colonel Sheil sent 
 with me, as a present for the king of Bokhara, a silver watch 
 and two pieces of cloth, both not worth more than six pounds, 
 by which the king of Bokhara was exceedingly offended.
 
 210 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION- 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Departure from Mowr. Letter to Captain Grover. Ameer Sarog. Vile 
 Conduct of Dil Assa Khan. First serious Apprehensions of the Death 
 of Stoddart and Conolly. Mode of Capital Punishment altered at 
 Bokhara from strangling to beheading. Dr. Wolff entertains serious 
 Alarm for his own Safety adopts Measures accordingly. Letters of 
 Sultan and Sir Moses Montefioro never forwarded to Ameer by Mu- 
 hammed Ali Serraf, by order of Colonel Sheil. Distant manner of 
 Colonel Sheil disadvantageous to the British Interest in Persia. Khos- 
 row Khan. Dr. Wolff makes up his mind to die. Letter from Kalja 
 in the Desert to his Friends Writes from this place to the " Philan- 
 thropists of Europe.' Fall of Snow. Conversations in the Desert 
 with Turkomauns Their account of Timur Kurikan. Timur's Py- 
 ramid of Skulls Love of Truth Bodily Strength Inflexible Cha- 
 racter Death believed by the Jews of his time, from his warlike 
 Character, to be the Messiah. Nadir Shah. Route: Rafitak. Dr. 
 Wolff escapes Death from an incursion of the Khivites his Death re- 
 ported. Jehaar-Joo. Silly Conduct of Ameer Sarog his Wish to add 
 a fourth Wife to his Harem resisted by the other three. Dr. Wolff 
 robbed by Dil Assa Khan and his Followers. Shah Kamran. Yar 
 Muhammed Khan puts to Death his Sovereign Shah Kamran his 
 treacherous Conduct to Dr. Wolff sends three Ambassadors to the 
 Ameer of Bokhara, requesting the Ameer to put Dr. Wolff to death, 
 but affects to be well disposed to him. Dil Assa Khan the Servant of 
 this Yar Muhammed Khan. Dil Assa Khan had escaped from Yar 
 Muhammed Khan, and became the Servant of the Assaff-ood-Dowla. 
 Letter from Dr. Wolff sent on from Jehaar-Joo to the Ameer of 
 Bokhara. Visit from Jews of Bokhara They warn Dr. Wolff of his 
 Danger recommend Flight to Organtsh, and tell him of the Death of 
 Wyburd, Stoddart, and Conolly, and five other Englishmen. Derveesh 
 tells him to proceed. 
 
 ON April 14th I quitted the roof of the kind and excellent 
 Khaleefa with great regret, and advanced into the desert 
 twelve miles, where I indited the following epistle, as stealthily 
 as I could, to Captain Grover :
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. "211 
 
 In the Desert of Mowr, twelve miles 1'rom the 
 house of the Khaleefa, in the tent of Ameer 
 My dear Grover, Sarog, April 15, 1844. 
 
 I left yesterday the house of the Khaleefa, where I wrote 
 to you two days ago. I learnt here by my host, a very highly 
 respectable Turkomaun, that the king of Bokhara took great 
 offence that the Queen ordered the Governor-General of India to 
 answer his letter. It is certain that no public execution of the 
 officers has taken place ; but it is also certain, that if they are alive, 
 they are in the prison behind the harem of the king. I advance 
 confidently towards Bokhara, and shall be at Jehaar-Joo, or Char- 
 Joo, after two days. If the king does not stop me, in three days 
 more I shall be in the capital. Should I find them alive, well ; 
 if not, and should my head fall, exert then your powers for the 
 ransoming of 200,000 Persian slaves in the kingdom of Bokhara. 
 I cannot write much, for the Turkomauns sit near me on the 
 ground. Merve is already subject to Bokhara, and in a few days 
 a governor from Bokhara will be sent here. 
 
 J. WOLFF. 
 
 April 15th. I passed a pleasant day in the tent of the 
 Turkomaun Ameer Sarog. A most extraordinary fall of 
 snow took place at this period. Dil Assa Khan grew worse 
 and worse. Though sent by the Assaff-ood-Dowla to protect 
 me against the extortions of the Turkomauns, I was obliged 
 to call on them to protect me against him. Three couriers 
 did that kind friend the Assaff-ood-Dowla send through the 
 desert to threaten him, and to give him fair warning. If the 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla catches him at any time, I would not give 
 a para for his life. The Khaleefa of Mowr sent up with me 
 also Ameer Sarog, his own relative, who was to proceed with 
 me to the king of Bokhara. I began now to be for the first 
 time under very serious apprehensions for Stoddart and Co- 
 nolly. I found they were not seen at Bokhara by repeated 
 inquiries, and the statement of Ghersi, the consul at Trebi- 
 zond, that Samut Khan was Colonel Stoddart, was I found 
 not correct. Samut Khan is a Persian, employed in the 
 artillery, and called ' Frankee' by the people of Bokhara. I
 
 212 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 found also the other European young man with him was not 
 Conolly, but Giovanni, an Italian watch-maker, made prisoner 
 by the king of Bokhara at Khokand, and brought to Bokhara. 
 This Italian had turned Mussulman, which probably led some 
 persons to believe him to be identical with Colonel Stoddart. 
 
 I could not, however, find any European or Asiatic that 
 had witnessed the execution. All the other Europeans, as 
 YoussuffKhan, had been publicly executed. I could not help 
 thinking that there was another poor Youssuff^ who might 
 shortly share the fate of his more dignified predecessor. 
 Strangling, I learnt also, was abandoned by the present king 
 that was one comfort, for I have a strong antipathy to hanging 
 and slaughtering with a knife substituted in its room. This 
 was not the case when I was first at Bokhara. In this respect 
 alone is Saleh Muhammed right in his circumstances. In the 
 event of any thing happening to me, I wrote, knowing that 
 alone would be efficacious, to my wife, to say that nothing 
 short of her Majesty's sign-manual to a letter to the king of 
 Bokhara could save me. The Ameer evidently viewed it as 
 a deadly affront that the letter he wrote by Stoddart to the 
 Queen was not answered by a communication with her Majes- 
 ty's sign-manual affixed to it. I also wrote to request my 
 friends to obtain a similar letter from the Emperor of Russia. 
 I further pressed on them not to forward any letter from the 
 Queen to the king of Bokhara by Meshed, for Mullah Mehdee 
 might not be there when it arrived, and the Persian Muham- 
 medan agents were either cowards or rascals ; but to send it to 
 the care of the British ambassador at St. Petersburgh, who 
 might recommend it to the charge of Count Nesselrode, to 
 transmit it via Orenbourg to Bokhara by a Cossack. 
 
 I knew, if it fell into the hands of Muhammed Ali Serraf, 
 my death would be certain ; since I found, as I have men- 
 tioned, in the possession of that villain the identical letter 
 written by the Sultan, two years ago, to the king of Bokhara, 
 and also another from Sir Moses Montefiore to the Jews of
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 213 
 
 Meshed. When I asked him why the letters were not sent 
 on by an express, he said " Here are Colonel Sheil's letters, in 
 which he tells me not to send them on by an express, but at a 
 convenient opportunity. 11 I am at a loss to guess the motives 
 of Colonel Sheil. Perhaps Muhammed AH Serraf might 
 have given him intimations of which I am not aware, \\hicli 
 influenced him to this singular course. It must also be ob- 
 served that Colonel Sheil was not an ambassador, but simply 
 charge d'affaires; by which he found himself possibly not 
 enabled to act at his own discretion, but from instructions 
 from the British government. It gives me particular pain to 
 utter one word of censure of Colonel Sheil, who received me 
 most kindly at Teheraun ; but I must, from a regard to 
 truth, state, that his retired and distant manner operates as 
 a check to the Persians, and even Europeans, in their ap- 
 proaches to him. It is quite different from what I witnessed 
 at Teheraun from Sir Henry Willock in 1825, and from Sir 
 John Campbell and Sir John Me Neill in 1831. At that time 
 the British embassy was the rendezvous of the great men of 
 Persia ; but now it is, as the French gentlemen in Persia 
 expressed themselves, " TErmitage des Anglais. 11 In illus- 
 tration, I supply the following anecdote. 
 
 Khosrow Khan, one of the chief eunuchs of the kinj- 
 
 7 o 
 
 of Persia, whom I had frequently seen in the company of Sir 
 Henry Willock and Sir John Me Neill, called on me at the 
 last visit but one to Teheraun, when I was on my way to 
 Bokhara. On his leaving me, just as he was going out of 
 the house, he looked back and said, "Oh, here formerly my 
 friends Willock Saib, Ouseley Saib, Me Neill Saib, Campbell 
 Saib, were living; and then I considered the British embassy 
 my home, but now I am a stranger here. 11 Two things may 
 be said in defence of Colonel Sheil : 1st. He is exceedingly 
 bilious, and has frequent attacks of gout, which may pre- 
 clude conventionality. 2nd. The present prime-minister, Haje 
 Mirza Agasee, is very jealous of the English, and does not
 
 214 NARRATIVE OP THE MISSION 
 
 like Persians to visit the British embassy ; but this is also 
 the case with the Russian embassy, yet I saw constantly the 
 latter filled with Persians, while the former was deserted. 
 
 I also admonished all my friends to bear my death, should 
 it happen, as the will of God, and that no doubt good effects 
 would spring from it; for I should die in the full belief of 
 His all holy Son Jesus, and in joyful hope of a resurrection 
 of the just. 
 
 I wrote these brief notices to them under a tent, and, having 
 no writing paper, on the slips of my memorandum-book, at a 
 desert place called Kalja, between Mowr and Jehaar-Joo, a 
 hundred miles in advance in the kingdom of Bokhara, April 
 16th, 1844. I was then only a hundred and eighty miles from 
 the dangerous capital of Bokhara's king. 
 
 At this place I was accompanied by a caravan, composed 
 of people from Bokhara, Khokand, Tashkand, and Heraut. 
 At Kalja I received a present of a lamb from the Jew Mullah 
 Seffey, and had the pleasure of sending back by the Turko- 
 maun that brought it, the communications alluded to with the 
 beloved of my beloved and adopted country, England, and 
 also the following letter : 
 
 To THE PHILANTHROPISTS OF ECROPE. 
 
 (Sent from Mowr.) 
 My dear Friends ! 
 
 I am now proceeding to Bokhara, from which city I am only 
 seven days distant. Soon it will be decided whether Stoddart and 
 Conolly, and also Cavailiere Naselli, are dead. The general report 
 in the Desert of Mowr is, that they have been executed, and the 
 Turkomauns assured me that I should share a similar fate, and they 
 advised me therefore to go to Khiva; but I am determined to 
 proceed as long as there is the least probability of finding them 
 alive, or perhaps some other Europeans. Should my head fall, it 
 falls for a good cause, and Christians ought to be ready to lay 
 down their lives for the brethren, as Christ did. 1 do not call on 
 you to avenge my death, in case that you should hear that my 
 head has beeu struck off; but remember one thing, that 200,000 
 Persian slaves are sighing in the kingdom of Bokhara.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 215 
 
 Philanthropists of Europe ! make one grand attempt, in ran- 
 soming them, to carry at the same time the light of pure religion 
 and civilization to the land of Timur and Ghengis Khan ; and my 
 bones in the grave shall shout that I was thus the humble instru- 
 ment in rousing you, Philanthropists of Europe, to carry your 
 benevolent exertions from Europe to the Oxus. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 There fell at Kalja an unusual quantity of snow, which 
 prevented us from stirring out that day. This was a remark- 
 able occurrence in the month of April in these regions. A 
 Tiirkomaun in the tent showed to me a whole bag of Greek 
 and Arabic coins. It is remarkable to hear these Turkomauns 
 speak of the exploits of Alexander and Timur, exactly as if 
 of modern occurrence. One of the Turkomauns, striking 
 upon the ground with his hand, said, " Here it was that 
 Timur the Kurikan was born, (as Tamerlane is called there). 
 Timur Kurikan passed here to punish the Khan of Kharasm, 
 L e. Organtsh, and how severely did he punish him ! He made 
 a pyramid at Organtsh entirely of skulls of men, cemented 
 with clay. He spared the lives of none, except those of holy 
 derveeshes, of the learned, and of poets, around whose houses 
 he placed Karawl, i. e. guards. He was nine times in the 
 desert of Mowr ; nine times he returned in triumph to Samar- 
 cand. He had white hair from his childhood, and by his 
 strength of body he could have slain a Rustam ; and was en- 
 dued with such a strength of mind, that he never wept. He 
 so much loved the truth, that when some person told him a 
 lie with the intention of pleasing him, he cut him to pieces ; 
 and when a person told him a truth, though disagreeable, he 
 rewarded him with gold. At the death of his son, whom he 
 tenderly loved, he lifted up his eye towards heaven, and said 
 the word of the Koran, ' We are of God, and to God we shall 
 return.' " Then another Turkomaun turned to me, and said, 
 " He also came on to your country, Joseph Wolff, (i. e. the 
 land of Room, Turkey,) where he made a prisoner of Bay- 
 azid, and brought him in a cage to Samarcand. He was
 
 216 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 only once wounded, and this was in the country of Sistan, 
 which made him lame, and for which reason he received the 
 name of Timur-Lank, i. e. Timur the Lame. The gardens 
 which he made at Samarcand were innumerable, and his court 
 was filled with the learned from the country of Ghatay, with 
 the fakeers of Hindustaun, and with the scholars from Room. 
 Jews and Guebres, Cossacks and the inhabitants of the land 
 of Russ, became his guests. The man was born at Shar-Sabz, 
 and was on his way to Ghatay to conquer the whole land of 
 Cheen-Pa-Cheen, when Fate decreed otherwise. He died at 
 Atraw, but he is buried at Samarcand, in a splendid tomb. 11 
 Mullah Seffey, the Jew present, said, " Our ancestors, whom 
 he much loved, and for which he was rewarded by God with 
 so much power, believed him to be the Messiah ; and when 
 he returned to Samarcand, they went to meet him with the 
 Sepher Torah in their hands, and palms in the other ; and 
 we sang, We beseech Thee, O Lord, save us ! We beseech 
 Thee, O Lord, we beseech Thee, O Lord, prosper us ! ' 1 
 
 Then one of the derveeshes present in the tent began to 
 speak about Nadir Shah, the son of a pelisse -maker, who 
 became mighty in battle, and a tiger in war. He was at 
 Mowr, and marched towards Hind. He sent six thousand 
 people on to Rafitak to dig wells. He had numbered the 
 number of Turkomauns, and a regular census of the inha- 
 bitants was established in every country he traversed. The 
 tribe of Salor, in the camp of Yolatan, (six miles from 
 Mowr,) were his great friends, and he gave sums of gold to 
 the Turkomauns; on which account they assisted him in 
 his march. And one of the other Turkomauns said, " Thus 
 the English must do, as Nadir Shah did ; when they want 
 to conquer Khiva and Bokhara, they must feed us Turko- 
 mauns. We care not who rules; we are always with the 
 stronger party."" 
 
 From Kalja we arrived at Rafitak. We were three days 
 without water until we arrived there. There are in this place
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 217 
 
 four wells; two wells with bitter water, and two wells with 
 sweet, but they are extremely deep, full forty feet, which 
 the Turkomauns fill up with sand and stone. When we ap- 
 proached Rafitak, we heard from some stragglers the fearful 
 rumour that the people of Khiva were in the neighbourhood, 
 and marching with six thousand men towards Merw. When 
 Ameer Sarog and Kaher Kouli, my Turkomaun companions, 
 heard this report, they said, " Allah, Allah, Allah ! this will 
 make the tents of Merw tremble;"" which reminded me of 
 the words in Habakkuk, " The tents of Kushan tremble." 
 But fortunately the Khivites did not come that day, but 
 came to Rafitak two days after, and smote the caravan that 
 succeeded ours ; and I heard after, in a letter from the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla, which I received at Bokhara, that the rumour 
 had spread throughout Khorassaun that I had been killed 
 by the people of Khiva, which had induced his Highness 
 to send an express courier to Sarakhs, to ascertain the truth 
 of that report. 
 
 From this place, annoyed with every inconvenience that 
 the knavery of Dil Assa Khan could throw in my way, I 
 reached Jehaar-Joo. Besides all this, I was both amused and 
 annoyed by that fool and knave Ameer Sarog, so named 
 because he was born on the same day as the former Ameer of 
 Bokhara. That silly fellow, though above sixty years of age, 
 was daily weeping and lamenting his disappointment in love. 
 He said, " I have three wives, and I wish to have a fourth ; 
 and I could have succeeded in marrying her, if my other 
 wives had not intrigued, and if the parents of that beautiful 
 woman had not demanded such a sum for her. I at last shall 
 be obliged to hang myself.' 1 This horrid fellow murdered a 
 merchant in his house, and robbed him of all his property. 
 Dil Assa Khan, and the villains that accompanied him, took 
 from me by force the tea and sugar and provisions which I 
 had brought with me from Meshed, and sold them to the 
 people of the caravan. They compelled me to give them
 
 218 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 money for purchasing sheep and other victuals, which they 
 pocketed. From Sarakhs I sent another Turkomaun expressly 
 to the Assaff-ood-Dowla to recall Dil Assa Khan. A second 
 horseman reached us, after our arrival at Merwe, threatening 
 Dil Assa Khan that the Assaff-ood-Dowla would destroy his 
 house and imprison his family, if he did not behave better. 
 His Excellency wrote that it was too late to recall him, and 
 that he would be of great use to me at Bokhara, and sent 
 me a copy of the letter he had written to him. This Dil 
 Assa Khan being a Merwee and a Sunnee, the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla thought would be of use to me at Bokhara. These 
 Merwees are a most villainous tribe, notorious even among 
 Turkomauns for avarice, faithlessness, and treachery. They 
 are very numerous in Bokhara, and are descendants of Ghen- 
 gis Khan. This fellow, Dil Assa Khan, was in the service 
 of Yar Muhammed Khan, who was the vizier of the king of 
 Heraut, infamous in repute as a man-seller. I will now add 
 a few particulars about his master, Yar Muhammed Khan. 
 
 Shah Kamran, of the Saddoo-Szeye, the royal dynasty of 
 Affghanistaun, was king at Heraut. His vizier and factotum 
 was Yar Muhammed Khan, an Affghaun, a man of extraordi- 
 nary talent, but the worst of characters a drunkard, a liar, 
 and a slave-seller. Shah Kamran was an imbecile. When 
 Muhammed Shah besieged Heraut, he courted the English 
 government, and treated with great politeness Pottinger and 
 D'Arcy Todd and Colonel Stoddart. But as soon as Mu- 
 hammed Shah had raised the siege, he entered into a treaty 
 with the Assaff-ood-Dowla at Meshed, and threatened D^Arcy 
 Todd with death if he did not give him an immense sum of 
 money. Only two years ago he most cruelly put to death his 
 royal benefactor and master, Shah Kamran. He now spends 
 his days and nights in revellings ; and in order to make him- 
 self popular among the Affghauns at Heraut, he has permitted 
 them to make and drink wine. Bands of dancing-girls dance 
 before him whole days, and he has lately contracted an alliance
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 219 
 
 by marriage with Dost Muhammed Khan, the Ameer of 
 Cabul, and Kohandil Khan of Candahar. To give a further 
 idea of his treacherous character, I just mention that he wrote 
 to me a most polite letter, promising to despatch on my account 
 an express ambassador to the Ameer of Bokhara, in order that 
 his Majesty might send me back to my country with honour ; 
 instead of which, he sent three ambassadors to Bokhara advis- 
 ing the Ameer to put me to death. Now of this Yar Muhammed 
 Khan, Dil Assa Khan was the servant. He had escaped from 
 Muhammed Khan, and went over to the Assaff-ood-Dowla. 
 The Assaff-ood-Dowla had taken him into his service and given 
 him the village of Nazarieh for his possession, and made him 
 there chief of the Merwee. Even with all this hold upon him, 
 the rascality in his nature was so strong, that he was incessantly 
 committing some act of villany ; at one time hiring camels and 
 charging them to me, at another a kajava or palanquin bound 
 on the camel. Mullah Mehdee wanted to engage them, by 
 way of check against him, of the Kafila Bashi, or caravan-lea- 
 der ; but Dil Assa Khan said the caravan would be too slow 
 for us, and produced three camels of his own, for which I was 
 obliged to pay double the price of camels. Eight Merwees, 
 amid them a fellow named Ismael, that accompanied him, seem- 
 ed to vie with each other in villany. At Mastron, sixty miles 
 from Meshed, where a horseman reached me from the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla, and proved a momentary check on their rapacity, 
 the instant after he had quitted, Dil Assa Khan and Ismael 
 actually unloaded one of the camels where my baggage was, 
 put it on one of the camels of the caravan-leader, with the 
 promise to him that I should pay him for it, and loaded my 
 camel, hired of Dil Assa Khan himself, with the merchandise 
 of that villain. 
 
 I have mentioned that one of my servants, Rajab, express- 
 ed a fear at accompanying me beyond Mowr, and remained 
 there. Hussein and Abdullah, however, followed me. The 
 Khaleefa of Mowr had sent on two other Turkomauns with
 
 220 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 me, of the tribe of Sarog. Both behaved exceedingly well on 
 the journey through the desert, and the Turkomauns, against 
 whom I had taken Dil Assa Khan as a protection, became a 
 protection to me against him. Thus did we reach Jehaar-Joo, 
 the first place in the Ameer of Bokhara*^ dominions. 
 
 Jehaar-Joo means * four wells." 1 It was a place of consi- 
 derable importance, with about 20,000 inhabitants, fourteen 
 years ago. But the continued invasion and depredation of 
 the people of Khiva has reduced the inhabitants to about two 
 thousand, who live in continual consternation. They have a 
 fortress, a castle ; but the Usbecks cannot make use of 
 artillery, and the Ameer is afraid of sending Persian slaves 
 thither who have learned the art of artillery under his lieu- 
 tenant, Abdul Samut Khan. And he even would not trust 
 Abdul Samut Khan by sending him to Jehaar-Joo, for fear of 
 his being bribed by the Persians. 
 
 From that place I sent on a letter to the king of Bokhara, 
 and delivered another to the governor of Jehaar-Joo, detailing 
 the object of my mission. 
 
 To the most Powerful and Renowned Ameer of the Believers, 
 the King of Bokhara, Ameer Nastr Ullah Behadur : God 
 preserve him ! 
 
 Be it known to your Majesty, that I, Joseph Wolff, am the 
 well-known Derveesh of the Christians in England, who have tra- 
 versed Syria, Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Yemen, and Hindu- 
 staun ; and have enjoyed the friendship of Muhammed Ali, Pasha 
 of Egypt, the Sheikh Islam of Stamboul, Akbar Shah of Delhi, the 
 Khaleefa of Mowr, Muhammed Shah Nakshbandee at Cashmeer, 
 the great Moursheed of Turkistaun, of Abbas Mirza of Persia, and 
 of the present Shah of Persia. I have also been at Bokhara twelve 
 years ago, where, after receiving the hospitality of your Majesty 
 for more than a month, I set out with a gracious passport from 
 your Majesty to the following purport : " The high Decree has gone 
 forth, that Joseph Wolff, the Englishman, should return to his 
 country ; and that on his way through these dominions nobody 
 should lay any impediment in his way on entering or quitting any 
 place. He that readeth this, let him hear and obey." And obeyed
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 221 
 
 it was; for your Majesty's command is powerful, since I was well 
 received at Balkh and at Masaur. 
 
 Now again I am about to enter Bokhara, in order to claim Colo- 
 nel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, of whom it is reported in Eng- 
 land, Russia, Germany, and America, that your Majesty has put 
 them to death. But I, knowing the hospitality of the inhabitants 
 of Bokhara, did not believe it ; and therefore I shall petition your 
 Majesty, on my arrival there, to send both gentlemen with me to 
 England, in order that the commotion may subside which now 
 exists throughout Europe, and that strict friendship may br 
 established between your Majesty and the British government, 
 Should they have been put to death on account of some misdc 
 meanour on their part, I beg your Majesty to state to me the cause, 
 and to deliver to me their bones, in order that they may be buried 
 in their own land; for your Majesty must know that I have been 
 the Moorsheed of Conolly, and Conolly was my Murreed. 
 I am your Majesty's humble Servant, 
 
 J. WOLFF. 
 
 The Khaleefa of Mowr had also stated that Dil Assa Khan 
 was merely sent by the Assaff'-ood-Dowla to Bokhara on my 
 account. That villain, however, had the effrontery, without 
 informing me, to send a message to the governor of Jehaar- 
 Joo, purporting that he was an ambassador from the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla to the king of Bokhara, for the purpose of offer- 
 ing the Ameer assistance in his war with the Khan of Khiva, 
 He had even the impudence to say that he was in no way 
 connected with me, but came for quite a different object. I 
 picked up this piece of intelligence from Kouli, his own ser- 
 vant, and several of the inhabitants of Jehaar-Joo confirmed 
 it, as also the governor himself; but he, by the provident care 
 of that great man, the Khaleefa of Mowr, was fortunately ap- 
 prized of the real facts of the case, and had learnt from him 
 that Dil Assa Khan was my servant, and that he was sent 
 forwards for the sole object of protecting me by the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla. From the governor of Jehaar-Joo I consequently 
 experienced every kindness.
 
 222 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I was here also visited by Jews from Bokhara; and, most 
 remarkable, the same Jews whom I met at Jehaar-Joo twelve 
 years before. They expressed a very great joy to see me 
 again well. And after the Usbecks had left my tent, the Jews 
 spoke to me in the following manner : " Joseph Wolff, Joseph 
 Wolff, Joseph Wolff ! you are a son of Death as soon as you 
 enter Bokhara. For God's sake do not enter ; there still is 
 time to retrace your steps : this night we will fly with you to 
 Organtsh, or send a man with you to Organtsh, with one of 
 our friends. The king of Organtsh is a friend to England 
 and to Conolly, but for God^s sake do not go on to Bokhara. 
 Stoddart has been put to death, Conolly also; and some 
 years before both of them Lieutenant Wyburd, who was on 
 his way to Khiva, but was brought to Bokhara and put in 
 prison there, and some years after his throat was cut; and 
 five other Englishmen have been put to death at the gate of 
 Jehaar-Joo, only ten months ago. Poor Conolly, poor Conolly, 
 poor Conolly, was dragged to the place of execution. His 
 words were Wail, wail, wail ! Kee aftadam bedaste Szaalem. 
 * Woe to me, woe to me, woe to me ! that I have fallen into 
 the hands of a tyrant.' " This very fact of his exclaiming 
 thus, was told me previously by Mullah Nathan, the Jew, 
 when at Merwe. I however replied to them, " I shall go on ; 
 I must be more certain as to this subject." A derveesh 
 entered my tent at this instant, who was considered to stand 
 in immediate communication with God, and he had the title 
 Baba. He said to me, " Go on, and prosper ! "
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 223 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Arrival at Karakol Dr. Wolff is abandoned by his Servants. Motives for 
 the conduct of Dil Assa Khan. Shahr Islam. Shouts of Populace on 
 the Route. Description of Usbekistaun. Kaffer Seeah-Poosh Their 
 Language Worship Dress. Reception of Dr. Wolff on entering into 
 Bokhara Roofs of Houses thronged Thousands to witness the entry 
 into the City Bible held open in his hand Brought up to the King. 
 Interview with the Makhram. Inquiry whether he would comply with 
 the Ceremonies used in Presentation to Ameer Assents to them 
 Ordered to send up Letters Sends Letters from Sultan, Shah, Haje, 
 Count Medem, Sheikh Islam, Assaff-ood-Dowla. Dr. Wolff and Dil 
 Assa Khan introduced to the King of Bokhara The King thinks Dr. 
 Wolff an extraordinary Personage Person of the King. History of 
 Ameer Gains the Throne by Hakim Beyk Murders all his five 
 Brothers except Omar Khan. Dr. Wolff meets Omar Khan a Fugitive 
 in the Desert of Mowr, who is there recognised by a Derveesh Omar 
 shares the fate of his Brethren, and dies in battle against Behadur 
 Khan Ameer supposed also to have murdered his Father. History of 
 Hakim Beyk Becomes Goosh-Bekee Raises the Character of the 
 Nation Supplanted in King's favour by Abdul Samut Khan, whom he 
 had raised from a low Station. Imprisonment of Lieut. Wyburd the 
 Goosh-Bekee intercedes for him The King promises to reform . Doc- 
 trine of Passive Obedience and Non-resistance laid down by the Reis 
 the Ameer acts on it People believe that the King can do no Wrong 
 seizes Wives of his Subjects Goosh-Bekee resists is exiled recalled 
 and executed. 
 
 I PROCEEDED, I own, with considerable misgiving from 
 Jehaar-Joo to Karakol, where rooms were assigned me by 
 the governor by order of the Ameer of Bokhara, and pro- 
 per provision sent for me. Here, also, that execrable villain, 
 Dil Assa Khan, called, without my knowledge, on Hussein 
 Khan, governor of Karakol, a man of probity and mercy, 
 whom I knew in my former journey into Bokhara in the 
 year 1832. I was asleep from the fatigues of the journey.
 
 224 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 when Dil Assa Khan called on Hussein Khan. When I 
 awoke in the morning, I called out to my servants. After a 
 considerable time, Abdullah appeared, and said, " Ameer 
 Sarog and Kaher Kouli have left you, and I also cannot any 
 longer be servant to you ; and I have eaten dung, because I 
 came with you. I can no longer be your servant." He then 
 seized his bag and went off. At last Hussein, the other 
 servant, appeared, and said, " I shall stand by you." This 
 man was a rogue, but was not devoid of that kind of affec- 
 tionate spirit I have noted in some very depraved men, which 
 leads me to imagine that had that tendency been oftener 
 watched and fostered into fuller growth, the character itself 
 might have become essentially changed. Hussein had been 
 my servant, in 1832, from Meshed to Bokhara and Cabul, 
 and had witnessed the providence that God had extended 
 over me, when they wanted to burn me at Doo-Ab, near But- 
 Bamian. His abiding with me brought back Abdullah ; but 
 I noticed that both the Turkomauns, Ameer Sarog and 
 Kaher Kooli, went always from this time with Dil Assa 
 Khan and his servants, and both Abdullah and Hussein 
 exhibited considerable signs of alarm, although they remained 
 with me. 
 
 Kooli, the servant of Dil Assa Khan, soon gave me the key 
 to this mystery. Dil Assa Khan had been with the governor 
 of Karakol, closeted for some time, and had been informed 
 by him that Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly had been 
 killed, and also several other Europeans ; and that he enter- 
 tained little doubt that I should share their fate, since the 
 Ameer now evidently looked upon all Europeans as spies, and 
 would execute them accordingly; that he doubted not that 
 the instant I reached Bokhara I should be beheaded. Dil 
 Assa Khan instantly possessed the Turkomauns with all these 
 circumstances, told his own servants also, and advised mine 
 to abandon me, to look out for their own safety, and to join 
 him. I have no doubt, also, that this villain had pondered
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 over in his mind three states of circumstances that might 
 arise. The first, and to him the most probable, for his con- 
 duct evinced his belief, was, that I should be executed on 
 the instant of my arrival. He therefore determined to divest 
 himself of all implication as one of my suite. The second, 
 that I might so represent his conduct at Bokhara, supposing 
 that I succeeded in saving my life, as to get him into very 
 serious difficulty. The third and last, and he was prepared, 
 by a short cut, as I shall subsequently show, to obviate 
 that position, that on my return I might urge the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla to punish him, as he well knew that he deserved, 
 for his robbery, lies, and treachery to me. Dil Assa Khan 
 prepared himself for all circumstances, and he also expected 
 to extort from me a large sum of money. 
 
 Perceiving this state of circumstances, while we were 
 leaving Karakol, and on the road to Shahr Islam, (Shahr 
 Islam is the place where formerly Afrasiab, the famous king 
 in Persian history, in ancient times resided, and also where 
 Islamism was first introduced; it is eight miles from Bo- 
 khara,) I said to Dil Assa Khan, " I now fully perceive that 
 you have acted, do act, and will continue to act, the traitor. 
 Be cautious : I warn you, the consequences will alight on 
 your own head. 11 
 
 D. A. K. (sneering). Both of your folks (Kawm) are 
 killed, Stoddart and Conolly. 
 
 W. And, in consequence, you will play traitor. 
 
 D. A. K. How much money will you give me to do your 
 work ? 
 
 W. Not a single pool, i. e. penny. 
 
 When, however, I reached Shahr Islam, the king^ cham- 
 berlain (Makhram) was sent to welcome me not Dil Assa 
 Khan, and sweetmeats were sent for me ; and the Makhram 
 brought me, in the king^ name, the assurance of his Majesty^ 
 good will towards me. The scene then became suddenly 
 changed. Both the Turkomauns, Ameer Sarog and Kaher
 
 226 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Kooli, diminished the distance between us. I was dressed in 
 full canonicals the entire distance from Mowr to Bokhara, 
 being determined never to lose sight of my position as mullah, 
 on which alone I soon perceived my safety depended. I also 
 kept the Bible open in my hand; I felt my power was in 
 the Book, and that its might would sustain me. The un- 
 common character of these proceedings attracted crowds from 
 Shahr Islam to Bokhara, all which was favourable to me; 
 since, if I was doomed to death, it would be widely known, 
 and the consequences might be even serious to the Ameer 
 himself of interfering with a sacred character, armed with 
 the book of Moses, and David, and Jesus, protected by the 
 word of the Khaleefa of Mowr, supported by the Sultan, 
 the Shah of Persia, the Russian ambassador, the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla, both by word and letters, and the popular principle 
 among the Mussulmans, as testified on my route in shouts of 
 " Selaam Aleikoom !" * Peace with you.' 
 
 The Turkomauns my guides were, in the strictest sense of 
 the word, masterless : for their Aga Sakals, * lords with the 
 beard,' have only a right to give advice, and to conduct them 
 on their plundering expeditions, but they have no power to 
 punish. 
 
 This country of Usbekistaun is filled with beautifully- 
 watered and cultivated valleys. Here we find the Great Bo- 
 khara, in contradistinction to Little Bokhara : from 34 to 
 42 north latitude, and from 80 to 92 east longitude, it 
 extends in different directions. It borders towards the south- 
 west from the desert Khawar towards Iraun ; from the river 
 Amoo to the territory of Balkh, towards the southern Aff- 
 ghanistaun, through the high galleries of mountains to the 
 Hindoo Kush, it borders on the southern provinces of China. 
 
 Since the expulsion of the Turks or Tatars, the Usbecks 
 are the dominant people. Sheybek Khan brought them to 
 the country of the river Amoo in the year 1498, when they 
 had the centre of their empire at Organtsh, in Khiva. They
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 227 
 
 spread death and destruction over the whole of Turkistaun, 
 as far as Iraun. The celebrated Murad or Beggi Jan raised 
 the nation of the Usbecks. Incessant wars with Persia and 
 Cabiil have sometimes extended the empire as far as Merve, 
 Heraut, and Balkh ; and sometimes it has been reduced to 
 its former limits. The Usbecks are Mussulmans, rough and 
 uncultivated ; but the Tatshick, the original inhabitants, are 
 more civilized. The Usbecks live mostly on cattle, whilst 
 the Tatshick are merchants. The Tatshick are the Arme- 
 nians of Turkistaun ; they are merchants and brokers : their 
 language is the Persian. The Tatshick are exceedingly de- 
 ceitful. The people of Khokand are proud and effeminate, 
 but friends of Europeans ; the women chaste, but men given 
 to vice; fond of music and of hunting, and of cheerful tem- 
 per. The inhabitants of Marghilaan are a quiet, inoffensive, 
 and agreeable people. The Kaffer Seeah-Poosh are pagans. 
 They are believed, as I have said, by some to be the de- 
 scendants of the army of Alexander the Great ; their women 
 are beautiful, and celebrated in Asia. Their dialect seems 
 to be derived from the Sanscrit, as some of the following 
 words may prove : 
 
 Imra God. 
 
 Dagoon God. 
 
 Terekam God. 
 
 Tata Father. 
 
 Yeh Mother. 
 
 Manash Man. 
 
 Amatesan Village. 
 
 Ama House. 
 
 Geda Horse. 
 
 They worship their ancestors. Their idols are of wood and 
 stone, to whom sacrifices are offered by the hereditary priest- 
 hood : they also have magicians. They consider fish as un- 
 clean. Polygamy is practised among them. They are deadly 
 foes to the Muhammedans. They are sociable, cheerful, and 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 passionate. Dancing, with musical instruments and drums, 
 forms part of their amusements. Hospitality and vengeance 
 of blood belong to their religious principles. The men wear 
 a shirt, and over it a black goat's skin, for which they are cal- 
 led Seeah-poosh, ' black clothed. 1 The women wear only one 
 shirt, and their heads are covered with silver ornaments. A 
 red tiara distinguishes the maidens. They live on cattle, fruit, 
 (walnuts, apples, grapes, and apricots,) and good wine. Their 
 domiciles are of wood, with subterranean chambers ; utensils 
 according to European fashion, as chairs, tables, and bedding. 
 They have daggers and fire-arms. A wealthy Seeah-Poosh 
 possesses eight hundred goats, three hundred oxen, and eight 
 slaves. Their number amounts to ninety thousand. Upon 
 the height of Badagshaun are four free tribes of Israel ; those 
 of Naphtali, Dan, Zebulon, and Ashur. 
 
 My villain escort, Dil Assa Khan, then came up to me and 
 said, "You ought to enter Bokhara dressed as a poor man." 
 I replied, " Villain, liar, and man-seller ! (for strong terms 
 alone are effective in the East,) leave me. The Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla will assuredly put you to death when we reach Me- 
 shed. 11 Dil Assa Khan turned deadly pale. Shouts of " Se- 
 laam Aleikoom 11 from thousands rang upon my ear. It was 
 a most astonishing sight ; people from the roofs of the houses, 
 the Nogay Tatars of Russia, the Cassacks and Girghese from 
 the deserts, the Tatar from Yarkand or Chinese Tartary, the 
 merchant of Cashmeer, the Serkerdeha or grandees of the king 
 on horseback, the Affghauns, the numerous water-carriers, 
 stopped still and looked at me ; Jews with their little caps, the 
 distinguishing badge of the Jews of Bokhara, the inhabitants 
 of Khokand, politely smiling at me; and the mullahs from 
 Chekarpoor and Sinde looking at me and saying, " Inglese 
 Saheb; 11 veiled women screaming to each other, " Englecs 
 Eljee, 11 * English ambassador ; ' others coming by them and 
 saying, " He is not an Eljee, but the Grand Derveesh, 
 Derveesh Kelaun, of Englistaun."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 229 
 
 My addresses had been circulated throughout all the parts 
 of Persia, Turkistaun, and Bokhara : my object had become 
 widely understood, and I doubtless reaped the fruit of making 
 the subject of my mission thus clear and intelligible to all the 
 Mussulman world. Amid the continued shouts of " Selaam 
 Aleikoom,' 1 I looked closely among the populace, in the hope 
 that I might recognise Stoddart or Conolly. It was vain. 
 
 Before we were carried to our assigned quarters, we were 
 brought, what they emphatically call ' BalaJ up to the palace 
 of the king. This is situated on a lofty eminence. When 
 we reached it, the Serkerdeha, i. e. the grandees of the empire, 
 were just leaving it, riding on horseback. The people crow- 
 ded in masses on me, demanding, " What book have you in 
 your hand ? " I replied, " The Towrat-e-Moosa (laws of 
 Moses), the Saboor-e-Dawood (Psalms of David), and the 
 Anjeel-e-Esau (Gospel of Christ), and the Prophecies of 
 Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah," &c. Devoutly did those 
 poor unenlightened souls touch the Book. At the entrance of 
 the palace-gate^we were ordered to dismount from our horses. 
 Only the grandees of the empire, and ambassadors of the 
 Sultan of ^Constantinople, or the Shah of Persia, should they 
 come to'Bokhara, are permitted to enter the palace-gates on 
 horseback. No Christian, heathen, or any other ambassador 
 is allowed that privilege. Singular to say, however, I was 
 allowed this privilege at my audience of leave, prior to my 
 departure from Bokhara. 
 
 Previous to our entrance, one of his Majesty's Makhrams 
 appeared before me, and said, " His Majesty condescends to 
 ask whether you would be ready to submit to the mode of 
 Selaam,'" (for Stoddart Saheb refused, and drew his sword). 
 I asked, "In what does the Selaam consist?" He replied, 
 *' You are placed before his Majesty, who will sit upon the 
 Bala Hanah, (from whence Balkan is derived,) and the She- 
 kawl (minister of foreign affairs) will take hold of your 
 shoulders ; and you must stroke your beard three times, and
 
 230 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 three times bow, saying at each time, ' Allah Akbar, Allah 
 Akbar, Allah Akbar, 1 God is the greatest, God is the great- 
 est, God is the greatest ! 1 ' Selaamat Padishah, 1 ' Peace to 
 the king. 1 " On being asked if I would do it three times, I 
 said, " Thirty times, if necessary. 11 Entering the gate, we 
 were desired to sit down upon a stone seat, and after a few 
 minutes 1 delay were ordered to send up our letters. I sent 
 the following : 
 
 1. Two letters from the Sultan. The one which the Sultan 
 himself gave me, and the other which I found at Meshed, and 
 which was not forwarded by that villain Muhammed AH Serraf. 
 
 2. A letter from his Majesty Muhammed Shah of Persia. 
 
 3. A letter from Haje Mirza Agasee, prime-minister to the 
 King of Persia, addressed to the so-called Vizier of the King of 
 Bokhara; but who in fact is nothing else but the chief of the 
 custom-house, and who is not allowed to receive or open any 
 letter without the Ameer's permission. 
 
 4. A letter from his Excellency Count Medem, Kussian ambas- 
 sador at Teheraun, to the Ameer himself. 
 
 5. A letter from the Sheikh al-Islam of Constantinople, to the 
 Kazi Kelaun (grand judge) of Bokhara ; for I knew that none of 
 the dignitaries of Bokhara, not even a merchant, are allowed to 
 receive letters without first of all being perused by the Ameer. 
 
 6. Letters from the Assaff-ood-Dowla written to myself, in 
 which he stated to me, that all the presents he had sent to the 
 King of Bokhara were sent on my account ; and he further wrote 
 to me, that if Dil Assa Khan should betray me at Bokhara, he 
 would burn his father. 
 
 7. A copy of the letter sent by the Assaff-ood-Dowla to Dil 
 Assa Khan himself, warning him not to betray me. 
 
 Most of the above letters have been published in the 
 course of the previous Narrative ; but the letter to the 
 Kazi Kelaun, or Sheikh Islam of Bokhara, from the Sheikh 
 Islam of Constantinople, is so characteristic a document, that 
 I cannot refrain from giving it at full length. 
 
 O Asylum of Excellence, O Loom of Knowledge, the Master of 
 the art of appreciating the worth of men of science, the Possessor
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 231 
 
 of deliberateness, whose customs are those of sincerity ; may he 
 endure in honour ! 
 
 With the offering of the select of sweet- smell ing prayers, and of 
 running fountains of odoriferous blessings of good odour, the 
 friendly representation is this ; that of the officers of the kingdom 
 of England, a Colonel named Stoddart, another officer, and two 
 or three Englishmen under safe-conduct, who had gone to Bok- 
 hara on business some time back, had been arrested and imprisoned 
 by the glorious Government of Bokhara ; and on account of the 
 request which was formerly made on the part of the said kingdom, 
 an august epistle, containing (a request for) the exertion of endea- 
 vour to liberate the said persons, was issued and despatched on the 
 part which unites honour and glory, of the asylum of the Caliphate, 
 his Majesty, my magnified Lord, the Royal, Dread, Puissant, and 
 Great Emperor of the posterity of Osmaun (may God eternize him, 
 and fortify him with His assistance unto the end of time !) my 
 Master, to his Majesty, the fortunate, brave, and glorious Khaun, 
 (may God grant him long life, with glory and renown !) 
 
 At this present time, it has been resolved on the part of England 
 to send the esteemed Derveesh called Doctor Wolff to gain in- 
 formation concerning the circumstances of the said imprisoned 
 persons ; and if they are alive, to take them with him and conduct 
 them back to their country. And a request has been made on the 
 part of the said kingdom, that our August Imperial Epistle to his 
 Majesty the said Khaun he this time also issued, and that an 
 express letter be also written and sent on our sincere part to your 
 High Quarter, to the effect that endeavour be made to deliver the 
 said imprisoned persons to the said Derveesh, and to restore them 
 to their place. 
 
 According as it is known to your Excellent Self, the endurance 
 and stability of the pillars of sincerity and friendship, and of the 
 columns of love and amity which from of old have stood and 
 remained firm between the Sublime Empire of eternal duration and 
 the said kingdom, is a thing desired on both sides ; and by this 
 reason, such requests as take place are deposited in the centre of 
 acceptance and fulfilment ; also in reality the imprisonment and 
 detention of such guests cannot be in accordance and congruous 
 with the laws of nations and the customs of sovereignty ; and 
 again, by reason that, according to the result of the requirements 
 of the uniting point of religion and true faith which exist between
 
 232 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 the Imperial Person of the Caliph and His Majesty the said Khaun, 
 it is an undoubted circumstance that the requests of either to the 
 other which appear in the mirror of event and forthcoming, will 
 arrive at the receptacle of acceptance ; therefore, although it is 
 evident that already endeavour has been made to clear of impedi- 
 ment the road of the said imprisoned persons, still in case they 
 should not yet have left Bokhara, an august epistle has been issued 
 and despatched unto his Majesty the said Khaun, to the effect that 
 endeavour be used for their being delivered to the said Derveesh, 
 to their being restored and sent back safely and joyfully to their 
 place with all possible speed, by way of Constantinople ; therefore, 
 according to the generous qualities of equity and conscientiousness 
 with which your Noble Self is endowed and qualified in this mat- 
 ter, that is, in the matter of restoring and sending back the said 
 imprisoned persons to their place with all possible speed, it is 
 hereby explained, that it is Our sincere and most express hope that 
 most strenuous endeavours will be exerted to the attainment of the 
 requisite means, and the accompaniment of the necessary assistance 
 and protection in their behalf. And in this wise the present letter, 
 the bond of sincerity, has been written, and sent and forwarded to 
 Your Presence, the Element of Excellence. When, with the grace 
 of the Most High, it shall arrive, the exertion, in the manner 
 aforesaid, of your most strenuous endeavours depends upon your 
 Qualities, odoriferous with great things. 
 
 From the sincere friend, MUSTAFA 'AASIM, son of the native of 
 Mecca : may both their sins be forgiven ! 
 
 After the letters were sent up, we were brought before the 
 king, Dil Assa Khan and myself. His Majesty was seated 
 in the balcony of his palace, looking down upon us : thousands 
 of people in the distance. All eyes were bent on me, to see if 
 I would submit to the etiquette. When the Shekawl took 
 hold of my shoulders, I not only submitted to his doing so 
 to me three times, but I bowed repeatedly, and exclaimed 
 unceasingly, " Peace to the King," until his Majesty burst 
 into a fit of laughter, and of course all the rest standing 
 around us. His Majesty said, " Enough, enough, enough." 
 We were then ordered to retire. The Shekhawl, an officer who 
 answers to our Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, then
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 233 
 
 assured me that his Majesty had smiled upon me, and ex- 
 claimed, " What an extraordinary man this Englishman is ! 
 in his eyes, and in his dress, and the Book in his hand." 
 
 His Majesty is about five feet six inches high, rather stout, 
 black eyes and small, of dark complexion, with a convulsive 
 twitching of the muscles of his face; his voice not remark- 
 ably powerful, but rapid in intonation ; his smile appears 
 forced. He has the whole appearance of a bon-vivant. His 
 clothes are quite those of a common mullah, without any pomp 
 or decoration. He has deprived the mullahs of all their 
 power, and taken the executive into his own hands. On his 
 accession to the throne he killed five of his brothers : two of 
 them, it is reported, were murdered in the territory of foreign 
 powers, viz. one of them at Khokand, and the other at Oren- 
 bourg, in Russia. After the death of his father, Turah Zadeh 
 was the eldest, and had actually taken possession of Bokhara; 
 however, Nasir Ullah, the present king, retired to the fortress 
 of Karshi, and his friend, who was the Hakim Beyk, remained 
 at Bokhara, and gained over the people of Bokhara by his 
 learning, talent, integrity, and wealth, in favour of Nasir Ullah. 
 After he had thus gained the inhabitants, he sent word to 
 Nasir Ullah to come with troops to the gates of Bokhara. As 
 soon as he appeared, the gates were opened and Turah Zadeh 
 murdered, and Nasir Ullah ascended the throne. A second 
 brother was murdered in the arms of his mother. Omar 
 Khan, a third brother, had the good fortune to escape, and 
 he wandered about in the whole of Turkistaun, spent some 
 time among the derveeshes of Mowlana and Jelala Adeen, in 
 the Turkish empire, performed, under the garb of a derveesh, 
 his pilgrimage to the Kaaba at Mecca, to the grave of Muham- 
 med at Medina; returned again to the Khunkaar (Sultan) of 
 Stamboul; and when I, in 1832, was in the desert of Mowr, 
 seated in the tent of a Jew, a derveesh entered the tent of my 
 Jewish host ; and soon after an Usbeck came in, and stared 
 at the derveesh, and exclaimed suddenly, kissing his feet,
 
 234 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 " God preserve Omar Khan, my Padishah of Bokhara, son of 
 Ameer Hyder Behadur." Omar Khan said, " Betray me not." 
 Thus Omar Khan wandered about in the desert of Mowr, and 
 made an alliance with the king of Khiva ; and I heard after this 
 that he was slain in battle against his brother the present king. 
 It is also said that the present king poisoned his own father. 
 
 Hakim Beyk, who had assisted him to mount the throne, 
 became his Goosh-Bekee, or Vizier ; and as long as he followed 
 the advice of that wise minister, Nasir Ullah was the beloved 
 king of Bokhara, and feared by the kings around Bokhara. 
 The kings of Khokand, Cashgar, and Khetay sent ambassa- 
 dors with presents unto him ; and Russia continued to be on 
 friendly terms with the king of Bokhara. The object of that 
 great minister, the Goosh-Bekee, was to draw to Bokhara 
 learned men, and men of arts, from all the countries of the 
 earth. His friendship with Moorcroft had given him a predi- 
 lection for England, and he desired me, in 1832, to prevail on 
 the British government to send physicians and officers, together 
 with an ambassador, to Bokhara. Sir A. Burnes, after me, 
 received the favours of that great man, and Dr. Haenigberger 
 also, from Hungary, who came from Lahore, where he was in 
 the service of the great Runjeet Singh, the lion of the Pun- 
 jaub. The derveeshes of Bokhara began to sing of the praises 
 of Nasir Ullah and his great minister, the Goosh-Bekee. The 
 town of Bokhara became adorned with beautiful mosques, and 
 outside Bokhara gardens and country-houses were planned ; 
 but Nasir Ullah Behadur became jealous of the Goosh-Bekee. 
 At that time, in the year 1835, Abdul Samut Khan arrived 
 from Cabul, where he had run away from Dost Muhammed 
 Khan; and he boasted that he was acquainted with all the 
 European sciences and military discipline. The excellent 
 Goosh-Bekee recommended him to the king, and the king no- 
 minated him the chief of the Sirbaas, i.e. of the regular troops, 
 and of the artillery. The Goosh-Bekee poured favours upon 
 the new comer, whilst Abdul Samut Khan all the time began
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 to intrigue against his benefactor, and made the king believe 
 that the Goosh-Bekee was in correspondence with England. 
 The influence of the Goosh-Bekee began visibly to decline. 
 
 At that time a report reached the king, that an Englishman 
 was on his way to Khiva; he sent soldiers (Usbecks) after 
 him, and made a prisoner of that -English man. His name 
 was Lieutenant Wyburd. He was cast into the prison called 
 Sizahjaa, 'black well ;' and after that into the dungeon of the 
 Nayeb, who treated him in the most cruel manner, and con- 
 tinually said to him, ** I know how to treat you Europeans to 
 humble you." After a year or so before the arrival of Colonel 
 Stoddart, the Ameer sent for him, and said to him, " If you 
 become a Mussulman, and enter my service, I will have mercy 
 on you, and treat you well." But Wyburd answered, "Un- 
 derstand that I am an Englishman, and therefore I shall nei- 
 ther change my religion nor enter the service of a tyrant." 
 He then was led forth to execution : he said, " Now you shall 
 see how an Englishman and Christian can die ! " He bowed 
 his head, which was cut off, and his body cast into a well. 
 
 The Goosh-Bekee appeared before Nasir Behadur ; the 
 respect of the servants was no longer paid to him as before. 
 The Goosh-Bekee bowed three times to the ground, stroked 
 three times his beard, and recited the first chapter of the 
 Koran, called Fatkha, which is as follows : "In the name of 
 the most merciful and compassionate God ; praise to God, the 
 Creator of the worlds, the most Merciful and Compassionate, 
 the King in the day of judgment; we serve Thee, we look up 
 to Thee ; guide us thoroughly in the way of those to whom 
 thou art merciful, not in the way of those with whom thou 
 art angry, not in the way of those who are in error. Amen." 
 And then he stroked again his beard. The king asked him to 
 sit down, which he did, bowing again to the ground. Then 
 the king asked, "What is thy request?" He said, "O 
 Hasrat ! I have devoted my old days and my grey hairs to 
 the service of my King and my Master ; I have served many
 
 236 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 years your father, to whom God has been merciful. I have 
 not gathered treasure, and I did all that you might become a 
 powerful monarch, honoured by all nations ; that you might 
 become like Timur, and your name renowned like that of 
 Scander Sulkarneyn. But in what have I now sinned, that 
 my advice is no longer heard ?" The king demanded, " What 
 is thy desire ? " He replied, " Why has your Majesty pulled 
 down those beautiful palaces which you built with so much 
 expense, and which were the delight of the inhabitants ? And 
 besides that, why does your Majesty arrest Englishmen in the 
 highways, and bring them prisoners to Bokhara? England is 
 a powerful nation ; all Hind belongs to it. Shah Soojah 
 El-Mulk, and Shah Zemaun, the two kings of Affghanistaun, 
 have found shelter in the dominions of England. Runjeet 
 Singh, the idolater, threatens to attack Affghanistaun ; and if 
 once in Affghanistaun, he may come to Bokhara. On the other 
 side we are threatened from Russia and Khiva, and the Guzl- 
 Bash will unite to destroy the King of Bokhara, which may 
 God prevent ! What can save us from all these evils, except 
 a strict alliance with England ?" The king told him to retire, 
 and promised to profit by his advice. 
 
 Soon after this the Reis, i e. the Great Mullah, who en- 
 forces with bastinadoes and death obedience to the observance 
 of the rites of the Muhammedan religion, preached one day 
 to the Muhammedans in the following manner : " The king 
 is a shepherd: the subjects are the sheep. The shepherd may 
 do with the sheep as he thinks proper : he may take the 
 wife from her husband, for the wife is the sheep of the king 
 as well as the husband, and he may make use of any other 
 man's wife just as he pleases." From that moment Nasir 
 Ullah became jthe greatest profligate at Bokhara. He em- 
 ployed all his Makhrams as so many ruffians. The persons 
 who were not willing to give up their wives, were instantly 
 put to death ; and he so habituated them to tyranny, that the 
 husband, on being deprived of his wife, sighed and resigned
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 237 
 
 himself to the will of the king with the exclamation, Een kary 
 Padsha hast, * This is a royal act. 1 The honest Goosh- 
 Bekee alone resisted, and boldly reproved the king for it. 
 Upon which he was exiled to Karshi. When the friends of 
 the Goosh-Bekee wanted him to escape to Khokand, he said, 
 " I am too old to be a traitor. I am sixty years of age ; I 
 will die in my native country, for die I must, whether in my 
 house or in prison." He remained quietly in prison at Karshi, 
 spent his days in reading the Koran., saw from time to time 
 derveeshes of the family of Nakshbande, and was at last 
 brought again to Bokhara, and there put in prison, and then 
 executed by order of the Ameer behind the palace, on the 
 spot where afterwards Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly 
 were also executed.
 
 238 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Passive Obedience the feeling of the People of Bokhara Bad Character of 
 the Mervee. King's Touch supposed to cure Disease His Wives 
 his mixed Descent from a Persian Mother and anllsbeck Prince Nur- 
 sed by a Cassack Woman. Dr. Wolff's Interview with Shekhawl 
 Equivocation of Dil Assa Khan. Dr. Wolff explains his Mission. The 
 Makhram is sent in the Evening with Questions for Dr. Wolff to 
 answer Appearance before Ameer on the following day. Makhram 
 sent to Dr. Wolff with another Question. Visit to Abdul Samut Khan 
 History of him. Nayeb receives Dr. Wolff with apparent cordiality 
 Long Conversation relative to the Death of Stoddart and Conolly 
 Private Conversation with Nayeb afterwards he affects to have be- 
 friended Stoddart and Conolly shows Testimonials from them and Sir 
 Alexander Burnes. Dr. Wolff hears " God save the Queen" played by 
 the Ameer's Band writes to Lord Aberdeen about the Russian Slaves 
 in Bokhara. Nayeb gives Dr. Wolff three thousand Tillahs Dr. Wolff 
 objects to receive them. Dr. Wolff explains to the Nayeb the object 
 of the Stoddart and Conolly Committee Nayeb demands how much 
 Money Dr. Wolff would pay for his Ransom King deeply affected at 
 Report made by the Makhram of Dr. Wolff's Interview with Abdul 
 Samut Khan. Letter to Captain Grover. 
 
 WHATEVER crime or cruelty the king of Bokhara commits, 
 the people simply observe, " This was an act of the King," 
 " Who can fathom the heart of a King ?" But the Tatshick 
 have more sense of liberty, and they in secret complain of the 
 cruelty of the king ; and the Mervee would at once join the 
 Persians, if the latter would send an army there. But the 
 character of the Mervee is so bad, that the proverb is current 
 at Bokhara and Meshed, if you meet with a viper (mar in 
 Persian) and a Mervee, kill the Mervee and then the serpent 
 (mar). They (the Mervee) are, however, as also the Tat- 
 shick, fond of reading poetry. They assembled daily in the 
 quarter where I lived, in the room of Dil Assa Khan Mervee,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 239 
 
 the treacherous Mervee who served me as mehmoondar from 
 Meshed to Bokhara, and read aloud the poem of Sounder 
 Nameh) or History of Alexander the Great. It is curious, 
 that though the people of Bokhara are great enemies of the 
 Sheah, yet they are mighty admirers of the writings of Hafiz 
 and Saadi. 
 
 The people of Bokhara, and all the rest of the Turkomaun 
 nation, attach a particular efficacy to the touching of the king^s 
 garments or hands ; and believe that sick people may be cured 
 by the simple touch of the king. 
 
 The king has four wives, of whom he has only one son, 
 who is about twenty years of age, and said to be of a weakly 
 constitution. But it is said that his wives hate him, and that 
 they are Persian slaves. They are the friends of Abdul Sa- 
 mut Khan, to whom they report every action and every word 
 of the king. And it is not to be wondered at that they should 
 hate the profligate above described. It must be observed, 
 that the king himself is the son of Shah Hydur, by a Persian 
 slave ; and as a Turkomaun well said, at Nishapoor, " As a 
 horse paired with a donkey produces a mule, so an Usbeck 
 married to a Persian must produce a monster." Besides 
 that, the king had a Cassack woman from the desert as his 
 wet nurse: and thus, as the same Turkomaun at Nishapoor 
 observed, " He drank the milk of a man-eater ; for the Cas- 
 sacks in the desert are accused of eating the bodies of dead 
 men, and it is for that reason that he is such a bloodhound." 
 
 After presentation to the king, we were brought to a small 
 room in the palace, which serves as an office. Here the 
 Shekhawl above mentioned came accompanied by Mullah 
 Haje his secretary, who is one of those Persian slaves of whom 
 there are two hundred thousand throughout the kingdom 
 of Bokhara. Mullah Haje recollected having known me when 
 at Bokhara in 1832. The Shekhawl then opened the busi- 
 ness, by first addressing himself to Dil Assa Khan Mervee. 
 
 Shekhawl. What is your name and country ?
 
 240 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 D. A. K. Dil Assa Khan. 
 
 Sh. What is your request of his Majesty, (Hasrat) ? 
 
 D. A. K. My request consists only in one point; his Ex- 
 cellency the Assaff-ood-Dowla, being a great friend of his 
 Majesty, and convinced that the king of Bokhara with justice 
 demands the possession of Khiva and Khokand, offers his 
 assistance to his Majesty against Khiva and Khokand ; and 
 all the cannon, ammunition, and troops demanded from him, 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla will be ready to send to the Ameer. 
 Khorassaun is near to Bokhara; Russia is two months distant 
 from Bokhara, and England six months ; therefore friendship 
 between the Assaff-ood-Dowla and Bokhara is most necessary. 
 This is the only request I have to make. 
 
 Wolff. Have you no other request to make ? 
 
 D. A. K. None whatever. 
 
 W. You are my man ; and the Assaff-ood-Dowla has merely 
 sent you here to assist me in my request to the king, and you 
 have been paid by me for it. 
 
 Z>. A. K. The Assaff-ood-Dowla has merely sent you on 
 with me here. 
 
 Sh. What is your name and request ? 
 
 W. Joseph Wolff is my name, a well-known mullah and 
 derveesh from England. I was in the city of Bokhara twelve 
 years ago, (Mullah Haje here recollected me, and at once said 
 so,) when I was well treated by his Majesty ; and a passport 
 was given to me previous to my departure, saying that the 
 high order had been issued that Joseph Wolff the English- 
 man should be allowed to return to his country, and that 
 on the road nobody should lay any hindrance in his way. 
 After me Sir Alexander Burnes arrived, and was well treated, 
 and allowed to proceed on his way to England ; and the hos- 
 pitable conduct of his Majesty towards myself and Sir Alex- 
 ander Burnes induced others to visit Bokhara Shereef. Two 
 officers, (highly beloved and honoured by the British govern- 
 ment,) my friends, Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 241 
 
 came here, Captain Conolly was my Murreed, i. e. spiritual 
 disciple ; when suddenly it was reported from the land of 
 Russia, the land of Khiva, and even from the land of Kho- 
 kand, and also from the land of Hindustaun, that both officers, 
 brave in war and religious men, had been killed by order of 
 the king of Bokhara. And this news made not only a great 
 commotion throughout England and Hindustaun, Lmt also in 
 the new world (America), and Muhammed Ali of Egypt 
 heard of it, and thousands in England exclaimed, " War with 
 Bokhara!" 
 
 Here the Shekhawl interrupted me by asking, " How far 
 is England from Bokhara?" Dil Assa Khan replied, " Six- 
 months march." I said, " That is untrue. England itself is 
 only three months march distant from Bokhara ; but we have 
 troops at Shikarpore, near Candahar, which is only thirty 
 days march from Bokhara." 
 
 I then continued, saying, " I, Joseph Wolff, seeing this great 
 commotion throughout the world, about the death of Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly, put into the newspapers, ' Oh, 
 my English friends, I cannot believe the report of the death of 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, for they revere at Bo- 
 khara guests very much. I shall therefore go there and ascer- 
 tain the truth. 1 All my friends said, Don't go there, for they 
 will kill you also. 1 I said, * I shall go, for Conolly was my 
 great friend.' On seeing my determination, my friends induced 
 the government of England to order their ambassadors at Con- 
 stantinople and Teheraun to procure me letters for his Ma- 
 jesty the king of Bokhara from the Sultan, and from Muham- 
 med Shah. On my arrival at Constantinople the Sultan gave 
 me the required letters, also the Sheikh al-Islam of Stamboul ; 
 and Muhammed, Shah of Persia, not only gave me letters for 
 the king of Bokhara, but also for the Assaff-ood-Dowla, 
 ordering him to give me every assistance and aid, in order that 
 I might meet with a good reception at Bokhara. On my 
 arrival at Meshed, the Assaff-ood-Dowla asked me whether 
 
 B
 
 242 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I should like him to send a respectable man with me, who 
 would speak in my behalf to the Ameer ; in this case he would 
 give himself one hundred tomauns to that man, and I should 
 give another hundred tomauns to that same man. And his 
 Excellency the Assaff-ood-Dowla said he would also send 
 presents to the Ameer, to secure for me a good reception. 
 I accepted the proposal, and gave a hundred tomauns to Dil 
 Assa Khan, and we set out for Bokhara. But as he behaved 
 on the road like a knave, I sent several Turkomauns to Me- 
 shed, reporting his bad conduct ; on which account the Assaff 
 sent me several letters, and letters to Dil Assa Khan, with 
 copies of them to me, which I have delivered to the Ameer 
 with the rest of the letters ; by which the Ameer will perceive 
 that Dil Assa Khan is only my man, that he has played the 
 traitor, and that the statement of the object of his coming to 
 Bokhara and back, is a falsehood from beginning to end. 1 " 
 
 D. A. K. I never said that I did not come on your account, 
 for I know that England and Persia are great friends. 
 
 W. I don 1 t want your assistance. 
 
 Sh. What is therefore now your object ? 
 
 Dil Assa Khan here replied, " His (Joseph Wolff's) object 
 is to establish friendship between England and the king of 
 Bokhara." 
 
 W. I have no authority for that ; but my object is, first, to 
 ask, Where are my friends, Colonel Stoddart and Captain 
 Conolly ? are they alive, or dead ? If alive, I beg his Majesty 
 to send them with me back to England ; if dead, his Majesty 
 will state his reasons for putting them to death, and also send 
 with me an ambassador to England. 
 
 I perceived that if I did not hold out some hopes of recon- 
 ciliation, he (the king) would be driven to despair, and per- 
 haps put me to death ; and at the same time the ambassador 
 would serve me as an escort in my journey through the desert. 
 I now give the continuation of my dialogue with the Shekhawl. 
 
 Sh. Has the British government itself authorized you to 
 come here ?
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 243 
 
 Dil Assa Khan interrupted me here, and said " Yes." 
 W. No; I am sent by the Sultan and Muhammed Shah, 
 on account of their friendship with England. 
 Sh. Are you authorized to claim them if alive ? 
 W. Yes, by all the powers of Europe, and the voice of the 
 British nation. 
 
 Sh. Is there much commotion about it in Europe ? 
 W. Very much so : people speak only of Stoddart and 
 Conolly, and of the apprehension they entertain of my sharing 
 the fate of Stoddart and my friend Conolly. 
 Mullah Haje. You loved Conolly very much ? 
 W. Very much. 
 
 We were then dismissed ; and the house formerly belonging 
 to Tura Zadeh, brother to the present king, who was killed 
 by order of the latter, was assigned to us as our dwelling ; 
 and from that moment all liberty of going out as I pleased 
 was taken from me. 1 was watched day and night by the 
 Makhrams of the king. The evening of my arrival the king 
 sent to me two persons, the one was a Makhram, the other a 
 Mirza, who writes down every thing which the Makhram 
 (confidential servant to the king) asks the stranger. 
 
 Mirxa (addressing himself to me). This is a favourite 
 Makhram to Hasrat, (his Majesty). * * * 
 
 Makhram. His Majesty has been graciously pleased to 
 order you to answer two questions, which he proposes to you 
 now through his slave. The first question is, " Are you able 
 to awake the dead ?" The second question is this, " When will 
 the day of resurrection take place?" 
 
 W. By God's power one is able to do every thing, for God 
 is mighty above all. And if God (His name be praised !) 
 gives me that power, I am able to do so ; but hitherto He has 
 never granted me that power from above. With regard to 
 the second question : when I was at Bokhara, twelve years ago, 
 I conversed with the Jews about the return of Jesus, and then 
 I told them, and also the Goosh-Bekee, his Majesty's vizier, 
 
 R 2
 
 244 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 7 
 
 that Jesus would return after fifteen years : but since that 
 time I have had some doubts of the correctness of my cal- 
 culation, for the meaning of the numbers mentioned in the 
 prophet Daniel admits of a two-fold interpretation ; yet I am 
 convinced by the signs of the times that the time of the 
 coming of Jesus is at hand. I then pointed out to him the 
 signs of the times, as mentioned in Matthew xxiv. xxv. ; Luke 
 xxi. ; Isaiah xxxiv., &c., and then departed, every word I 
 said having been written down by the Mirza. 
 
 We were ordered to meet the next day again, to appear be- 
 fore the Ameer to make our selaam, and then to retire. On 
 returning to my lodging, a Makhram was sent again by the 
 king to ask me why I was dressed in black and red colours, 
 for I wore my clergyman's gown and doctor's hood whenever 
 I was obliged to call on his Majesty. I therefore replied that 
 it was the costume of the Mullah Kelaun, Great Mullahs 
 of England. 
 
 Makhram. Has it some meaning ? 
 
 W. With me it has. 
 
 M. What meaning have these colours with you ? 
 
 W. The black colour indicates that I mourn over my dead 
 friends ; and the red colour indicates that / am ready to give 
 my blood for my faith. 
 
 I arrived, I think, on the 27th of April ; it was on a Friday ; 
 and on the 29th, Makhram Kasem came and said I must fol- 
 low him somewhere. 
 
 W. Where shall we go ? 
 
 Kasem. This you will see. 
 
 All the attendants around me trembled. An old Yoos 
 Bashi (commander of a hundred soldiers), who was a Persian 
 slave, wept, and said to me in a whisper, after Kasem had 
 gone out of the room of Dil Assa Khan, " Why did you come 
 here ? Stoddart Saib and Conolly Saib have thus been taken 
 out of the house where they will now bring you." I asked 
 my servant Housseiri, " Will you accompany me?" He re-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 245 
 
 plied in the affirmative. Dil Assa Khan also mounted his 
 horse, and, accompanied by his servants, he rode proudly 
 before me, Makhram Kasem at his side, who throughout the 
 road conversed with Dil Assa Khan, and not one word with 
 me ; and Dil Assa Khan's servants drove violently back my 
 horse when it came a little near the side of Dil Assa Khan. 
 Houssein, my servant, also began to fear to appear as my 
 servant, and walked near the horse of Dil Assa Khan. We 
 rode one mile out of the town to the garden of Nayeb Abdul 
 Samut Khan, chief of the artillery, which he disciplines in the 
 European way. 
 
 Before I proceed with the relation of my first interview 
 with the Nayeb, a slight digression will make my readers ac- 
 quainted with a fact, which I believe I mentioned in my jour- 
 ney to Bokhara in 1831-32. When I arrived at Cabul in 
 1832, I met with Sir Alexander Burnes ; and in conversation 
 he told me, " When you come to Peshawr, be on your guard 
 against a person there who calls himself the vizier of Sultan 
 Muhammed Khan: his name is Abdul Samut Khan, a great 
 rascal, who if he can do any harm to an Englishman he will 
 do so, for he knows that we look with contempt upon him." 
 Therefore, on my arrival at Peshawr I never came near him, 
 but saw him only for one moment, when he called upon me in 
 the company of Sultan Muhammed Khan. 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan was born at Tabreez, in the year 1784, 
 and having acquired some smattering of military science at 
 Kermanshah, from Monsieur le General Court, he was em- 
 ployed there for a while by Muhammed Ali Mirza, the cele- 
 brated son of Futt Ullah Shah : on account of some mis- 
 demeanour of Abdul Samut Khan, Muhammed Ali Mirza 
 ordered his ears to be cut off. The Khan then deserted, and 
 went over to Muhammed Ali Mirza 1 s antagonist, Abbas Mirza, 
 at Tabreez; but was soon obliged to escape from Tabreez. 
 He proceeded to India; thence to Peshawr ; from whence he 
 escaped, and took service with Dost Muhammed Khan. He
 
 246 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 fled thence and came to Bokhara, where the wise and good 
 Hakim Beyk, the Goosh-Bekee of Bokhara when I was there 
 in 1832, procured him service with the Ameer, in order to 
 teach the soldiers the military discipline. The Ameer made 
 him a Khan, and nominated him his Nayeb, (lieutenant). He 
 lives in great pomp outside the town, and has acquired, during 
 the nine years he has been there, a fortune of sixty thousand 
 tillahs, i. e. ducats. He visits the king every Sunday, and 
 likes to pass as a European by birth, and a disciple of the 
 English officers. He was once in disgrace on account of 
 having withheld the pay of the troops, and was near being 
 killed soon after Stoddart's death ; but the war with Khiva 
 and Khokand prevented the Ameer from doing so, as he was 
 in need of his advice. To this man, Abdul Samut Khan, I 
 was brought, and to the room in the upper story of the house 
 where he frequently conversed with Stoddart and Conolly. 
 
 He first embraced slightly Dil Assa Khan, but when he 
 came to me he pressed me to his heart, kissed me for about 
 ten minutes, pinched my hands and my fingers, as I suppose 
 (for I am no Freemason) the Freemasons do ; then asked me 
 to sit down and partake of an excellent breakfast of kubaab 
 (roasted lamb), rice, coffee, and tea. Whilst the Nayeb, Dil 
 Assa Khan, and myself were seated at table, Makhram Kasem, 
 with a Mirza, was seated on the ground in the Eastern man- 
 ner ; the Mirza (writer) with the pen in his hand, and paper 
 and ink before him. 
 
 Nayeb (eating at the same time). Now, Mullah YoussufF 
 Wolff, I have known you twelve years; ay, I saw you at 
 Peshawr, and I know all about you. At present England and 
 Bokhara are at war, and are enemies ; but after you have 
 heard how the two officers, Colonel Stoddart and Captain 
 Conolly, treated Hasrat (his Majesty), and how they have 
 treated me, England and Bokhara shall be friends, which I 
 heartily wish. By the Usbecks I am suspected of being an 
 Englishman, and by the English I am suspected of being an
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 247 
 
 Usbeck ; but I am neither the one nor the other. All I wish 
 is, that the truth should be known, and now I will tell you 
 all about it. When Colonel Stoddart arrived at Bokhara, his 
 Majesty sent a whole troop of soldiers to receive him. He 
 came to Bokhara, and to the Ark, just when Hasrat re- 
 turned from a pilgrimage to Baba Deen Nakshbande, (a 
 holy man buried outside the town). Colonel Stoddart was 
 on horseback. The Shekhawl, and several other Serkerdeha 
 (grandees), went up to him and said, " This is his Majesty ; 
 you must dismount." But he replied, " I have no orders 
 for doing so." The Ameer smiled, and said he is a mehmoon, 
 (guest). When you, Joseph Wolff, made your selaam before 
 the Ameer, the Shekhawl took slightly hold of your shoulders 
 to make you bow down. You submitted with your book in 
 the hand ; but when the Shekhawl only touched Colonel 
 Stoddart, he laid his hand on his sword and drew it. Nothing 
 was said to this. The house of Turah, the same house in 
 which you live, was assigned to him as his quarters. When, 
 a few days after, the Reis (one of the mullahs who watch over 
 the people, and have power to flog any one who does not ob- 
 serve strictly the Muhammedan religion) sent one of his friends 
 to Stoddart, and asked him whether he was an Eljee (ambassa- 
 dor) or a Sodagur (merchant)? Stoddart replied, "Eat dung!" 
 His imprisonment upon this occasion the Nayeb passed over 
 in silence, and continued, " At last, from fear, Stoddart said 
 he would become a Mussulman ; and according to the Muham- 
 medan religion, if a person says he will turn Mussulman, he 
 must either do so or die. He became a Mussulman, and a 
 short time after openly avowed again the Christian religion. 
 At last it was agreed that he should write to England to be 
 acknowledged as the accredited agent of Great Britain at the 
 court of Bokhara, and that the king of Bokhara should be 
 the acknowledged sovereign of Turkistaun, &c. ; and Colonel 
 Stoddart promised that in four months an answer should arrive 
 from the government of England. Though at his (Stoddart's)
 
 248 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 request, Japar-khanas (post-houses) were established from 
 Bokhara to Sarakhs, which did not exist either at Bokhara or 
 in the land of Turkistaun from the time of Afrasiab, fourteen 
 months elapsed, and no answer arrived. During the time that 
 Colonel Stoddart was at Bokhara, Captain Conolly went from 
 Organtsh (Khiva) to Khokand, where he stopped a consider- 
 able time, exciting both countries to wage war against the 
 Ameer of Bokhara. He at last arrived at Bokhara, announc- 
 ing himself as a British agent, without having any letters 
 from the British government ; and whatever Colonel Stoddart 
 had agreed to he upset, announcing to the king of Bokhara 
 that the British government would never interfere with the 
 affairs of Turkistaun, and all that Colonel Stoddart had 
 agreed to went for nothing. Thus it was clear that Colonel 
 Stoddart was a liar. During the stay of Conolly and Stoddart 
 they took every opportunity of despatching, in the most 
 stealthy manner, letters to Cabul; and on this account his 
 Majesty became displeased, and both Captain Conolly and 
 Colonel Stoddart were brought, with their hands tied, be- 
 hind the Ark (palace of the king), in presence of Makhram 
 Saadat, when Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly kissed 
 each other, and Colonel Stoddart said to Saadat, ' Tell the 
 Ameer that I die a disbeliever in Muhammed, but a believer 
 in Jesus ; that I am a Christian, and a Christian I die.' And 
 Conolly said, ' Stoddart, we shall see each other in Paradise 
 (Behesht), near Jesus." 1 Then Saadat gave the order to cut 
 off, first the head of Stoddart, which was done; and in the 
 same manner the head of Conolly was cut off." 
 
 W. I thought strangling was the mode of killing at 
 Bokhara ? 
 
 N. Strangling was formerly used, but the king of Bokhara 
 said, " Strangling gives more pain, and the rascally Khan of 
 Khiva strangles people ; and therefore, out of mercy, I com- 
 mand the heads of evil-doers to be cut oft' with a common 
 knife."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. '249 
 
 Then the Nayeb said to me, " Have you some request to 
 make?" 
 
 W. First of all, I am astonished that his Majesty should 
 have thought that the Government of England would enter 
 into a correspondence with him as long as Stoddart was a 
 prisoner, and thus forced to write whatever his Majesty 
 pleased. Secondly, I am astonished that Colonel Stoddart 
 should have expected that Government would, under these 
 circumstances, listen to his proposals. 
 
 N. (knocking upon the table on which the breakfast was 
 spread). But Japar-khanas (post-houses) were established 
 on Stoddart^s account, which existed not from the time of 
 Afrasiab. 
 
 W. Yet he was a prisoner. 
 
 N. (again in the same manner). But Japar-khanas were 
 established on Stoddart's account, which existed not from the 
 time of Afrasiab. 
 
 W. Then I have to observe, that the correspondence 
 between England and Persia was carried on for a long 
 time through the Governor-general of India. Now I have 
 been informed that Lord Ellenborough, the present Go- 
 vernor-general of India, wrote to his Majesty the king of 
 Bokhara. 
 
 The Nayeb evidently appeared embarrassed, and said, " I 
 never saw such a letter from the Governor-general;" and then 
 immediately asked me, " What is to be done?" I saw clearly 
 that there was nothing else to be done but to contrive to get 
 away from Bokhara as soon as possible, and in the best and 
 safest manner I could. I therefore felt that if I did not hold 
 out some hopes of reconciliation, that I should not be al- 
 lowed to go back to tell the story, and therefore thought that 
 the best way to effect my escape would be to propose to the 
 Ameer to send an ambassador with me ; for even if he had 
 suffered me to go alone, I had reason to be apprehensive that 
 Dil Assa Khan afraid that I should get him punished for his
 
 250 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 treachery by the Assaff-ood-Dowla would murder me on the 
 road to Meshed ; and such an ambassador, therefore, would 
 serve me as a protector. I therefore simply told the Nayeb, 
 " Let the king send with me an ambassador to apologize in 
 England for his conduct." 
 
 This whole conversation, at my proposal, was written 
 down; and the Makhram Kasem, with the Mirza, instantly 
 rode off to the palace ; for the king was so impatient to know 
 the result of the conversation, that he actually sent three 
 Makhrams on horseback, one after the other, from the palace 
 to the garden of the Nayeb. 
 
 After the Makhram Kasem and the Mirza had departed, 
 the Nayeb desired Dil Assa Khan, his servants and my 
 servants, to go down and take a walk in the garden ; and 
 after this had been done by them, the whole conversation 
 took quite a different turn. 
 
 Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan began to weep, and said, " Both 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly have been put to death 
 without a sin or crime on their part. I was not able to 
 answer your objection, that the king could not expect an an- 
 swer from Dowlat, (this, which means the Power, is the em- 
 phatic designation of our Government at Bokhara,) as long as 
 Stoddart was a prisoner; in fact, he was so much worn out, 
 that when he (Stoddart) came to me, he had not a shirt on his 
 back, pale as the wall. I offered to the king one hundred thou- 
 sand tillahs for their release, but he would not give ear to my 
 proposal : all his Majesty replied was, ' They are spies, and 
 as spies they must die. 1 Soon after them another Englishman 
 came, whose name I don't know, he was also put to death ; 
 and one Frankee, Naselli by name, who had letters for Avita- 
 bile at Lahore. The tyrant (Abdul Samut Khan continued) 
 intended putting me to death, and has for two years back 
 not given me any salary, until he saw that he could not go on 
 without me ; and thus he acted even after I had taken Kho- 
 kand, and if he had been able to have taken Khiva, he certainly
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 251 
 
 would have cut off my head. Let the British government 
 send one officer to Khokand, another to Khoollom, another to 
 Khiva, and thus let those Khans be induced to march against 
 Bokhara ; and let the British government only give me twenty 
 or thirty thousand tillahs, I am ready to support them. I 
 make Halt, Front /" He said this in English, the only words 
 he knows besides no force. " Three days after they were 
 killed, the tyrant sent to me Makhram Saadat, and gave to me 
 the full report of it, and I went to see the spot. There is a 
 custom, on the circumcision of a son, to invite some great man, 
 who takes the child upon his knees. I intend, if the British 
 government gives me twenty thousand tillahs, to invite the 
 king, place him upon a seat undermined, and the moment 
 he sits down I will blow him up. I know that he intends to 
 kill me, but (here the hypocrite lifted up his eyes to heaven, 
 and said) Inshallah! 'God willing, 1 I shall put him to 
 death. 1 ' 
 
 W. This neither the British government nor any Christian 
 will ever approve of; for kings are considered by us as 
 Sille-Ullah) i. e> the shadows of God. I will now ask you a 
 question, and this it is ; What did he say when he heard of 
 my arrival? 
 
 Nayeb. When he received the letter from the Khaleefa of 
 Mowr, announcing to him your arrival, he informed me of it. 
 I asked, " What does your Majesty intend to do with him ?" 
 He replied, " If he brings no letters from Dowlat, he shall fare 
 like the former, I put him to death." But his mind was so 
 restless, that he assembled about twenty Serkerdeha (grandees), 
 most of them advising him to put you to death. One of them, 
 my enemy, who was dismissed on my account from his situa- 
 tion of governor of Samarcand, said to him, " Your Majesty 
 asks me for my advice : I would recommend your Majesty 
 first to kill the Nayeb, and then the Englishman." I received 
 this news only yesterday, when Mullah Haje informed me of 
 it by his wife ; but fear not, I will stand by you, and to prove
 
 252 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I have been a friend of Stoddart and Conolly and Sir Alex- 
 ander Burnes, I will show you something." 
 Here he produced the following documents : 
 
 I. From Colonel Stoddart. 
 
 6 November, 1841. 
 
 I write this document in certificate of my sense of the good 
 offices rendered to me at Bokhara by Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan, 
 who was extremely kind to me while I was recovering, under God's 
 mercy, from severe fever and ague. I was ordered to this house 
 in the beginning of this year, from the D aster- Khanjee ; and since 
 I have been with him, he has been of good service in forwarding 
 my communications to and from the Ameer, and with Govern- 
 ment, and in aiding to obtain permission for my departure from 
 Bokhara. I have reported, and will further report, all the details 
 of his good offices to Government ; and I give him this as testi- 
 mony of my gratification and sense of his kindness by way of 
 introduction to any Englishman, and as he has requested it, 
 thinking it may some day serve him, with my best prayer that 
 God Almighty may bless him and his family. I sign this. 
 
 CHARLES STODDART. 
 
 Given at the Garden. 
 
 II. From Captain Conolly. 
 
 Received from Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan three thousand 
 tillahs, which I have promised to get invested for him in the 
 Honourable East India Company's Fund. I take this money on 
 public account, and will write suggestions for allowing the Nayeb 
 twenty per cent, profit on it (the Bazaar rate of exchange to Cabul) 
 when I next address the Envoy and Minister at Cabul. This I 
 merely give as a note of hand, to secure him against accident to 
 myself in the interim. 
 
 ARTHUR CONOLLY, 
 On a special mission to Turkistaun. 
 
 Then, after this, the Nayeb pi-oduced a most friendly letter 
 in Persian, but signed in English by Sir A. Burnes, which 
 entirely deceived me with respect to the Nayeb's character; 
 for Sir A. Burnes had warned me against the Nayeb when I 
 met him at Cabul. So I thought that Sir A. Burnes might 
 have changed his opinion about the Nayeb, and have been de- 
 ceived with respect to his character when he saw him in 1832;
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 253 
 
 and 1 was further deceived by a letter, recommending me to 
 him from Colonel Sheil ; and lastly, by a despatch sent from 
 Lord Aberdeen to Colonel Sheil, in which Abdul Samut 
 Khan was recommended as a man worthy of credit. 
 
 The time of evening approached, and the band of sol- 
 diers played " God save the Queen," which most agreeably 
 surprised me. I then asked him whether there were any 
 other Europeans there. He told me that there was one Ita- 
 lian, Giovanni Orlando by name, who came from Constan- 
 tinople to Khokand with a Khokand ambassador ; that on the 
 taking of Khokand, the king intended putting him to death, 
 but that he, Abdul Samut Khan, saved his life, and brought 
 him and his wife to Bokhara, where he now gains his livelihood 
 by watch mending. I saw the man afterwards; he is a good- 
 natured fellow, of fair capacity, who was, as he expresses him- 
 self, " Un povero miserabile, nel suo paese," which is Parma, 
 and is " Un povero miserabile " in Bokhara. My readers will 
 perceive, in the latter part of this work, that this poor man 
 has excited no small interest in his behalf on the part of his 
 Government. However lowly the individual, that Government 
 has felt that its meanest subject is well worthy of its most 
 strenuous efforts to save him. I wish all Governments were 
 equally in earnest in their efforts to save high or low, rich or 
 poor, from foreign tyranny. 
 
 I then asked Abdul Samut Khan whether there were Rus- 
 sian slaves at Bokhara. He replied that there were in the town 
 and in the villages about twenty. I said that I should like 
 to ransom them ; I had no authority for doing so, but I knew 
 that my friends in England would assist me. He said that 
 he would procure for me the twenty slaves for one thousand 
 tillahs (ducats). I agreed to that, in case I could openly take 
 them with me. He said that he would arrange the matter. 
 I wrote therefore a letter to Lord Aberdeen about it. 
 
 He then said he would give into my charge three thousand 
 tillahs, to invest in the Bank of England. To this I decidedly
 
 254 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 objected, assigning as my reason, 1st. that I was totally un- 
 acquainted with money matters ; 2nd. that it was very danger- 
 ous to carry so much money through the desert. He replied 
 that he would send one of his own servants with me as far as 
 Meshed, who should carry it ; and he said, " You will certainly 
 not refuse, when I deliver you from such a tyrant." 
 
 At last one of the Makhrams of the king came on the king's 
 own business, and Dil Assa Khan also approached us. After 
 the Nayeb had conversed with the Makhram a few minutes, 
 the Makhram, Dil Assa Khan, and myself, sat down in the 
 open garden with the Nayeb, to partake of a supper, when the 
 Nayeb began, " But Mullah Youssuff Wolff, about one matter 
 I have been astonished ; and that is, that you came here with 
 such a shabby present for such a great king as Nasir Ullah 
 Behadur, who is a Padishah, and the Padishah of Bokhara 
 Shereef and of Samarcand, of the tribe of Mankid, to bring 
 for such a king only a present valued in the market-place at 
 ten tillahs ! You ought to purchase here for the Padishah 
 nine times nine shawls, according to the usage of the country, 
 every shawl to the value of thirty tillahs ; so that you will 
 have to incur an expense of eighty-one times thirty, which 
 will amount to two thousand four hundred and thirty tillahs, 
 but a little sum for the great Power of England." 
 
 I then said to the Nayeb, in the presence of the Makhram 
 and Dil Assa Khan, " Now I must make you acquainted 
 thoroughly with my circumstances, and with every circum- 
 stance connected with my mission to Bokhara. The Govern- 
 ment of England was thoroughly convinced that the report of 
 Stoddart and Conolly's death was true, and a mighty vizier, 
 Sir Robert Peel by name, openly stated all circumstances in 
 the House where all the grandees of the empire assemble ; but 
 some friends of mine and myself doubted the fact, especially 
 as I was well treated at Bokhara twelve years ago. These 
 few friends have allowed me one thousand tillahs for my jour- 
 ney to and from Bokhara. If Stoddart and Conolly had been
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 255 
 
 alive, I might have thought myself authorized to spend two 
 thousand four hundred and thirty tillahs, and even more, for 
 their release ; but as they are dead, I have neither authority 
 from my friends who have sent me, nor from Government." 
 
 Nayeb, Stoddart and Conolly's pay was but two hundred 
 rupees a month, and yet they would have paid one hundred 
 thousand tillahs : how much would you pay if you were im- 
 prisoned ? 
 
 Here I perceived the height of my unguarded observation, 
 and I began to tremble, and was already somewhat afraid that 
 the Nayeb was not quite sincere. The Makhram departed, 
 and it was already about midnight, when suddenly Makhram 
 Kasem came from the city to the garden, breathing hard ; the 
 gate was shut, but his Majesty had ordered the gate to be 
 opened. The Makhram told us that when he brought the 
 written conversation held between the Nayeb and myself, 
 Hasrat his (Majesty) was sitting with his head supported by 
 his hands, when suddenly he started and exclaimed, " What 
 did Youssuff Wolff say ?" They gave him the paper to read : 
 he immediately sent word that the ambassador would be ready 
 in a few days to depart with me to England, with presents for 
 the Queen. " Now," said the Nayeb, " you have permission 
 to leave ; and after to-morrow we send for Mortesa the Kan" la 
 Bashi, who goes to Meshed ; and before you leave, there will 
 be also ready articles of Conolly and Stoddart." 
 
 At this period, by order of the Ameer, I addressed the fol- 
 lowing letter to Captain Grover, giving the official details of 
 the execution of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly : 
 
 (OFFICIAL.) 
 Sir, Bokhara, May 5, 1844. 
 
 I write this letter in the house of Nayeb Abdul Samut 
 Khan, the chief of the artillery and of the arsenal of his Majesty 
 the king of Bokhara, a sincere and excellent friend of the British 
 nation, and in the presence also of his Majesty the Ameer's Makh- 
 ram (private chamberlain) ; and I write this letter officially, by 
 order of the king of Bokhara, to whom I give a translation of the
 
 256 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 letter, and therefore confine myself only to the most necessary 
 topics, without comment, and without any observation on my part. 
 
 1st. On the 29th of April, the King stated to me, by medium of 
 the above-named Nayeb, and in the presence of Mullah Kasem 
 the king's Makhram (private chamberlain), that he had put to 
 death, in the month of Sarratan, 1259, Colonel Stoddart and Cap- 
 tain Conolly. Colonel Stoddart was put to death, firstly, on 
 account of his having treated Eoyalty with the greatest disrespect 
 on different occasions ; secondly, that he had turned Mussulman 
 and then returned to the Christian faith ; thirdly, that he had pro- 
 mised to get letters from England, and fourteen months had 
 elapsed without receiving any answer, though the king had erected 
 Japar-khanas (post-houses) on his account. And with regard to 
 Conolly, that he had been put to death for having induced the 
 Khans of Khiva and Khokand to wage war against the king of 
 Bokhara, &c. His Majesty has given me permission to leave 
 Bokhara on the 9th of May, i. e. Friday next. 
 
 From Meshed I shall write every thing more fully. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 Your humble and obedient servant, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF, 
 
 Mullah of England. 
 
 A musical band played " God save the Queen." They 
 were Hindees from Lahore, formerly in the service of Run- 
 jeet Singh. 
 
 The Jews Elias and Haym called on me and said, " We 
 also saw poor Stoddart and Conolly brought bound to the 
 slaughter. Habeeb, one of the Makhrams, said, " Would it 
 were in my power to kill Saadat ! " When we passed the 
 place of execution, this fellow showed us, with the delight cf 
 a demon, the heads of Stoddart and Conolly, and observed, 
 " Here are the heads of the Infidels ! " 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan gave me also the following circumstan- 
 tial account of the death of one Todderweis, a German, who 
 had known Abdul Samut Khan in India, and who had been 
 killed, on his own showing, at Bokhara ; and though the said 
 Todderweis was all the time alive at Teheraun, it is only an 
 additional proof that Stoddart and Conolly and Wyburd had
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 257 
 
 been killed, and that Abdul Samut Khan was the murderer 
 of them. 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan related to me the murder of Todder- 
 weis in the following manner : " Now think, Mullah Joseph 
 Wolff, what a tyrant the Ameer is ! Todderweis, a German, 
 wrote to me from Heraut, that he wished to be employed in 
 the service of the Ameer. I wrote to him that he should not 
 come ; but in spite of my warning, he set out for Bokhara. 
 As soon as he came to the frontier he was blindfolded, 
 brought to Bokhara, and without my being allowed to see 
 him he was put to death. If I could have seen him, or 
 spoken to him, I might have saved him ; but you Europeans 
 are suspicious, and Todderweis did not even use my name." 
 
 Now, on my arrival at Teheraun, I found Todderweis alive, 
 who told me that Abdul Samut Khan had most particularly 
 urged him to come to Bokhara; but when he (Todderweis) 
 heard of the death of Stoddart and Conolly, he changed his 
 mind and did not go, though he had written to Abdul Samut 
 Khan that he was preparing to set out. However, another 
 European went instead of him, " who was immediately seized, 
 blindfolded, brought to Bokhara, and put to death," as Yar 
 Muhammed Khan told me. This is the account of Tod- 
 derweis. It agrees with what I heard from several Usbecks 
 at Bokhara, that Abdul Samut Khan triumphantly said, when 
 the European from Heraut was executed, " I deceived him, 
 and made the infidel come here. 11 He did so, and then de- 
 nounced him as a spy, and therefore he was blindfolded and 
 executed ; and as Abdul Samut Khan's intended victim was 
 Todderweis, he supposed that he had entrapped his former 
 friend, and not a total stranger. The infamous character of 
 the Nayeb is only the more apparent from this change of cir- 
 cumstances.
 
 258 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Colleges of Bokhara Manner of Lecturing. Derveeshes supported by the 
 Ameer. Jewish Synagogue at Bokhara The king of Bokhara attached 
 to the Jewish Religion. Bokhara and Samarcand. Singular Report of 
 Dr. Wolff, that he understood seventy-two Languages, knew seventy- 
 two Religions, and had conversed with seventy-two Nations, and that 
 he had come from Sulmistaun to convert the Bokharese. Makhram sent 
 from the Ameer with a Question, How the Authenticity of the Christian 
 Religion is shown ? Answer. Makhram sent again, with a Request 
 that the History of Muhammed, as related by the Learned Men of 
 Europe, should be written by Dr. Wolff, and transmitted to the King. 
 Dr. Wolff consents, on the condition that he should not be forced to 
 embrace Muhamrnedanism. Dr. Wolff writes the Life of Muhammed. 
 
 THE day following the conversation with the Nayeb, given 
 in the previous chapter, (it was on a Monday), the Makhram, 
 Dil Assa Khan, and myself, mounted our horses. Dil Assa 
 Khan now began to ride near me, the Makhram Kasem spoke 
 in a friendly manner, and pointed out to me the colleges of 
 Bokhara, which are splendid and beautiful buildings. 
 
 In these colleges the writings of the learned Sunnees, as 
 well as of the Sheahs, are read and discussed. Oratory, rhe- 
 toric, poetry, and logic are studied, besides the Koran ; dis- 
 putations are carried on in a scholastic manner ; Jelaal, Bey- 
 dawee, are read. They take as their guide the schools es- 
 tablished in Yemen. And, as I have witnessed it when in 
 Yemen in the year 1837, it is remarkable that the very mode 
 of opening their lectures is taken from the manner adopted in 
 Yemen. The teacher as well as disciple lifts up his eyes first 
 to heaven, the palms of his hands are then turned to his face 
 while the Fatkha is recited, and then they stroke their beards ; 
 and I must observe that all judicial transactions are opened 
 in this manner, and after a present is given from a superior
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 259 
 
 to an inferior, it is also recited. The same custom exists in 
 Yemen, and only in Yemen, by which it appears to me that 
 Bokhara has taken her customs and manners from the learned 
 of Yemen. They have a convent at Bokhara, dedicated to 
 the famous derveesh Mawlana Jelaal Uddeen, who centuries 
 ago went from Bokhara to Iconium. The derveeshes at Bo- 
 khara are fed at the expense of the Ameer, but he does not 
 permit them to indulge in any impertinencies, and frequently 
 bastinadoes and puts them to death. 
 
 The Synagogue of the Jews at Bokhara is a very ancient 
 building, but quite out of repair. The Ameer gave his con- 
 sent, during my stay there, to the Jews to repair the synagogue 
 a little, but not to extend the ground. They have here an 
 ancient MS. of Daniel, and in chap. viii. is the number two 
 thousand four hundred, instead of two thousand three hundred. 
 
 Though the king of Bokhara is a friend to none, yet he 
 seems to have some predilection for the ceremonies of the 
 Jewish religion ; he frequently goes to the house of Rabbi 
 Simha on the day of Tabernacles, and sees them celebrate that 
 feast, and partakes of their dinner. He has never seized on a 
 Jewish woman, as he has done on the wives of his great minis- 
 ters. He has even appropriated to himself the wife of the 
 excellent Grand Kazi. He is also anxious to learn from them 
 their views of the Messiah. 
 
 I shall now take this opportunity of saying a few words on 
 the cities of Bokhara and Samarcand. 
 
 Bokhara is situated in 39 37' north latitude, 80 19' east 
 longitude. It is surrounded by deserts, and watered by the 
 little river Wafkan, which flows between forests of fruit- 
 trees and gardens. It has eleven gates, and a circumference 
 of fifteen English miles; three hundred and sixty mosques, 
 twenty-two caravanserays, many baths and bazaars, and the 
 old palace called Ark, built by Arslari Khan one thousand 
 years ago, and has about one hundred splendid colleges. The 
 houses have neither roofs nor windows. The population 
 
 s 2
 
 260 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 amounts to one hundred and eighty thousand, composed of 
 Tatshicks, Nogays, Aflfghauns, Mervee, Usbecks, and ten 
 thousand Jews, who are dyers and silk traders, and must wear 
 a small cap, and girdle around their waist, to be distinguished 
 from the Muhammedans. There are several thousand slaves. 
 There are about three hundred merchants from Scinde, and 
 many derveeshes. Whole streets contain nothing but shops 
 and magazines for merchants from all the parts of Turkistaun, 
 Cashgar, Hindustaun, and Russia. There are great numbers 
 of country-houses, with gardens called Jehaar-Baghs, in 
 the suburbs. Most delightful villages are to be found for 
 eight miles around Bokhara. A sickness prevails, chiefly in 
 the city, called Rishta an immense worm comes out of the 
 knees, and makes people frequently lame for life ; it is ascribed 
 to the water. Ophthalmia is also prevalent. There is only 
 one Jewish physician of any skill, who prides himself on know- 
 ing the sense of the word " antimonial," and perpetually uses 
 it, as Abdul Samut Khan prides himself on knowing how to 
 say, "Halt! front!" 
 
 Karkee, near the Amoo, is a strong town, with one hun- 
 dred and fifty houses, about one hundred English miles from 
 Bokhara 
 
 In the cities of Oratepa, Karakol, and Jesagh, the Usbeck 
 chiefs, called Serkerdeha, have their country-houses ; but they 
 are now much oppressed by Nasir Ullah Behadur, the present 
 king of Bokhara, who often takes possession of their wives 
 and sons. 
 
 The chief of the mullahs at Bokhara has the title of Mullah 
 Kelaun (grand mullah), a man of excellent character, who 
 deplores the murder of poor Stoddart and Conolly. 
 
 Of Samarcand, the rival city, formerly the place of residency 
 of Timur, in the midst of the beautiful valley Soghd, I have 
 to remark, that it was not long since the seat of the king of 
 Bokhara in the time of winter ; but as this- town is frequently 
 in a state of mutiny, he seldom goes there. It was known in
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 261 
 
 the time of Alexander the Great by the name of Marakanda 
 Regia Sogdianorum, and contains the sepulchre of Timur. 
 It is still the seat of oriental literature, and called ' the Orna- 
 ment of the Face of the Earth.' It has a wall of clay, and 
 forty thousand inhabitants; a beautiful palace, and many 
 houses of marble; many mosques and colleges. It was for- 
 merly inhabited by Chinese, who manufactured paper of silk; 
 and it once had the name of Bokhara-T sheen, but received the 
 present name from the conqueror Samar, after Christ 643. 
 Oologh Beyk erected there an observatory. There are two 
 thousand Jews there. Near it is a little town called Sheeras, 
 and it is probable that the poet Hafiz alluded to Sheeras 
 near Samarcand in his lines, 
 
 " If that Turkish girl of Sheeras would give me her heart, 
 
 I would give, for one mole of her cheek, Samarcand and Bokhara." 
 
 for there are no Turkish girls at Sheeras in Persia. 
 
 A report was spread abroad, I found, throughout the whole 
 country of Bokhara, that Mullah Joseph Wolff, the grand 
 derveesh from England, was acquainted with seventy-two lan- 
 guages, with seventy-two religions, and had conversed with 
 seventy-two nations of the earth. That, further, I had been 
 in Sulmistaun, i. e. the ' land of darkness," Tartarus, and that 
 I had called on the Ameer to compel all the inhabitants of 
 Bokhara to embrace the religion of Jesus. 
 
 The Ameer sent one day to me the Makhram, with the fol- 
 lowing question, of which I was obliged to write down the 
 answer : " How do the Christian mullahs prove the truth of 
 their religion ? " 
 
 I replied : I. That its Divine Founder, Jesus, and his re- 
 ligion, were predicted, centuries before his coming on earth, 
 by the prophets of old. 
 
 II. By the miracles which Jesus performed, and which 
 miracles were admitted to have been performed by Him by 
 his own enemies.
 
 262 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 III. By the life and conversation of Jesus. 
 IV. By the prophecies which He uttered, and which were 
 fulfilled ; as, for instance, the destruction of Jerusalem was 
 predicted by him. 
 
 V. By the effect which Christianity produced. Christianity 
 teaches a man to set a proper value on human blood. The 
 Christians feel more horror, consequently, than many other 
 nations at the shedding of human blood. 
 
 VI. Christianity fills the heart with compassion and love, 
 even towards others who are not our own people. The Chris- 
 tians are the only people who have established houses for the 
 sick, where they receive attendance and medicine without 
 money ; and also asylums for aged people, and for widows 
 and orphans. 
 
 On another day, when surrounded by many Kalmucks, 
 Merve, Usbecks, Jews, Kaffer Seeah-Poosh, Hindus from 
 Shikarpore, together with Dil Assa Khan, his Majesty sent to 
 me his Makhram with the following command, that I should 
 give him the history of their prophet Muhammed, as related 
 by the learned men among the English and other European 
 nations. This was rather a delicate point, and I therefore 
 first asked his Majesty, whether this would lead to any attempt 
 at forcing me to become a Muhammedan ? He sent me word 
 " Not in the least." I wrote down as follows : 
 
 May God preserve Nasir Ullah Behadur, Ameer of the Mussul- 
 mans, and Shaheen-Shah of Bokhara, the most learned of the 
 Ulema of the Bokhara Shereef ! 
 
 Your Majesty's wisdom, anxious to know the customs and 
 manners and religious sentiments of other nations, imitating in 
 this respect your great ancestor Timur Kurikanee, has graciously 
 ordered me to write down the history of Muhammed as related 
 by Christian historians; a task most difficult for me to perform, 
 since, 1st. I am not so well versed in the Persian language as to 
 write in an elegant style, as such a subject deserves: 2nd. I wish 
 to perform the task in such a manner that it may be consistent with 
 truth, and at the same time not to wound the feelings of any one.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 263 
 
 But as, according to the religion of Jesus, we must obey the 
 commands of kings as far as their commands do not insult the 
 commands of Jesus ; and your Majesty having promised that 
 my undertaking will not lead to a renunciation of my religion, I 
 submit to your Majesty's command by thus writing down the 
 history of Muhammed the son of Abd Ullah, the Prophet of the 
 Mussulmans. 
 
 The empire of Eome was in the decline; the followers of Jesus, 
 forgetting the precepts of the Anjeel (Gospel), given up to vice ; 
 Persia was enervated ; the government of the Yoonaanean, residing 
 in the place called at that time Byzantium, and now Stambool, 
 was given to bad morals; and Arabistaun was divided by inter- 
 nal dissensions in the affairs of this world as well as in religion. 
 No wonder that God sent his chastisement upon all these nations. 
 A man, therefore, was wanted to achieve the overthrow of Asia and 
 part of Africa. Such a man appeared in the person of Muhammed, 
 of the family of Hashem, of the tribe of Koreish. 
 
 The office of Superintendent (Shereef ) of the Kaaba at Mecca, 
 had been at first hereditary in the family of Ishmael ; afterwards, 
 for some centuries, it was vested in the tribe of Khoza ; and in the 
 year 464 after Jesus, the tribe of Koreish deprived the Khozaites 
 of this office by cunning, and afterwards by open force. The 
 office of Shereef of the Kaaba was connected with certain advan- 
 tages : he that occupied so high a situation enjoyed, not only 
 great influence over the city of Mecca, but also, as the holy house 
 was an object of veneration amongst all the tribes, over the whole 
 of Arabia. This high dignity, combined with the government of 
 Mecca, descended through four generations to Abd Almutaleb, son 
 of Hashem, grandfather to Muhammed, the prince and chief of his 
 tribe. Abd Almutaleb had rendered the most essential services to 
 his country. To prevent general famine, the father of Abd Almu- 
 taleb had in aforetime made provision, by permanent regulations, 
 for regular importations of corn, by means of two numerous cara- 
 vans, which departed and returned regularly ; and Abd Almutaleb 
 himself had liberated his country by his valour and prudence from 
 the yoke of the Abyssinians. His liberality was not only extended 
 to men, but the birds of the air and the beasts of the field felt the 
 effect of his benevolence. On a certain day of every month he 
 fed all the poor of the city upon the roof of his house ; and also 
 directed his servants to carry appropriate food to the beasts on the
 
 264 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 hills. Abd Almutaleb was crowned also by the plenitude of do- 
 mestic blessings : he had thirteen hopeful sons, and six beautiful 
 daughters. Abd Ullah was one of his younger sons, and his fa- 
 vourite child. He was the jewel of Arabian youths. But not less 
 beautiful and modest was Amina, Waheb's daughter, a Jewess of 
 the noble family of the Zarhites. 
 
 Abd Almutaleb married his favourite son to this beautiful girl. 
 But in the fourth year of her marriage, when she was about to 
 have a child, her husband, on a journey which he had undertaken 
 for commercial purposes, died at Yatreb, now called Medinah. 
 Abd Ullah had had no time to acquire riches ; the whole property 
 he left to his disconsolate widow consisted of five camels and 
 one Abyssinian slave-girl, Barek by name. Two months after the 
 death of her husband, on the 12th day of Raba (April 10, 569 
 A. D.), in the afternoon, Amina gave birth to a boy, who received 
 from his grandfather the name of Muhammed. 
 
 To celebrate the happy delivery of his daughter, Abd Almutaleb 
 prepared a splendid feast, to which he invited the most distin- 
 guished of his family, and in their presence he gave to his grand- 
 son the name of Muhammed ; and the Arabian historians add, 
 that the family of Koreish, astonished at this, said to Abd Almu- 
 taleb, "Why dost thou call the boy thus, as no other of thy tribe 
 bears that name?" Abd Almutaleb replied, "God shall glorify 
 him in heaven whom He has created on earth." We Christians, 
 however, say that the miraculous events which are said to have 
 taken place at his birth, according to Abulfeda, Elmakin, and 
 Masoodee, are evidently imitations of the Gospel narrative of the 
 birth of Christ ; for instance, that rays of light appeared in heaven, 
 which illuminated all the towns, villages, and markets throughout 
 Arabia and Syria; and even many Muhammedan writers doubt 
 these facts, even among the Sunnee. 
 
 Muhammed was consigned to the care of a nurse, Halima by 
 name; and when he was old enough, he kept the flock of his 
 foster brothers and sisters. The boy grew up thriving, lively in 
 spirits, and strong in body ; but was attacked by epileptic fits, 
 which rapidly increased to such a degree, that Halima, in fear, re- 
 turned the boy to the care of his mother. But his mother died in 
 his sixth year, on a journey to see her uncle, and was buried at 
 Al-Aba, between Medinah and Mecca. Abd Almutaleb undertook 
 the guardianship of Muhammed ; but in the boy's eighth year he
 
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 265 
 
 also died, at the age of a hundred and ten years ; and in his dying 
 hour recommended the orphan to the care of Abu Taleb, who 
 became his successor in the office of Shereef. 
 
 Abu Taleb was a wise man, highly respected at Mecca and in the 
 whole surrounding country ; he was merchant, warrior, and hunter. 
 He undertook the education of Muhammed, exercised him in mili- 
 tary hardihood, and tried to inspire him with courage, by taking 
 him with him in his expeditions for hunting the lion. Besides, he 
 made the boy acquainted with mercantile business, for which pur- 
 pose he took him on a journey to Syria. Among his travelling com- 
 panions were Abu-Bekr and Belal, who became afterwards his most 
 zealous partisans in the promulgation of his new religion. On 
 that journey they came near Bosra, in Syria, adjacent to Damascus, 
 where Abu Taleb was acquainted with the monks of the Mandaye, 
 who resided there. The monk Boohyra, of that convent, observed, 
 " Muhammed will become a great man," and Muhammed believed 
 himself the more to be a chosen vessel in the hand of Providence. 
 He had frequently heard wise men, in the house of his uncle, 
 urge the necessity of combining together the conflicting religions 
 of the Arabs into one pure religion, and reducing all the tribes of 
 the nation under the obedience of one common creed. Besides, 
 the historical traditions of the Arabs had much analogy to those 
 of the Hebrews, and coincided with them in a great number of 
 points ; for, as they were of the Shemitic race, they deduced their 
 origin from Abraham and the other holy patriarchs of the primi- 
 tive world. Hence the traditions of a purer faith, and the simple 
 patriarchal worship of the Deity, appear never to have been totally 
 extinguished among the Arabs. In this manner a spark was thrown 
 into the glowing imagination of Muhammed, which produced that 
 mighty Arabian conflagration whose flames were scattered to Tur- 
 kistaun, Hindustaun, and AfTghanistaun by the sons of the desert. 
 
 After their return to Mecca they resumed their usual occupations, 
 Muhammed, as before, spending his time in commercial pursuits 
 and military exploits ; and on account of his tall figure and grace- 
 ful deportment, he was considered the finest and handsomest man 
 in Arabia. When he was twenty years of age, a feud broke out be- 
 tween the tribe of Koreish and the two tribes of Kenan (the Recha- 
 bites) and Hawazan. Under the order of Abu Taleb, Muhammed 
 had the command of a small body of horse; and he distinguished 
 himself so much by his courage and intrepidity, as well as by his
 
 266 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 judicious arrangements, that, by the unanimous voice of his allies, 
 as well as his opponents, the victory was ascribed to the valour of 
 Muhammed. Abu Taleb and the house of Hashem were much 
 gratified with the military glory of Muhammed. 
 
 Other circumstances also combined to raise the reputation of 
 Muhammed. Long before the time of Muhammed, the Kaaba of 
 Mecca had been constituted the great sanctuary of Arabian wor- 
 ship. It contained the Black Stone, the object of the religious 
 devotion of the Arabs from a very ancient period. We meet with 
 a similar form of worship among the Sikhs at Lahore, with regard 
 to the stone called Salkram. When the tribe of Koreish began to 
 rebuild this temple, they were at a loss to know how the Black 
 Stone should be fixed in the wall, and what hands should touch 
 it, when, unexpectedly, the lot fell to young Muhammed. He 
 received from this moment the name of Alameen, the trustworthy. 
 Khadijah, a rich widow, took him into her service. On behalf of 
 his mistress he returned to Syria, and renewed his acquaintance 
 with Boohyra at Bosra. Boohyra made him acquainted with the 
 contents of ancient books, and Solomon the Jew spoke to him of 
 the expectations of the Jewish nation ; and the hope which the Jews 
 still entertained of the future coming of a Deliverer and Prophet, 
 operated powerfully on the mind and imagination of Muhammed. 
 
 In the service of Khadijah, Muhammed undertook other jour- 
 neys to distant Arabia and the Persian Gulf; crossed the Euphra- 
 tes, and stood on the ruins of Babylon, and visited Mesopotamia 
 and Persia. He no longer travelled as a mere commercial agent, 
 but tried to enrich his mind and intellect by various sciences: 
 wherever he came he tried to make himself acquainted with the 
 state of the country, with the laws and character of the natives, 
 and especially the different religions; and the never-ceasing divi- 
 sions, wherever he came, were the chief object of his attention. 
 Burning with a desire of knowledge, he associated with every one 
 of whom he believed he could learn something. Sometimes he 
 frequented the company of the disciples of John the Baptist, of 
 Zoroaster, Manicheeans, and other sects. 
 
 One day, as Khadijah was walking with her companions on the 
 ten-ace of her house, she saw Muhammed returning from his jour- 
 ney. Khadijah sent one of her slave girls after him, requesting 
 him to become her husband ; and she bestowed her hand on him 
 when his whole property consisted of five camels and an Ethiopian
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 267 
 
 maid-servant. A splendid feast was given at the wedding, to which 
 all the inhabitants of Mecca were invited. Twenty-four years 
 Muhammed and Khadijah lived together, contented and happy, 
 blessed with four sons and four daughters. None of the sons 
 survived, the daughters grew up ; their names were Fatima, 
 Zaima, Rukaya, and Usu Khaltoon. He lived fifteen years, pur- 
 suing his public functions with great conscientiousness, treating 
 all inferiors with great mildness, and was a most tender husband ; 
 his moral character without reproach, his outward conduct with- 
 out blame. 
 
 He continued for some time his commercial journeyings, when 
 suddenly he lost at once all desire to travel, loved retirement more 
 and more, and at last retreated, during part of every year, to a cave 
 three hours distant from Mecca, giving himself up to meditation ; 
 when suddenly he declared himself first of all to Khadijah and 
 his children as the long-desired Rasool Ullah, Ambassador of 
 God. It was in the night time of the 23rd and 24th of Ramadan, 
 in the night of the divine decree, that Muhammed declared he had 
 heard a voice upon the mountain of Abuk Beis. When he came 
 down from the mountain, as the Arabian historians some centu- 
 ries after his death relate, a heavenly light suddenly illuminated 
 the country around, and the Koran descended from heaven. The 
 bearer was, according to your Prophet's account, the angel Gabriel, 
 who also had taught him to read ; and he said he had been hailed 
 by the angel Gabriel as the highest Prophet of God, which we 
 Christians do not believe. The angel took the Koran back with 
 him to heaven, but gave Muhammed the assurance that he would, 
 from time to time, as the occasion arose, give him portions of 
 it, divided into Suras. Khadijah declared herself his convert; 
 Waraka, a Jew, and translator of the Bible, also became a convert ; 
 after him Ali, and Abd Ullah, who received the name of Abu Bekr, 
 the father of the virgin, as Muhammed married his daughter. 
 
 Abu Bekr, thirty-four years of age, a man of great weight, 
 engaged other men of authority to embrace the doctrines of your 
 Prophet. However, Muhammed confined himself first of all to 
 his nearest relations and acquaintance, to whom he preached, 
 sometimes in elegant prose, at others in verses, the dogmas of his 
 religion, and in three years he had made about forty converts. At 
 last he declared that Gabriel had ordered him to preach openly 
 and from the house-top to the whole nation.
 
 268 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 He invited the tribe of Hashem to a frugal dinner ; after the 
 repast was over, he offered to them uninterrupted happiness in 
 this life, as well as in eternity, by embracing his doctrine. The 
 guests looked at him with much astonishment, believing him to be 
 mad. Muhammed threatened them with eternal hell fire, which 
 inflamed Abu Lahab, one of his uncles, with such fury, that he 
 cast a stone at him ; when Ali interfered, and declared that he 
 would knock out the teeth, force out the eyes, tear the entrails, 
 and break the bones of every one of those who dared to resist the 
 Prophet. Muhammed was so rejoiced at the emphatic confession 
 of Ali, that he embraced him as a brother ; but when he went so 
 far as to nominate Ali, who at that time was fourteen, as his Kha- 
 leefa, whom every one was to obey, all the guests burst out into a 
 fit of laughter. The bad success of this first attempt was far from 
 discouraging Muhammed ; under the protection of Abu Taleb, 
 who, though not a convert himself, still favoured his nephew's 
 enterprise, Muhammed appeared before the people with the pre- 
 tension of a Prophet, and announced his doctrine by the name 
 of Islam. The more resistance he encountered, the more he press- 
 ed forward. 
 
 The Koreish attempted to crush him, but in vain. Muhammed, 
 however, too weak to resist openly, advised his followers to fly 
 from Mecca. Eighty-three of them, with their wives and children, 
 took shelter under the king of Abyssinia ; but Muhammed remained 
 at Mecca under the protection of his uncle. The principal men of 
 the Koreish went to Abu Taleb, and said, " Thy nephew reviles 
 our religion and sage ancestors, and, accusing them of ignorance 
 and infidelity, makes dissensions and rebellion." Muhammed re- 
 plied, " Even if they were to place the sun to my right hand, and 
 the moon to my left, they shall not bring me back from the road I 
 have taken." However, when the Koreish made an attempt upon 
 his life, he took an asylum in a fortified house upon the hill Zaffa, 
 near Mecca, defended by thirty-nine followers. He had scarcely 
 remained there one month, when his party gained the important 
 acquisition of two powerful men, that of Hamsa, Muhammed's 
 uncle, and Omar. Under their protection Muhammed left Zaffa, 
 and, with an armed escort, he approached the Kaaba, and boldly 
 preached in the open market-places of Mecca. The Koreish chal- 
 lenged him to perform a miracle. His answers were, on one oc- 
 casion, " That he was commissioned to be a preacher only, and
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 26 ( J 
 
 not a worker of miracles." At another time he replied, " that 
 God. out of mercy, would not perform miracles ; for it would only 
 redound to the greater condemnation of the infidels, who after all 
 would not believe." 
 
 The Koreish assembled in the valley of Mecca, in the plain of 
 Muhazzab, in order to consult. The result of their consultation 
 was, not to lay down their arms until they had exterminated the 
 declared enemy of the state, with his whole family, either by the 
 sword, dagger, or poison. This mighty conspiracy was reported 
 to Abu Taleb ; Muhammed and the family of Hashem were sent 
 for ; they immediately fortified themselves in a country-house of 
 Abu Taleb, two miles distant from Mecca. When the Koreish 
 saw that their conspiracy was discovered, they openly proscribed 
 and excommunicated Muhammed, and his whole family and fol- 
 lowers. They marched against him, but they were not able to 
 succeed ; he was already too powerful. They attempted to starve 
 him, by cutting off the wells and provisions ; but he had already 
 too many friends. In his fortress he pronounced his curse against 
 Abu Lahab. They fought for three years with mutual success and 
 defeat ; but, during the four holy months, when the Arabs were 
 obliged to observe a strict armistice, and in which it was not 
 allowed to employ either sword or lance, Muhammed went forth 
 from his fortress and proclaimed himself to the people, and to the 
 pilgrims journeying towards Mecca, as the Ambassador of God. 
 The persecutions he underwent by his opponents fired him with 
 greater zeal, the natural effect of persecutions. 
 
 He spoke with amazing eloquence, every sentence which he 
 uttered fell upon the heads of his enemies like a clap of thunder ; 
 great numbers were added to his party, among them the most dis- 
 tinguished citizens of Medinah. In this emergency of the state, 
 when the downfall and the total overthrow of the constitution of 
 Mecca was to be apprehended, the Arabs chose Habeeb, one of 
 their mighty princes, who had twenty thousand cavalry under his 
 command, as arbiter between them and the Hashemites. Habeeb 
 was one hundred years of age, a Jew in his youth, then a Sabean, 
 and after a Christian, but celebrated in Yemen for his love of 
 justice and wisdom. He undertook willingly the office of arbiter, 
 and encamped with three thousand horse in the plain of Muhazzeb. 
 Muhammed appeared before the judgment-seat of Habeeb; but 
 here Muhammed knew how to state his case with such presence
 
 270 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of mind, that he was honourably acquitted by Habeeb, and even 
 taken under his powerful protection. Habeeb observed to those 
 around him, " Nothing will be able to stem this mighty torrent : 
 he will succeed, and idolatry shall be crushed ! " Tranquillity was 
 restored thus at Mecca, but only for a short time. 
 
 Muhammed made use of the short period of armistice to get the 
 sentence of excommunication recalled, which had been pronounced 
 by the Koreish against the Hashemites, and which excommunica- 
 tion had been deposited in the Kaaba. He sent word to the family 
 of Koreish, that God had revealed to him that a worm had been 
 sent by him into the Kaaba, in order to gnaw through the docu- 
 ment of excommunication deposited in the Ark, except that spot 
 where the name of God was written. The family of Koreish 
 examined the document ; and on finding this to be the case, they 
 annulled it altogether. 
 
 But in the tenth year of his mission, his uncle Abu Taleb and 
 his wife Khadijah died ; and the greatest enemy of his family, 
 Abu Suffian, of the tribe of Ummia, succeeded to Abu Taleb in 
 the government of Mecca. Many of his followers, from fear, left 
 Muhammed ; so that he undertook, in the company of his faithful 
 disciple Saye'd, a journey to Taye'f, thirty miles eastward from 
 Mecca, where he received but a cold reception, and was banished 
 from the city as a madman. 
 
 Resistance and obstacles incited the more the audacity and 
 courage of Muhammed. He returned again to Mecca, and, with- 
 out taking the least notice of Abu Suffian' s threats, he preached 
 from the house-tops to the swarm of pilgrims, and made hosts of 
 proselytes, and gained over to his doctrine six of the most respect- 
 able citizens of Medinah, of the noble tribe of Khasredj and Aus, 
 allied with the Jewish tribe of Karaites and Nadir, who had the 
 greatest influence in Medinah and throughout the Arabian republic. 
 These six citizens swore allegiance to Muhammed, and bound 
 themselves by an oath never to forsake him, and to bear witness 
 of his divine message to the family of Aus, and before all the rest 
 of the tribes. The enthusiasm of these six citizens laid the first 
 foundation of the worldly grandeur of Muhammed ; and his su- 
 premacy gave to the history of the world a new direction. 
 
 Till this period, Gabriel only was the person who initiated him 
 as a prophet ; but in the twelfth year of his mission he obtained a 
 higher call. On the night of the 20th of the month of Rajab,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 27 1 
 
 while Muhammed slept in the valley between Saffa and Merva, 
 suddenly he was awaked by a voice saying, " Sleeper, awake ! " 
 When he opened his eyes, he saw Gabriel standing before him in 
 his true figure, enwrapped in rays of light, having round his fore- 
 head a royal tiara, upon which was written, in strokes of fire, the 
 words, 
 
 Gie* I* GoD ; cuvD it/otSUi-ij 6u/fc ^>D ; ou/D DTLufjctttuHeD l&e 
 ^ctap&et of ^"oD. 
 
 The angel announced to him that the Highest had called his 
 Prophet to converse with Him. A horse, saddled and bridled, 
 Al Barak, i. e. the lightning horse, stood near the angel, which had 
 the head of a horse, but with the face of a man, two wings like 
 an eagle, his colour grey, mixed with white, but resplendent like 
 the stars when illuminated with the light of the sun. The horse 
 WBS unruly, and when Gabriel reminded him that he stood before 
 Muhammed the Prophet, it availed nothing until Muhammed 
 himself promised that a good stable in Paradise should be pro- 
 vided for his comfort: then he was calm and resigned. Gabriel 
 took hold of the bridle, and with the swiftness of thought they 
 arrived at Jerusalem, where, at the gate of the Temple, a multitude 
 of patriarchs and prophets were standing, desiring his intercession 
 and blessing, and wishing him a happy journey. Barak was tied 
 to a rock, and Muhammed ascended with Gabriel on a ladder up 
 toward heaven. For a few moments they stood before the gates of 
 the heavenly realm. The porter, on being informed that Gabriel 
 and Muhammed stood without, immediately opened the gate ; when 
 an old man came to meet the Prophet, who bowed with deep hu- 
 mility, and recommended himself to the prayers of Muhammed. 
 This old man was no other than Adam, the father of the human race. 
 
 The journey extended to the second, third, fourth, fifth, and 
 seventh heaven. The first was of silver, set with jewels; the 
 second of gold; the third of transparent diamonds; another 
 vaulted entirely with the odour of roses and other flowers ; but 
 the seventh consisted of nothing but splendour and divine light. 
 He conversed with Abraham in the seventh heaven, and there he 
 observed two angels continually occupied in writing the names of 
 some men, and erasing those of others. 
 
 In the seventh heaven the angel Gabriel left him, and he alone 
 continued his progress to the throne of God. When he approach- 
 ed his foot-stool, he read the inscription, " God, and nothing but
 
 272 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 God." The Almighty laid his hands upon Muhammed's breast 
 and shoulders. God revealed to his Prophet deep mysteries, and 
 granted him many prerogatives, the knowledge of languages, 
 and the privilege of retaining for his own private use the spoils 
 taken in battle : also an order from God that his followers should 
 pray fifty times a-day ; which, however, at his instant intercession, 
 was reduced to five times. 
 
 He returned, accompanied by Gabriel, to Jerusalem, where he 
 mounted his horse Al Barak, and was in the twinkling of an eye 
 again in the plain between Saffa and Merva, one mile from Mec- 
 ca. The whole journey, which, according to Arab calculations, 
 required eleven thousand years to perform, was accomplished 
 by hirh in less than an hour. Gabriel then took leave of him, and 
 Al Barak, the horse, reminded Muhammed most humbly of his 
 promise to provide a comfortable stable for him in Paradise. 
 
 But his friends begged him not to speak openly of his journey 
 to heaven, as it would only expose him to ridicule. However, 
 Muhammed openly proclaimed it, and Abu Bekr confirmed it; 
 but the family of Koreish declared that he must be either mad or 
 an impostor ; but he was more successful at Medinah, where the 
 story was not only believed, but embellished by his followers. 
 With the assistance of his disciple Mozab, the greater part of 
 Medinah was converted to him. Seventy-two men and women 
 were sent to Mecca from Medinah to Muhammed to pay him 
 homage, and they promised him, after a secret conversation with 
 him, to assist him in war, defensive and offensive. He nominated 
 immediately twelve chiefs, whom he endowed with temporal and 
 ecclesiastical power. Before they returned, the ambassador asked 
 Muhammed, " After thy native place shall have acknowledged 
 thy virtues and thy merits, wilt thou forsake us?" He answered 
 with a smile, " All is now common among us : your blood is my 
 blood ; your happiness is my happiness ; your misfortune my mis- 
 fortune. The bonds of religion have united us together for ever ; 
 yea, the bonds of honour and general interest. I am your friend, 
 and for ever the enemy of your enemies." They replied, " If 
 we should fall in thy service, what would be our reward?" He 
 replied, " Paradise." They then said, " Muhammed, give us thy 
 hand." He gave his hand as a pledge, and the union was made 
 for ever ; and from that time Islam was the ruling and universal 
 religion of the inhabitants of Medinah.
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 273 
 
 This union produced general consternation among the tribe of 
 Koreish. They determined to murder Muhammed, whose fol- 
 lowers were scattered abroad; but he was saved by his nephew 
 Ali, and Muhammed took shelter with Abu Bekr. They both 
 escaped. Abu Bekr was oppressed with gloomy thoughts. " Why 
 art thou cast down?" Muhammed asked him. " Dost thou not 
 know that we are not alone?" "Who is with us?" asked Abu 
 Bekr. " TJllah," (God,) Muhammed answered. 
 
 They hid themselves in a cave in the mountains of Tur. The 
 tribe of Koreish came near the cave, but did not observe them. 
 After three days they left the cave. Abu Bekr procured two 
 camels and a guide, by name Abd Ullah, an idolater, and they 
 commenced their journey to Medinah. But suddenly they were 
 overtaken by Sorak, one of the Koreish cavalry, who ran upon 
 them with his lance ; but his horse took fright, which gave 
 Muhammed and Abu Bekr time to escape, and they arrived 
 safely at Medinah. 
 
 This flight, called the Hejra, 622 A. c., was the beginning of a 
 new era. After a fatiguing journey of twelve days along the sea- 
 shore, they at last arrived at Medinah on a Friday, when Muham- 
 med made his solemn and pompous entrance, met by five hundred 
 citizens, and all the fugitives who had preceded him. Muham- 
 med sat on a she-camel, and an umbrella of palm-leaves sheltered 
 him from the sun. Abu Bekr rode by his side, and Boreida be- 
 fore him, with a flag in his hand. Thousands saluted the Prophet 
 in the street, and from the windows of the houses. lie was re- 
 ceived with shouts of jubilee and joy. Thousands desired him to 
 be their guest, but Abu Tayeb had the honour of receiving the 
 Prophet under his roof. 
 
 A few days after, he laid the foundation of a mosque and a 
 house for himself and family. Both buildings were completed 
 in less than eleven months, for Paradise was the reward pro- 
 mised to the builders. He next began to exercise the func- 
 tions of High-priest and King. He instituted public prayers ; he 
 preached daily under a palm-tree ; appointed the times of fasts 
 and ablutions. Magi, idolaters, Persians, and Jews came daily to 
 Medinah to pay homage to the Prophet, and he made any reform 
 he pleased in the state. At last he held a public levee, nominated 
 civil and military officers, and commanded every Mussulman to 
 take the sword, or pay a contribution for the expense of the war, 
 
 T
 
 274 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 at the first summons of the Apostle ; and every war declared by 
 Muhammed was styled the holy mar. He had a great seal, with 
 the words engraved on it, " Muhammed the Prophet of God." 
 
 The battle of Bedr was fought in the year 623. Abu Suffian 
 marched against Muhammed with seventy-five thousand men ; the 
 Prophet had only fifteen thousand to oppose to him. Already he 
 was defeated ; shouts of triumph were heard from the camp of the 
 enemy, when Muhammed himself came forward with a detachment 
 of troops from an ambush, and exclaimed, with a voice of thun- 
 der, " Angel Gabriel ! come down with eleven thousand angels ! " 
 Arrows were flying and darts hurled at the same moment; his 
 already-defeated army, imagining themselves to be protected by 
 invisible hosts of celestial warriors, took fresh courage, and Abu 
 Suffian's army, struck with a panic, took flight, and Muhammed 
 gained the victory. 
 
 Immediately after the battle of Bedr, that of Ohod was fought. 
 Khaleed, the son of Waleed, marched against Muhammed. The 
 idol of Lat and Uthal, the protector of Khaleed's army, was 
 placed at a little distance, guarded by only a few men. Muham- 
 med was again giving way, when he rode up to Ali, and com- 
 manded him to hasten with a detachment of cavalry to the idol, 
 and break it to pieces. Ali, with the swiftness of lightning, 
 obeyed his command. Khaleed's army, perceiving their idol 
 destroyed, took to flight, and Muhammed again was victorious. 
 
 At length, in the year 629, the daughter of a Reehabite, like 
 another Jael, mentioned in the history of the Jews, undertook 
 to deliver Arabia from Muhammed ; she administered poison to 
 Muhammed, which produced inflammation in the brain. " None 
 has ever suffered such pains as I do," he observed to Omar. 
 " Go thou, and perform the prayer in the mosque, instead of me." 
 Already Omar had ascended the pulpit, when Muhammed raised 
 himself upon his couch, and said to his attendants, " Pour cold 
 water over me." They obeyed ; he then rose from his bed, and 
 said, " As long as I shall have breath in me, I shall perform 
 public prayer myself." He went to the mosque, and called to 
 Omar to stop. He performed the prayers with a loud voice, 
 went home, laid down on his bed, uttered three dreadful 
 shrieks: his last words were, " Rasool Ullah," (Ambassador of 
 God), and expired.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Sensation produced by the Life of Muhammed Copies of it circulated 
 through Balkh, Khoollom, Mazaur, and Cabul Remarks of the Sheikh 
 Islam on it. Yar Muhammed Khan advises the King to behead Dr. 
 Wolff. Ak Muhammed Beyk appointed Ambassador from Bokhara 
 to England. Mischief occasioned by the Servants of Colonel Stoddart 
 Colonel Stoddart ends his diplomatic Relations with Yar Muhammed 
 Khan by kicking him down stairs. Questions by the Makhrams King's 
 Remark on Dr. Wolff's Personal Appearance. The People call Dr, 
 Wolff Khoob Ademee, " the Good Man." The King gives him three 
 Names. High reputation of Sir Moses Montefiore among the Jews of 
 Bokhara. Further questions put by the Makhrams by order of the 
 Ameer to Dr. Wolff Dr. Wolff's reply to each. The Dastar Khanjee 
 a disgrace to Manhood. Peculiar Character of the Post at Bokhara 
 The Ameer reads all the Letters of his Subjects. Interview of Dr. 
 Wolff with the Ameer. Dr. Wolff demands of the Ameer the Bones 
 of Stoddart and Conolly The King threatens to send Dr. Wolff's 
 Bones to England. Dr. Wolff hears of the Villany of Abdul Samut 
 Khan from various persons Refused permission to depart by reason 
 of the Detention of the Bokhara Ambassador in Persia Writes to 
 Colonel Sheil Russian Slaves refused Liberation. Conversation with 
 the Officers of the Nayeb. Hassan Shirazi. 
 
 THE sensation excited by my paper on Muhammed, as soon 
 as copied and delivered to his Majesty the king, was immense. 
 He sent for the Sheikh Islam, for the Kazi Kelaun, and all 
 the rest of the mullahs. The Sheikh Islam observed, " This 
 Life must be kept among the library in the great mosque: 
 and it is remarkable with what prudence Joseph "Wolff 1 has 
 contrived to state his sentiments without giving offence, and 
 at the same time delivers with sincerity the sentiments of wise 
 Christians with regard to our Prophet." Copies were ordered 
 by his Majesty to be taken and sent to Balkh, Khoollom, and 
 Mazaur ; and Mullah Buddr-Deen, the great merchant from 
 
 T 2
 
 276 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Affghanistaun, sent copies to Cabul; and Khodsha Sahib, a 
 merchant from Cashmeer, sent to his friends at Cashmeer; 
 and the governor of Samarcand sent copies to the mullahs of 
 Samarcand and Orateppa. And the Sheikh Islam observed 
 to his Majesty, k ' A great calamity will befall the city, if 
 Joseph Wolff is killed at Bokhara, and not sent back to his 
 country with distinction. 111 His Majesty the king replied, " I 
 have given myself a terrible wound by having killed Stoddart 
 and Conolly." 
 
 May 5th. I received permission to depart, on the 9th of 
 this month, from the king. At this period I laboured under 
 the most pleasing delusion as to the real character of the 
 Nayeb, and in the innocency of my heart wrote to England to 
 that effect. I continued to labour under this delusion for some 
 time. The 9th arrived, but with it no permission to depart. 
 The king, however, and the Nayeb continued to treat me 
 kindly. I soon, notwithstanding, found that I was surrounded 
 by a mass of treachery nearly unparalleled. The first glimpses 
 broke in on me from a discovery that I made as to Yar Mu- 
 hammed Khan, of Heraut. This villain promised to recom- 
 mend me to the Ameer of Bokhara, and he kept his word. 
 He did so for decapitation. The Ameer, however, did not 
 attend to him, being prepossessed against him, fortunately for 
 me, otherwise I might not now live to tell the tale. 
 
 Wednesday, the 14th, was again fixed for my departure 
 with Ak Muhammed Beyk, a great Turkomaun chief, who 
 was to accompany me with presents from the Ameer for our 
 Queen, and a letter. Apparently great outward kindness was 
 shown to me, for when I wanted to be bled, the king sent 
 word that I ought not to do so previous to a journey. I called 
 on the king in my Bokhara dress, and his Majesty laughed 
 heartily at my appearance. He is wholly uneducated, but 
 not without talent. I remained in the house of Abdul Samut 
 Khan. People began at last to assume sufficient courage to 
 call on me. They all expressed their astonishment that I
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4 277 
 
 should be better treated than the Russian ambassador, and 
 they began now to bow to me in the street. One day I fell 
 from my horse in the street, but was not hurt, which they 
 ascribed to my carrying the Bible always about with me. 
 Though I did not feel the effects then, this fall afterward pro- 
 duced a rupture, which greatly inconvenienced me, since I had 
 to ride twelve hundred miles on horseback without a bandage. 
 
 O 
 
 On inquiry, I found in all directions that Colonel Stoddart's 
 servants did him immense injury. All the accusations against 
 my poor friend Conolly were of the idlest description. Colo- 
 nel Stoddart was certainly a most rash and inconsiderate man. 
 The story of drawing his sword on the Makhram that was to 
 present him to the king, was in everybody's mouth as a gross 
 violation of the etiquette of the court. 
 
 , I conversed one day with several people of Heraut. They 
 spoke highly of English officers, and related the following 
 story of Colonel Stoddart: "He was visited on one occasion 
 by Yar Muhammed Khan, who was, as the Heraut people 
 expressed themselves, the greatest Haram-Zadeh in existence. 
 Colonel Stoddart spoke to him about the affairs of Kamran 
 Shah, and after a few remarks by him on the villany of Yar 
 Muhammed Khan, the discussion became so warm, that Colo- 
 nel Stoddart rose and said, ' With you I shall soon have 
 done,' and kicked him down stairs." This was diplomacy 
 with a vengeance. 
 
 Every day of my residence here brought with it some ques- 
 tion to be solved for the king's satisfaction. On even the 
 second day of my arrival, the king sent one of his Makhrams 
 to ask two questions. 1st. Whether. I had the power to raise 
 the dead? 2nd. Did I know when the day of resurrection 
 would take place ? My answers were written down. 
 
 One day the king remarked to the Nayeb, that I was the 
 most singular being he had ever seen. I was not like any other 
 European. I was not like an Englishman, or a Jew, or a 
 Russian, in my outward appearance and conduct.
 
 278 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I pass here by the name of the Khoob Ademee, ' the good 
 man,' among the people. In the very market-place they say, 
 " The Englishman is come, and he asked Hasrat (his Majes- 
 ty), Why have you killed my countrymen ? After him more 
 of his people will come with force and power, and our Nayeb 
 is occupied with the Englishman for some great design and 
 purpose.' 1 
 
 About this time, May 14th, 1844, the king learnt the de- 
 tention of his own ambassador at Meshed on my account, and 
 therefore determined to detain me. I continued, however, to 
 ride about without strict surveillance on to the 22nd. The 
 king wrote letters to the Sultan and Shah. Ambassadors are 
 sharper looked after than myself, for they are not permitted 
 to get clear of a very strict surveillance. His Majesty looked 
 upon Dil Assa Khan as a contemptible dog, he told me, for 
 not having fulfilled his duty to the Assaff-ood-Dowla. He 
 gave me three epithets. 1st. Joseph Wolff the Original. 2nd. 
 Joseph Wolff the Star with the Tail. 3rd. Joseph Wolff the 
 Timid One. 
 
 The Jews of Bokhara have taken courage, and called on 
 me. The name of Sir Moses Montefiore, and the rumour of 
 his exertions for the benefit of the Jewish nation, have reached 
 their ears, and those of their brethren in Samarcand, Balkh, 
 Khokand, and Heraut. And Sir Moses Montefiore will be 
 surprised to learn that his exertions in behalf of the Jews have 
 drawn the attention of the Jews in those distant regions to the 
 doctrines of Christianity ; for many Jews, when at Bokhara, 
 observed to me that the religion of the Gentiles in England 
 must absolutely be better than that of Muhammed, as the pro- 
 ceedings of Sir Moses Montefiore in behalf of the Jews are 
 not only tolerated, but also countenanced, supported, recom- 
 mended, and eulogized. And about Rothschild they say, that 
 in a country where one can so openly make a display of one's 
 property, the religion of that nation must be better. 
 
 The reason why his Majesty called me Joseph Wolff' the
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 279 
 
 Timid One, I discovered to be from the cause that Ameer 
 Asian told him that I was ill from the apprehension of losing 
 my head. He supposed this to be the case, from a sudden 
 illness with which I was seized in the market-place. His 
 Makhram continued to come down daily with questions such 
 as these : 
 
 The mode of travelling in Persia, Turkey, and England ? 
 To this I replied, giving an ordinary explanation ; but his 
 Majesty could not understand why we had no camels in Eng- 
 land, and I had to write an immense time before he compre- 
 hended our rail-road travelling. 
 
 Whether the Queen has a husband ? I answered this in the 
 affirmative, but told him that the government was in the hands 
 of the Queen. He then exclaimed, " What kind of husband 
 is he, that is under the government of his wife?" 
 
 Why a woman is Queen, and not the husband ? I pointed 
 out that the succession ran in the eldest branch, male or 
 female, and illustrated the position by James of Scotland. 
 
 The Ameer wished another day to have the names of the 
 four grand Viziers, and twelve little Viziers of England, and 
 the forty-two Elders. I gave to his Majesty a list of the 
 names of the present Ministry, when the Makhram returned in 
 a fury, and said that his Majesty had found me out to be a 
 liar ; for the four grand Viziers, according to Colonel Stod- 
 dart's account, were Laard Maleburne, Laard Jaan Rawsall, 
 Laard Malegraave, Seere Jaane Habehaase. I was brought 
 in to the king, and then had to give a complete idea of the 
 Constitution of England. Though his Majesty could not 
 understand it fully, I yet convinced him that my list might 
 be true also, especially as I was able to tell him the names of 
 the Whig administration. 
 
 At the same time his Majesty asked me whether witches 
 were to be found in England ? To which I replied, that witch- 
 craft was prohibited to the Christians, and, according to the 
 old law of England, was punished with death ; that this arose
 
 280 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 from the fact that witchcraft required, to complete its rites, 
 shedding of blood, and other unlawful acts ; and consequently 
 for that, independent of any other question of its effects, was 
 punished with death, under Jewish and Christian ordinances. 
 That witchcraft does not now exist, and that scarcely any one 
 in England believes in the existence of it at all. I was the 
 more anxious to say this, lest from the circumstance of their 
 entertaining the notion of my being a wizard, I might suffer 
 those very serious consequences that my predecessors in the 
 black art had from time to time experienced. It will further 
 be seen, in the progress of this Narrative, that it was reported 
 that Abdul Samut Khan and I practised witchcraft at our 
 meetings ; when, in truth, that mighty alchymist was only 
 bent on transmuting me into as much solid gold as possible 
 by the dint of his philosopher's stone, cruelty, incarceration, 
 and threats of death. 
 
 On another occasion I was asked, How many ambassadors 
 her Majesty had, and how they were treated ? I gave a list 
 of ambassadors, and stated that they were not guarded and 
 watched, as was the practice at Bokhara, but enjoyed full 
 liberty and high distinctions and privileges. 
 
 The king then asked, Whether they would kill his ambas- 
 sador at London ? I replied, if any Englishman did so, he 
 would immediately be put to death, by the laws of the land ; 
 and to illustrate it, I told him of the good reception of Dost 
 Muhammed Khan in India. 
 
 Why do the English people like old coins? was then de- 
 manded. I explained that their value in the eyes of English- 
 men arose from the circumstance, that coins were looked upon 
 as the very backbone on which the frame of history is sup- 
 ported. That without them we could not ascertain the dura- 
 tion of the world, dynasties of kings, and national events. 
 That they were the great guides of the historian in deter- 
 mining his eras, and formed a metallic history of the earth ; 
 and that statues and ancient monuments were used as similar 
 auxiliaries.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 281 
 
 Who Ghengis Khan was ? After the usual particulars of 
 this well-known life, I added that the Jews believed that he 
 was one of their nation. 
 
 Who Dareius was ? I then detailed the history of this 
 monarch, whom they call Takianus. 
 
 How the English govern India? After general details, I 
 pointed out the toleration of the British government in India, 
 allowing all persons to follow their own religion, and making 
 no difference in the exercise of law between Englishman, Mu- 
 hammedan, and Hindoo ; and that if an Englishman were to 
 insult a Muhammedan or Hindoo, relative to religion or any 
 other matter, he would be severely punished. 
 
 The names of the richest Jews in England ? Rothschild, 
 Goldshiith, Sir M. Montefiore, and Cohen. 
 
 Whether the Queen has the power to kill any one she 
 pleases ? No, but she can pardon whom she pleases ; and 
 persons who have even attempted the life of the Queen have 
 not suffered, but been pardoned. I explained that the Queen 
 was compelled to submit her rights to' the trial by jury, as 
 well as the lords or commoners. On which one of the Makh- 
 rams observed, " What kind of a Sovereign is this, that cannot 
 take away any life that she pleases?" 
 
 How many farsakhs an hour a steam-ship goes? I said 
 three and four farsakhs (about sixteen miles) an hour. 
 
 The Bokhara ambassador, alluded to in one of the above 
 questions, was a man of striking appearance. He was a Tat- 
 shick, and his brother one of the first merchants in the place. 
 
 The instances of villany which I daily detected of Dil Assa 
 Khan were perfectly startling. I found out that he had laid 
 a plot to sell me to the Hazarah. Next to the Dastar Khanjee, 
 I considered him at this time one of the most wicked men I 
 had ever seen. This man, who is placed over the king^s 
 kitchen, and at the same time has also the custom-house under 
 him, and occupies in fact the position of king's Vizier, is only 
 twenty years of age, and has been raised to this office for
 
 282 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 demerits unmentionable in any journal or narrative. He is 
 one of the most voluptuous and effeminate villains imaginable. 
 When he is older, it is generally hoped by the inhabitants, 
 and confidently expected by them, that the king will decapitate 
 him, and seize on his enormous wealth. He treated Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly with peculiar severity. The 
 less said of this disgrace to manhood the better. 
 
 In order to exemplify in the best manner the tyranny of 
 the Ameer of Bokhara, I need only mention the following 
 facts : That every letter sent from Bokhara, and every letter 
 arriving for their merchants and dignitaries, and every private 
 note which the wife writes to her husband, or the husband to 
 the wife, must first be opened and perused by the king of 
 Bokhara ; so that actually it is a matter of the utmost diffi- 
 culty to forward letters to Bokhara. This circumstance may 
 plead an excuse for Colonel Sheil ordering Muhammed Ali 
 Serraf not to forward the letters from Sir Moses Montefiore 
 by an express gholam ; for even if the letters arrive, the 
 people are afraid to receive them. The Khaleefa of Mowr 
 alone is able to forward letters to Bokhara with safety ; but 
 of this circumstance Colonel Sheil was not aware, and Mu- 
 hammed Ali Serraf had no inclination to make use of the 
 Khaleefa. 
 
 Another act of tyranny committed by the Ameer is, that 
 boys are employed as news-writers, whose duty it is to report 
 to him every word which other boys talk in the street, even 
 brother to brother at home ; and servants in families are also 
 obliged to write down for the king any conversation they hear 
 between husband and wife, even in bed ; and the people set 
 over me were ordered to report to him what I might happen 
 to speak in a dream. Such written reports are called Areeza, 
 i. e. petitions to the king. But whilst his Majesty has es- 
 tablished such a complete system of espionage, a similar one is 
 established over him, though in secret, by several of the great 
 officers of the state. Abdul Samut Khan boasted to me, and I
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 283 
 
 heard the truth of his statement confirmed by others, that he 
 (Abdul Samut Khan) knew every sentence and every half 
 sentence the Ameer uttered, and all that is spoken to him. 
 Abdul Samut Khan was exactly informed of every word that 
 I uttered on a certain Friday that I went to the Selaam 
 (levee) of the king; viz. that I had requested his Majesty to 
 give me the bones of Stoddart and Conolly, and that his 
 Majesty's answer was, " I shall send your bones." The 
 Ameer is evidently afraid of Abdul Samut Khan, for as often 
 as Abdul Samut Khan exercises his artillery by ordering 
 cannons to be fired, the Ameer sends one of his Makhrams 
 to the Nayeb, who lives outside the town, to inquire for what 
 purpose the cannons are fired ; and I witnessed that in a single 
 day three or four times Makhrams came to Abdul Samut 
 Khan with the same question. 
 
 It may be asked, " Does the Ameer fear England?" I say 
 exceedingly : so much so, that when I arrived there for three 
 days he was sitting with his head leaning upon his hands, 
 in deep thought ; and he observed to the Grand Kazi, " How 
 extraordinary ! I have two hundred thousand Persian slaves 
 here, nobody cares for them ; and on account of two En- 
 glishmen a person comes from England, and single-handed 
 demands their release." 
 
 There are two Armenians from Astrachan at Bokhara ; the 
 name of the one is Barhur-Dar, and the other Hoannes, who 
 were forbidden by the Ameer to approach me. They are 
 suspected by the inhabitants to be Akbar-Nuwees (report 
 writers), some say to the English government, and others to 
 the Russian. I however found a real friend to the British 
 government in a Khoja Sahib, a merchant from Cashmeer, 
 who chiefly opened my eyes about the infamous Nayeb, 
 Abdul Samut Khan, and who told me, " That rascal has 
 never told you how ill he treated Conolly, poor Conolly, and 
 gave him nothing to eat after he had stopped with him for 
 awhile, for Conolly was too shrewd to be cheated by him."
 
 284 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 With respect to this person (Abdul Samut Khan), I omit- 
 ted to mention that after the long conversation I had with him 
 on the subject of Stoddart and Conolly, given above, that he 
 made me a present of a Bokhara robe, and also one to Dil 
 Assa Khan. On our return to my lodgings in the Toorah 
 Khane from that interview, the good old Yoos-Bashi, when 
 he saw me, wept for joy, as when one sees another returning 
 from a dangerous journey. Also the Turkomauns, Ameer 
 Sarog and Kaher Kouli, who were formerly distant in their 
 demeanour, again took courage to salute me. After three 
 days I called again on the Nayeb. He informed me that he 
 had already paid thirty tillahs for five camels to Mortesa 
 preparatory to my departure, and twenty tillahs I should 
 have to pay him at Meshed. I said, "Why so? I only 
 want two camels, which amounts to six tillahs, (about three 
 pounds); but he replied, that he should have to give me so 
 many effects of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, which 
 he had recovered at great personal cost from others, that I 
 should not know what to do with them. He showed to me 
 three mantles (khelats) from Conolly, when a curious thing 
 happened. A soldier (sirbas) exclaimed, on passing, as he 
 caught a sight of the khelat, " I know that : we took it from 
 the palace of Muhammed Ali, king of Khokand." The 
 Nayeb exclaimed, " Pedret Sukhte ! ' May thy father be 
 burned;' but do you know they belonged to Conolly Saib?" 1 
 and I observed him giving the man a look of peculiar expres- 
 sion. The soldier slowly walked off, but when he saw me 
 again, he told me, " The Nayeb lies. We took it from the 
 palace of the king of Khokand. You will never come out of 
 this place again. The Nayeb, Pedre Sukhte Nayeb, will do 
 with you as he did with Stoddart and Conolly. He killed 
 them, and he will kill you. 1 ' Whilst we were talking, I heard 
 the shrieks and howlings of people. I asked, " What is that?"" 
 He said, " This is the prison kept by the Nayeb for those 
 whom he suspects, and whom he suffers to starve from hunger." 
 The Nayeb came, and our conversation was interrupted.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 285 
 
 I asked the Nayeb, " Will the rukhsat (permission to de- 
 part) be given to day ?" He said, " Yes ; and for this reason 
 I beg you now to give me a receipt for five thousand tillahs. 
 Three thousand which I will give you now ; one thousand for 
 the Russian slaves, whom I will deliver to you to-morrow ; 
 and one thousand tillahs which you have to pay for Conolly's 
 and Stoddart's effects, for the bribes which I have given to 
 the people, and the hire of the caravan Bashi." I exclaimed, 
 "Great God! can you show me the account?" He showed 
 me an account. I said, " Give me this account." Nayeb. 
 " Not now, but give me your receipt ; you have to do with 
 the Nayeb, who will not deceive you." I gave him the 
 receipt for five thousand tillahs. 
 
 In the evening, instead of the permission to depart, Makh- 
 ram Cassem came with the following message from the king : 
 " His Majesty had already ordered the letters to be written to 
 the Queen of England, and the presents which were intended 
 for her Majesty the Queen of England were already pre- 
 pared ; but his Majesty had just been informed, that the 
 Vizier Mukhtar (ambassador) of England at Teheraun had 
 offered one thousand tillahs as a daily compensation, as long 
 as the Bokhara ambassador was detained within the confines 
 of Persia. His Majesty the Ameer therefore was determined 
 to keep Joseph Wolff at Bokhara as long as his ambassador 
 was detained in Persia." 
 
 This news was like a thunder-bolt to me. On the receipt of 
 this intelligence, I wrote the following letter to Colonel Sheil : 
 
 To Colonel Sheil, at Teheraun, thence to be sent to his Ex- 
 cellency Sir S. Canning, Constantinople, and thence to the 
 Earl of Aberdeen, who mill kindly communicate the con- 
 tents of it to Captain Grover. 
 
 My dear Colonel Sheil, &c. Bokhara, May 15, 1844. 
 
 Ak Muhammed Beg, a powerful chief of Turkomauus, was 
 already appointed as ambassador to the Queen of England from 
 the King of Bokhara, of which I sent to all of you a copy, and T
 
 286 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 was to set out on the 12th instant for Meshed, after I had made 
 my dua to his Majesty, when he received a message from Meshed, 
 that the Assaff-ood-Dowla detained his ambassador there on my 
 account. He is therefore determined to keep me until his ambas- 
 sador comes back. I beg you therefore to send an order from 
 Muhammed Shah to the Assaff-ood-Dowla, that he should imme- 
 diately permit the Eljee of Bokhara to depart from Meshed for 
 Bokhara. Pray do so, for he (the king) is a determined fellow, 
 and would keep me ten years if the ambassador is not sent. I 
 write this letter in the house of our friend Nayeb Abdul Samut 
 Khan, who has taken great trouble about me. 
 
 I have recovered a journal. [The Nayeb did not give me this 
 journal, as he promised. It contained, among other matters, a 
 description of fortresses from Khokand to Bokhara. The official 
 seal of Stoddart was also retained by him.] I also have got the 
 official seal of Stoddart. The king does not attempt to justify his 
 having murdered Todderweis and Naselli. [I found Todderweis 
 alive at Teheraun, on my return from Bokhara. I asked him how 
 the report originated that the Nayeb had killed him at Bokhara. 
 He said that the Nayeb had invited him to see him, for he knew 
 him in India ; but as he, Todderweis, was informed of his cha- 
 racter, he did not go, being fearful of being enslaved ; but another 
 person, a German, went, who was put to death by the king with- 
 out seeing the Nayeb, who supposed that it was Todderweis.] 
 Poor Conolly had done nothing but what every traveller does : 
 he kept a journal, which made him suspected to be a spy. 
 
 You must pardon my confused style, for I am in a great stew, 
 not knowing how long I shall be kept. I am now allowed to ride 
 about in the town without a Makhram (private chamberlain) of 
 the king, and which even the Russian ambassador was not allow- 
 ed when here. There is now no probability of his putting me to 
 death. He himself said to the Nayeb, " Do not tell Joseph Wolff 
 that Yar Muhammed Khan has written to me that I should put 
 him to death, for it will frighten him." Pray send a copy of this 
 letter to India, and tell them that they should assist me from 
 thence and from England with money, for I must give some pre- 
 sents to those Makhrams who behaved exceedingly kind to me ; 
 and Dil Assa Khan, the Eljee of the Assaff, almost stripped me on 
 the road ; and after I had left Merve, I discovered that Rajab had 
 stolen several things : he was paid by Nur Khyr Ullah in behalf
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 287 
 
 of Colonel Stoddart, so you need not pay him over again. What 
 horrid rascals those natives are ! from the prince down to the low- 
 est subject. The Nayeb has behaved nobly towards me. A report 
 is spread about at Bokhara, that the Nayeb and myself sit together 
 the whole day shut up in a room, and practise witchcraft. Pray 
 get the ambassador soon sent off, and be kind enough to send a 
 copy of this letter to Lady Georgiana also. 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 The Nayeb informed me, that last Sunday the king told him 
 these words : " We will spread about a report that \ve march 
 against Khokand ; but the real object of the expedition will be to 
 take Shahr Sabz by surprise." It would be a great pity if he 
 should succeed. I must abstain from writing to you any thing 
 now about the character of this court, for obvious reasons ; and 
 besides this, you must know that I am at present in a continual 
 fever, and shall be so until I shall be at Meshed. I have taken 
 six hundred tillahs from the Nayeb for expenses, (the Nayeb had 
 made me his debtor to this amount, in presents to Makhrams, 
 which I afterwards discovered he never gave to them,) for the re- 
 covery of Conolly's effects, and for official presents to the Ma- 
 khrams, Shekhawl, 8cc. Pray honour my bills, and I shall arrange 
 with you matters. Abbott authorized me to draw, in case of need, 
 one hundred tomauns on him. The inclosed is a copy of a letter 
 of the king of Bokhara, which I am to take with me to England. 
 
 I took the Nayeb alone, and begged him to give me back 
 the receipt mentioned above ; but he swore by Abdullah 
 Khan, his son, four years of age, to speak on the Sunday fol- 
 lowing to the Ameer, to procure me permission to depart. 
 
 With regard to the Russian prisoners, he sent first of all 
 for an old woman, one hundred and eleven years of age, who 
 spoke Turkish and the Bokhara Persian, and remembered 
 the Empress Catherine ; and when I asked her whether she 
 would return to Russia, she smiled, and said, at the same time 
 striking the ground with her staff, " Here at Bokhara I shall 
 be buried. What shall I do in Russia?" I gave her one 
 tillah, for which, in sign of gratitude, she knocked her head 
 six or seven times to the ground and departed, always moving
 
 288 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 her head and saying, " I return to Russia ? I return to Rus- 
 sia?" He next sent for some other Russians with the same 
 success. Some of them said, " We cannot return, for we are 
 deserters." Others, " We are married here, and have wives 
 and children." 
 
 Behadur Hussein Ali, and other officers of the Nayeb, then 
 took me alone, and said, " You will find at last that the Nayeb 
 
 is a Haram-Zadeh (son of ), who treated Stoddart and 
 
 Conolly as he does you, and Boutenieff, the Russian ambas- 
 sador, whom he detained as long as he could, always pretend- 
 ing to be their friend." Behadur then took me alone, and 
 pulling off his cap and lifting his eyes to heaven, said, in a 
 kind of despair, " Oh, Conolly Saib ! oh, Conolly Saib ! thou 
 wert deceived by that Haram-Zadeh the Nayeb. He has also 
 deceived me, allured me with promises to Cabul from Lahore, 
 and from Cabul to Bokhara; and now he has forced me to 
 marry, and having made a slave of me, will at last kill me, 
 and take the few tomauns I have from me ; but, what is worse, 
 he has already made me his accomplice in every evil work he 
 has committed. I am the keeper of those prisoners, who will 
 never see the light of day again, for he has killed many 
 of them, and I shall be killed also. But I must tell you all, 
 for I am an Indian Mussulman, and have eaten the salt of 
 English people. I knew Mr. Vigne at Cabul ; he has drawn 
 my portrait, and has given me many a rupee. I am not an 
 Iranee, (Persian) ; I am a Hindee, and have eaten the salt of 
 Englishmen. The Nayeb will kill you at last, after he has 
 got money from you. He gave money to Conolly, and after 
 Conolly was dead he got it back again. Pray do not tell him 
 what I tell you ; he will kill me he will kill me. I am not 
 an Iranee ; I am a Hindee, and have eaten the salt of Eng- 
 lishmen." This account of Behadur, delivered with every 
 mark of deep sincerity of feeling, was amply confirmed by 
 Mirza Muhammed Noori and the Yavar, i. e. Major of the 
 Sirbaas, who at the same time added, " That cursed Nayeb
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 28 ( J 
 
 receives every year thirty thousand tillahs from the king, in 
 order to equip the soldiers, and for the cannon foundry ; but 
 he puts the money into his pocket, and suffers the poor sol- 
 diers to go barefoot and starve. He is an enemy to his own 
 country, Persia; and though a Guzl-Bash himself, woe to 
 that Guzl-Bash who is sold to him as a slave ! He never gives 
 them their liberty, except by paying to him three times as 
 much as an Usbeck would demand. Here is Assad Ullah Beg, 
 who has been demanded three times by the Haje of Persia ; 
 and it would only cost the Nayeb a few words to the king to 
 give him liberty to return to Persia, but he has not spoken 
 one single word to the king." 
 
 And I know myself that Assad Ullah Bee; was only sent 
 
 J O J 
 
 back to Persia by the Nayeb after having paid to him ninety 
 tillahs, the whole earnings of the poor fellow for several years ; 
 and besides this a shawl worth one hundred tillahs, whilst an 
 Usbeck would not have demanded more than twenty tillahs 
 for the ransom of Assad Ullah Beg. But to proceed with my 
 Narrative. I was just on the point of returning to my lodging 
 in town, when a curious and rather alarming incident occurred. 
 Hassan Shirazi, formerly servant to Colonel Stoddart, en- 
 tered the garden, and seeing the Nayeb, he said, " My heart 
 trembles as often as I come here. 11 The Nayeb said, " Go to 
 hell, you father of the Curse ! Who tells you to come here?" 
 He replied, " Many have left their heads and bones here, who 
 have entered your house. 11 The Nayeb replied, with a horrid 
 expression, " Go to hell !" The Nayeb then said, " To show 
 you what sort of a fellow that is, when Colonel Stoddart was 
 put to death, this fellow, his servant, being suspected of some 
 designs against the Government, was sent to the Black Well. 
 When there he was asked by one of the Makhrams, by order 
 of the Ameer, * What conversations did the Nayeb hold with 
 Colonel Stoddart?' Then that fellow, Hassan Shirazi, to im- 
 plicate me, replied, ' That Stoddart and I had agreed, that if 
 English or Affghaun troops should come to Balkh, to join
 
 290 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 them ;' and he also stated that Stoddart and I (the Nayeb) 
 had read together two letters which came from Cabul, and then 
 burned them."" 
 
 Now it is very remarkable that if Hassan Shirazi was such 
 a bad fellow as the Nayeb tried to make out, and a traitor to 
 Stoddart as well as to himself, that he (the Nayeb) previous 
 to this had recommended Hassan Shirazi as a servant, to ac- 
 company me back to Persia. But the fact was this, that the 
 Nayeb maintained a secret intercourse with Hassan Shirazi 
 and the other servants of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Co- 
 nolly, to betray them first, and seize on their effects afterwards; 
 and as there is no friendship among thieves, they naturally 
 suspected each other. When I now think over what sort of 
 company I have per force kept in these regions, I am fully 
 convinced, as all at Bokhara were, that the Nayeb intended to 
 include me in the number of his victims. I cannot but look 
 back with horror and dismay on that period. The counte- 
 nance of that villain, Abdul Samut Khan, fell daily more and 
 more, exhibiting ever fresh features of villany ; the mark of 
 Cain grew darker and darker in his vile physiognomy, and so 
 far from imagining evil where no evil was, which has been im- 
 puted to me, the quantitv of evil he not only meditated but ac- 
 tually committed, exceeds the bounds of ordinary imagination. 
 My readers will perceive that I trusted the villain only too long. 
 
 I must proceed. I mounted my horse, and proceeded to 
 the Toorah Khane; but returned the next day to the Nayeb, 
 to urge him for leave to depart. Then the Nayeb informed 
 me that he had put in irons Hassan Shirazi, and incarcerated 
 him on my account; for he had just found out that he was 
 married, and had given to his wife the four tillahs which he, the 
 Nayeb, had given him on my account as wages beforehand, 
 and had told his wife that she should go to a certain village, 
 and that when he had stolen my money he would join her ; 
 but the real reason for incarcerating him was, that the Nayeb 
 began to be afraid of him.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 2<)1 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Disasters of the Sikh Army in Lassa. Csomo de Koros his Researches 
 publishes a Dictionary of the Thibet Language. The Surveillance over 
 Dr. "Wolff grows more rigid Barhurdar, an Armenian, ordered not to 
 visit Dr. Wolff by the Ameer. Nasir Khayr Ullah, a Kaffer Seeah- 
 Poosh, mistaken for Colonel Stoddart from the fairness of his Complex- 
 ion. Conversation between Dr. Wolff and the Nayeb. Letter of Sir 
 Richmond Shakespeare. The Nayeb detains in his possession the Letter 
 of Lord Ellenborough to the Ameer. Nayeb alarmed advises Dr. 
 Wolff to communicate to the Ameer the fact of the Letter having arri- 
 ved Dr. Wolff does so. Hassan Caboolee despatched. Dr. Wolff dis- 
 covers that, though apparently sent, he did not really go. Affghaun 
 Bear-leader imprisoned as a Spy he tells Dr. Wolff that the Ameer 
 sent a Lion to Russia as a Present to the Czar, for which his Ambassa- 
 dor was munificently rewarded ; but that the Czar refused, after the 
 Execution of the British Officers, to hold any further intercourse with 
 the Ameer. The Ameer goes to war with Khokand and Oratepa 
 orders in his absence the Guards over Dr. Wolff to be doubled, and tells 
 him that his Departure will depend on the Success of his Expedition. 
 Dr. Wolff writes to Lady Georgiana and his Son. Conversations with 
 Dil Assa Khan, Abdullah, and others. Dr. Wolff bribes the Guards. 
 Previous War with Khokand King made Prisoner and put to death by 
 the Ameer of Bokhara his Wife and Child barbarously murdered 
 Abdul Samut Khan the chief Agent in the Slaughter. At the news of 
 the Death of Stoddart and Conolly the Inhabitants of Khokand renew 
 the War The Ameer retreats before them and the Khivites. Dr. 
 Wolff contrives to acquaint the British Envoy at Teheraun of the move- 
 ments of the Ameer, and warns the Town of Shahr Sabz of the King's 
 Intention to attack them. Ameer says that nothing prospers with him 
 since the Death of the English Officers. The King of Khokand offers 
 Dr. Wolff an Asylum in his Dominions. 
 
 PREVIOUS to my visit to the Nayeb mentioned in the preced- 
 ing chapter, Muhammedans from Cashmeer called on me, and 
 gave me some information respecting the great disasters which 
 the Sikhs had experienced on their march to Lassa, the cap-
 
 292 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 ture of Thibet, and the residence of the Grand Lama. Several 
 thousand of the Sikh army had been frozen to death, and 
 many soldiers had been found frozen in the very attitude of 
 defence ; so that actually the Chinese, when approaching them, 
 doubted whether they were alive or dead, and dared not dis- 
 turb them. They also told me that the people of Thibet have 
 a prophecy, that the whole country will fall under the English 
 sway. Some of these Cashmeerians were acquainted with the 
 Hungarian traveller, Csomo de Koros, who spent much time 
 in one of the convents of the Lamas near Ladack, where he 
 made researches into the origin of the Hungarian language 
 and of the Huns. This extraordinary man set out in 1826, if 
 I do not mistake, for this purpose, from Paris, and went via 
 Constantinople to Persia, in the disguise of a derveesh. On 
 his arrival at Teheraun, he received the kind hospitality of 
 Sir Henry Willock. Thence he went to Bokhara, Lahore, 
 Ladack, and Calcutta. He wrote the only Dictionary of the 
 Thibet language, I believe, extant, and then died. The 
 Cashmeerians spoke to me also of Mr. Vigne and Baron 
 Hiigel. 
 
 The surveillance over me kept getting more and more 
 severe. An Armenian merchant, Barhurdar by name, from 
 Astrachan, sent me word by Kouli, a servant of Dil Assa Khan, 
 one of the servants that was kind to me, that I should excuse 
 his absence, for the Ameer had sent him a strict order not to 
 approach me. 
 
 The day following my last visit to the Nayeb, Nasir Khayr 
 Ullah entered the garden. Nasir Khayr Ullah was by birth a 
 Kaffer Seeah-Poosh, who are called by many Muhammedans, 
 from the fairness of their complexion, Frankee ; and this is 
 the reason he was mistaken by some for Stoddart himself, 
 whose friend he pretended to be, or perhaps was. He intend- 
 ed, he said, to go to Teheraun, to get some property there. 
 This accounts for the information that Layard obtained at 
 Constantinople, of Stoddart being alive, and passing by the
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 2 ( J3 
 
 name of Nasir Khan, for Nasir KhayrUllah has the name of 
 Nasir Khan. He was formerly a slave, but acquired consider- 
 able property at Bokhara. He showed to me forged letters 
 from certain people who pretended to have carried the bodies 
 of Stoddart and Conolly to India, for which service he (Nasir 
 Khan) said that he gave to them one hundred and fifty 
 tillahs. 
 
 The following conversation took place on that day between 
 me and the Nayeb. 
 
 W. Nayeb, to-day a Jew called on me, and showed to me a 
 note evidently written by Shakespeare when at Jelaal-Abad ; 
 the contents of the note, as far as I can recollect, are as follow : 
 Hussein Cabulee is the bearer of a letter written by the Right 
 Honourable the Governor-general of India to his Highness the 
 Ameer of Bokhara, for which the bearer has received one hundred 
 rupees ; and after having brought an answer from his Highness, 
 he will, on delivery to any British authority, receive five hundred 
 
 rupees more. 
 
 (Signed) SHAKESPEARE, 
 
 Camp, Jelaal-Abad. Military Secretary. 
 
 I knew that such a letter had arrived at Bokhara, and even 
 your brother, Hajee Ibrahim, told me himself so. 
 
 Nayeb (pale and evidently discomposed). I am astonished 
 that I have not heard of this letter before. Nasir Khan has 
 just told me that a Cabul man was in possession of such a 
 letter, but he says that he had left the letter at Balkh. 
 
 As Nasir Khan was already gone, he said that he must send 
 to him to hear more about it; for when he (Abdul Samut 
 Khan) had told the king that Joseph Wolff asserted that the 
 Governor-general had written to his Majesty, his Majesty re- 
 plied, "Where is that letter ?"" In the evening, to my utter 
 surprise, the Nayeb produced the same note of Shakespeare 
 which I saw in the hand of the Jew. 
 
 I heard then by Mirza Muhammed Noori, by the chief ser- 
 vant of the Kazi Kelaun, by Mullah Makhsoom, a Tatshick, 
 and by Moolam Bcyk, that the Nayeb had been all the time
 
 294 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 in possession of the letter of Lord Ellenborough, and the other 
 of Captain Shakespeare, and that it was by a contrivance of the 
 Nayeb with Hassan Caboolee that the note of Shakespeare was 
 shown to me by the Jew Mullah Mesheakh. The letter of Sir 
 Richmond Shakespeare, together with the letter of Lord Ellen- 
 borough, is, as will be seen, in the hands of Colonel Sheil ; and 
 as, according to the testimony of the above respectable people, 
 the letter with Captain Shakespeare's note arrived before the 
 execution of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, it is evi- 
 dent that the official date of 1259 Hejira, corresponding with 
 July 1843, which was given to me by order of the king and 
 Abdul Samut Khan at the beginning, is the correct date, and 
 not erroneous, as I supposed when I arrived at Teheraun from 
 Bokhara. Abdul Samut Khan must have known that to be 
 a mistake; for, though the date of Shakespeare's note is no 
 longer in my memory, I well remember that, when calculating 
 over the date of the note of Shakespeare and its arrival at 
 Bokhara, it could only have been one year before my arrival 
 there. It could only have been in 1259, as the Ameer and 
 Nayeb first told me. 
 
 On the Sunday following these events s the Nayeb went to 
 the king ; and after two hours he came back to the garden, 
 and said, " Now you have leave to depart with all speed. 
 The king asked me what kind of person the ambassador 
 ought to be ; I told him that he ought to be an Usbeck, a 
 stout fellow, with thick head and little beard." 
 
 W. When will all be ready ? 
 
 N. After four or five days. 
 
 W. This is too long. 
 
 N. Oh, you must have patience, for it is an act of the king. 
 Every thing is ready. 
 
 Whilst we were sitting together in the evening, Mirza Mu- 
 hammed Noori, his secretary, and others of his officers with 
 him, he said, "Now you could show to the king that the 
 English people speak the truth. Write to him that such a
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 295 
 
 letter actually exists here, sent from the Governor-general, 
 and that his Majesty should cause search to be made for it." 
 
 W. I shall do no such thing, for this would only be the 
 cause of another delay ; and I do not care what opinion he 
 entertains of me, if he only lets me go. 
 
 The officers sitting by, and Mirza Muhammed Noori, 
 agreed with me, that this would cause a delay; but the 
 Nayeb said, " By the head of Abdullah Khan, my son, it 
 will not ! Write, I tell you, write !" 
 
 I wrote to the king. His Majesty sent immediately to find 
 the man, who came instantly to the garden, escorted by the 
 Makhram, and also Nasir Khan with him. 
 
 Hassan Caboolee, (in apparent fright). "Nayeb, Nasir 
 Khan frightened me, and therefore I did not deliver the 
 letter: now they will kill me. Hasrat (his Majesty) will now 
 kill me." The Nayeb said to him, " Be not afraid ; say 
 where is the letter," and gave him a significant hint. He 
 said, "At Balkh." He was despatched immediately to Balkh 
 at my cost. Six days after, I saw him at Bokhara, which I 
 told the Nayeb ; he replied that somebody else went there on 
 his account. 
 
 At this period I was brought by the three guards to the 
 garden of the Dastar Khanjee, where I met with an Affghaun 
 who came here with a menagerie of wild animals two years 
 ago ; and as the king suspected him to be a spy of the king of 
 Lahore, he detained him prisoner at Bokhara. He however 
 displayed a Muhammedan indifference about his fate. He 
 spoke to me with high regard of the English nation. He had 
 taught his bear to dance, of which he grave a proof to me. 
 
 Of this person also I learnt that the Ameer sent, previous 
 to the decapitation of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, 
 a lion as a present to the Emperor of Russia, for which his 
 ambassador was munificently rewarded by the Emperor. 
 After the execution of both officers, the Ameer sent again an 
 ambassador to Russia, with presents ; but on his arrival at
 
 296 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Orenbourg, he was informed by the governor of Orenbourg 
 that the Autocrat would have no more intercourse with the 
 king of Bokhara, nor was his Majesty the Emperor inclined 
 to accept any letters from the Ameer. The poor man who 
 was sent as ambassador returned to Bokhara, and has been 
 ever since in disgrace. 
 
 In the month of June, when the Ameer went with his army 
 to Samarcand and Khokand, for the purpose of reconquering 
 Oratepa, which had rebelled against him, also Khokand, my 
 prospects of ever being set at liberty were but weak ; for, 
 previous to his departure, he gave strict orders to watch me, 
 and at the same time doubled the guards, and gave me to un- 
 derstand that my receiving permission to depart depended on 
 the success of his expedition. I therefore wrote the following 
 letter in my Bible to Lady Georgiana and my son Henry, 
 which I forwarded to Colonel Sheil; but Colonel Sheil, not 
 opening the Bible, did not know what to do with it, and kept 
 the Bible with him until my return to Teheraun. Here is 
 the letter : 
 
 To the Right Honourable Lady Georgiana M. Wolff, and 
 Henry Drummond Charles Wolff. 
 
 My dearest Wife and Son, Bokhara, June, 1844. 
 
 I am still detained at Bokhara, and the king has now 
 marched against Khokand. Whatever may happen to me, dearest 
 wife and son, remember that you yourselves have nothing to re- 
 proach yourselves, for it was my own choice to make the journey, 
 in order to liberate the prisoners, and remember that our Lord Jesus 
 Christ is now with me. I am not unkindly treated, and am not 
 without hopes of being allowed at last to return with the Persian 
 ambassador, though one cannot depend upon the promise of an 
 unprincipled tyrant, and Yar Muhammed Khan of Heraut has 
 advised the Ameer by three ambassadors to put me to death. God 
 has given me strength to await his will with patience and resigna- 
 tion. Pray amuse yourself, and go to Wiesbaden in summer. I 
 am well treated, but am not allowed to stir out without three 
 guards, and am strictly watched. Tell my dear Henry that he 
 should pardon me if ever I have hurt his feelings, and so I beg
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 297 
 
 you to pardon me. I have never ceased to love you tenderly, both 
 of you, and thank God that we are believers in Christ Jesus. 
 Your affectionate husband and father, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 Dil Assa Khan entered my room with eight Mervee, and 
 he began thus, saying, " What an Englishman are you ! how 
 stingy ! Todd Saheb, at Heraut, gave to the Hazarah, near 
 Heraut, two thousand five hundred tillahs (ducats) for one 
 horse. Pottinger Saheb gave every year thirty thousand 
 tillahs to Yar Muhammed Khan; and do you think that I 
 shall be satisfied with two hundred tillahs? Two hundred 
 tillahs are good for nothing. It is for that reason that I have 
 played the traitor, which I never would have done, if you had 
 given me three thousand tillahs." 
 
 Then his people began : " And what have you done for us ? 
 You ought to have given two hundred tillahs to every one of 
 us ; and thus you would have exalted the Queen of England, 
 and made her name immortal. Instead of this, you gave us 
 only a few tengas (pence) to pay for our bath. Do you think 
 that the Ameer will let you go from here without our inter- 
 ceding for you ? Far from it. Abdul Samut Khan himself 
 tells us that you ought to make us comfortable/' 
 
 Abdullah, my servant, entered then my room and said, 
 " The whole town of Bokhara speak with certainty that the 
 Ameer will put you to death, for it is the wish of Abdul 
 Samut Khan and all the Serkerdeha (grandees) ; and the 
 king of Persia, being a Sheah, has no influence at Bokhara ; 
 but if you satisfy our demands, we will save your life." I 
 turned them all out of the room. 
 
 Then a tailor of Abdul Samut Khan entered, saying, 
 "Abdul Samut Khan has given to-day one hundred tillahs 
 to the Shekhawl : he does every thing for you, but you must 
 spend your money ; if not, he will fail in his trouble." I 
 turned him out of my room. 
 
 Then Ameer Sarog and Kaher Kouli, who had behaved 
 exceedingly well for awhile, so that I gave them a testimonial
 
 298 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 for their good conduct, said, " Mullah Youssuff Wolff, tillahs 
 (ducats) are sweet ; we dream of tillahs day and night, and 
 we dreamt last night that you, on your return to England, 
 sat near your monarch, and all the grandees of your country 
 kissed the hem of your garment. The most beautiful women 
 crowded around you, and desired to be your wives, and you 
 took the daughter of the Queen as your lawful wife. * * * * 
 You will live in the finest palace, except the Queen's, and 
 fanned by dancing girls; and if you shall say to her, ' Oh, my 
 Queen, cut off the head of this or that person, 1 she will imme- 
 diately follow your advice. Both of us, Kaher Kouli and I 
 Ameer Sarog, dreamt this at one and the same time, and 
 therefore it will become true." 
 
 Then the guards entered, and told me that they would 
 admit any one, in case that I gave them money. This I was 
 forced to do. Ameer Sarog and the Turkomaun s observed to 
 me on this occasion, that rich people are possessors of heads 
 and understanding. This is the Turkomaun idiom, and 
 answers to our capitalist, and for the same reason in both 
 tongues. Capital is derived from caput, i. e. head, the un- 
 derstanding, and by understanding we acquire the possession 
 of money, and by money we obtain understanding; and thus 
 money is a capital thing. It allures us with the words of the 
 serpent, " He that eateth of this tree, his eyes shall be opened, 
 and he shall be like gods, (the artful old polytheist,) knowing 
 good and evil." He that eats of that fruit will be considered 
 happy, and a man of intellect. His eyes shall be opened, so 
 that he shall obtain new views of things, of religion, truth, 
 humility, and abstinence. He shall be like the gods, for he 
 shall be numbered among the powerful and mighty. Incense 
 is offered unto him, hopes are entertained of him, and he is 
 worshipped. He is himself no longer in need of much of the 
 assistance of God, he thinks, as other men are : he knows good 
 and evil. One thing with him, however, is the thing, and this 
 he possesses: he is a capitalist, or in Turkomaun idiom a Head-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 29 ( J 
 
 holder. If one speaks of a physician, his art is praised, his 
 talent, his industry ; but, as the climax of all men say, " He 
 will make his fortune, become a capitalist ! " If the discourse 
 turn on a lawyer, the same measure is applied, and a Sir Wil- 
 liam Follett dies a capitalist. " Every thing is obedient to 
 money," says many an ancient writer, and owns its headship. 
 This, however, will not always be the measure of might. 
 
 "Needs must the serpent soon his capital bruise 
 Expect with mortal pain." Milton. 
 
 The war with Khokand commenced about this period, and 
 the Ameer, leaving Abdul Samut Khan to follow him, pro- 
 ceeded thither. This was the second war with the people of 
 that unfortunate country in which the present Ameer had 
 engaged. I shall here give the details of the first. 
 
 Muhammed Ali Khan reigned at that time at Khokand, 
 a very mild monarch, and fond of Europeans. He treated 
 Conolly with great distinction, and always advised him not 
 to go to Bokhara. But Muhammed Ali Khan was addicted 
 to the vice of drinking, and to women, which gave time to 
 Nasir Ullah Behadur, the Ameer of Bokhara, to fit out an 
 army against him ; and he marched with several thousand 
 irregular troops, and four hundred regulars and six pieces 
 of artillery, commanded by Abdul Samut Khan, towards 
 Khokand in the year 1842, after Conolly had left the town. 
 He took Khokand by surprise. Muhammed Ali Khan in- 
 tended to escape, but was made prisoner, with his wife. The 
 cruel Nasir Ullah Behadur, at the advice of Abdul Samut 
 Khan, put not only Muhammed Ali Khan to death, but also 
 his wife, pregnant with child. The child was taken out of 
 her and murdered. The slaughter continued a whole day. 
 Abdul Samut Khan told me, smiling, " I never give quarter 
 to any prisoner ; I always kill every one." As soon as the 
 inhabitants of Khokand received the news that both Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly had been put to death, they 
 made themselves again independent, and elected the nephew
 
 300 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of Muhammed Ali Khan, Sheer All Khan by name, as their 
 king ; and made an alliance with the king of Khiva against 
 the king of Bokhara. The Ameer of Bokhara marched 
 against Khiva, but was defeated; on his return to Bokhara, 
 he said, " My bowels of compassion did not allow me to shed 
 more blood i " 
 
 During my stay at Bokhara he prepared again an expe- 
 dition against Khokand, and arrived near Oratepa. As soon 
 as he had learnt that Sheer Ali Khan came out to meet him 
 with eleven thousand Ghirgese, he returned. I sent, previous 
 to his march, a Jew from Bokhara, to give notice to Sheer Ali 
 Khan of the design of the Ameer. My readers have already 
 perceived that I had given notice to Colonel Sheil of all his 
 movements ; for though the Ameer had declared that in case 
 that he should be beaten he would put me to death, I thought 
 it advisable, for the sake of humanity, to risk my life. He 
 was beaten ! I also was informed, my readers have perceived, 
 that he intended to take by surprise Shahr Sabz, a town which 
 never was subdued by the kings of Bokhara ; for the sur- 
 rounding country can be inundated, so that he cannot bring 
 there artillery, and besides this the Shahr Sabz are very good 
 horsemen. I therefore sent there also a Jew, giving notice to 
 the Khan of the design of the Ameer to surprise Shahr Sabz 
 on his way to Khokand. When the Ameer came near Shahr 
 Sabz, he found the whole country, in consequence, inundated, 
 so that his army went towards Samarcand by another direc- 
 tion. The Ameer was heard to say, " Since I have killed 
 these English people, I do not prosper in any thing." I had 
 for about ten days at this period a Makhram, a kind-hearted 
 guard, who allowed Muhammedans to come to me. Among 
 others a Cashmeerian came to me, who said, " Sheer Ali Khan, 
 the king of Khokand, is very anxious that you should come to 
 Khokand, in order that he may, through you, send presents 
 to the Queen of England."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 301 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Mervee wish to know the Story of Napoleon Dr. Wolff recounts it in 
 an Oriental fashion. He amuses the tedious hours of Captivity by tell- 
 ing various Anecdotes His Anecdote of the Arabian Derveesh reaches 
 the ears of the Dastar Khanjee, who reports it to the Ameer. The 
 Kazi Kelaun assures Dr. Wolff that the British Officers were put to 
 death, and that the King deeply repented of the act The Kazi Kelaun 
 warned the Ameer of the Consequences All the Jews knew of the 
 Execution the same day, and the Inhabitants of Bokhara, in town and 
 country, speak of it as a matter well known. Dr. Wolff tells an Anec- 
 dote of Frederick the Great of Prussia. Dr. Wolff laughs at Ameer 
 Sarog's Vanity, and tells him the Tale of the Derveesh with the White 
 Beard. 
 
 SOME of the Mervee, who called on me at this time, wished 
 me to make them acquainted with the life of Napoleon. I 
 will give my readers an idea of the manner in which European 
 facts must be told to Eastern people. I began thus bearing 
 in mind that much of what I said would be considered as 
 referable to my own circumstances : " There is a country in 
 Frankistaun, called the Land of the Francees, which had a 
 great Padisha. He had under his dominion, besides the land 
 of Francees, a little island, called Corsica, in which is a little 
 town with the name of Ajaccio. One of the Serkerdeha resid- 
 ing there was named Bonaparte, who had several sons ; the 
 name of the elder was Lucien, of the younger, Napoleon, 
 who had a great inclination for becoming a Yoos-Bashi, or 
 some other chief among the soldiers; but as in Europe no 
 person can become a chief of soldiers without having first 
 studied the art of soldiery in a school purposely established 
 for that object, Napoleon was sent to a school in the land of 
 Francees, in a small town called Brienne, where he kept but
 
 302 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 little company, and made such progress that he was sent to 
 the capital of Francees, Paris. At this time the people of the 
 land of the Francees rose against their King, for, on their side, 
 they had lost the fear of God ; and on the part of the King, he 
 was not governed by wise counsellors : and it came to such a 
 pitch, that they at last put to death their King and the Queen. 
 And as that King and Queen were related to other Padishahs 
 of Europe, and especially to the Padishah of Nemsa, i. e. Ger- 
 many, they became involved in war, especially as the greater 
 number of the people of the land of Francees began to deny 
 all religion, and even the existence of a God, and persecuted 
 those who said, ' We will rather die than give up our belief 
 in God and in Jesus.' 
 
 "At that time, as I said, the young Napoleon was brought 
 from the school, and distinguished himself at the taking of 
 towns which were not willing to yield to the rebels ; so that 
 Napoleon, who was first Yoos-Bashi, was made Sirhenk, 'co- 
 lonel'; and in the war with the Emperor of Nemsa he distin- 
 guished himself by his intrepidity, so that he became Serteeb, 
 i. e. 'general'; at which time he became acquainted with a 
 lady, of whom it was foretold by a Kawlee-Berband (gipsy), 
 that she should become a great Queen, but then fall again. 
 
 " Napoleon then went to Egypt with an army, took the 
 whole of it, but was driven out by the Englees; after that he 
 had a battle with the combined armies of the King of Nemsa 
 and the Emperor of Russia, in which he beat both of them. 
 He was made a Padishah of the land of the Francees, and 
 thus the prophecy of the Kawlee-Berband was fulfilled. But 
 Napoleon was not satisfied. He wished to become, like Timur 
 Kurican, not only a Jehaun Geer, but also a Jehaun Dar, and 
 he became proud; and he said, as the prophet Isaiah (the 
 comfort of God and peace upon him !) predicted, ' I will sit 
 in the sides of the north ; ' and he went therefore to Russia, 
 where he was overcome by the snow, and by the army of 
 Russia, and was defeated.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 303 
 
 " At last, all the armies of the different kings of Frankis- 
 taun, even the Emperor of Nemsa, whom he had compelled 
 to give him his daughter, combined against him, when he 
 was beaten by the great Serteeb of the English, Arthur Wel- 
 lington, and the Serteeb of the Prussians, Bliicher. He was 
 made the prisoner of the English, and died in an island which is 
 situated between the land of the Ghurb and Hindustaun ; and 
 the prophecy of Isaiah was thus fulfilled : ' They that see thee 
 shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee. Is this the 
 man that made the earth to tremble, and did shake kingdoms ? 
 that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities 
 thereof? that opened not the house of his prisoners? 1 And 
 the prediction of the Kawlee-Berband was fulfilled, that his 
 Queen should fall again. 11 
 
 My readers will be surprised to perceive, that though a 
 prisoner, and not allowed to stir out of the house un watched, 
 that I could amuse myself by entertaining those very people 
 who betrayed me and imprisoned me, by telling them differ- 
 ent anecdotes ; but I did so. They certainly thought me 
 the strangest of captives. They were one evening all seated 
 around me, Dil Assa Khan, Ismael Khan, Kouli, Kaher 
 Kouli, Ameer Sarog, and others of the Mervee. Each of these 
 fellows was well calculated to be a torch-leader in the race of 
 rascality. 
 
 I told them the following story. They were all silent. 
 " There was a derveesh in Arabia, renowned in the whole of 
 Arabistaun as a witty man. When that derveesh passed the 
 house of a great Mufti, he wrote in Arabic three times upon 
 the wall the word Donkey ; and to each of these three donkeys 
 he wrote a meaning. He said, the first donkey is he who has 
 a watch and asks what o^lock it is ; and the second donkey is 
 he who has a horse and who walks on foot." Here I paused, 
 and said nothing, when the whole body of my hearers ex- 
 claimed, "Who is the third? 11 and I said, "Every one of 
 you. 11
 
 304 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 This anecdote reached the ears of the Dastar Khanjee, who 
 wrote to the king, then on the expedition to Khokand, the 
 following words : " Youssuff Wolff, the Englishman, your 
 Majesty's slave, is now very cheerful, and gets fat from your 
 Majesty's bounty ; and he has taken in the whole party who 
 visited him with the following anecdote." 
 
 I had also a visit at this time from the Kazi Kelaun, relative 
 to Stoddart and Conolly. My readers will ask me, and I 
 have been asked in England, What evidences have you that 
 Stoddart and Conolly are dead ? I say, first, that there is no 
 doubt that the king would have given any thing to restore 
 them to me. Even the Kazi Kelaun, on this secret visit, told 
 me that he had never so repented of any act as of that one ; 
 and the Kazi Kelaun himself also said, one afternoon when all 
 around me were asleep, " I warned his Majesty, but he will 
 never hear advice ; and I warned him one hour before he per- 
 petrated the act." All the Jews knew it the very day of the 
 execution, and they all told me of it ; and thus every inha- 
 bitant of Bokhara, and of all the country around, speaks of it 
 as a matter well known. 
 
 On another occasion I told a large party the following anec- 
 dote, which I was obliged to introduce somewhat oddly to 
 make it intelligible : 
 
 " A great Padishah reigned in Nemsa, whose name was 
 Frederick, and who went by the name of ' the Great.' He 
 waged a seven years' war with many Padishahs, and though 
 his men were few, he routed all his foes. As the language of 
 the Nemsa is different from the language of the Francees, he 
 one day gave the following order : ' I, Frederick, have conde- 
 scended to order, that if at any time one of the men of the 
 country of the Francees comes and says, I wish to become a 
 soldier in the army of the Padishah Frederick, the Sirhenks 
 and my officers are hereby commanded not to enlist him ; as 
 the Francees are never able to learn the language of the Nemsa, 
 and give consequently a great deal of trouble.' However, there
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 305 
 
 came one day a man from the land of the Francees, who was 
 very tall, and, as the Sirhenks knew that Frederick the Great 
 liked tall soldiers, they said, ' Let us take him, and try to 
 teach him the language of Nemsa, in order that the king may 
 not find out that he is a Francees.' However, all their 
 attempts to teach him the language of Nemsa were vain ; so 
 that they taught him by rote the answers to three questions, 
 which the king asked every year of every soldier, and of which 
 he never changed the order. The first question which the 
 king asked of every soldier was, ' How old are you ? 1 to which 
 the soldier replied, giving his age. The second was, ' How 
 long have you been in the service?' to which the soldier re- 
 plied according to circumstances. The third question was, 
 'Are you contented with pay and food?' to which he an- 
 swered by the word ' Both. 1 The Sirhenk taught the soldier 
 (the Francees) the following words, as answers to the three 
 questions : ' Twenty years,' ' Three years,' and ' Both.' These 
 he got by heart, and they told him to say at the first question, 
 ' twenty years ; ' at the second, ' three years ;' and at the third, 
 ' both.' The king arrived after a year, and reviewed his sol- 
 diers, and put questions to every one of them, according to the 
 usual order. But when he came to the tall man of Francees, 
 he changed the order, putting the first question, ' How many 
 years have you been in my service?' He answered, ' Twenty 
 years.' The second question of the king was, ' How old are 
 you ?' to which he replied, ' Three.' Hasrat then demand- 
 ed, ' Am I a donkey, or you a donkey? 1 to which he re- 
 plied, 'Both. 111 
 
 At another time Ameer Sarog, the old roguish Turkomaun, 
 sitting in the company of others with me, boasted that he had 
 the finest beard in the company, and that it was completely 
 white. I replied, " Ameer Sarog, do you know the dream of a 
 derveesh ? A derveesh dreamt one day that he saw standing 
 before him an old man with a fine venerable beard ; the der- 
 veesh said to him, ' Oh, I know thee who thou art: thou shalt 
 
 x
 
 306 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 not deceive me with thy fine white beard. I know thee, that 
 thou art Satan,' and began to pull out his beard. Upon which 
 the derveesh awoke, and had pulled out his own beard." I 
 then said to Ameer Sarog, " Take care that you have not a 
 similar dream, for then you will lose your beard to a cer- 
 tainty." They all burst into a fit of laughter, and said, 
 " Don't boast of your venerable beard in the presence of 
 Youssuff Wolff, for he laughs in your beard."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 3(>7 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan tells Dr. Wolff that he was the chief Instigator of the 
 Slaughter at Khokand in the first War his Motives were to create a 
 Feud between the States, which he trusted would end in the Death of 
 the Ameer. Abdul Samut Khan says that the first Expedition against 
 Khokand was by the advice of Russia People of Khokand have since 
 made an Alliance with Russia Policy of Russia was to bring this about 
 by urging the Ameer to war on them, when they would require aid. 
 Russians intend to erect a Fortress at Hasrat Sultan. People from 
 Cabul, Cashmeer, and Sinde call on Dr. Wolff They praise highly Sir 
 Charles Napier. Letter of Sir Charles Napier. Aff'ghauns from Cabul 
 ascribe the Disasters of the British Army to the immoral Conduct of 
 the Officers. Determined Conduct of Major Rawlinson he puts to 
 Death an AfFghaun for Murder. Manners and Customs of the Mu- 
 hammedan Mullahs. Diligence of Muhammedans in copying the Koran 
 Propaganda and British and Foreign Bible Society discharge the 
 same Office by the Christians The Bible would be nearly extinct in the 
 East but for these Societies. Arrival of Abbas Kouli Khan, the Per- 
 sian Ambassador he tells Dr. Wolff that the Shah, Haje, and Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla had strongly recommended him to bring Dr. Wolff with him, 
 or to send him on before him. Nayeb informs Dr. Wolff that Yar Mu- 
 hammed Khan had sent three Ambassadors to Bokhara, stating that 
 Colonel Shell had called the Ameer a Robber in the presence of the 
 Russian and Yar Muhammed Khan's Ambassadors, of Dr. Wolff, and 
 the Bokhara Ambassador; therefore Yar Muhammed Khan advised the 
 Ameer to strike off Dr. Wolff's head. Nayeb offers Dr. Wolff his pro- 
 tection. Turkish Officer, Muhammed Khokaane, murdered in the 
 Nayeb's Garden. Another Conversation with the Nayeb. The Nayeb 
 reports Abbas Kouli Khan's Mission untruly Dr. Wolff' tries to escape. 
 The Nayeb violates his promise to protect Dr. Wolff The King sends 
 for him. Dr. Wolff' charges the Nayeb with the Murder of Stoddart 
 and Conolly ; the Nayeb owns it. Dr. Wolff again tries to escape 
 through a Water-hole from the Garden of the Nayeb to the house of the 
 Yawer While there a Woman is introduced to him ; he is aware of the 
 Stratagem to compel him by her means to embrace Muhammedanism, 
 and drives her from him. Ordered by the King to appear before him 
 leaves the Garden of Abdul Samut Khan presents himself before the 
 
 x 2
 
 308 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Ameer, who receives him sternly. Ordered to the Toora Khane and 
 close Confinement calls on Abbas Kouli Khan, who vows to save him. 
 The King sends word to him that he may quit Bokhara in two ways 
 leaves to his Majesty the choice of either. King sets out for Sa- 
 marcand. 
 
 RELATIVE to the first war on Khokand, I have stated that 
 Abdul Samut Khan was the chief instigator of the fearful 
 slaughter which then took place. The reasons that induced 
 Abdul Samut Khan to advise the king of Bokhara to put to 
 death the king of Khokand, and to massacre as many as pos- 
 sible of the inhabitants, were, that there might be an eternal 
 blood feud between the two states. This feud he trusted 
 would end in the death of the Ameer. These circumstances 
 he communicated to me himself. 
 
 At the time when this miscreant pretended to be my friend, 
 he told me also another highly important circumstance, which 
 was this : that Boutenieff, the Russian ambassador, strongly 
 advised the king of Bokhara to make war on Khokand before 
 the first expedition ; and it is remarkable that since he made- 
 war for the first time, the people of Khokand, as Abdul Samut 
 Khan told me, have entered into an alliance with Russia ; and 
 it is a subject much canvassed, that the Russians intend to 
 erect a fortress at or near the city called Hasrat Sultan, other- 
 wise called Turkistaun. 
 
 On another day, during the expedition of the king to Kho- 
 kand, people from Cabul, Cashmeer, and Sinde called on me ; 
 those of Sinde expressed their highest admiration, not only of 
 the valour and heroism of Sir Charles Napier, but also of his 
 justice and equity. They said his name frightens the Polooj 
 more than the mentioning of the approach of the army ; and 
 I say it again, that I am sure that Sir Charles Napier would 
 be the fittest man to be sent to Bokhara. 
 
 The following letter was written to me while I was at Bo- 
 khara by this truly great man, Sir Charles Napier, governor 
 of Sinde, but it did not reach me until my return thence 
 to Teheraun :
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 309 
 
 My dear Wolff, Sinde, 5th September, 1844. 
 
 I have received your letter and that to your wife, which I 
 have sent to her. I am sure that the King of Bokhara will send 
 you to the Queen of England, to satisfy her that his Majesty had 
 just reason to slay Conolly and Stoddart. I urn glad to hear that 
 his Majesty treats you well. But he should send you to England; 
 this would increase his renown over all the earth. I have a large 
 army here, and if I was ordered by the Queen, I would go to 
 Cabul and take it for England. Give all my best compliments to 
 the King of Bokhara, whose fame is over all the world. 
 
 Your Friend, 
 
 C. J. NAPIER. 
 
 Governor of Sinde. 
 
 I can scarce say whether the kindness or consummate pru- 
 dence of this letter most excited my respect to this distinguish- 
 ed hero. The letter had appended to it the Persian translation, 
 and I could have much wished it had reached me at Bokhara. 
 I am sure that it might have been sent with perfect safety; 
 and even in my imprisonment my heart would have indeed 
 leapt within me with joy, to think on the warrior chief of 
 Sinde's kindness and anxious solicitude for my welfare. These 
 points would also not have been lost on the Ameer. A friend 
 so nigh, a hero whose fame was like a trumpet-blast reaching 
 far and wide, volunteering to come to Cabul with his legions, 
 and speaking of that achievement as a small affair, and it would 
 have been such with him, would not have been lost on the 
 Usbeck sovereign. The whole tone of the letter is well cal- 
 culated to attain its end, and the hint about Cabul might, 
 without much difficulty, be applied by the Ameer to Bokhara. 
 
 But now I come to a very delicate point. Affghauns from 
 Cabul at Bokhara, and also after my departure from Bokhara 
 through the desert to Meshed, ascribed the disaster of the 
 British army, and the indignation of the people of Affghaun 
 against the army, to the conduct of several British officers, 
 whose names I forbear mentioning, and who shocked the feel- 
 ings of the natives by their introducing into the country the
 
 310 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 " vices of Europeans,'" and by the liberties they took with 
 Affghaun women. We see from this, that the exertions of 
 judicious missionaries, who speak with the Muhammedans 
 about the name of Jesus, may not shock the Orientals, but the 
 immoralities of Europeans assuredly will. The general idea 
 around Cabul is, that most of the British officers did not be- 
 lieve in a God. At Candahar it is quite different ; the names 
 of Major Rawlinson, of Nott, of Lugin, of Todd, are men- 
 tioned with respect ; and the following account which I heard 
 at Bokhara about Major Rawlinson pleased me very much, 
 and the people who related it spoke with admiration of Major 
 Rawlinson's self-possession at the following occurrence : 
 
 An Affghaun in open daylight put to death an Englishman 
 at Candahar ; he was brought bound before Major Rawlinson. 
 The major addressed him, " Why have you murdered that 
 Saheb?" The Affghaun answered "I would kill you, if 
 my hands were not bound." The major, " Why so?" The 
 Affghaun replied sternly, " What business have you infidels 
 to enter our home ? You infidels have no business in our 
 home. Affghanistaun belongs to us, and it belonged to our 
 ancestors. What business have you in our home ?" An Aff- 
 ghaun present turned to Major Rawlinson, and in order to save 
 the criminal, said to him, " Major, he is mad." The murderer 
 heard him, and said, " I am not mad ; I am full of under- 
 standing : these infidels have no business in our home. 11 Upon 
 which the Affghaun paid the penalty of his crime by death. 
 
 I have now to touch on another point, namely, on the man- 
 ners and customs of the Muhammedan mullahs at Bokhara, 
 and all over the world. The dignity of Sheikh Islam, of 
 Kazi, of Mufti, of Imaum-Jumaa, are the highest which are 
 in the Muhammedan persuasion, and they correspond to those 
 of archbishops and bishops in the Christian church, and the 
 honours conferred on them by the monarch exceed those con- 
 ferred on the Christian clergy by any king: thus, for instance, 
 the Sultan kisses the hand of the Sheikh Islam at Constanti-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 311 
 
 nople, and the Ameer of Bokhara kisses the hand of the 
 Sheikh Islam there; yet those very Sheikh Islams are sur- 
 rounded by the poor of their nation, and the poorest has free 
 access to the Sheikh Islam. We frequently hear poor mul- 
 lahs (priests) and others of the poor laity say, " I must go to 
 my Sheikh Islam at Bokhara;" and I heard others say, " I 
 must go to the Imaum-Jumaa at Meshed. 11 And this confi- 
 dence of the poor towards their clergy is also prevalent among 
 the Armenian, Greek, and Chaldean and Jacobite Christians ; 
 " I must go up to the Katokhikos at Ech-Miazin, in order to 
 receive relief:" 1 one hears the same thing said in the Armenian 
 dwellings at Wagarshabat, and in those around Mount Ararat. 
 This confidence of the poor in their prelates also prevails in 
 the Roman Catholic church, and there exists also a strong re- 
 liance of the poor on their ecclesiastical authorities among the 
 Lutherans in Germany. I frequently saw, in the year 1811, 
 the Superintendent-general Voigt, at Saxe Weimar, and Dr. 
 Flatt, at Tubingen, surrounded by poor ; and I heard those 
 very superintendents frequently listening, not only to the en- 
 treaties, but even to the insulting remarks of the poor, who 
 are often very impertinent : I say I heard them frequently 
 listening to them with the greatest attention. It were highly 
 desirable that this prevailed to a greater extent in Christian 
 countries among the dignitaries of their respective establish- 
 ments. 
 
 The Muhammedans are also very diligent in copying their 
 Koran, on which account thousands of copies are always ex- 
 tant. This is not the case with copies of the Bible. Neither 
 Jews nor Christians have the means of obtaining many written 
 copies of their sacred documents; and therefore, if the Pro- 
 paganda had not in former times, and the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society in our own, sent printed copies to the East, 
 the Christians would certainly have been without any of the 
 sacred records, save a few preserved in convents. 
 
 At last Abbas Kouli Khan, the Persian ambassador, on
 
 312 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 whom I knew my life depended, arrived. I called on him 
 the first day, when he told me that Muhammed Shah, the 
 Haje, and the Assaff-ood-Dowla, had strongly recommended 
 him either to bring me back, or send me on before him ; but 
 I was scarcely with him a few minutes, when the Nayeb sent 
 for me to give me important news. I immediately went to 
 him, and he said that there had arrived now three ambassadors 
 from Yar Muhammed Khan, saying that Colonel Sheil and 
 myself, when at Teheraun, had quarrelled with the Bokhara 
 ambassador ; that Colonel Sheil had called the Ameer a rob- 
 ber, who had stolen Stoddart and Condly's property ; and 
 that Colonel Sheil had done so in the presence of the Russian 
 and Yar Muhammed Khan's ambassadors ; and that he (Yar 
 Muhammed Khan) therefore advised the king to cut off my 
 head ; but the Nayeb said, " Now remain with me here in 
 the garden ; if the king does not send for you in a few days, 
 I will let you escape, either to Shahr-Sabz or Organtsh. I 
 swear to you by the head of Abdullah Khan by the Koran, 
 that I will do so; and if the king will take you by force, 
 I will beat the drum drum ! drum ! drum ! and say, ' Halt, 
 Front!" 1 for I know that the king will send you home. The 
 king said that he knew that Yar Muhammed Khan was a liar, 
 and uttered a few words which convince me that he will not 
 kill you ; i. e. I must send Joseph Wolff soon away, for I 
 have had wounds enough since I killed Stoddart and Conolly." 
 Haje Muhammed Khokaane, a Yoos-Bashi, i. e. a ( lieu- 
 tenant,' in the service of the Sultan of Constantinople, who 
 had not seen his mother for the space of eleven years, came 
 to Bokhara at this time on his way to Khokand. He was 
 arrested by order of the Ameer, and sent to Abdul Samut 
 Khan. The Nayeb, being afraid lest the Ameer should insist 
 on employing him, ordered him to be strangled during the 
 time I was in conversation with him, and then sent word to 
 the Ameer that Haje Muhammed had put an end to his exis- 
 tence by suicide. The officers of the Nayeb, however, assured
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 313 
 
 me, that he had been murdered by Abdul Samut Khan's 
 own order. The Nayeb refused to show me the body, which, 
 for my own satisfaction, I requested to see. 
 
 The day following, Makhram Kasem came to have some 
 private conversation with the Nayeb: I retired a few minutes. 
 Afterward the Nayeb called out, " Youssuff Wolff, come here." 
 I came: he told me, " Makhram Kasem has just brought me 
 a piece of news; but fear not, for the king knows that the 
 intent of it is to involve him in a war with England," 
 
 W. What news? 
 
 Nayeb. " Abbas Kouli Khan has arrived here with five 
 requests from Muhammed Shah. The first request of the 
 king of Persia is, that he (the Ameer) should put you to 
 death. The Haje Mirza Agasee wrote the same. Those 
 Kajar are fathers of the curse; but fear not, I shall see the 
 king next Sunday." I shut myself up in one of his rooms, 
 and prayed ; and soon after, when the Nayeb went to his 
 harem, Behadur, above mentioned, came to me and said, 
 " I am not an Iranee, (Persian) ; I am a Hindee. I have 
 eaten the salt of Englishmen. If you like, I will let you 
 escape, and bring you to Khoollom, and thence go with you 
 to India ; but don't tell the Nayeb of it." We agreed that 
 we should leave that very evening ; but in the evening I found 
 a Karawl (guard) around my bed. I also observed that the 
 Nayeb had sent a private message to the king. 
 
 The morning following, a Makhram, whom I hitherto had 
 not seen, came in great agitation, and said, " You must go to 
 town, you are here tired ; the king orders you." As the Nayeb 
 was up-stairs, I called out, " Nayeb !" The rascal came down. 
 The hue of his complexion was quite black ; I almost started 
 at the sight. I asked him whether he knew the king's order? 
 He said, " Yes, and you must obey." This absolute contra- 
 diction of his express promise to protect me, even from the 
 Ameer himself, incensed me beyond bounds, and I said, " I 
 now see that the people are right, who say that you are the
 
 314 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 cause that Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly have been 
 killed ; you are a liar, a traitor, and a rascal ! you intend to 
 kill me too." To this he replied, " Yes, I have killed them. 
 Stoddart quarrelled with me and my brother, who is a Haje, 
 in my garden, about tillahs." I then said, " Liar ! why did 
 you always tell me that Stoddart and Conolly have always 
 been your friends?" He replied, " I know how to treat you 
 Franks as you ought to be treated." The Makhram again 
 said that I must go with him. I said, "No; 1 ' and saying 
 this, I ran out of the garden over a low part of the wall, when 
 Behadur followed me, and said, " Now I will let you escape." 
 
 He brought me, first of all, to the garden belonging to the 
 Nayeb's son, Abdullah, which garden is not yet quite finished, 
 where, ou a former occasion, the Nayeb told me that he in- 
 tended to construct a fortress to defend himself in case of 
 need against the Ameer ; when, quite against all expectation, 
 Ameer Abool Kasem was brought to me by the NayeVs order. 
 He informed me that he was the intended ambassador for 
 England. [Note. I have forgotten to mention above, that the 
 Nayeb advised me, when an ambassador was first proposed, 
 and the proposal accepted, that I should administer poison to 
 him on the road, which of course I rejected with horror.] I 
 said to Ameer Abool Kasem, " I know that the Ameer intends 
 to kill me;" and as I had a little paper and ink with me. I 
 wrote a note to the Nayeb, saying, " Now I know that you 
 are a traitor and a liar! and that you will kill me, as you 
 have killed Stoddart and Conolly;" and I gave the note to 
 Ameer Abool Kasem, who gave it to the Nayeb. 
 
 Behadur then brought me. through a water-hole, to the 
 house of the Yawer (major), situated about three hundred 
 feet distant from the Nayeb's house, whence Behadur and the 
 Yawer promised to let me escape that very evening. The 
 evening approached, when the Yawer came, and said that the 
 Ameer, under the supposition that I had escaped, had sent 
 soldiers on all the different roads to pursue me ; it would be
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 315 
 
 therefore better for me to stay there until the troops of the 
 Ameer had come back, and after they had given up pursuing 
 me. He (the Y"awer) and Behadur would accompany me to 
 Shahr-Sabz, Khoollom, and even as far as India. I told them 
 that I was convinced that the Nayeb was a traitor and a liar, 
 in whose words in future I should place no reliance, and that 
 I expected my fate with patience and resignation. 
 
 Both Behadur and the Yawer went out of the room, when 
 a female, in the most coquettish manner, and unveiled, entered 
 it. I at once observed the trap, and exclaimed, in a loud 
 voice, and with great apparent rage, " Go to hell ! " The 
 Yawer and Behadur immediately entered, and asked what was 
 the matter? I explained the whole. It was, the same trick 
 which the rascally Nayeb tried to play to Stoddart and Co- 
 nolly ; for I heard from different people that the same strata- 
 gem had been practised on them, with a view to forcing them 
 to become Muhammedans, but in vain. To this he compels 
 every slave he takes, in order to sell the issue from them as 
 slaves. 
 
 I slept at night in the house of the Yawer, Behadur and 
 Hussein Ali, both servants of the Nayeb, near me ; and when 
 I told them that they should sleep at a greater distance from 
 me, they objected that the Nayeb had ordered them to do so, 
 but I pushed them away by force. 
 
 The next morning, one of the king's head officers came and 
 ordered me, in the name of the king, to go to town, and that 
 I should instantly receive leave for my departure. I obeyed ; 
 but previous to this I was brought to the Nayeb, where the 
 rascal told me that he had given twenty tillahs to the head 
 officer that he should treat me with respect, and that I should 
 get leave to depart after twenty days. 
 
 I left the horrid garden of that blood-hound, and rode to 
 the town. It was on a Friday. I was first ordered to make 
 my selaam to the king; but was not brought as usual pre-
 
 316 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 viously to a decent room of the palace, but was obliged to 
 wait outside the gate until the Ameer appeared, which he soon 
 did. He looked sternly at me, and evidently displeased. I 
 was then ordered by his Majesty to accompany the Makhram, 
 and two other guards, to my old quarters in the Toora Khane, 
 where now, also, Abbas Kouli Khan was residing, and that I 
 should not stir out of the house without especial order from 
 his Majesty. 1 came to the Toora Khane, and occupied the 
 same room which Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly had 
 previous to their execution. 
 
 I called on Abbas Kouli Khan, who, fortunately, lived in 
 the same house, so that he did not come under the prohibition 
 I considered, at least I was determined not to understand 
 the order in that sense. He instantly said, " I swear to you, 
 by God and the Koran, that I will not leave Bokhara without 
 you.'" I told him that Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan had told 
 me, that he had been ordered by Muhammed Shah to effect 
 my detention and death at Bokhara. He in a most dignified 
 manner denied the charge, and produced his instructions from 
 Haje Mirza Agasee, prime-minister to the king of Persia, in 
 which he was distinctly ordered to effect my release from 
 Bokhara. 
 
 Towards the evening, the Ameer sent to me the following 
 message : " There were people at Bokhara from Khokand 
 and Organtsh, whose inhabitants were guilty of blood ; and 
 beside them, people from Cabul, Cashmeer, and Hindustaun. 
 None of them had been molested by him. All of them en- 
 joyed his protection. He (his Majesty) therefore felt greatly 
 incensed that I had openly declared at Bokhara that his 
 Majesty's intention was to put me to death ; that his Majesty 
 had been red in his face from anger. He therefore now asked 
 me whether I would leave Bokhara without honour and in 
 disgrace, or with honour and filled with favour. In the first 
 case, his Majesty would furnish me with a simple passport ;
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 317 
 
 in the second case, he would, after his return to Samarcand, 
 adorn me with a robe of honour, and send an ambassador with 
 me to England."" 
 
 I sent as an answer that I repented having given cause to 
 his Majesty to be angry with me ; and with respect to the 
 mode of my going from Bokhara, I left that entirely to his 
 Majesty's choice. 
 
 The next day he set out for Samarcand with the intention 
 of reconquering Khokand and Tashkand.
 
 318 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Jews obtain leave from the Ameer to visit Dr. Wolff They sing with him. 
 and ask for the Names of illustrious Jews who had embraced Christianity 
 He tells them of several, viz. Emanuel Veith, M. D., Dr. Mayers, 
 Dr. August Neander, Dr. Ratisbon, Isaac da Costa, Dr. Kabbadose, 
 Madame Dorothea Schlegel. Conversation with a Polish Jew. Various 
 Anecdotes. Muhammed Bakher Nakash, the Servant of Conolly, ab- 
 jures Islam, and says the Christians are better Men than the Muham- 
 medans he is brought before the Sheikh Islam, persists in his Avowal ; 
 is sent to Prison, and flogged. Ameer returns sends to Dr. Wolff a 
 Mullah to know whether he will embrace the Muhammedan Religion 
 Dr. Wolff replies, Never. Executioner sent also. Letter from the 
 Shah Haje Ibrahim, the brother of Abdul Samut Khan, informs the 
 Nayeb of the Letter, and urges him to prevent Abbas Kouli Khan from 
 receiving it. Muhammed Bakher saved by Dr. Wolff. Atrocities of 
 Abdul Samut Khan Gets a Turkomaun beheaded, who came to save 
 Stoddart ; also Ephraim a Jew, from Meshed Prisoners in his Garden ; 
 their Meanings and Wailings. Impression throughout the Muham- 
 medan Countries that England and Russia will seize all those Re- 
 gions Remark of Bokharee to Dr. Wolff The Affghauns praise the 
 English. Habeeb, weeping, tells Dr. Wolff that he is to die Servants 
 of Abdul Samut Khan announce his Death, and show a Letter from 
 Abdul Samut Khan to that effect. Dr. Wolff makes up his mind to die. 
 
 PREVIOUS to the departure of the Ameer for Khokand, the 
 Jews most kindly asked his leave to visit me, which was 
 granted. They called on me, and desired me to sing a 
 Hebrew Melody, for they said, " Your voice is sonorous and 
 sweet." I sang in a plaintive strain, " By the waters of Ba- 
 bylon we sate down and wept, for we remembered Zion," &c. 
 After this, we sang the hymn of the Jews in Tfirkistaun : 
 
 The King our Messiah shall come. 
 
 The Mighty of the mighty is He. 
 
 The King, the King, the King our Messiah shall come.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 31 ( J 
 
 The Blessed of the blessed is He. 
 The King, the King, our Messiah. 
 The Great One of the great is He. 
 
 The Jews here asked me whether there were any Jews of 
 distinction in our days who had embraced Christianity. I 
 replied, "Several;" and they wished to have their names, 
 which they wrote down. I gave them the following : 
 
 1st. Emanuel Veith, M.D., now Domprediger of the cathedral 
 
 of St. Stephen's, at Vienna. 
 
 2nd. Dr. Mayers, Professor of Jurisprudence at Tubingen. 
 3rd. Dr. August Neander, at Berlin. 
 4th. Rev. Dr. Ratisbon, in France. 
 5th. Isaac da Costa, in Amsterdam. 
 6th. Dr. Kabbadose, in Amsterdam. 
 7th. Madame Dorothea Schlegel. 
 
 I gave them the following history of them : 
 
 " Emanuel Veith was born in the year 1788, at Klattau, 
 in Bohemia, and studied regularly at the university of Prague : 
 after this at Vienna. He distinguished himself so much in 
 medicine, and especially in the veterinary department, and 
 natural history, that he received the office of Professor of 
 Medicine and Natural History, and Director of the Veterinary 
 Hospital at Vienna, when only twenty-four years of age. He 
 was the most popular physician at Vienna, not only on account 
 of his success, but also by reason of his benevolence and 
 philanthropy : when suddenly he began to read the Bible, 
 and the writings of Saint Augustiu and Jerome. He studied 
 theology, and is now the greatest divine and preacher at 
 Vienna. His Sermons on the Resurrection of Lazarus; his 
 Exposition of the Lord's Prayer; his Journeys to the Holy 
 Mountains ; his Religious Tales ; and his work entitled The 
 Instruments of Christ, are considered master-pieces in the 
 German literature. I subjoin one of his poems for those who 
 understand German :
 
 320 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Deine <&nat>' 3D D?ert un0 fcfjen&e, 
 >eine0 ftater'0 H^iifti eefcen&e, 
 OnH mit 0tat6er tyanti un0 len&e, 
 SDap un0 nic$t Her 3True toewen&e 
 JDa0 Sergangcne toerjei&e, 
 SDir toa0 eeeentoartic toeilje, 
 jfur Hie ?u&unft Hicfjt toerleifje : 
 Dap totr auf Den Santi nicfjt bauen 
 auf /2ictige0 toertrauen, 
 
 in fcienem >ien0t erlauen 
 
 Uann etoielicl) titcfj fc^auen, 
 
 " Emanuel Veith was for a while member of the order of 
 the Redemptorists ; but he was too honest for them, and there- 
 fore dismissed. He is canon of the cathedral of St. Stephen's 
 at Vienna. The following remarks of this able writer will, I 
 doubt not, prove acceptable to my readers. ' Jesus Christ is 
 King at present, but he is like a king who does not now appear 
 surrounded by his grandees with sceptre and crown, sitting 
 upon a throne, but one who wanders in disguise in the fields 
 in the garment of a shepherd ; yet that to Him all glory and 
 power belong, will one day be clear as the sun to all sceptics." 1 
 
 " Dr. Mayers was born in the year 1798, m Germany, and 
 distinguished himself for his knowledge of the Talmud at the 
 early age of seven. He was born at Freudenthal, near Stutt- 
 gart, in Wirtemburg. He entered the Gymnasium of Stutt- 
 gart, and previous to entering the University of Tubingen he 
 made a speech in Greek that astonished the learned. He is 
 now a pious Christian, and a celebrated professor. 
 
 " Dr. August Neander is also of Jewish parents. Though 
 Neologistic in his views, he is evidently a sincere and pious 
 inquirer after truth. He is Professor of Theology at Berlin. 
 His Apostolical and Ecclesiastical History are the produc- 
 tions of a mind deeply imbued with spiritual religion. 
 
 " Ratisbon is a Roman Catholic priest, whose Life of St. 
 Bernard has excited the greatest sensation in France.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 321 
 
 " Isaac da Costa springs from those Jews who were what are 
 called * the Compelled,' * anusim ' in Spain, and is grand- 
 nephew to the famous Uriel da Costa, canon of Barcelona, 
 who, when he had left Spain and reached Amsterdam, returned 
 to Judaism, which he embraced and all his family, and after 
 this committed suicide. Isaac da Costa was educated as a 
 Jew at Amsterdam, but studied the law at Leyden, and was 
 converted, through the instrumentality of Bilderdyk, to the 
 Christian religion : and he was instrumental to the conversion 
 of his mother and family to that faith ; and also Dr. Kabba- 
 dose, in the same manner as Uriel da Costa had converted his 
 family to the Jewish belief. Da Costa is a celebrated writer, 
 and a devoted admirer of the spirit of the Middle Age, but a 
 high Calvinist in his views; a man of powerful eloquence, 
 and a poet. 
 
 44 Dr. Kabbadose, the convert of Da Costa, spends his days 
 in acts of benevolence. I must here observe, that it must be 
 confessed that only those Jews that have had a thorough edu- 
 cation have proved themselves to be sincere Christians ; and it 
 seems, therefore, highly desirable that the colleges in England 
 should be open to the Jews. 
 
 " Madame Dorothea Schlegel was the daughter of the most 
 celebrated philosopher of the Jewish nation, Moses Mendel- 
 sohn. She married Veith, a Jewish banker at Berlin. When 
 Friedrich Schlegel wrote his celebrated book Lucinde, Ma- 
 dame Veith replied to it in a book called Florentine. She 
 had two sons of Veith, but was afterwards separated from 
 Veith, and married Schlegel. Both of them, Schlegel and 
 herself, became Roman Catholics at Cologne, when Schlegel 
 became a mighty defender of the Middle Age, and his wife a 
 great admirer of the Spanish literature. She translated seve- 
 ral things from Spanish into German. Without pretending 
 to be a preacher, she converted, through her conversation, 
 many Neologists to the Christian religion. Her two sons Jo- 
 hannes Veith and Philip Veith, also, were baptized by Cardi- 
 
 Y
 
 322 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 nal Severoli, the Pope's Nuncio at Vienna. Both Johannes 
 Veith and Philip Veith are celebrated painters in Germany. 
 I knew them at Rome, where they enjoyed the highest esteem 
 among both Roman Catholics and Protestants for their talents, 
 genius, industry, and piety. 
 
 " I must not omit to record, also, of Philip Veith, that in 
 the war of Germany against Napoleon, he and Theodor Kor- 
 ner, the well-known poet, entered as volunteers among the 
 Prussians. He fought by the side of the chivalric La Motte 
 Fouque", in the battle of Leipzic. When a Prussian corps 
 was yielding, Philip Veith called out, * Forward, comrades ! * 
 cheered them to action, and conducted himself with such gal- 
 lantry and heroism, that Bliicher made him an officer on the 
 battle plain." 
 
 About this time a Polish-Russian Jew, residing at Shamay, 
 called on me. Among other points I conversed with him also 
 about the distinguished Jews in Germany, when he reminded 
 me of the following interesting anecdote, which my father told 
 me when a boy myself. Rabbi Israel, of Brunswick, when a 
 boy, was very poor ; and one day, on his arrival at a convent 
 of monks, hungry and fatigued, he begged the abbot to give 
 him something to eat. The abbot ordered that some pork 
 should be brought to him. Poor Israel of Brunswick said, 
 " Pardon me, your reverence, I am not allowed to eat pork. 1 " 
 Abbot. " If you are such a fool, you shall not have any thing 
 at all to eat." The poor Jew went away sighing. The abbot 
 sent after him, and requested him to return. On his return, 
 the abbot said to him : " Now, as you are so conscientious, 
 and prefer rather suffering hunger to the transgression of your 
 law, I shall make you the agent of my monastery."" Israel 
 went on prospering in the world, and became the richest man 
 of Brunswick; and his son Jacobson was made by Napoleon 
 knight of the Legion of Honour, and by Jerome Napoleon, 
 President of all the Jews in Westphalia. Jacobson established 
 a school for Jews and Gentiles at Seezen, near Brunswick.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 323 
 
 I knew, when in the Propaganda, a journeyman tailor who 
 was afterwards housekeeper of this Jacobson ; his name was 
 Reese. He left at last the house of Jacobson, and came to 
 Rome, where he became acquainted with the valet of the old 
 Princess Jablonowsky, and through him, with the Princess 
 herself, who observed the great talents of Reese, and recom- 
 mended him to Cardinal Litta, who received him as pupil 
 of the Propaganda; and Reese is now Bishop of Michigan, 
 in America. 
 
 The Polish-Russian Jew, now residing at Shamay, in Chi- 
 nese Tatary, of whom I have just spoken, related to me the 
 following account of the mother of the famous Rabbi Judah 
 Hashid, born at Wurms, in Germany. When his mother 
 was pregnant with him, she was walking in the street of 
 Wurms, and a Christian, who was a great enemy to the 
 Jews, intended to drive his carriage over her, but suddenly 
 the tower fell upon one side, in order to overshadow her ; 
 from which time the tower of Wurms is crooked. 
 
 He then told me the following anecdote, (or rather brought 
 it back to my remembrance, for I had heard it also in my 
 father's house), of the conversion of Baron Adlerfeld, son to 
 the famous Rabbi Jonathan Eubeschiitz : " Baron Adlerfeld 
 became so rich, that the Emperor of the Holy Roman em- 
 pire made a baron of him. Adlerfeld resided at Dresden. 
 He forgot in prosperity the religion of his forefathers, and 
 became an infidel. His father, who was Rabbi at Hamburg, 
 had died many years before his apostasy, when his ghost 
 suddenly appeared before his son, and said : * My son, re- 
 member that you are a son of Israel : if you repent, well ; 
 if not, the Lord will take you away, and cut you off from 
 his congregation. 1 Baron Adlerfeld died a real believer in 
 Moses and the Talmud." 
 
 We then talked about other learned Jews ; viz. the cele- 
 brated Hezkiel Jampeles, also called Rabbi Landau, at 
 Prague. I then gave to him also accounts of rich and in- 
 
 Y 2
 
 324 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 teresting Jews whom I knew in Germany. My Jewish 
 friends in England and Germany will be glad to learn that 
 I made the Jews of Bokhara acquainted with the following 
 interesting members of their communion in Germany : 
 
 1st. The late Dr. Oppenheim, at Frankfort on the Main, who 
 died in the year 1816. He was highly esteemed on account of 
 his philanthropy, by Christians as well as by Jews. 
 
 2nd. Salomon Sichel, at Frankfort on the Main, who has now a 
 son residing at Manchester, Nathan Sichel by name. 
 
 3rd. The family of Kaula, at Stuttgart, the richest and most 
 benevolent Jews in Germany. 
 
 4th. Dr. Friedlander, in Berlin, the friend of Moses Mendelsohn. 
 
 5th. Mayr Obernick, translator of the Prophets. 
 
 6th. Mr. Zirndorfer, at Munich, distinguished by his know- 
 ledge of the German literature. 
 
 7th. Mr. Joelsohn, at Frankfort, one of the great reformers 
 of the Jewish nation. 
 
 8th. Mr. Hesz, professor of the Jewish Philanthropic College 
 at Frankfort on the Main. 
 
 My Jewish brethren will hence perceive that I remember 
 them in distant countries. 
 
 I cannot forbear mentioning also a curious circumstance 
 which happened to me in the year 1842. When I was a 
 boy, thirteen years of age, I went at Frankfort to the Gym- 
 nasium, and learnt Latin. Dr. Oppenheim and Salomon 
 Sichel behaved very kindly to me, but I was very idle; 
 and having become ill, I left Frankfort in the year 1809. 
 When I was curate at High Hoyland, near Wakefield, in 
 Yorkshire, in 1842, I called one day on my friends the ma- 
 nufacturers, Messrs. Joseph and George Norton, at Clayton 
 West, when I met there a Jew, who addressed me in the 
 following manner : 
 
 Young man. You know my father. 
 
 W. Who is your father ? 
 
 Young man. Mr. Sichel, of Frankfort.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 325 
 
 W. Salomon Sichel? 
 
 Young man. He was rny grandfather ; my father's name is 
 Nathan Sichel. 
 
 The Jews are, after all, a most clever people ; they get 
 over difficulties in a most singular manner. As an instance, 
 I mention the following fact, which I heard of my friend Dr. 
 Me Caul. Dr. Me Caul wished one day to have an interview 
 with the late Rev. Solomon Hirschel, chief Rabbi of London ; 
 he therefore called on Rabbi Hirschel in the evening, and sent 
 in his card. The Rabbi admitted him. He asked Dr. Me 
 Caul who he was ; and Dr. Me Caul told him that he was 
 a missionary to the Jews. 
 
 Rabbi Hirschel. How are your converts going on ? 
 Me Caul. As the rest of the Jews, some of them are 
 good, some are bad. 
 
 Rabbi H. All of your converts are bad. 
 Me Caul. Could you tell me something about the coming 
 of the Messiah ? 
 
 Rabbi H. We know nothing about it ; after the Messiah 
 shall have made his appearance, then we shall know it. 
 Me Caul. Then fools will know it. 
 
 Rabbi H. Perhaps I am a fool. And thus the interview 
 had an end. 
 
 While the Ameer was absent at Samarcand, Muhammed 
 Bakher Nakash, i. e. the painter, formerly in the service of 
 Conolly, loudly exclaimed in a bath, " The Frankee are by 
 far better than the Mussulmans. Muhammed was no pro- 
 phet. He was a cruel tyrant, and thus are all his followers. 
 There is one God, but no prophet does exist." He was 
 brought before the Sheikh Islam, and questioned about his 
 public declaration. 
 
 Sheikh al-Islam (to Muhammed Bakher). Is it true that 
 you have made such a declaration ? 
 
 Muhammed Bakher. Yes. I have loudly proclaimed that 
 there is no prophet.
 
 326 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Sh. You believe, perhaps, that Jesus is a prophet ? 
 
 M. B. No. 
 
 Sh. Mullah Youssuff Wolff does not agree with you, for 
 he believes that Jesus is not only a prophet, but he calls him 
 also the Son of God. 
 
 M. B. I believe no prophet ; but Jesus was a better man 
 than Muhammed, and the followers of Jesus are better than 
 the followers of Muhammed. 
 
 Muhammed Bakher was then sent to prison and flogged, 
 but without any use. The mullahs then sent off an express 
 courier to the Ameer, who was at that time at Samarcand ; 
 but he ordered them not to put him to death until he came 
 back. On the return of the Ameer, he sent, as my readers 
 will see in the next chapter, a mullah to me, to know whe- 
 ther I would become a Muhammedan ; and an executioner, 
 to threaten me with death. 
 
 But the letter of the king of Persia had arrived, which was 
 written and sent, at the request of Colonel Sheil, to the care 
 of the Assaff-ood-Dowla at Meshed, who delivered it to my 
 friend Mullah Mehdee, who with the greatest secrecy deliver- 
 ed it into the hands of a Turkomaun for Abbas Kouli Khan 
 at Bokhara. Most providential it was that Haje Ibrahim, 
 brother of Abdul Samut Khan, was not at Meshed at the 
 time; for on his return to Meshed, he learned that Mullah 
 Mehdee had sent off a letter from the Shah to the Ameer. 
 He in a rage ran to Mullah Mehdee, and said to him, " Why 
 did you send away the letter from the king of Persia to the 
 Ameer of Bokhara ? and why did you not give the letter to 
 me, when I would have forwarded the letter to my brother, 
 Abdul Samut Khan, who would have delivered it himself to 
 the king?" 
 
 Now that this fact is true, is clear ; for Behadur, Abdul 
 Samut Khan's servant above mentioned, told me that he had 
 seen a letter from Haje Ibrahim, in which Haje Ibrahim 
 wrote to Abdul Samut Khan, by an express messenger,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 327 
 
 the following words : " That cursed Jew, Mullah Mehdee, 
 has sent off a letter from the Shah to the Ameer, to be 
 delivered by Abbas Kouli Khan. I was not at Meshed at 
 the time, and therefore could not intercept the letter. Do 
 all you can, dear brother, to prevent the letter coming into 
 the hands of Abbas Kouli Khan ; for if it reach him, you 
 will not succeed in keeping the Frankee, and on his arrival 
 in England he will confound us all. 1 " 
 
 That this statement of Behadur is true, is certain from the 
 following circumstance : that on my arrival at Meshed, Mullah 
 Mehdee himself told me, the instant he saw me, that Haje 
 Ibrahim was sent from Meshed at the time, and was highly 
 incensed with him for sending off the letter. This letter also 
 deterred the king from doing any thing to Muhammed Bak- 
 her, as he was the servant to Conolly, and gave me liberty 
 from captivity; and the king observed at the same time, 
 " No harm must be done to Muhammed Bakher, for Joseph 
 Wolff is more than a mere derveesh." 
 
 I must now give, in addition to the above, a few more 
 examples of the atrocities committed by that villain Abdul 
 Samut Khan, testified to me by that respectable person Khoja 
 Saheb of Cashmeer, and others. A Turkomaun came to 
 Bokhara for the purpose of saving Stoddart. Abdul Samut 
 Khan was informed of it, and he immediately gave notice of 
 the attempt to the Ameer, who instantly ordered the Tiirko- 
 maun's head to be struck off. 
 
 Ephraira, a Jew from Meshed, also*arrived to assist Stod- 
 dart, when that villain informed the king of it, and the poor 
 Jew was also beheaded. Whenever I was in the garden of 
 that villain, he brought me on purpose near the place where he 
 had his prisoners, and I heard the moanings and waitings of 
 those who sighed in prison. He, well pleased with himself, 
 said to me : " Youssuff W T olff, do you observe what power I 
 have ? The Ameer inflicts upon criminals only seventy-five 
 stripes ; but I two thousand stripes. 11
 
 328 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 There is the impression, from the Dardanelles to the Oxus, 
 and from thence to the utmost boundaries of Tibet, that Eng- 
 land and Russia shall be the conquerors of the world, and the 
 people are not dissatisfied with it ; but, on the contrary, wish 
 that that event may soon take place. 
 
 One of the people of Bokhara paid a visit to Dil Assa 
 Khan ; on his leaving him he saw me walking about, near my 
 room. He looked at me, and said : " This Englishman in his 
 mullah's dress is only the forerunner of great events; not 
 without reason has he appeared here with the books of the 
 Christians open, placed at his heart. This is a sign that very 
 soon the Christian Powers shall set at defiance the whole of 
 Islam, and Jesus shall be King over all the world for the space 
 of forty years, and Dejaal (Antichrist) shall come." 
 
 An AfFghaun sat down in the evening near my room, and 
 said : " I am well acquainted with the mode of government in 
 India : every Englishman in India is a king, and therefore they 
 will not be satisfied with Hindustaun alone, but their rule will 
 be spread all over China ; and Russia will soon be in posses- 
 sion of the city of Turkistaun, Khokand, and Organ tsh ;" and 
 by a hint directed towards me, he indicated also the kingdom 
 of Bokhara. 
 
 Another said, " I always told the people of Affghanistaun, 
 ' Do not rise against the English people ; for the English 
 people have wings, and if you drive them out now, they will 
 soon come again. 1 " 
 
 Another observed : *' Russia and England are two great 
 rival powers. A certain Vicovich was sent from Russia to 
 Dost Muhammed Khan ; but he was soon recalled, and he 
 died by suicide." 
 
 Habeeb, one of the guards who watched me, came one day 
 weeping in my room, and said, " Curses, thousand curses to 
 Abdul Samut Khan ! he has at last succeeded in inducing the 
 king to send an order here to put you to death immediately 
 on his return."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 32 ( J 
 
 Scarcely had he done, when servants of Abdul Samut Khan 
 entered my room, and showed to me actually a letter from 
 Abdul Samut Khan to one of his officers, writing to him : 
 " Hasrat" (his Majesty) "has at last decided to put to death 
 the Englishman, and nothing will save the man. Let him go 
 to the devil ! what business had he to come to Bokhara?" I 
 looked at the seal, and it was the seal of Abdul Samut ; and 
 gave myself up for lost.
 
 330 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Colonel Shell. Bad conduct of Dr. "Wolff's Servants Remark of Usbecks 
 on the treatment of Dr. Wolff. Questions put by the Makhrams by 
 order of the King to Dr. Wolff. Kindness of Abbas Kouli Khan to 
 Dr. Wolff is the noblest-minded Persian Dr. Wolff has seen sends 
 Dr. Wolff Food from his own Table places a Servant with Dr. Wolff 
 for his personal Safety sends his Physician to Dr. Wolff to treat him 
 for the Rishta. Abbas Kouli Khan and Dr. Wolff read together. Va- 
 rious Reports of the Ameer's Proceedings. Abbas Kouli Khan's reli- 
 gious Opinions. Conversation with People of Samarcand they tell 
 Dr. Wolff of Gold Mines and Turquoises near Samarcand of Ghengis 
 Khan and Tamerlane. Letter of Abbas Kouli Khan to Lady Georgi- 
 aua. Nayeb sends two thousand Tillahs to Dr. Wolff. The Letter of 
 Lord EUenborough reported to be at Balkh arrives in forty Daj-s Seal 
 broken. Abdul Samut Khan leaves Bokhara for Samarcand his Mes- 
 sage to Dr. Wolff. Vile conduct of the servant Abdullah tries to rob 
 Dr. Wolff. Dr. Wolff wishes the Jews to take charge of Abdul Samut 
 Khan's Money they decline it, on the ground that Abdul Samut Khan 
 would take it from them, and make them pay for it. Letters arrive at 
 Bokhara from the Brother of Conolly Dr. Wolff opens them. Abbas 
 Kouli Khan's continued Kindness to Dr. Wolff. The Jews visit Dr. 
 Wolff their curious method of Conversation. Dr. Wolff writes to the 
 "Sovereigns of Europe." A second Letter, with strict Instructions 
 about Dr. Wolff's Safety, arrives from the Shah. Letter to Captain 
 Grover. Return of the Ameer and Abdul Samut Khan to Bokhara. 
 King reads Lord Ellenborough's Letter determines in his own mind, 
 Abdul Samut Khan says, to kill Dr. Wolff Others say that Abdul 
 Samut Khan advised him to do so. Abbas Kouli Khan, Dil Assa Khan, 
 and Dr. Wolff visit the Ameer he does not look on Dr. Wolff. Let- 
 ter to Lady Georgiana and his Son. All Letters sent open by Dr. 
 Wolff. Mullah sent to Dr. Wolff to know if he would embrace Mu- 
 hammedanism he replies, Never. Executioner visits him Dr. Wolff' 
 prepares for Death. Abbas Kouli Khan intimates to the Ameer that he 
 has a Letter to deliver from the Shah. The Ameer receives it, and 
 gives Dr. Wolff up to him. 
 
 IT seems to me, that both Colonel Shell and the Foreign- 
 office at home have been deceived in the character of that 
 blood-hound Abdul Samut Khan ; and though I am sorry to
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 331 
 
 say any thing to the disparagement of Colonel Sheil, on ac- 
 count of the hospitality shown to me, and the prompt assist- 
 ance he gave to me by forwarding the letter of the king of 
 Persia to Bokhara, yet I must say that it appeared to me that 
 Colonel Sheil seemed to be unwilling to be undeceived re- 
 specting the real character of Abdul Samut Khan, though my 
 description of the character of that infamous villain was con- 
 firmed by Abbas Kouli Khan, and is further confirmed by 
 every Persian who has been at Bokhara ; and I perceive the 
 infamy of that miscreant is well known to Monsieur de Bode 
 and to Sir Claude Martin Wade. 
 
 On another day, my servant Abdullah entered my room in 
 a furious way, and said, " Now they are going to kill you, and 
 what shall I do here ? I have no money for going back. Give 
 me a letter to the ambassador of your nation at Teheraun to 
 make me a present of two thousand tillahs ; if not, I will kill 
 you now. If you do so before the Ameer sends this order, I 
 will get some Khoja (saint) to speak in your behalf." I took 
 a stick and gave him such a beating as I never gave to any 
 one, and I turned him out of the room, and out of my service ; 
 but Abbas Kouli Khan besought me to keep him again, as it 
 would not be safe at Bokhara to suffer him to run about and 
 excite, perhaps, the populace against me. So I took him 
 again, which made him only more impertinent ; and the villain 
 Abdul Samut Khan encouraged him in it, and sent me word 
 that I should give him a sum of money in order that he might 
 not play the Haramzadeh, i. e. traitor. However, I must not 
 go into details of what I suffered at Bokhara by that villain 
 Abdul Samut Khan and my servant Abdullah. I can only 
 say, that I frequently wished that the king of Bokhara would 
 not delay my execution, in order to have peace for ever ; and 
 I must say, that it was an inconsiderate act of Colonel Sheil to 
 send to me a demand for money from that villain from Bo- 
 khara to England ; for by the items, he (Colonel Sheil) ought 
 to have seen that the promise was extorted from a poor pri- 
 soner who had death before his eyes.
 
 332 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I was very ill one morning : on awaking from sleep, Abdul- 
 lah screamed, " I have committed a great error by coming 
 to Bokhara with an infidel." I said, " Do you not perceive 
 that I am very unwell? 1 ' Abdullah, in a most malicious 
 manner, replied, " Then be well. All the same to me." 
 
 Usbecks from Bokhara who were present, and the guards of 
 the king observed, " They try to kill this poor Englishman 
 by annoying him." And another observed, " It is all at the 
 advice of that villain Abdid Samut Khan, who wishes to bring 
 our Ameer into difficulties with the English ; and the villain 
 would like to see Bokhara destroyed, and he himself gain 
 by it" 
 
 On another day I got a message from the king. His Ma- 
 jesty wished to know whether the English people could make 
 a bridge over the Oxus? I replied, "Yes, with very great 
 ease." He immediately sent another Makhram with the ques- 
 tion, "How many cannons have the English?" I replied, 
 that I never counted them ; but I was sure that they must 
 have several thousand pieces of artillery. A third Makhram 
 was sent the same day with the question, In how many days a 
 caravan of camels would arrive in England ? I replied, " No 
 caravan of camels could proceed to England ; such a thing is 
 not seen in England." 
 
 The kindness I experienced from Abbas Kouli Khan at this 
 trying period, when so many evils beset my path, and my life 
 was on the brink of destruction, I must ever remember with 
 the deepest gratitude, though he was by no means without 
 apprehension for his own fate, but laboured, as all at Bokhara 
 must, under terrible misgivings of his own personal safety. 
 Abbas Kouli Khan was formerly governor of Bushire, in the 
 Persian Gulf, and therefore acquainted with English people. 
 He was a man of a higher sense of honour than I had ever met 
 among the Persians. When he observed that I could not eat 
 horse-flesh, and tea with salt and milk, and besides this, rice 
 only half boiled, he sent me daily a pilaw of his own, cooked
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 333 
 
 in the Persian style; and as he perceived that I was in danger 
 of being 1 murdered by the guards set over me by the king, or 
 by Abdullah my servant, or Dil Assa Khan, he sent one of his 
 own servants to sleep in my apartment ; and as he soon saw 
 that I had an attack of the riskta, he sent one of his own 
 physicians to bleed me. 
 
 I also was enabled to go every day to him, when we read 
 together some of the Persian works, as Scandername, which 
 details the adventures of Alexander, and Tabari., a book 
 which I afterwards received as a present from the king. I 
 heard, also, in his company, several contradictory reports 
 from the camp of the king: for instance, one day the news 
 came that the Ameer had arrived at the gates of Khokand, 
 and that the Kazi, Mufti, and others had come forth to bring 
 him the keys. Another day that the Ameer had, out of 
 mercy to the inhabitants of Khokand, retired with his army ; 
 but the fact was, that he was beaten, and had lost twelve 
 generals or Serkerdeha. 
 
 I also had many conversations with Abbas Kouli Khan on 
 religion. His belief was, that the whole world would become 
 Christians, and that Christ would govern forty days upon 
 earth. After this, that Antichrist would appear, when all the 
 world would become Mussulmans. 
 
 Whilst I was with Abbas Kouli Khan, there came people 
 from Samarcand, who talked to me about the turquoises and 
 gold mines which the Ameer of Bokhara had near Samarcand. 
 They also conversed about Tamerlane, as though he were dead 
 but yesterday. I heard, also, that Ghengis Khan had a Jew 
 from Germany as his secretary. They preferred in general 
 Tamerlane to Ghengis Khan, for they say of Ghengis Khan 
 that he knew how to conquer a world, that he was a Jehaan- 
 Geer, a world taker ; but that Tamerlane was not only a 
 Jehaan-Geer, but also a Jehaan-Dar, a world-holder. 
 
 To instance the kindness of Abbas Kouli Khan, I need 
 small proof. The following letter will alone supply ample
 
 334 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 evidence of his kindly heart.* It is addressed to Lady 
 Georgiana. 
 
 In the Name of the Highest ! 
 
 I acquaint the exalted and virtuous lady, my kind and 
 distinguished sister, the respected lady of the high in rank, the 
 distinguished among the learned persons of the Christian faith, 
 the Reverend Joseph Wolff, that on my arrival at Bokhara my 
 distinguished friend was much grieved, and his affairs were in a 
 confused state. I brought him to my own place of residence, and 
 I waited twice on his Highness the Ameer of Bokhara on his ac- 
 count ; and I obtained permission for him to depart agreeably to 
 the commands of his Majesty, my sovereign, on whom the regard 
 of the universe is fixed, may the whole world be his sacrifice ! 
 and agreeably to the orders of his Excellency, &c. &c., my lord 
 the Haje, (prime-minister of Persia,) may his great shadow be 
 increased! that I should bring him along with me. His High- 
 ness the Ameer of Bokhara having had to undertake a two months' 
 journey against Khokand, it was impossible for me to despatch 
 huii on his journey until the return of the Ameer. Again, a 
 second Firmaun from his Majesty (the Shah) to the Ameer of 
 Bokhara arrived, which I caused to be delivered in a suitable 
 manner ; and I did all that was incumbent on me in regard to the 
 friendship subsisting between the two powerful governments of 
 Persia and England. I obtained leave for him to depart by one 
 means or another. In eight days more I shall bring him along 
 with me in safety and health. Rest assured. 
 
 I have no ends in view or expectations in this. I did it in the 
 service of my own government, and on account of the friendship 
 subsisting between the two governments. I am the brother of my 
 distinguished friend Joseph Wolff. I am also your brother, 
 virtuous lady ! and you are my sister. I have written these few 
 words at the request of my brother, and I present my compliments. 
 Bokhara, 6th Rejjeb, 1260, (23rd July, 1844). 
 
 Soon after the king's departure from Khokand, the Nayeb 
 sent to me the two thousand tillahs, which he had made me 
 promise to take on with me to Teheraun in order to deliver to 
 
 * This letter was kindly translated into English by Mr. Thomson at 
 Teheraun.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 335 
 
 Colonel Shell, for the purpose of receiving twenty per cent. 
 for the important services he had rendered to England ; and 
 which money, he gave me to understand, was a pledge to me 
 that he was in earnest to procure my release speedily. The 
 next day, however, he sent again for the money without a 
 written order, and said that Mango, the Hindoo merchant, 
 might give me bills for them, or any Jewish merchant at Bo- 
 khara. I sent him word that he should first send me back 
 my note, and at the same time a written order to whom I 
 should deliver the money ; to which the Nayeb gave me no 
 reply. He then sent to me Mortesa, the Kafila Bashi from 
 Heraut, giving me to understand that he (Abdul Samut 
 Khan) had kept Mortesa on purpose here, in order that he 
 might enable me to escape concealed in a large trunk, in case 
 that the Ameer should not give me permission to depart. 
 
 At last, forty days after the time at which it was pretended 
 that the messenger was sent to Balkh for Lord Ellenbo- 
 rough's letter, the letter, as they said, arrived from Balkh, 
 which might have been back easily in six days from the time 
 the alleged messenger went to Balkh. Abdul Samut Khan 
 sent the letter for my inspection. The seal was broken in two, 
 which the Nayeb said happened on the road by the messenger 
 having fallen from his horse. After the letter had arrived, 
 Abdul Samut Khan set out for Samarcand to join the king, 
 accompanied by two hundred disciplined troops and four 
 pieces of cannon. The day of his departure he sent to me 
 Behadur, his servant, telling me that I ought to give Ab- 
 dullah a present of one hundred tillahs, in order that he 
 might not commit Haramzadekee, *. e. rascality and treachery : 
 I gave him, however, only twenty. Abdullah became worse 
 and worse every day, and in the night-time I observed that 
 he tried to rob me of the money, in order, as I was afterwards 
 assured of by trustworthy people, to hand it back to the 
 Nayeb, and after this to murder me, either at Bokhara by 
 poison, or on the road in any way he could ; and he (Abdul
 
 336 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Samut Khan) having my note of hand for it, would then have 
 come upon the British government for the money ; so that he 
 would have been twice paid, exactly as he did with Captain 
 Conolly. For this reason also, Mortesa, the Kafila Bashi, 
 was detained at Bokhara. I, in order to rid myself of the 
 burden, wished a respectable Jew at Bokhara to take the 
 money, and give me a bill on Meshed ; but Meshiakh, and 
 Mullah Simha, and Pinehas, (these were the names of the 
 Jews to whom I applied,) told me that they were acquainted 
 with Abdul Samut Khan's conduct towards Conolly and 
 Stoddart. Should that rascal, they said, find out that I had 
 delivered the money into the hands of the Jews, he would 
 force them, after my departure, to deliver the money over to 
 him : they therefore declined accepting the money. 
 
 Two letters, by the hands of two different people, arrived 
 from the brother of Conolly, addressed to Conolly, wishing 
 to know whether he and Stoddart were alive or dead. I 
 opened the letters, gave several ducats to the bearers, and in 
 order to induce them to depart quickly, I informed them that 
 I had told the king that letters had reached me from India, 
 which induced them to start immediately for Balkh and Cabul. 
 I was fully prepared for this, from the following kind letter 
 received from Mrs. Macnaghten, Conolly's sister, before I 
 quitted England, when I first offered to go to Bokhara in 
 1843. Had that offer been accepted, my conviction is that I 
 should have saved the lives of both Stoddart and Conolly, for 
 they were not executed until the July of 1843. 
 
 My dear Sir, 
 
 I send you a copy of the reply Mr. Macnaghten received 
 last evening from Lord Aberdeen, from which you will perceive 
 that Government do not feel themselves justified in sanctioning 
 your going to Bokhara. Colonel Shell, it appears, has been urged, 
 both by our government and by Lord Ellenborough, to exert his 
 utmost efforts to ascertain the fate of the captives, and it is sup- 
 posed that we may consequently, in the course of a month, receive 
 certain information respecting them. My eldest brother also, who
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 337 
 
 resides in the north of India, has entrusted the Jew with a note to 
 Sheil ; if either of the officers are alive, he promises to obtain an 
 answer. We must therefore wait with patience, endeavouring to 
 cast our care on Him whose ways, though to us at times in- 
 scrutable, are full of wisdom and love. Your noble willingness 
 to undertake so perilous a cause for one so dear to us, will ever 
 be remembered with the deepest admiration and gratitude. Your 
 reward is with God, who will assuredly pour His blessing upon 
 you, although it is not deemed expedient that you should carry 
 out your labour of love. 
 
 With our best regards to Lady Georgiana, and sincere thanks, 
 believe me, my dear Sir, ever yours most sincerely, 
 
 June 13, 1843. ELLEN MACNAGHTEN. 
 
 What I suffered all the time of the king's absence I cannot 
 describe. The good Abbas Kouli Khan sent me victuals con- 
 stantly from his table, in order that I might not be poisoned 
 by Abdullah. In the night-time he took possession of the 
 key of my room, in order that I might not be murdered, and 
 kept his servant in my room to protect me, as I have mention- 
 ed. Every moment a spy from the king came to ask me what 
 I did. The Jews, however, had the courage to come, and I 
 advised them to come when the king^s Makhrams were with 
 me ; when each of us looked in a Hebrew Bible, as if we were 
 reading, and thus carried on our conversation in Hebrew in 
 the presence of the Usbecks, who all the time believed that we 
 were reading in the book by turn, whilst I learnt every par- 
 ticular of the conduct of the king and the Nayeb towards 
 Stoddart and Conolly, particulars of the death of the latter, 
 and of the licentious and tyrannical conduct of the king. 
 Conversations not political we carried on in Persian. 
 
 At this period I wrote and sent from Bokhara the follow- 
 ing letter : 
 
 To all the Monarchs of Europe. 
 Sires ! Bokhara, 1844. 
 
 I set out for Bokhara to ransom the lives of two 
 officers, Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly ; but both of them 
 
 z
 
 338 NARHATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 were murdered many months previous to my departure, and I do 
 not know whether this blood of mine will not be spilt. 
 
 I do not supplicate for my own safety; but, Monarchs, two 
 hundred thousand Persian slaves, many of them people of high 
 talent, sigh in the kingdom of Bokhara. Endeavour to effect 
 their liberation, and I shall rejoice in the grave that my blood 
 has been thus the cause of the ransom of so many human beings. 
 I am too much agitated, and too closely watched, to be able to 
 say more. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 During the absence of the king, a second letter arrived from 
 his Majesty the king of Persia to the king of Bokhara, at the 
 solicitation of Colonel Sheil, which letter was delivered to 
 Abbas Kouli Khan : he immediately showed the letter to me. 
 His Majesty the king of Persia had written : " The greatest 
 friendship subsists between England and Persia; and there- 
 fore, if you do not send back Joseph Wolff with Abbas Kouli 
 Khan, I shall become enraged with you." 
 
 At this period also I wrote the following letter to Captain 
 Grover : 
 
 Dear Friend, Bokhara, June, 1844. 
 
 I have now been already two months in this place, 
 and though five or six times the King has promised to send me 
 instantly to England, with one of his own ambassadors, I am in 
 the greatest danger. I cannot stir out of the house without a 
 guard of three men. 
 
 Dil Assa Khan, the fellow sent with me by the Assaff-ood-Dowla, 
 has shamefully robbed, deceived, and outraged me. The Persian 
 ambassador, Abbas Kouli Khan, is kind to me, but I think he 
 will not have it in his power to rescue me. The Nayeb, Abdul 
 Samut Khan, has extorted from me a writing to pay him five thou- 
 sand tomauns to effect my liberation. I suspect that he was the 
 cause of Stoddart and Conolly's death, in spite of his continued 
 protestations of friendship. 
 
 Pray console my dear wife and child as much as you can. I 
 love them dearly. The Ameer is now at Samarcand, and I am 
 here awaiting the most fatal orders from the King daily to reach 
 me. It is true that poor Stoddart openly professed Christianity
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 339 
 
 after he had made a forced profession of Muhammedanism. Do for 
 me what you can, as far as the honour of England is not com- 
 promised. All the inhabitants wish that either Russia or England 
 
 should take the country. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 P. S. Do not believe any reports of my speedy departure, for 1 
 am in great danger. 
 
 Forty or fifty days (for I lost all certainty of date) after 
 the king's departure, the king and Abdul Samut Khan return- 
 ed to Bokhara. My servant Abdullah, immediately, without 
 asking leave of me, ran to the Nayeb, who sent me word by 
 him, as also by Mirza Abdul Wahab, that the king had said, 
 after he had perused Lord Ellen borough's letter : " Now it is 
 proper that I should kill Joseph Wolff." But I was informed 
 by others who were present when the king had read the letter, 
 that the Nayeb said to the king, " Now it is proper that your 
 Majesty should kill Joseph Wolff, as the Governor-general 
 tries to frighten your Majesty." A fortnight before the king's 
 arrival, Abdul Samut Khan had written to me from the camp, 
 that his Majesty had been well pleased with the letter, and 
 had said that he would soon send me to my country. Abbas 
 Kouli Khan, Dil Assa Khan, and myself, went to meet the 
 king near the palace ; he looked away from me. The crowd 
 observed, " It will not go well with that Englishman." 
 
 In this hour of deep distress and despondency, I sent 
 through Sir Charles Napier, via India, the following letter : 
 
 My dearest Wife and Child, 
 
 Never, never, never for a moment lose your love and 
 obedience and faith in Jesus Christ ; and pray for me, that I may 
 remain faithful to Him in the hour of trial. Entreat the Churches 
 in England to pray for me to our most blessed Redeemer, Jesus 
 Christ. Give my regards to all my friends. 
 
 Your most loving husband and father, 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 I sent all letters from Bokhara open, even that to the 
 sovereigns of Europe ; and this latter letter was forwarded by 
 
 z 2
 
 340 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 the king himself. Had they been able to read them, no doubt 
 I should have died. 
 
 The day following, a mullah came, and asked me, in his 
 Majesty's name, whether I would turn Mussulman. I replied, 
 "Tell the king, NEVER NEVER NEVER!" He asked me, 
 " Have you not a more polite answer for the king?" I said, 
 " I beg you to tell his Majesty, that you asked me whether I 
 had not a more polite answer for his Majesty, and I said, 
 ' Decidedly not.' " 
 
 A few hours after the executioner came, the same who had 
 put to death Stoddart and Conolly, and said, " Joseph Wolff, 
 to thee it shall happen as it did to Stoddart and Conolly," 
 and made a sign at my throat with his hand. I prepared for 
 death, and carried opium about with me, that, in case my 
 throat should be cut, I might not feel the pain. However, 
 at last I cast away the opium, and prayed, and wrote in my 
 Bible these words : 
 
 My dearest Georgiana and Henry, 
 
 I have loved both of you unto death. 
 
 Your affectionate husband and father. 
 Bokhara, 1844. J. WOLFF. 
 
 But that very same day, Abbas Kouli Khan sent word to 
 the Ameer, that he had received a letter for his Majesty from 
 Muhammed Shah. The Ameer sent word that Abbas Kouli 
 Khan should send the letter by the Shekhawl; but Abbas 
 Kouli Khan replied, that he had received orders from his 
 court to deliver the letter in person. The Ameer sent word 
 again that he should send the letter, but Abbas Kouli Khan 
 protested against it, when his Majesty at last consented to 
 his coming to the palace. Abbas Kouli Khan delivered the 
 letter to the Ameer; after having perused it he said, " Well, 
 I make a present to you of Joseph Wolff: he may go with 
 you."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA 311 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Ameer sends for the Servants of Abbas Kouli Khan and Dil JAssa Khan, 
 but omits Dr. Wolffs by mistake, to give them Robes of Honour 
 Interview with the Nayeb Presents from the King. The Ameer tells 
 Dr. Wolff' to ask a Favour of him Dr Wolff declines doing so. Ameer 
 determines to send an Ambassador to England. Vile conduct of Abdul 
 Samut Khan. Audience of leave to depart Ameer commends the 
 Conduct of Dr. Wolff' censures that of Stoddart and Conolly. Recep- 
 tion in Bokhara by the People. Murders committed by Abdul Samut 
 Khan. First Plan by which the Ameer might be effectually checked 
 in his Atrocities Second Plan for same. English Honour requires 
 some Notice to be taken of the Ameer's Conduct. Character of Ameer. 
 brutal, lustful, tyrannical, but not so to the Poor ; fond of Informa- 
 tion ; deeply affected at having put to death Stoddart and Conollv. Dr. 
 Wolff prefers Ameer to Abdul Samut Khan. Description of Bokhara 
 by Mr. Me Gregor. Population of Khiva Trade of those Countries 
 Russian Trade. Dignitaries of the State Ecclesiastical Dignitaries. 
 
 THE day after the presentation of the Shah's letter, the Ameer 
 sent for Abbas Kouli Khan's and Dil Assa Khan's servants, to 
 ask them the ordinary questions before the robes of honour 
 were distributed, but he did not send for mine. Abbas Kouli 
 Khan was frightened, and said, " Do not stir out of my 
 room; if they want to detain you, I will defend you with my 
 sword." However, my servant was omitted by mere mistake, 
 and a message soon arrived with a summons for him. 
 
 I was then ordered to go to the Nayeb by command of the 
 king. The rascal told me shortly, " There are no Russian 
 slaves for you. I give you one thousand tillahs more, which 
 you will deliver with the other two thousand ; and three thou- 
 sand tillahs you have to give me for my trouble, including a 
 present of eight hundred tillahs to my son Abdullah Khan ;
 
 342 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 and the two thousand two hundred tillahs I have spent for you 
 among his Majesty's officers. You must therefore give me 
 now a note of hand for six thousand tillahs. 
 
 W. Give me back my other notes of hand. He did so, 
 which I tore instantly to pieces. 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan. Why do you tear them before you 
 have written the other ? 
 
 W. I will write you now another. I wrote thus : 
 
 In the garden of the infamous Nayeb, Abdul Samut Khan, 
 surrounded by his banditti, and compelled by him, I write that he 
 forced from me a note of hand for six thousand tillahs. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF, Prisoner. 
 
 I desired him to give me back also my letter of his good 
 services to me, that I might write another. This he would 
 not do. Abbas Kouli Khan had sent his servant after me, 
 afraid lest something might happen to me there ; I therefore 
 returned immediately to the Toora Khane. At last I was 
 called down to the room of Abbas Kouli Khan, when ninety 
 tillahs were given to me from the king, as a present ; a horse 
 with a silver saddle, and a shawl. Dil Assa Khan received 
 only forty-five tillahs, but neither shawl nor horse ; and the 
 Shekhawl then turned to Abbas Kouli Khan and said, " His 
 Majesty had first intended to send an ambassador with Joseph 
 Wolff to England, but as he had brought no letters from the 
 British government, he has renounced this idea, especially as 
 he goes with you; and you and he can explain to Muhammed 
 Shah and in England the reason of the death of Colonel Stod- 
 dart and Captain Conolly." 
 
 A few days after the presents of the king were delivered, 
 suddenly a Makhram entered my room with a Persian manu- 
 script, called Tawareekh Tabbaree, as a present from the 
 king to me ; and his Majesty requested me to ask a favour. 
 I replied, that his Majesty's bounty, especially in sending me 
 away in such an honourable manner, was so great, that I had 
 no other favour to ask I only begged his Majesty to add his
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 343 
 
 seal to the book, which he did, and then sent me word that he 
 was, after all, determined to send Ameer Abool Kasem, his 
 chief Makhram, as ambassador with me to England. I re- 
 plied, that his Majesty might do what he pleased, but as his 
 Majesty sent one to Muhammed Shah, there was no necessity 
 for it. The Ameer sent a Makhram to Abbas Kouli Khan, 
 to ask what the necessary expense of an ambassador to Eng- 
 land might be. Abbas Kouli Khan, who wished to dissuade 
 the Ameer from this, replied, "Two hundred thousand til- 
 lahs." However the Ameer was determined now upon send- 
 ing an ambassador, for the assassin Abdul Samut Khan had 
 told him that if he did not send an ambassador with me, 
 Abbas Kouli Khan would have the credit of having effected 
 my release; and besides this, he (Abdul Samut Khan) had 
 borrowed for me from merchants three thousand tillahs, with 
 which I might easily defray the expense of an ambassador to 
 England, whilst at the same time he made my servant Abdul- 
 lah, Mortesa, Abbas, and others, promise to poison the am- 
 bassador on the road ; for he well knew that on his return the 
 ambassador would expose his villany from my information, 
 and the authority of my Government possibly, if his creden- 
 tials were received. 
 
 Abbas Kouli Khan and myself were then called up to the 
 Ameer. I was allowed to ride on horseback with Abbas Kouli 
 Khan through the gates, whilst Dil Assa Khan was ordered to 
 remain behind. We appeared before the king. He said to 
 me : " I send with you Ameer Abool Kasem, to accompany 
 you to England. Stoddart and Conolly excited Khokand 
 and Organtsh to war, and therefore were put to death. You, 
 Joseph Wolff, proved yourself to be a man of understanding 
 and knowledge, and therefore I treated you with honour." 
 
 W. Europeans frequently come to a country without know- 
 ing the customs of it, and make, therefore, mistakes which 
 they do not intend. 11 
 
 We then left Bokhara the day following, amidst thousands
 
 344 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of congratulating inhabitants, who called my liberation "a 
 new birth!" I succeeding in taking with me four slaves; 
 but Abbas Kouli Khan bought with his own money twenty 
 slaves, whom he ransomed, and took with him one thousand 
 of those who had previously bought their liberty. 
 
 The following people have been killed at Bokhara, at the 
 instigation of Abdul Samut Khan : 
 
 1. Youssuf Khan, from Scio. 
 
 2. Colonel Stoddart. 
 
 3. Captain Conolly. 
 
 4. A Turkomaun from Merwe, sent to Bokhara to assist in the 
 
 escape of Colonel Stoddart. 
 
 5. Ephraim, a Jew from Meshed, who brought letters for 
 
 Conolly. 
 
 6. An Englishman, who passed by the name of Hatta. 
 
 7. Captain Wyburd. 
 
 8. Five Englishmen, executed outside the town of Jehaar-Joo. 
 
 9. Naselli. 
 
 10. Haje Muhammed Khokanee, Yoos-Bashi of the Sultan of 
 Constantinople. 
 
 The grand Kazi, his servant Molam Beyk, Mahsom, 
 Khoja Saheb from Cashmeer, Ushur Beyk, Saadat, several 
 merchants from Persia, and Abdul Samut Khan's own ser- 
 vants, accuse him as the murderer ; nor does he deny the 
 perpetration of these atrocities himself. 
 
 Haje Ismael, a merchant, left Bokhara with me. He had 
 been long in Yarkand and Cashgar. He told me that several 
 Englishmen had arrived at Yarkand, who escaped from the 
 disaster at Cabul. They were well treated, but not allowed to 
 leave the place. If the Ameer had permitted me to proceed 
 via Yarkand and Russia, I certainly would have taken that 
 road. Haje Ismael also informed me that they have at Cash- 
 gar, Yarkand, and throughout Chinese Tartary, beacons of 
 fire, by which they are informed of the departure and ap- 
 proach of caravans from an immense distance. 
 
 The question may here, after the detail of these atrocities,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 345 
 
 be asked, Is there no way of punishing the king of Bokhara, 
 and ought it to be done ? and what advantages may accrue 
 from punishing him, and what disadvantages from not pun- 
 ishing him ? 
 
 Now first, Is there no way of punishing him ? There are 
 several ways of punishing him, and this most surely. The 
 first, and the most straightforward, would be, by sending an 
 army from Sinde through Candahar, and from Candahar, 
 through Maymona, to Bokhara. On that road there would 
 be villages upon villages, and provisions and water enough ; 
 and in order to induce Kohandel Khan, the Ameer of Can- 
 dahar, not to lay any hindrance in the way, they should allow 
 him to take possession of Ankhoy, which place is governed by 
 a Khan, but one who is tributary to the king of Bokhara, a 
 robber and slave-maker ; and Kohandel Khan ought to be 
 made to promise to the British army, that after his taking 
 Ankhoy, he would give liberty to the Persian slaves residing 
 at Ankhoy. Dost Muhammed Khan ought to be allowed to 
 send an army to Khoollom and Balkh, whilst all the time the 
 British army should march from Ankhoy to Karkee, where 
 they would cross the Oxus, for which reason they must take 
 a good deal of timber with them, in order to be able to make 
 a flying-bridge. A few shots of artillery from the part of the 
 English army will put to flight the whole host of Usbecks. 
 Having once crossed the Oxus, they should issue proclama- 
 tions to all the inhabitants of Bokhara, saying that nothing 
 should be done to them in case they delivered up, alive or 
 dead, the Ameer, and his Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan, which 
 I am sure would be instantly done. The British army then 
 should proclaim the Ameer's son the rightful successor to the 
 throne, which would pacify the whole nation ; but the Persian 
 slaves, two hundred thousand in number, ought to be made 
 free, which would give popularity to the English nation all 
 over Persia, Khokand, Tashkand, and Yarkand. The name 
 of Sir Charles Napier, governor of Sinde, which has alreadv
 
 346 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 struck terror all over Affghanistaun, Beloochistaun, Bokhara, 
 Khiva, and Khokand, would supply twenty thousand men ; 
 for he is called now at Bokhara the Rustam of Dowlat, which 
 means the * giant of England.' 
 
 The other plan of marching towards Bokhara will be, to 
 allow Persia to take permanent possession of Sarakhs and 
 Mowr, and thus for ever put a stop to the depredations of the 
 Turkomauns of Mowr ; and also to take Jehaar-Joo, a fron- 
 tier city of Bokhara this side of the Oxus, and then allow 
 them to march towards Bokhara in order to liberate Persian 
 slaves there, but on condition that the Persian army should 
 evacuate Bokhara after having taken prisoner the Ameer, his 
 Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan, and placed on the throne the 
 Ameer's son. It should march back by Maymona and Ank- 
 hoy, in order to liberate the slaves there, and thus return 
 triumphantly to Persia, enriched by thousands of Persian 
 subjects, and the additional possession of Mowr and Jehaar- 
 Joo. In order that the expedition of the Persian army might 
 be crowned with success, and that, at the same time, the in- 
 habitants of Bokhara and all the countries around should be 
 convinced that that expedition was undertaken at the insti- 
 gation of the British government, some regiments of British 
 soldiers ought to be sent with it. The advantage of punish- 
 ing the king of Bokhara, either from the side of Sinde or 
 with the assistance of Persia, would be this : First, that such 
 an occurrence as the murder of two British officers would not 
 be repeated, either at Bokhara or in any other adjacent coun- 
 tries ; and European travellers might then with more ease go 
 there and pursue their researches in those interesting coun- 
 tries ; and the light of the Gospel would become diffused all 
 over Bokhara, Khokand, &c. ; and Persian slaves at Bokhara, 
 with those of Ankhoy and Maymona included, amounting in 
 the whole to the number of two hundred and fifty thousand, 
 be set at liberty; and the name of Englishmen would be 
 blessed even by the Usbecks themselves, for having delivered
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 347 
 
 them from the hands of two blood-thirsty tyrants, the Ameer 
 and his Nayeb, Abdul Samut Khan. Should England, how- 
 ever, not take any further notice of the atrocious murder 
 committed by the Ameer at the instigation of the Nayeb 
 Abdul Samut Khan, our country will lose all the moral in- 
 fluence it now possesses in these countries; and Khiva and 
 Khokand, where such a crime has not yet been committed, 
 may follow the example of their enemy the Ameer of Bokhara, 
 in order to show that they can do so with the same impunity ; 
 and thus England will fall into contempt even in Persia. 
 
 I have here also to observe, that on my arrival at Bokhara, 
 I immediately asked what had become of Hassan Baba, the 
 man sent by the Assaff-ood-Dowla at the request of Colonel 
 Sheil, who was a Mervee. To my great astonishment, I 
 learned that though he had arrived two months before my 
 arrival at Bokhara, he had never seen the Ameer ; and though 
 he had delivered the letter and present of the Assaff'-ood- 
 Dowla, his Majesty never deigned to give him any answer 
 whatever. This shows still further the necessity for control- 
 ing him. I shall take this opportunity of saying a few words 
 on the character of the Ameer. 
 
 My readers may ask what I think about the character of 
 the Ameer. There can be no doubt that he is tyrannical and 
 cruel ; witness the deaths of his five brothers, and the many 
 murdered Makhrams who refused to pander to his passions. 
 Not only was Muhammed Ali Khan, king of Khokand, mur- 
 dered by him, and his pregnant wife also killed, but even the 
 living child was severed from her womb and cut to pieces. 
 His profligacy is universally spoken of; his disposition is not 
 only suspicious, but variable, yet at the same time we must 
 not forget some good points. 
 
 He does not tyrannize over his poor subjects, who pass by 
 the name of Fukarra, but protects them powerfully against 
 the tyranny of the Serkerdeha, and is therefore liked by the
 
 348 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 commons and detested by the nobility. He is not fond of 
 money, and hates bribery in the extreme ; affects to take 
 Timur as his pattern, and has therefore a similar motto for 
 his seal, i. e. Hakan Adalat, ' truth and equity.' 
 
 His desire for information is unbounded, and he therefore 
 puts to strangers question after question ; and if he were not 
 in the hands of Abdul Samut Khan, he might yet become 
 another Muhammed Ali, and with this advantage over the 
 Pasha of Egypt, that he would have contrived to make the 
 poor happy, of which Muhammed Ali has no idea. I must 
 repeat, that it was a great mistake of the British government 
 not to have allowed his ambassador to come here. Even the 
 Russian ambassador told me that his government would not 
 have any thing to do with the king of Bokhara until the 
 Ameer had sent an ambassador to England, apologizing for 
 his conduct. He gets soon incensed, and when he is angry 
 the blood comes into his face, and creates convulsive action 
 of the muscles ; and in such fits he gives the most outrageous 
 orders, reckless of consequences. He has put down by the 
 simple word, Hookum, i. e. ' order,' the most ancient customs, 
 and has overthrown the power of the mullahs utterly. He 
 delights to hear that people tremble at his name, and laughs 
 with violence when he hears of their apprehensions. He is 
 jealous of Muhammed Ali, in Egypt, and says, that his 
 country will never equal Bokhara. He expressed no con- 
 tempt for England, and was exceedingly anxious to become 
 reconciled to it ; but the continual suspicions infused into 
 his mind made him hesitate dismissing me, suspicions en- 
 grafted there by those who well knew this weak point of his 
 nature; and, as the Kazi Kelaun assured me, he more than 
 once had exclaimed, " The wounds of my heart for having 
 slain those English people will never heal." 
 
 And I must now declare, that I prefer him, in spite of his 
 faults, to the base Abdul Samut Khan ; and Colonel Sheil,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 319 
 
 knowing that Abdul Samut Khan was in India, ought to have 
 asked of Sir Claude Martin Wade, who is well acquainted 
 with Abdul Samut Khan's character, what kind of a man 
 he was. I am now in England, and enabled to reflect on 
 subjects more maturely than at the time when I was sur- 
 rounded with dangers, and suffering from illness ; and I 
 must say, that I cannot understand why Colonel Sheil re- 
 fused to give me a letter for the king of Bokhara, whilst 
 he gave me two letters of introduction, the one for Haje 
 Ibrahim, Abdul Samut Khan's brother, a most consummate 
 villain, and another for Abdul Samut Khan himself. 
 
 Let us now look a little at another point, the commerce 
 between these countries and Russia. The following state- 
 ment of Mr. Me Gregor, the secretary to the Board of 
 Trade, is highly valuable, subject however to some very 
 important corrections : 
 
 The trade of Russia with Khiva and Bokhara appears to be 
 growing into importance, chiefly from Nijnei-Novogorod, and 
 through the town of Orenburg, on the river Aral. This town is 
 admirably situated for trade with the Kirghises, and with Khiva 
 and Bokhara, although a part of the Russian trade with the coun- 
 tries east of the Caspian is carried on from Astrakan across that 
 sea, and to some extent through Persia. Orenburg, which has a 
 population estimated at nineteen thousand inhabitants, is situated 
 on the north bank of the Aral. This long tortuous river, with 
 the mountain range of the same name, forms a boundary between 
 European Russia and Asia. It is shallow, and of little advantage 
 for navigable purposes, but it abounds with fish. The town of 
 Orenburg is regularly built and fortified. The trade of the town 
 is chiefly carried on at bazaars, on the south or Asiatic side of 
 the river. 
 
 In 1833 there arrived, according to Schnitzler, fourteen cara- 
 vans of two thousand five hundred and forty-seven camels, ex- 
 clusive of horses ; and thirteen caravans of four thousand seven 
 hundred and sixty-nine camels, and two hundred and sixty-four 
 horses departed, laden with goods, for various parts of Asia, 
 chiefly for the country of the Kirghises, for Khiva, and for 
 Bokhara.
 
 350 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 The Khanat of Khiva, which now comprises a vast region 
 along the Caspian from Persia, north to the Kirghises Tartar 
 country, and east to the Oxus and the Lake Ural, has only, ac- 
 cording to Burnes, a population not exceeding two hundred 
 thousand inhabitants. He describes them as organized bandits ; 
 and, according to other authors, they are not generally better than 
 predatory savages. It is agricultural where the ground is suffi- 
 ciently fertile for cultivation. There are few horned cattle; 
 sheep, goats, and horses are numerous, and all these are used as, 
 and considered, the chief food of the inhabitants. There are few 
 manufactures, except some coarse cottons and silk stuifs made by 
 the women. Camels are chiefly used as beasts of burden, and 
 caravans of these proceed annually for Russian merchandise to 
 Orenburg, Astrakan, and Karaghan, on the east coast of the Cas- 
 pian, and others go south to Cabul and Persia. This trade is 
 conducted by the Turkomauns, Khivans, and Persians. The 
 Khan, who is chief of the Usbecks, or dominant races, levies 
 duties on goods entering or passing through the Khanat; and 
 especially at the ports or landing-places of Mangasluk and Kara- 
 ghan, where boats with goods arrive from Astrakan. The capital 
 of Khiva is a town of mud huts, with three stone mosques, and a 
 mud palace. Its chief trade is in slaves, of whom there are about 
 forty thousand in the Khanat ; and it is said there are many cap- 
 tured Russians, who are slaves in Khiva. 
 
 The Khanat of Khokan bounds closely on Russia. This moun- 
 tainous region produces silk and cotton ; and various grains, coals, 
 and iron abound. Agriculture, pasturage, and rearing silk-worms, 
 and mounting cottons, and embroidered silks. Russian goods 
 find their way, to a considerable amount, to Khokan, the capital. 
 It is said that this town has a population of one hundred and 
 fifty thousand. It is, like Khiva, built of mud, with the excep- 
 tion of three stone bazaars. Russian caravans from the Siberian 
 towns of Semipolatinsk on the banks of the Irtish, and from 
 Petroparstok on the Icbim, are said to pass also through Khokan 
 to the frontiers of China, with Russian merchandise. Mussulmans 
 pay a duty of two and a-half per cent, on goods imported, and 
 other importers five per cent. 
 
 The Khanat of Bokhara, or the country of the Usbeck Tartars, 
 comprises about two hundred and thirty thousand square miles of 
 Central Asia, and Burnes estimates its population at one million
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 351 
 
 of inhabitants. Other authorities estimate the Usbecks alone at 
 one million five hundred thousand, and the other races at nearly 
 one million. Many portions of this region are remarkably fertile, 
 and agriculture is the principal source of occupation and subsis- 
 tence. Wheat, barley, rice, maize, beans, melons, are all grown, 
 with several other kinds of grain, vegetables, and fruits, sheep 
 and goats ; the latter yield the fine hair or wool scarcely inferior 
 to Cashmeer, the former the jet-black woolly skins used for Per- 
 sian caps, &c. : about two hundred thousand skins are annually 
 exported. Mutton is the chief animal food. Horses and oxen are 
 reared ; the flesh of the latter is only eaten by the poor. The 
 manufacturing industry is unimportant ; some embroidery, silk 
 stuffs, shagreen, sabres, fire-arms, and articles of various metals 
 and leather, are among the limited quantity of fabrics made. The 
 capital, Bokhara, is described by Burnes as a town containing one 
 hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. It has massive build- 
 ings, three hundred and sixty mosques, three hundred schools, the 
 Khan's palace, or rather fortress ; houses built of bricks dried in 
 the sun ; very narrow and dirty streets ; lofty arched bazaars, in 
 which the different trades have their distinct sections ; and ponds 
 and fountains for the supply of water. The slave and gem mar- 
 kets are open only twice a-week ; all others are open daily. Fruits 
 and jellies of all kinds abound in the market, and plenty of ice 
 is to be had during the hottest weather. Tea is the favourite 
 beverage. There are numerous large baths. This mart, which 
 is to Central Africa the great entrepot, is described as presenting 
 unceasing activity and noise. The caravans from and to Russia 
 travel by the following routes ; viz. by the route of Khiva, to the 
 shores of and across the Caspian, from and to Astrakan ; by the 
 route to and from Orenburg, by land, in sixty days, through 
 Orghenje in Khiva ; to and from Trodiska, in Tobolsk, by the 
 route east of the lake Aral, in forty-nine days ; and to and from 
 Petroparstok in ninety days. Of the whole number, two thou- 
 sand, which leave India annually, about one thousand camels 
 reach Bokhara with oriental goods ; the remaining thousand stop 
 in Affghanistaun, Cabul, or diverge west into Persia.* 
 
 The population of Khiva is at least six hundred thousand. 
 In this number there are forty thousand Persians, including 
 * Commercial Statistics, vol. ii. p. 637.
 
 352 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Kaffer Seeah-Poosh. The Russian slaves, who caused the war 
 with Russia and Khiva, and which amounted to two hundred, 
 have been sent to Russia by the advice of Sir. R. Shakespeare. 
 Mr. Abbott, who preceded him, was foolish enough to advise 
 the king of Khiva not to give up the Russian slaves until he 
 had treated with the Russian emperor; but Shakespeare was 
 wise enough to recommend their immediate cession. The 
 Khan of Khiva is, as I think I have observed already, very 
 anxious to make a strict alliance with England, and it seems 
 that England encourages him, but, to speak the truth, it is 
 not of the least use; for though the Khan of Khiva has, 
 perhaps, not yet killed any Englishmen, I am sure that he is 
 equally disposed, or rather more so, than the king of Bok- 
 hara. From all that I have heard of the Khan of Khiva, he 
 is a horrid brute, and the atrocities committed by the Khan 
 of Khiva exceed those of the king of Bokhara, and they are 
 too debased to be described. I say, studiously, perhaps he has 
 not killed any Englishman, for I am not at all certain that he 
 has not killed several ; for I have it on good authority that 
 he has strangled several Europeans. But Colonel Sheil, to 
 whom I mentioned the fact, told me that those Europeans, 
 though Germans by birth, were Russian spies. 
 
 Besides that, what can England expect from the king of 
 Khiva? Bokhara and Khiva are, like the Barbary States, 
 slave-making states, and ought to be put down ; and if En- 
 gland were to make an alliance with Khiva, Persia and Russia 
 would be her enemies. The population of the city of Kho- 
 kand is three hundred thousand, and the entire population is 
 three millions. From the best sources, viz. the Kazi Kelaun, 
 the Tatshick merchants, and other mullahs, we know that the 
 population of the kingdom of Bokhara is one million two 
 hundred thousand, of whom two hundred thousand are Per- 
 sian slaves. The capital contains one hundred and eighty 
 thousand. Horse-flesh is considered a delicacy : I received it 
 repeatedly from the king's table, and the king eats it himself.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 353 
 
 The manner of drinking tea in the Mogul fashion, is with 
 milk, salt, grease, and cinnamon. 
 
 I subjoin, in this my fourth edition, the following brief 
 notice on Balkh. This city lies six days' journey to the east 
 of Bokhara. It is the Bactriana of old, and is now governed 
 by a son of Ayshaan Khoja, who is only nominally subject to 
 the king of Bokhara ; but he would be the first who would 
 open the gate to Sir Charles Napier, or to Dost Muhammed 
 Khan, if they were to march towards Bokhara. It is believed 
 that the apostle Thaddeus formerly preached the Gospel 
 there. It is now destroyed in a most awful manner, and a 
 fever called * Gezel ' is prevailing there, which depopulates 
 the town more and more. The famous Nisam-Almulk was 
 a great benefactor to that city, and the inhabitants mention 
 his name with veneration. A great many derveeshes of the 
 holy family of the Nakshbande are still there: they are 
 enthusiastic admirers of the great poet Tshaamee. The 
 eastern Christians assert that our blessed Lord commanded 
 the apostles to confine their preaching the first twelve years 
 among the Jews in Palestine, and then they went forth, 
 Peter to Antioch and Rome ; Paul in Anatolia, Illyria, Ara- 
 bia, Spain, England, and Rome. Andrew preached in 
 Bokhara and Samarcand ; John in Asia Minor ; Philip at 
 Kintaya and Broosa ; Bartholomew in Armenia and Yemen ; 
 and after him, Pantaenos Thaddeus in Mesopotamia, and 
 Matthew in Abyssinia. 
 
 The town of Bokhara is situated one day's journey to the 
 north of the river Jehoon or Amoo ; Ghengis Khan besieged 
 it in 1219, and took it in 1220. Thousands of Jews emi- 
 grated at that time to China. The houses are mostly built of 
 mud. The chief places for trade in the kingdom are Bok- 
 hara, Karshee, Karakol, Samarcand, and Karkee. There are 
 immense numbers of shops, in which chiefly Russian goods 
 are sold, full three hundred merchants, from Shikarpore, in 
 Sinde, and other parts of Hindustaun; but the chief trade is 
 
 2 A
 
 354 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 carried on with Russia. Mighty caravans arrive from and go 
 to Orenbourg and Siberia, transported by the Kirghese. 
 
 It is very remarkable that the prophet Ezekiel, in the 
 twenty-seventh chapter, fourteenth verse, gives an exact de- 
 scription of the trade carried on by the Turkomauns with the 
 inhabitants of Bokhara, Khiva, and Khokand. The Prophet 
 says : " They of the house of Togarmah (i. e. the Turko- 
 mauns) traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen, and 
 mules." The Turkomauns to this day, like the Swiss guards, 
 are mercenaries, and let themselves out for a few tengas a 
 day. It is also remarkable, that I frequently heard the Tur- 
 komauns call themselves Toghramah, and the Jews call them 
 Togarmah. 
 
 Viewing the host of camels coming with merchandise from 
 Cashmeer, Cabul, Khokand, Khetay, and Orenbourg, the 
 passage of Isaiah Ix. 6, comes forcibly on the mind, where the 
 Prophet says : " The multitude of camels shall cover thee, 
 the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah ; all they from Sheba 
 shall come : they shall bring gold and incense." Mentioning 
 gold, I must not forget, that near Samarcand there are gold 
 mines and turquoises. And the king of Bokhara wanted to 
 know whether there are turquoises to be found in England. 
 
 The articles which are brought from Bokhara to Russia are 
 dry fruit, silks, indigo, and caps. The articles brought from 
 Russia, calicoes, muslins, Sic. The merchants from Bokhara 
 transport also to Russia goods from Khokand, Tashkand, 
 and Turkistaun. 
 
 Among the chief dignitaries of the state may be numbered : 
 
 The Goosh-Bekee, or Keeper of the Seal. This situation is 
 now vacant, since the late Goosh-Bekee, an excellent man, was 
 killed by order of the present Aineer, though he was chiefly in- 
 debted to him, as we have shown, for his accession to the throne. 
 He was not. only the Vizier, but also the chief of the Custom- 
 house ; but this situation is now vested in the Dastar Khanjee, who 
 carries a gold hatchet, and brings the victuals to the king. The 
 person who occupies at present this situation is a man of the most 
 licentious character.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 355 
 
 Shekhawl, Minister for Foreign affairs. 
 
 Moonshee Bashi, chief Secretary of State. 
 
 Makhrams, Chamberlains, who are not only the spies, but also 
 the ruffians of the king. They came almost every day swaggering 
 into my room, accompanied by a Mirza (secretary), telling me, in 
 an authoritative and vulgar overbearing manner, " Hasrat (his 
 Majesty) wants several questions to be answered by you." 
 
 The dignitaries of the Muhammedan religion : 
 
 1. Sheikh al-Islatn, chief of the Ulemas. 
 
 2. Nakeeb, who decides*the disputes between the soldiers. 
 
 3. Kazi Kelaun, who settles the disputes between the Fukarra, 
 i. e. subjects. 
 
 4. Reis, Minister of, public Worship Superintendent of the 
 morals of the place ; he does not allow smoking, and gets people 
 bastinadoed if they neglect going to the mosque. 
 
 5. Meer Shab, Director of the Night, who announces, with a 
 sound resembling a loud drum, that people are not allowed to stir 
 about in the night-time. 
 
 These are the chief authorities ; beside others, as in different 
 Muhammedan countries. 
 
 2 A 2
 
 356 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Departure from Bokhara. Dr. Wolff discovers a Plot to kill and rob him, 
 en route Thousands attend to witness their departure. Dr. Wolff 
 refuses to separate from Abbas Kouli Khan. Arrival at Jesman-Doo 
 Vile Conduct of Muhammed Taki Abbas Kouli Khan expresses his 
 Displeasure. Derveesh of Yarkand Conversation with him. Affghaun 
 Seyd Conversation with him. The Calmucks their singular Con- 
 duct. Kemarkable fine sense of Smelling and Hearing in Turkomauns. 
 Appearance of Usbecks. Conversation with Abbas Kouli Khan he 
 thinks Abdul Samut Khan was the Murderer of Colonel Stoddart and 
 Captain Conolly. Visit from a Mullah his Account of Timur Memoir 
 ofTimur ShahrSabz. Route: Jesman-Doo Shahr Islam. History of 
 Afrasiab. Reports of Guzl-Bash about the English. Mortesa and Ab- 
 dullah advise Dr. Wolff to leave Abbas Kouli Khan he refuses. Pei- 
 kand Karakol The Governor of Karakol warns Dr. Wolff that a Plot 
 is laid to take away his life. Hussein. Route : Allat The Caravan 
 lose their way. An attempt made by Ismael and Mortesa to seize 
 Dr. Wolff he calls on the Merchants of the Caravan to protect him. 
 Sayen. Dr. Wolff wishes to throw away the Money in the Desert 
 Abbas Kouli Khan takes it in his keeping. 
 
 WE set out from Bokhara on the 3rd of August, and arrived 
 one farsagh from Bokhara, at the village called Jesman-Doo, 
 where we halted for a time in a garden on the border of a 
 tank. The party consisted of Abbas Kouli Khan ; Dil Assa 
 Khan ; Ameer Sarog ; Kaher Kouli ; Sabhan Ullah Beyk, 
 ambassador of the king of Bokhara to the king of Persia; 
 Ameer Abool Kasem, ambassador to Queen Victoria ; Haje 
 Ismael, from Yarkand ; four Persian slaves, whom 1 caused 
 to escape ; one thousand slaves, who had bought their liberty ; 
 the murderers hired by Abdul Samut Khan ; merchants from 
 Cabul ; derveeshes and fakeers from Hindustaun ; Mirza 
 Abdul Wahab, who painted for me portraits when at Bokhara,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 35? 
 
 and who wrote a narrative of my sufferings, in all full two 
 thousand camels. 
 
 Previous to quitting Bokhara, I discovered that the Nayeb 
 had agreed with Abdullah, Dil Assa Khan, Ismael Khan, 
 Mortesa, Ameer Sarog, and Kaher Kouli, that they should 
 kill me, and take from me the three thousand tillahs, as he 
 thought he could get with ease the six thousand tillahs by pre- 
 senting my note of hand to Colonel Sheil ; and beside this, 
 the three thousand tillahs of interest at twenty per cent, which 
 he gave Conolly, and which he took back after his death. I 
 was informed of this plot by the Jews, Mullahs Meshiakh, 
 Pinehas, and Simkha, by the servants of the Grand Kazi, and 
 even those of the Nayeb. Abdullah confessed it at Meshed, 
 and Abbas Kouli Khan had received similar information. 
 
 On our leaving Bokhara, thousands of people came forth, 
 Jews and Usbecks, Turkomauns and Persians, and the streets 
 resounded with the exclamation, " God preserve the Ameer, 
 that he has sent you away!" A veiled woman stood in the 
 street ; she wept and exclaimed, " What joy your wife will 
 have ! How will she sing you have been born again ! Such 
 a favour has not been shown for a long time by the Padishah." 
 
 The conspirators, Mortesa and Abdullah, tried to persuade 
 me to separate from Abbas Kouli Khan, but I refused. I 
 said, " I know your villany ; I shall always ride in the train 
 of Abbas Kouli Khan." 
 
 We thus proceeded, by order of the king, to Jesman-Doo. 
 Muhammed Taki, the astrologer from Heraut, who came with 
 Abbas Kouli Khan from Persia for the purpose of getting, by 
 the Shah's influence with the Ameer, his wife, who had been 
 made a slave of by the Tiirkomauns, both recovered her, and, 
 besides this, received one hundred ducats from the Ameer. 
 When he came to the garden of Jesman-Doo, to our surprise 
 without his wife, Abbas Kouli Khan asked him, " Where is 
 your wife ?" He replied, " I have looked in the stars for two 
 or three nights successively, and seen one star with a black
 
 358 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 tail, from which I perceive that misery is entailed upon her ; 
 and therefore I have resold her for forty ducats and a beauti- 
 ful high-bosomed slave girl, only seventeen. 11 I never saw in 
 my life a man so incensed as Abbas Kouli Khan. He rose 
 from the ground, cast away his galyoon with such violence 
 that it broke to pieces, and said, " God burn you and your 
 stars ! You rascal, you did not look on the stars, but on the 
 money and the beauty of the young girl. I spit in your 
 beard. 11 The astrologer went out quite mortified. 
 
 Soon after, a derveesh of Yarkand entered the garden. He 
 was of that class of derveeshes called the Bektash, who pre- 
 tend to have attained to such a degree of knowledge, that no 
 divine revelation is of any use to them, nor any book. He 
 asked me, " How do you prove the necessity of religion ?" I 
 replied, that all nations were forced to confess that religion is 
 the only support to our weak nature ; and that knowledge, 
 which has only for its object terrestrial things, is unworthy of 
 the name of knowledge. But in order to arrive at a know- 
 ledge of heavenly things, a heavenly mind is required. There 
 is a spiritual sense in the heart, which I call a revelation of 
 God to the heart ; and therefore God will disappear from 
 those who seek him only with their intellect. This is the case 
 with you Bektash. and many European philosophers. The 
 revelations of God, as laid down in our sacred books, may be 
 considered as wings, by which men are able to soar up to hea- 
 ven. Only by a steady looking on divine revelation is human 
 nature able to progress towards heaven. Nothing is so terri- 
 ble and awful to man, as when God disappears from human 
 reason ; I mean, when we seek truth independent of its Author. 
 
 An Affghaun Seyd entered the garden, and said, " Ay, you 
 Kafir ! have you succeeded in cheating the Ameer, so that he 
 let you go ? If he had only given you into my hands, I would 
 soon have made away with you by my javelin. 1 ' Abbas Kouli 
 Khan said to him, " Go, and leave the Frankee alone ; he is a 
 derveesh." " A derveesh ?" he sneeringly replied; " I know
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 359 
 
 these Frankee derveeshes, I know these English derveeshes. 
 They go into a country, spy out mountains and valleys, seas 
 and rivers ; find out a convenient adit, and then go home, 
 inform a gentleman there a chief, who has the name of 
 Company, who sends soldiers, and then takes a country. Tell 
 him what I say. 1 ' After this he left the garden. 
 
 Some Calmucks, likewise, purposely called on me. They 
 are also called the Eliad. They said, " We come to see the 
 renowned Frankee derveesh." They are of a yellow colour ; 
 they sat down, looked at me, and made remarks on every 
 movement of my body, which amused Abbas Kouli Khan so 
 much, that he laughed incessantly. After they had examined 
 me from head to foot, he advised me to allow them to pursue 
 still closer investigations, which I declined. 
 
 Like the Hazarah, they had scarcely any beard. At last, 
 one of them turned to a Jew, and asked him, in a low tone, to 
 give him brandy and wine. They addressed me in Russian. 
 I told them in Persian, that I did not understand Russian, 
 and asked them where they had learned it. They replied, 
 " From the Nogay Tatars." Then they began : " Have you 
 heard of Nicholas Paulowitch ? He is the greatest Krawl 
 Russia has ever enjoyed." They asked me whether we had 
 many slaves in England ? I told them that slavery was 
 prohibited. 
 
 My rascally servant, Abdullah, expressed a wish to go from 
 Jesman-Doo again to see Abdul Samut Khan, but Abbas 
 Kouli Khan prevented him. 
 
 An extraordinary power of smelling in a Turkomaun, Khan 
 Saat from Sarakhs, was indicated to me here. He said, draw- 
 ing up his nostrils, " I smell a caravan of Usbecks;" and in a 
 few hours a caravan from Organtsh arrived full of them. It 
 is remarkable how the Turkomauns know, by the footsteps in 
 the desert, the person who has been there, nay, the very 
 tribe of Turkomauns that has passed. When Turkomauns or 
 Calmucks saw people talking from a distance, I frequently
 
 360 
 
 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 heard them say, " Let us draw our ears."" They then lie 
 down on the ground, and hear from a distance what even two 
 persons whisper together, and relate the exact conversation. 
 
 Another party of derveeshes came to me and observed, 
 " The time will come when there shall be no difference be- 
 tween rich and poor, between high and low, when property 
 shall be in common, even wives and children. 11 
 
 Suddenly we were alarmed by Usbecks coming in great 
 consternation. I was afraid that an order had been issued to 
 fetch me back by the Ameer ; but they reported that news 
 had arrived from Tsheesakh, a city beyond Samarcand, that 
 Sheer Ali Khan, the present king of Khokand, had made an 
 alliance with the Girghese and Kasaks, and had even invited 
 the Russians to come through Khokand ; and Sheer Ali Khan 
 was seriously contemplating a march against Bokhara to 
 avenge the death of Muhammed Ali Khan. 
 
 Abbas Kouli Khan, my friend, spoke to me at Jesman-Doo 
 about the villany of Abdul Samut Khan, and said there 
 was not the least shadow of doubt that Abdul Samut Khan 
 was the murderer of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, 
 and other Europeans ; but he, Abbas Kouli Khan, should be 
 sorry if Abdul Samut Khan were put to death by the Ameer, 
 for he might, after all, be of service one day to Persia, on a 
 contemplated attack on the part of Persia on Bokhara ; for, 
 as Abbas Kouli Khan expressed himself, " A fellow like 
 Abdul Samut Khan (may his father be burned !) is capable of 
 turning against the Ameer when he sees it will be to his 
 advantage, and of putting him to death with as much facility 
 as he did Stoddart and Conolly. 1 ' 
 
 We then had a visit of a mullah from Bokhara, who asked 
 me whether Timur was much spoken of in England. I replied 
 in the affirmative. He then asked me whether they knew of 
 his daughter Agabeyk, and of his sister Turkan-Khatoon, and 
 his only son Jehaan-Geer. The death of these people, he said , 
 made Timur weep, who had a heart of iron, and never wept
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 361 
 
 before. They are buried at Shahr Sabz. Thus far the 
 mullah. 
 
 Timur, iron, was the prophetic name of the son of Thara- 
 ghays, whose ancestor descended from the tribe of Berlas, the 
 Grand-vizier of Tshagatay, Ghengis Khan's son. Timur was 
 born on the very day when, by the death of Aboo Sayd Be- 
 hadur Khan, the dynasty of Ghengis Khan ended, in the year 
 1335. The Persian historians say of him, that he was not 
 only a world-conqueror, but also a world-holder. Though 
 Alexander the Great was more humane, he is evidently infe- 
 rior to Timur as a conqueror ; for Timor's conquests did not 
 only comprise more countries than Alexander's, but he pre- 
 served a greater extent of country under subjection ; and be- 
 side that, Timur fought, not like Alexander with effeminate 
 nations, but with brave and warlike people ; beside that, Timur 
 was not given to vice, and also, not having been the son of 
 a king, was the creator of his own power. 
 
 At the siege of the capital of Sistan he was wounded in 
 one of his legs, which made him lame, whence he was called 
 Timur-Lank, Tamerlane. He was of great stature, of an 
 extraordinary large head, open forehead, of a beautiful red 
 and white complexion, and with long hair, white from his 
 birth, like Zal, the renowned hero of Persian history. In 
 his ears he wore two diamonds of great value. He was of 
 a serious and gloomy expression of countenance, an enemy to 
 every joke or jest, but especially to falsehood, which he hated 
 to such a degree, that he preferred a disagreeable truth to 
 an agreeable lie, in this respect far different from the cha- 
 racter of Alexander, who put to death Clitus, his friend and 
 companion in arms, as well as the philosopher Callisthenes, for 
 uttering disagreeable truths to him. Timur never relinquished 
 his purpose or countermanded his order; never regretted the 
 past, nor rejoiced in the anticipation of the future ; he neither 
 loved poets nor buffoons, but physicians, astronomers, and 
 lawyers, whom he frequently desired to carry on discussions
 
 362 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 in his presence; but most particularly he loved those der- 
 veeshes whose fame of sanctity paved his way to victory by 
 their blessing. He was a great lover of chess, in which he 
 excelled ; and from the famous move, * Castling the king,' 
 his beloved son received the name ' Shah Rook,' which means 
 * king and castle? His most darling books were histories of 
 war, and biographies of warriors and other celebrated men. 
 His learning was confined to the knowledge of reading and 
 writing, but he had such a retentive memory, that whatever 
 he read or heard once he never forgot. He was only ac- 
 quainted with three languages, the Turkish, Persian, and 
 Mongolian. The Arabic was foreign to him. He preferred 
 the Tor a of Ghengis Khan to the Koran ; so that the Ulemas 
 found it necessary to issue a Fetwa, by which they declared 
 those to be infidels who preferred human laws to the divine. 
 He completed Ghengis Khan's Tora by his own code, called 
 Tufukat, which comprised the degrees and ranks of his 
 officers. Without the philosophy of Antoninus, or the pe- 
 dantry of Constantine, his laws exhibit a deep knowledge of 
 military art and political science. Such principles were imi- 
 tated successfully by his successors, Shah Baber and the great 
 Shah Akbar, in Hindustaun. The power of his civil as well 
 as military government consisted in a deep knowledge of other 
 countries, which he acquired by his interviews with travellers 
 and derveeshes, so that he was fully acquainted with all the 
 plans, manreuvres, and political movements of foreign courts 
 and armies. He himself despatched travellers to various parts, 
 who were ordered to lay before him the maps and descriptions 
 of foreign countries. 
 
 The love and attachment of the army to Timur was so 
 great and so unlimited, that they would forego plunder in 
 time of need, if ordered by him ; and their subjection to him 
 was so blind and unconditional, that it would only have cost 
 him an order, to cause himself to be proclaimed, not only as 
 Emperor, but even as Prophet of the Tatars. He endeavour-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 363 
 
 ed to soften the inclination to cruelty of his soldiers, composed 
 of so many nations, by poets and learned men, by musicians 
 and sooffees, who came in swarms to the army, and wander- 
 ed with him through Asia. Timur's youth passed away in 
 learning the art of war, in hunting and foray. He was twenty- 
 seven years of age when he rendered the first and most impor- 
 tant services to the Ameer Hussein, the prince of the house 
 Tshagatay, who resided at that time at Balkh and Heraut, in 
 his war against Timurtogluk Khan, the lord of Turkistaun, 
 who at the head of Tsheets and Gheets destroyed the countries 
 on both sides of the Oxus. 
 
 The hand of the Princess Turkan-Khan, Hussein's sister, 
 was the reward of Timur's heroism and valour ; but she died 
 four years after her marriage, when Timur declared himself 
 rebel against Hussein, who was killed by the people of Balkh. 
 Timur ascended the throne of Khorassaun, and made pri- 
 soners of the eight widows of Hussein, two of whom he mar- 
 ried himself, and the six others to his friends. He destroyed 
 Balkh and decapitated the inhabitants; women and children 
 were made slaves, as a prelude of the great tragedies of future 
 conquests. Timur chose then Samarcand as the place of his 
 residence, which he fortified with walls, and embellished with 
 gardens and palaces. The assembly of Tatars (Kuriltay) 
 proclaimed the conqueror as Emperor of the vacant throne. 
 The derveesh Barakat, the Samuel of the Tatars, who had 
 predicted to him the throne, invested him with the insignia of 
 the empire, and delivered to him the standard and drum, and 
 added to his name l Timur,' the titles of Kurikan, i. e. f great 
 ruler/ Szhael Reran, * lord of the age,' and Jehaan-Geer, 
 '.conqueror of the world.' Does this riot seem to be an imi- 
 tation of Isaiah ix. 6 ? He justified amply the truth of those 
 titles in the thirty-six years of his government. The motto 
 of his seal, now in the hands of the king of Bokhara, was 
 Hakan-Adalat. The observation of the Jews, previously 
 stated in this work about Timur and Ghengis Khan, are
 
 364 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 highly probable. During the four times nine years of his 
 government, he returned nine times to Samarcand, in order to 
 refresh his troops and to prepare them for new adventures. He 
 united upon his head the crowns of three times nine countries, 
 which belonged to nine dynasties, whose fate was in the hands 
 of the conqueror. These were, 1st. the dynasty of the Tsha- 
 gatay, upon whose throne he was elevated after Hussein's 
 death : 2nd. the dynasty of the Tsheets and Gheets in Tur- 
 kistaun and Moghulistaun : 3rd. the dynasty of Kharasm ; 
 4th. of Khorassaun; 5th. of the Tatars in Tataristaun and 
 Dasht Kiptshak ; 6th. the dynasty of the sons of Mosaffir, in 
 the Persian Irak : 7 tn - tne dynasty of the Eelkhan, in Arabian 
 Irak; 8th. of the Seljucks; 9th. of the Osmans, towards 
 the east to the wall of China, towards the north to the heart 
 of Russia, to the west towards the shores of the Mediter- 
 ranean ; towards the south his conquests were extended to the 
 frontiers of Egypt, where he ruled with iron over his age and 
 the world. Several of these empires he subdued in one battle, 
 but most of them after persevering and repeated conflicts 
 for several years; he led his army seven times against the 
 Gheets, and five times against Khiva: he subdued Hindus- 
 taun in one campaign ; and in his last expedition to Asia Mi- 
 nor Bayazid's fate was decided, which war lasted seven years. 
 After the first campaign against the king of Khiva, Timur 
 demanded by an embassy his daughter Khan-Sadah, as a wife 
 for his eldest son Jehaan-Geer; and Hussein SoofFee made 
 such preparation as surpassed the splendour of the celebrated 
 marriage-feasts of the great khaleefs Mamoon and Mootedhad, 
 sons of Haroun Rashid. The bride's outfit consisted of rich 
 crowns, of golden thrones, of precious armlets and ear-rings, 
 of girdles of diamonds and pearls, of beds, tents, and palan- 
 quins. As a welcome, the grandees of the empire threw over 
 the head of the bride gold pieces and pearls, the air was filled 
 with the odour of Ambra, the ground was covered with carpets 
 and gold ; throughout all the towns which they passed, the
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 365 
 
 Sheikhs and Cadis, the Imaums and Mullahs came out to 
 meet them, and all these festivities were doubled at their 
 arrival in Samarcand. The tent in which the espousal took 
 place, represented in its interior the dome of heaven, covered 
 with stars and sown with diamonds. Shawls, clothes, and 
 stuffs were distributed among the guests, and in the nuptial 
 chamber the astronomers placed the horoscope of the happy 
 and lucky moment of the espousal. 
 
 With less pomp, Timur celebrated his own espousal with 
 the Princess Dil-Shad-Aga, daughter of the Sultan of the 
 Tsheets, after he had made her captive in the second cam- 
 paign with her father. Beside the above-mentioned wives, 
 he married, after Turkari's death, the Princess Tuman-Aga, 
 daughter of the Ameer Moosa, on whose account he united 
 the twelve royal gardens of Samarcand into one, and called it 
 Baghee-Behesht, garden of paradise. But no alliance by mar- 
 riage was able to save either the Sultan of the Tsheets, or the 
 king of Kharasm or Khiva. The latter, after he had violated 
 the rights of nations by imprisoning Timur's ambassadors, 
 was besieged, in the last campaign, for the space of three 
 months and a half in his capital. At the foot of the walls 
 Timur challenged the father-in-law of his son to a duel, which 
 he did not accept. The city was taken by storm and plun- 
 dered, all the sheikhs, learned men, artists, and mechanics 
 were banished to Shahr Sabz, Timur's place of nativity. 
 
 With all his cruelty, Timur was an exemplary father, and 
 a tender husband. After the death of his favourite son 
 Jehaan-Geer, and his favourite wife Turkan-Khan, he was 
 heard frequently exclaiming with lifted up eyes the words of 
 the Koran : " We are of God, and to God we shall return ;" 
 and pious derveeshes were sitting in his room, reading to him 
 passages of the Koran, or legends from the Sunna. 
 
 After the conquest of Kharasm, Timur laid aside the mask, 
 and announced his intention of assuming universal dominion
 
 366 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 He frequently cited the words of the poet, " As there is 
 one God in heaven, there ought to be one Ruler upon 
 earth" and that the earth, with all the empires it contains, 
 was not adequate to satisfy the ambition of a great prince. 
 Lord of Tooran, i. e. of the countries on that side the Oxus, 
 he desired also to possess Iraun, i. e. the countries on this 
 side the Oxus, i. e. Persia. 
 
 Khorassaun was at that time divided between two princes. 
 Ghayaz-Udeen Peer Ali governed at Heraut ; at Sabz-Awar, 
 Khodja Ali Mujeed, of the dynasty of Ghengis Khan. The 
 lord of the Sabz-Awar submitted to Timur, and became his 
 vassal, and accompanied him in his marches; but the lord of 
 Heraut offered resistance. When Timur came to Ankud, a 
 pious derveesh, a fool, threw a goat's head at Timur's head, 
 which the conqueror considered to be a favourable omen. He 
 conquered Heraut with all its treasures: the city escaped 
 destruction, but its iron gates were brought to Shahr Sabz, 
 as in former times Samson and Ali took away the gates of the 
 cities. The cities of Nishapoor, Sabz-Awar, and Toos, i. e. 
 Meshed, surrendered peaceably. Meshed is celebrated on 
 account of its being the place of burial of Resa, the eighth of 
 the Imaums of Haroun Rashid, and of the most blood-thirsty 
 of all the conquerors, Aboo-Moslem, whose arm deprived the 
 family of Ummaya of the throne of the khaleefs, and trans- 
 mitted it to that of Abbas. It is also the burial-place of 
 the great vizier, the greatest mathematician, and the greatest 
 poet of Persia, Nisam-Almulk, Naser-Uddeen, and Firdousi. 
 Timur passed over with profound indifference the sepulchre 
 of the Imaum, with that of the astronomer and the poet, and 
 performed his devotion at the tomb of Aboo-Moslem, by 
 whose sword a million of men lost their lives, and who made 
 numberless widows and orphans. Timur dismounted from 
 his horse, and besought Allah at the tomb of the hero for a 
 blessing on his high enterprise. A derveesli stared at Timur,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 367 
 
 and said to him, " The bloody shadow of Aboo-Moslem is 
 hovering over thy head, oh, thou man of blood !" A revolu- 
 tion soon broke out at Sabz-Awar, which he quenched by a 
 massacre of all its inhabitants, and he built a tower with 
 the skulls of the slain. 
 
 After the conquest of Khorassaun, he marched towards 
 Sistan and Sabulistaun. The shadow of Rustam appeared 
 to him, and significantly said, " Timur, desist ! " but in vain. 
 He was wounded, his army was frightened, when he addressed 
 them, " Soldiers, should our descendants say, Our ancestors 
 were frightened by a phantom ? " He became the conqueror 
 of Sistan, Sabulistaun, and Sinde, where in our time the 
 Pooloj and Turkomauns say, " A Frankee, an Englishman, 
 has trod in the footsteps of Timur, and the name of that 
 English giant, as the Turkomauns call him, is SIR CHARLES 
 NAPIER, conqueror and governor of Sinde" As Sir Charles 
 Napier is, in Turkistaun and Bokhara, compared with Rustam 
 of old, so also have I heard a late minister of her Majesty, in 
 Turkey and Persia, compared with Malek Shah, the greatest 
 of all viziers, the opposer of the assassins, and this minister 
 is LORD PALMERSTON. 
 
 I then got the following information about Shahr Sabz. It 
 is a central city of Bokhara, but separated from the king, in- 
 dependent, and governed by its own Khan. The reason of it 
 is this : 1st. The people of Shahr Sabz are by far better and 
 more courageous horsemen than the people of Bokhara. 2nd. 
 They can put in a moment the whole town under water, so 
 that troops cannot reach them. 3rd. It serves for the people 
 of Bokhara as an asylum from the tyranny of the Ameer, and 
 therefore the people of Bokhara do not wish to take it. The 
 Khan of Shahr Sabz, however, for form's sake, sent to the 
 Ameer one thousand horsemen, as a subsidy in his war against 
 Khiva and Khokand ; but they were always ordered by the 
 Khan of Shahr Sabz not to give him the least assistance in 
 reality.
 
 368 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 From Jesman-Doo we proceeded to Shahr-Islam, the city 
 of Afrasiab. 
 
 As the name of Afrasiab is not familiar to the generality of 
 English readers, nay, does not meet even with insertion in 
 very extensive biographical works, we shall subjoin the follow- 
 ing particulars of that sovereign. He was the ninth king of 
 the Peshdadian dynasty of Persia, and by birth a Turkomaun. 
 He descended from Feridun, who had a rebellious son, named 
 Tur, and sought, like Absalom of old, with whom some think 
 he was contemporary, the kingdom of his father. Frustrated 
 in his plots against his father, he fled to Tatary, where he 
 became a king. Tur had a son named Peshang, from whom 
 (though this point is not quite clear) Afrasiab descended. 
 Ancient Persian authors make him out a descendant, in some 
 way, from this Tur, who died in battle against the Persian 
 monarch Minuchihr, the direct descendant in the male branch 
 from Feridun. The incursions of Afrasiab and his Tatars, 
 during the reign of Peshang, compelled the Persian king, 
 Minuchihr, to sue for peace, which was granted, the Oxus 
 being the boundary of the two empires. Minuchihr was 
 succeeded by Naudar, an unpopular sovereign, against whom 
 Afrasiab waged successful war. Afrasiab avenged on him his 
 grandsire's wrong, or what he supposed such ; and Afrasiab 
 killed with his own hand the Persian king, Naudar. Afrasiab 
 became king of Persia, and ruled it, like Timur, with a rod of 
 iron. The hero, Zal, the glory of Persia, rose against the 
 tyrant : he defeated Afrasiab, refused the proffered throne 
 himself, and raised the legitimate branch to its lost seat. 
 Afrasiab strove undaunted to recover Persia during various 
 reigns; but at length a Persian king arose strong enough to 
 carry the war home to the Turkomaun himself. Kai Khosro, 
 after a severe battle, seized on the palace of Afrasiab, ultimately 
 on the Turkomaun chief himself, and put him to death. Afra- 
 siab^s name being the most famous of an olden dynasty, repre- 
 sents any thing very aged in Persian annals. Afrasiab has been
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 thought of as high an antiquity as even the king of the Deeves 
 and Afrits, Solomon himself. We ought to except from 
 the above censure the Biographical Dictionary* published 
 by Messrs. Longman ; and we can refer our readers for fur- 
 ther particulars to Firdousi, and Sir John Malcolm's work on 
 Persia. 
 
 At Shahr-Islam people from Cabul crowded around me ; 
 they were mostly Guzl-Bash. They said that the English had 
 made themselves enemies by various things. 1st. That they 
 did not protect the Guzl-Bash. 2nd. That they offended 
 Nawaub Jabar Khan, brother to Dost Muhammed Khan, 
 their friend; and 3rd, as I have already stated, By the cus- 
 toms they introduced. 
 
 Mortesa and Abdullah, the conspirators against my life, 
 came up to me and said, that the bustle on leaving Bokhara 
 was so great, that I should do better to quit Abbas Kouli 
 Khan, and pitch my tent at a considerable distance from him ; 
 and, besides that, that as an English Eljee (for thus they call 
 all the English), I was a greater man than either Abbas Kouli 
 Khan or any one else of the caravan, and therefore I should 
 keep aloof from them. I told them, " I know your villany ; 
 you have not to prescribe to me where I am to pitch my tent. 
 I shall ride with Abbas Kouli Khan." 
 
 At Shahr-Islam I observed that the trunks in which the 
 three thousand tillahs lay were somewhat broken. After 
 passing Peikand, therefore, and arriving at Karakol, I bought 
 strong cloth, and Mirza Abdul Wahab, a Persian artist, and 
 also Haje Ismael from Yarkand, assisted me in folding them 
 up carefully. And that I might not be obliged to trust the 
 trunks to Mortesa, the chief of the Kafila (caravan), I bought 
 a mule at Karakol, in order that I might have the money 
 always under my own eyes. We stopped at Karakol two 
 
 * We regret to learn that this work is discontinued. With a little more 
 care and morality in some of its articles, it would have filled up what is yet 
 a dftideratum in English literature, a good Biographical dictionary. 
 
 2 B
 
 370 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 days, in the house of Shaker Beyk, a house which belonged 
 to the king. Hussein Khan, the governor of Karakol, had 
 sent a confidential servant to me, through whom he apologized 
 for not waiting on me : though, as he expressed himself, " his 
 heart and soul was bound up with my heart and soul thirteen 
 years ago at Karakol." He informed me that I was, on my 
 route to Meshed, in as great danger as at Bokhara ; for 
 Abdul Samut Khan, ever thirsting for blood, and the great- 
 est scourge which Bokhara had ever seen, had hired assassins 
 to put me to death in the desert ; and these assassins were 
 my servant Abdullah, Mortesa (the Kafila Bashi), Ibrahim 
 Abbas, Dil Assa Khan, Ismael, Rahim Beyk, and others. 
 He advised me, therefore, to employ the four Persian slaves 
 who had succeeded in leaving Bokhara with me, with which 
 fact he was acquainted, as they acknowledged it to him, as 
 sentinels against the murderers ; and also, that I should not 
 quit Abbas Kouli Khan's side. I must here observe, that I 
 had committed at Bokhara a great mistake by dismissing 
 Hussein ; for though a sad rogue, he had still a species of 
 affection for me, since he had accompanied me from Meshed 
 to Cabiil in the year 1832, and was a check on Abdullah, 
 who was a perfect concentration of all the rascality of the 
 East, always drunk with opium, and intriguing ; from 
 which latter defect Hussein was not wholly free, of which 
 point I give the following illustration. There are scorpions 
 at Bokhara, and a person who lived near me at Bokhara was 
 stung by one of them. Hussein pretended to cure diseases 
 by saying Duas, ' charms, 1 and was called in to the case, I 
 do not know with what success ; but immediately after he 
 had said his dua, he went to the mosque, and intrigued with 
 a woman, for which he got a tremendous thrashing. 
 
 On my arrival at Allat, I observed that Ameer Sarog, Ab- 
 dullah, and the rest of the hired assassins, were around my 
 mule when we had pitched our tent. The day following, when 
 I wanted to load it with my trunks, I found that it was lame.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 371 
 
 I therefore informed Abbas Kouli Khan of this circumstance. 
 He ordered that the mule should in future be dragged on with 
 his mules, and that during the night-time my trunks should 
 be watched by one of his servants placed at my disposal. 
 Haje Ismael, of Yarkand, perceiving the design of the villains, 
 slept in my tent. The four slaves, whom I saved, watched 
 them ; Abdullah and Mortesa therefore began to quarrel with 
 both Abbas Kouli Khan's servant and Haje Ismael. 
 
 We marched then towards Jehaar-Joo. It was night. The 
 whole of the caravan lost their way. Abbas Kouli Khan, who 
 most kindly held the ropes of my horse in order not to lose 
 sight of me, consigned me to the care of his brother, Nujuf 
 Kouli Khan, in order that he himself might look out for the 
 road. Then Ismael and Mortesa tried to push him away, 
 when I loudly exclaimed in Persian, " Will you commit trea- 
 chery ?" This exclamation made the principal persons of the 
 caravan rally round me. I pointed out to them Ismael and 
 Mortesa, who then retired. Towards daylight Abdullah came 
 up to me, and said to Nujuf Kouli Khan and myself, that 
 Abbas Kouli Khan had ordered that I should remain behind, 
 and await his return. We observed that this was a lie. We 
 traced the footsteps of Abbas Kouli Khan's horse, and soon 
 found him. He was anxiously expecting me. Abdullah then 
 began to sell the greater part of my victuals to the ransomed 
 slaves. We arrived at Sayen, and stopped in the house of an 
 Ak-Sakal, ' lord of the beard/ a chief. Abbas Kouli Khan 
 sent me victuals of his own, for he heard himself that the 
 assassins intended to poison me. It must be observed here, 
 that at Sayen the mighty conqueror, Hullakoo Khan, whose 
 name is still in the mouth of every Usbeck child, encamped 
 with his army. 
 
 Perceiving that I was continually harassed about the money, 
 I said to Abbas Kouli Khan, " I will open my trunks, and 
 pour out the money in the open desert, in order that the vil- 
 lains may be satisfied." Abbas Kouli Khan replied, " Give 
 
 2 B 2
 
 372 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 me the money." He gave it into the hands of AH Akbar, his 
 treasurer, and made the people believe that he had sent the 
 money on to Meshed, sealed up, by a Turkomaun. It is 
 a remarkable fact, that though the Turkomauns are great 
 robbers, they are entrusted by merchants with money, which 
 they safely convey to the owner, provided it be sealed. The 
 assassins soon felt that my trunk was no longer so heavy. 
 This made some of them desist from annoying me, but Ab- 
 dullah, in whose horrid countenance one could perceive that 
 he was a murderer, and who did not blush to say that he had 
 murdered two people, and who was particularly charged by 
 Abdul Samut Khan to take away my life, as he confessed at 
 Meshed, did not cease from continually annoying me. The 
 four slaves whom I supported, and Haje Ismael, told me that 
 he continually observed, " I shall kill this Kafir by irritating 
 him. 11 One day, when I was exceedingly hot, I took off my 
 gown and gave it to Abdullah. He rode away from me with 
 it, and sold it to Kaher Kouli, and said he had lost it.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 3|3 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Arrival at Jehaar-Joo. Abbas Kouli Khan calls on the Caravan to protect 
 Dr. Wolff. Bokhara Ambassador demands Money from Dr. Wolff'. 
 Rafitak. Bokharese Horsemen from the Ameer demand Tribute 
 Dr. Wolff disconsolate. Arrival at Ujaaje. Mowr Caravan declared 
 Prisoners. Ameer of Bokhara orders the Turkomauns to release the 
 Caravan ; they refuse to obey Their Khaleefa threatens to leave them 
 if they injure the Caravan ; they obey him. Conversation of Derveesh ; 
 of a Turkomaun. A Derveesh tells the Story of Scanderbeg Fakeers. 
 Sultan Sanjaar. The Khaleefa speaks of Ghengis Khan Khaleefa's 
 Son speaks ill of the Assaff-ood-Dowla Tribe of Salor best of the Tur- 
 komauns. Ameer Sarog and Kaher Kouli lay a plot to murder Dr. 
 Wolff; the Khaleefa frustrates it. Jews aid the Khivites against Bo- 
 khara Joseph of Talkhtoon Turkomaun Tales of Sultan Sanjaar. 
 Turkomauns, in despite of Treaty, kill the Messenger of the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla. The Khaleefa's Conversation the night of his departure with 
 Dr. Wolff. 
 
 ON our arrival at Jehaar-Joo I learnt that Ismael, Dil Assa 
 Khan's man, Kaher Kouli, Rahim Beyk, and Ameer Sarog, 
 with some others, would come in a body, demand money, and, 
 if I did not give it them, would put me to death. I made 
 Abbas Kouli Khan acquainted with this project. He sum- 
 moned the conspirators before him, and the principal people 
 of the caravan, and addressed them in the following words : 
 " The Englishman that I have under my care purposes to 
 escape to Khiva, for these people intend to murder him. He 
 who is a good Mussulman will join me to protect him from 
 the hand of every rascal." The principal people replied, 
 " We will burn the father of the first rascal that touches him." 
 I pointed out to them the assassins : they protested against 
 having any such intention.
 
 374 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 It was awful in the night-time to hear from the tower of 
 Jehaar-Joo the voice exclaiming, " Watch, watch ! for the 
 people of Organtsh may come, kill your cattle, and destroy 
 the child in the mother's womb. 1 " The governor of Jehaar- 
 Joo sent, by order of the Ameer of Bokhara, fifty men on 
 horseback to dig for water at Rafitak, that we might not 
 experience any drought, for the people of Merwe had filled 
 up the wells, that the people of Khiva might find no water. 
 During our stay at Jehaar-Joo, Ameer Abul Kasem, the 
 ambassador for Queen Victoria in the place of Ak Muham- 
 med, who was the first nominated to the office, incessantly an- 
 noyed me with requests for money ; for he said Abdul Samut 
 Khan had himself stated to the king that he had given me 
 three thousand tillahs for the expenses of his ambassador to 
 England. I gave him, therefore, some money, and after the 
 horsemen had returned from clearing the wells at Rafitak we 
 left Jehaar-Joo. 
 
 We rode two nights and two days without ceasing, from 
 fear of the Khivites. The agonies I sustained on horseback 
 I cannot describe ; for I felt that the fall from the horse at 
 Bokhara had produced internal injuries. The nearer we came 
 to Rafitak, the greater was the consternation of the whole 
 caravan, on account of the reports that reached us that the 
 king of Khiva was approaching, and Rafitak is a rallying 
 point of the Khivites. I confess that I should have been glad 
 had they arrived, for they profess a friendship for the English, 
 had not the following circumstance damped my desire. Ameer 
 Sarog and Kaher Kouli, both Turkomauns, gave me candidly 
 to understand, that the moment the people of Khiva ap- 
 proached the camp of Rafitak, they would put me to death, 
 and escape with all that I had left in my trunk. 
 
 At our arrival at Rafitak we were obliged, in spite of the 
 danger, to remain there two days, for horses, mules, camels, 
 and men were too tired to proceed immediately. On the 
 very day of our starting again we perceived horsemen from a
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 375 
 
 distance approaching, and a cry from all sides was heard, 
 " Organtshee, Organtshee ! " The Khivites are thus called 
 by the people of Bokhara. Neither Ameer Sarog nor Kaher 
 Kouli thought of killing me: I stood fast by Abbas Kouli 
 Khan, who gave orders for fighting, while Ameer Sarog and 
 Kaher Kouli ran off like whipped hounds; but Abdullah, 
 my servant, mounted a horse, and rode towards the horse- 
 men, with the intention, which he afterwards confessed at 
 Meshed, to inform them that a Russian Kasak was among 
 the people in the caravan ; and also Abbas Kouli Khan, an 
 ambassador from Persia to Bokhara, and an enemy of the 
 king of Khiva. But on the approach of the horsemen we 
 perceived that they were Bokharese horsemen, sent by the 
 Ameer, demanding two ducats for every free-bought slave 
 who had crossed the Oxus; for this, they said, was an ancient 
 custom. Abbas Kouli Khan wrote his protest against this 
 to the king of Bokhara. 
 
 We continued our journey. My mind was so harassed, 
 and the pain of my internal injury so great, that I began to 
 weep, and said, " O God, I know that I shall not return to 
 England to see my wife and my child." To my great as- 
 tonishment I saw that horrid fellow Abdullah also weeping. 
 A derveesh came up to me and sung the following words, 
 from the famous book called Masnawee : 
 
 Ham Khoda Khahe, Ham Donyae Dun, 
 Een Khyal ast, een Mohal ast, een Jenoon. 
 His fancy's wild, his mind distraught, 
 Who casts on God and Earth his thought. 
 
 We arrived at Ujaaje, near a river, when the Turkomauns 
 conspired to stop us, which was prevented by some of the 
 tribe of Tekka. Here it was where Hullakoo fought a battle 
 against one of the kings of the Kharasms, or Organtsh, and 
 defeated him completely. 
 
 Thence we arrived at Mowr. The noble Khaleefa received 
 me most hospitably : his sons, however, imitate ill their noble 
 father. We were all (the entire caravan, Abbas Kouli Khan
 
 376 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 included,) declared prisoners by the Turkomauns, until the 
 slaves who had already purchased their freedom should pay 
 nineteen thousand ducats to them. A messenger was imme- 
 diately despatched to Bokhara by night, and an order soon 
 after arrived from the Ameer, under whose protection the 
 Turkomauns of Mowr have placed themselves, that we should 
 be permitted to depart immediately, and without molestation. 
 The Turkomauns then declared they would not obey the 
 Ameer ; on which the Khaleefa replied, " If you do not 
 obey, I shall leave Mowr and settle myself at Heraut, and 
 give you my curse." This had the effect required ; but they 
 conspired still to smite the caravan with the sword on the 
 road, and they compelled me to pay for the merchandise on 
 eight camels sent by the Nayeb to his brother, Haje Ibrahim, 
 at Meshed, for they said, " Abdul Samut Khan is the king's 
 right hand." 
 
 While at Mowr, a derveesh, who came from Samarcand, 
 related one evening to the people of the caravan, all seated on 
 the ground, the deeds of Timur, also called Tamerlane, how 
 he built at Sabz-Awar a tower of the skulls of men ; of his 
 defeating Bayazid ; of his entrance into Samarcand ; of the 
 festivities of triumph which he gave at Samarcand ; of his 
 death at Atrar, when just on the point to march against China. 
 Timur, I learn, pitched at every siege three tents successively, 
 of different colours. The first tent was white, to announce 
 that he came to give peace to the enemy if they should sur- 
 render. The second was red, to indicate that he would shed 
 their blood if they offered resistance. The third black, to 
 typify their mourning if they did not submit. 
 
 Whilst he thus was relating the deeds of Timur, he sud- 
 denly broke off, and turning to me he said, " The English 
 people are now Timur, for they are the descendants of Ghen- 
 gis Khan. The Inglees will be the conquerors of the world. 
 On my pilgrimage to Mecca I came to Aden, where they keep 
 a strong force, and from whence they may march to Mecca 
 whenever they please ; and march towards Mecca they shall. 1 "
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 377 
 
 A Turkomaun present said, " The Russians shall be the 
 conquerors of the world. They have now built a strong castle 
 almost in the midst of the sea, not far from Khiva. The 
 people of Khiva have once burnt it down, but they soon built 
 it up again. All is over with Islaam/ 1 
 
 A derveesh sitting among us made the following remark ; 
 " The great mullahs of Samarcand assert that Russia is the 
 Jaaj-Majooj, i. e. Gog and Magog, and this has been already 
 predicted by Ameer Sultan, the great derveesh of Room." 
 
 To my great astonishment, the derveesh related to the 
 Turkomauns the history of the apostasy of Iskandar Beyk 
 from Islamism, in the year 862 of the Hejira, whose name 
 was first Girgis Kastrioota, but who received for his valour 
 the name of Iskandar Beyk from Sultan Murad, whom he 
 forsook and turned to the Europeans, and became a scourge 
 of the Mussulmans, and put a stop to their conquests. From 
 this circumstance one may observe, that there are still clever 
 people among the derveeshes, and that they are not all, as 
 described by Mr. Perkins, a set of useless beggars. The der- 
 veeshes and Jews preserve some knowledge of religion in the 
 desert among those wild Turkomauns, just as the Christian 
 monks preserved the Bible in the middle ages in the convents 
 from the destruction of the Vandals, and as the monks in 
 Abyssinia to this day have preserved copies of the Bible in 
 their convents, at a time when the Gallas inundate the coun- 
 try of Ethiopia. Ameer Sultan, Shams Tabreezee, Mullah 
 Roome, Hafiz, Saadi, Firdousi, Abul Kasem, are derveeshes 
 whose names will only be forgotten when the Eastern world 
 and its literature shall be utterly destroyed. The same is 
 the case with the Christian monks. I need only mention the 
 names of Thomas a Kempis, Taulerus, Luther, Gerson, Six- 
 tus Senensis : these will be in everlasting remembrance. 
 
 There was also in the caravan a fakeer from Patna, who 
 was on a pilgrimage to Russia, where the Hindus have a place 
 of pilgrimage, the name of which I have forgotten. He told
 
 378 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 the Turkomauns of the deeds of the British nation in Hin- 
 dustaun, of General Lake and Lord Clive. 
 
 Another came forward. He was from Sinde, and said, 
 " There is now a governor in Sinde, Lord Napier by name, 
 who is like lightning flame. He has beaten one hundred 
 thousand Pooloj with four hundred men." The whole cara- 
 van exclaimed, " Allah, Allah, Allah ! they certainly will 
 come here ; and if they come, we submit at once, for we Tur- 
 komauns will never fight against those who have the upper 
 hand. We serve the most powerful, let them be Hindus, 
 or Christians, or Mussulmans. Those who give us khelats 
 (robes of honour), and tillahs (ducats), we serve." The Kha- 
 leefa of Mowr observed, " God rewards integrity. The Eng- 
 lish are a people of integrity, and therefore God rewards 
 their integrity. We Turkomauns are thieves, and therefore 
 God is displeased with us." 
 
 The Turkomauns of this place, and of Sarakhs, formerly 
 provided the king of Khiva, as they do now the Ameer of 
 Bokhara, with horsemen, called Sawar, or Al-Aman, horses 
 and mules. I have already alluded to Ezekiel xxvii. 
 
 Near this place we meet also with the ruins of a mighty 
 city, called Sultaun Sanjaar, from a king who, according to 
 Sir John Malcolm's account, lived A. D. 1140. He was the 
 greatest of the Seljuckian dynasty, but was at last beaten by 
 the Turkomauns. 
 
 The Khaleefa of Mowr spoke with admiration of Hullakoo 
 Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan, and son of Tooli Khan. 
 He marched through Mowr, conquered Organtsh, and at last 
 Bagdad. When the Turkomauns of Mowr intended to plun- 
 der us, he reminded the Turkomauns, in an exalted voice, 
 that such an act of treachery was not even committed by 
 Ghengis Khan. It is worthy of notice, that the son of the 
 Rabbi of Meshed is among those Jews who became Mussul- 
 mans, and turned Turkomaun. The Khaleefa of Mowr showed 
 great confidence in me by recommending to my care a Hajc
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 3?9 
 
 from Khokand, who was on his way to Mecca. The son of 
 the Khaleefa called on me, and said, " Dil Assa Khan has acted 
 a treacherous part against you ; but, be assured, he has only 
 obeyed his master's orders, the Assaff-ood-Dowla, who is the 
 most dishonest man in existence. Three years are passed since 
 he promised us to return the twenty Tiirkomaun prisoners, and 
 he has never done it. There is no faith in the Kajar," by 
 which he meant the members of the royal family of Persia. 
 However, I have no just reason to coincide with the opinion of 
 the son of the Khaleefa as to the Assaff'-ood-Dowla's character, 
 for he acted always uniformly kind to me ; that he is afraid of 
 the English there can be no doubt, and that he entertains 
 more hope in the assistance of Russia. There is no doubt, 
 also, that he will declare himself king of Khorassaun after the 
 death of Muhammed Shah. He hates the Haje with all his soul. 
 
 The best class of Turkomauns are those of the tribe of 
 Salor, who called on me, and said, " When Todd was at 
 Heraut, and Abbott and Shakespeare on their way to Khiva, 
 they employed us frequently to give them information, which 
 we willingly gave to them for Turkman perwa nedarand." 1 " 1 
 The Turkomauns do not mind whom they serve, either the 
 King of Bokhara, or the Khan of Khiva, or the Padishah of 
 Russia, or Dowlat, i. e. the Power, by which they mean Eng- 
 land. " And we serve you," they continued, " if you pay us 
 well." I was surprised to observe, that the Turkomauns and 
 people of Heraut were aware that the British government dis- 
 approved of Todd's departure from Heraut ; but all of them 
 assured me that Yar Muhammed Khan would have put him 
 to death if he had stopped there. 
 
 A Turkomaun of the Salor tribe bronght to me, to the 
 house of the Khaleefa, i. e. the Grand-derveesh of Mowr or 
 Merve, a whole camel's load of melons, which I declined ac- 
 cepting, as they generally demand ten times more than the 
 value as a recompense.
 
 380 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Ameer Sarog and Kaher Kouli consulted with each other, 
 and determined to bring me in the night-time to their house, 
 and then to conduct me on the road to Khiva, and murder me 
 there. I informed the Khaleefa of it, who placed a guard the 
 whole night near my room. 
 
 I found, to my great surprise, two Jews at Merve (Mowr), 
 who had embraced the Muhammedan religion, and become 
 Turkomauns by profession and pursuit. 
 
 It is to be observed, that the Jews of Mowr call the inha- 
 bitants of Khiva Philistines; and they maintain that they are 
 the descendants of the Hivites of old. The Jews of Khiva 
 intermarry with the Muhammedans at Khiva, whilst the res- 
 pective parties preserve each their separate religion, a great 
 proof that the Turkomauns and Usbecks are, with regard to 
 their religion, in many respects, less fanatics than the Muham- 
 medans in Turkey and Arabia, where they would instantly 
 put to death both husband and wife. The Jews of Mowr, as 
 well as those of Bokhara, assure me that the Jews residing at 
 Khiva are so intimate with the Turkomauns, and have such a 
 hatred against the king of Bokhara, that they frequently assist 
 the Khivites in battle ; and one may frequently hear among 
 the Khivites, when attacking the enemy, the war-cry, in He- 
 brew, Rabone SheljOlam! 'lord of the world,' mixed up with 
 that of the Turkomaun war-cry, Serenk ! ' brave ; 1 or, Bis- 
 millahe Arrahman Arraheem ! * in the name of the most mer- 
 ciful God. 1 The Jews of Mowr, as well as those of Bokhara, 
 assure me that children of Israel of the tribe of Naphtali and 
 Zebulun are in the Hindu Koosh among the Balkhwee, and 
 live from robbery ; and they know the exclamation, Shama 
 Yisrael ! ' hear, Israel. 1 Ghengis Khan had a whole corps of 
 Jews among his troops. 
 
 Joseph of Talkhtoon, a Jew from Meshed, but who lived 
 among the Turkomauns at Talkhtoon, and in the fame of 
 sanctity, returned to Meshed as soon as the event of Allah-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 381 
 
 Daad had taken place, became Muhammedan, took his wife 
 and child, went to Candahar, where he again returned to 
 Judaism. 
 
 The Jews of Khiva, Khokand, and Tashkand visit some 
 times the following marts and fairs : those of Makariev, Oren- 
 bourg, and Astrachan, in Russia; and go even as far as 
 Leipsic, where they were justly recognised as the remnants of 
 the Ten Tribes of Israel. The Jews of Khiva, Khokand, and 
 Tashkand, and also those of Heraut, sent me word that they 
 had a great desire to see me in those places, in order to speak 
 with me about the coming of the Messiah. Several Jews of 
 Heraut spoke to me with great regard about Majors Rawlin- 
 son, Todd, and a certain Mr. Loggin, whom I have not the 
 pleasure to know. Singular to say, Sir Alexander Burnes 
 told the Jews of Cabul that I was dead, and that he (Sir 
 Alexander Burnes) had performed his devotions at my tomb. 
 
 Here also are found coins, with Arabic inscriptions, of the 
 time of Sultan Sanjaar, of whose riches the Turkomauns 
 speak wonders, of his silver thrones, and his hundred crowns 
 of gold. He was once defeated by the inhabitants of Khetay. 
 He resided at Merwe, and governed Khiva. He was at last 
 made prisoner by the people of Khetay: he escaped. Der- 
 veeshes till this moment relate in melodious strains the deeds 
 of Sanjaar. 
 
 The Turkomauns here I found, in spite of the treaty with 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla, had killed, fourteen days before our 
 arrival, one of his messengers, and made seventeen Persian 
 slaves. The evening before our departure from this place was 
 the only agreeable evening I passed in it. The Khaleefa then 
 supped with me, and I conversed with him till midnight on 
 the second coming of Jesus, and on the day of resurrection. 
 As the Khaleefa had been informed of the intention of the 
 Turkomauns to plunder the caravan, he and his eldest son ac- 
 companied us two days through the desert towards Sarakhs, 
 and left us with the friendly tribe of Tekka.
 
 382 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Tribe of Tekka. Route : Olugh Baba Sarakhs. Abbas Kouli Khan ill- 
 treated by the Turkomauns The Turkomauns demand Robes of 
 Honour. Dr. Wolff is obliged to assume Madness to preserve himself 
 and Abbas Kouli Khan Turkomauns demand Tribute again. Taking 
 of Sarakhs by Abbas Mirza in 1832 Khojam Shokoor threatens to put 
 the Caravan to Death. Arrival at Mostroon Nasarieh Dil Assa 
 Khan is disgraced by the Assaff-ood-Dowla Gaskoon Meshed Dr. 
 Wolff seized with Illness. Account of Meshed its Rulers. Letter 
 from Colonel Sheil, announcing a Subscription to the Mission of three 
 thousand Rupees from Captain Eyre A second Letter from Colonel 
 Sheil, announcing a Subscription for the same Object from Cabul Relief 
 Committee of ten thousand Rupees Letter from Captain D'Arcy. 
 Dr. Wolff never received these Amounts. Letter from Agra Bank, 
 announcing further Subscription from the North-west Provinces of India 
 Letter from Secretary of the Cabul Relief Society Third Letter 
 from Colonel Sheil. Assatf-ood-Dowla takes Birjand Earthquake at 
 Kayen Persian Agents not trustworthy. Kind Reception at Meshed 
 of Dr. Wolff' by Hussein Khan, Son of the Assaff-ood-Dowla. Hussein 
 Khan wishes to punish Dil Assa Khan Dr. Wolff intercedes for him 
 on account of his Family Dr. Wolff gets Abdullah bastinadoed and 
 imprisoned. Fourth Letter of Colonel Sheil. Kindness of Mullah 
 Mehdee to the English Villany of a German named Dieskau. Mirza 
 Askeree, the Imaum Jumaa, calls at Night on Dr. Wolff Massacre of 
 Allah-Daad The Jew Rahmeem. Dr. Wolffs Letter to the Jews 
 of Meshed. 
 
 THE tribe of Tekka, spoken of in the last chapter, are more 
 attached to the king of Organtsh than to the Ameer of Bo- 
 khara, and therefore the people of Mowr dared not pursue us 
 here. It is also to be remarked that the tribe of Tekka, with 
 the tribe of Koora Timur, remained attached together to the 
 unfortunate Sultan Sanjaar to the last. One thing was un- 
 fortunate for me, that several of the tribe of Tekka are in 
 secret understanding with Nayeb Abdul Samnt Khan ; so that
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 383 
 
 if a time should arrive that that villain will be obliged to 
 escape from Bokhara, he will find not only an asylum among 
 the Turkomauns of Tekka, but also persons, especially one 
 Khan Saat by name, who will assist him in making his escape. 
 These Turkomauns of Tekka knew that Abdul Samut Khan 
 was my enemy. 
 
 We went from Tekka to another camp of the same tribe, 
 called Olough Baba, and then arrived at Sarakhs. Abbas 
 Kouli Khan was so ill treated by them, that the poor man 
 burst into tears, and said, " If ever I return to Persia, I will 
 perform my Siyarat (pilgrimage) to Kerbelay, to the tomb of 
 Imaum Hussein ; and thence go to Mecca and Medinah, and 
 there remain with my wife and child.' 1 
 
 On our arrival at Sarakhs, the Turkomauns demanded from 
 Abbas Kouli Khan and myself khelats, (robes of honour). I 
 had none to give, except those belonging to Conolly, which 
 he bought as presents for chiefs, and which I gave them. Dil 
 Assa Khan, however, combined with Abdullah, and advised 
 the Turkomaun boys to hoot me and Abbas Kouli Khan. As 
 if struck by inspiration, I suddenly conceived the brilliant 
 idea of playing the madman, to prevent a rush of the mob 
 on us, and began to dance about and sing the Persian song, 
 His fancy's wild, his mind distraught, 
 Who casts on God and Earth his thought. 
 
 Thinking me possessed, they called out, " This is a Dehli," 
 ' a possessed derveesh,' and quitted me in terror. 
 
 Residence among these lawless tribes convinces me more 
 than ever that there cannot be worse despotism than the des- 
 potism of a mob. There is nothing in my eyes more pregnant 
 with fatal consequences than the sway and power of an igno- 
 rant and uncivilized multitude, governed by no other mo- 
 tives than its own maddening impulses. Virtue is repeatedly 
 punished by them, vice scarcely at all. Savage life, with 
 me, has no charms. I have always found the savage more 
 malicious, deceitful, and cruel than the beings in civilized life,
 
 384 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 whatever fine things may be said of the virtues of the desert. 
 What is the savage in the abstract ? The fearful declension 
 from a purer type, not, as is erroneously supposed, the early 
 element of man. 
 
 Even at Sarakhs, though nominally under the protection of 
 Persia, the Turkomauns detained us again for several days, 
 demanding tribute, which we were obliged to give; but here 
 another circumstance of a most annoying nature happened. 
 The ambassador of the king of Bokhara to the court of 
 Persia, Sabhan Ullah Beyk by name, in union with his co- 
 ambassador for England, permitted some Turkomaun chiefs 
 to capture those slaves that had purchased their liberty, 
 and to again enslave them. After a long discussion, they 
 were out-voted by some of the chiefs of the Turkomauns. 
 I did not find one single Turkomaun at Sarakhs of those 
 who inhabited that place in 1832. On my way to Bokhara, 
 there were there some of my old acquaintances of 1832, but 
 on my return they were all gone to Yolatan, near Mowr. 
 Thus unsteady are the movements of these tribes. 
 
 Abbas Mirza took Sarakhs in the following manner, in 
 1832. He marched with his army towards it, but sent word 
 to the Turkomauns that he wished to treat with them, and 
 therefore they should send to him their chiefs. The chiefs 
 came. When he pretended to be carrying on negotiations, 
 he ordered the chief portion of his army to advance, and his 
 royal Highness himself soon followed. When he came near 
 the castle, a little rivulet obstructed his way. General Bo- 
 rowski, the Jew, advised Abbas Mirza to divert the stream, 
 which he did, and the castle was taken, with the assistance 
 of one thousand Russians, by the address of Borowski. The 
 greater part of the Turkomauns were either slain in battle 
 or made slaves. Thus, for the first time, the Turkomauns 
 experienced the same calamity which they inflicted on the 
 Persians; for as they formerly made slaves of the Persians 
 in Khorassaun, Abbas Mirza, as a just punishment, enslaved
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 385 
 
 them in return. Previous to the arrival of Abbas Mirza, 
 the Khans, from covetousness and policy, gave to any Tiir- 
 komaun, who happened to be made prisoner, his liberty, on 
 paying a small sum for his ransom. Thus Abbas Mirza was 
 the first who punished the robberies of the Turkomauns with 
 just retribution. I cannot bear the Turkomauns ; they are a 
 covetous, treacherous, and, at the same time, stupid class of 
 people. They have not either the ability of the Arab or the 
 Kurd. I must also add that Mullah Mehdee, the Jew of 
 Meshed, and the Jews of Sarakhs, were of essential assistance 
 to Abbas Mirza in his stratagems to delude the Turkomauns. 
 I must also confess that I am sorry that our government 
 withdrew the British force, consisting of Captain Shee and 
 five Serjeants, as soon as Abbas Mirza marched against Sa- 
 rakhs; for what advantage can accrue to the British govern- 
 ment from befriending the Turkomauns at the expense of 
 amity with Persia ? It is the same policy which was formerly 
 pursued by the European powers with regard to the Barbary 
 States. I think it is time that Christian powers should pur- 
 sue a line of policy consistent with principles of morality, 
 founded upon the Gospel, and not follow measures based on 
 mutual jealousy. Would to God the British government 
 would appoint every where such men as Sir Stratford 
 Canning and Lord William Bentinck ! 
 
 The most powerful Aga Sakal, of the tribe of Tekka, at 
 Sarakhs, is Khojarn Shokoor, who is allied with the king of 
 Khiva. He threatened to smite with the edge of the sword 
 the whole caravan if they did not give him tribute, after the 
 other Turkomauns had taken it. The place is divided into 
 those who are allied with Bokhara, and others with Khiva. 
 
 We left that horrid place, and arrived at Mostroon. 
 " Thank God !" we exclaimed, " we are on Persian ground." 
 Mostroon is situated upon an eminence, with a castle erected 
 there by the Assaff-ood-Dowla of Khorassaun, for the pur- 
 pose of watching the movements of the Turkomauns; and 
 
 2c
 
 386 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 to prevent them from invading Khorassaun, fifty soldiers of 
 the Merve tribe are placed there, with some pieces of artil- 
 lery. About ten minutes' walk distance from Mostroon is 
 a hot well of most powerful mineral water. If this place 
 were in the hands of a European power, a most beautiful 
 Spa could be made of it. 
 
 From thence we proceeded to Nasarieh, a place containing 
 about twenty houses, and six farsangs distant from Mostroon. 
 It is inhabited by Mervee, who were formerly on a good 
 understanding with the Turkomauns, and assisted them in 
 making slaves in Khorassaun ; but the Assaff-ood-Dowla cut 
 off the heads of several of them, and then they thought better 
 of it, and gave up that trade. The villain Dil Assa Khan 
 was the chief of the Mervee at Nasarieh, but, on account of 
 his treachery towards me, the Assaff-ood-Dowla has deposed 
 him. From Nasarieh we proceeded to Gaskoon, a village 
 of two hundred houses, with a strong castle ; we slept there 
 one night. Mullah Mehdee, the Jew, came from Meshed 
 to welcome me. 
 
 We proceeded the next day towards Meshed, the capital 
 of Khorassaun. Many inhabitants came out to meet me, and 
 exclaimed, " Praise be to God that you come back with your 
 head from that accursed city, Bokhara ! We have heard how 
 shamefully you have been treated by those scoundrels, Nayeb 
 Abdul Samut Khan and Dil Assa Khan. The Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla has sworn by God, the Prophet, and Ali, to burn the 
 father and wife of Dil Assa Khan." Just on our entering 
 Meshed the holy, I was taken with a most violent vomiting. 
 Before I enter into details about my reception at Meshed, the 
 holy as it is called, I must give a short sketch of that place. 
 
 Meshed was formerly called Toos. When Imaum Resa 
 was poisoned by the son of Haroun Rashid, the place was 
 called Meshed, i. e. the place of martyrdom ; it is the most 
 celebrated place of pilgrimage for the Sheahs. Muhamme- 
 dans of that sect from all parts come to perform their devo-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 387 
 
 tions at the tomb of Imaum Resa, over which a most splendid 
 mosque is built : the cupola of it is entirely of gold. It is 
 visited every year by from twenty to thirty thousand pil- 
 grims. It is a great commercial town, and caravans go from 
 thence to Heraut, Candahar, Bokhara, Isfahan, Teheraun, and 
 Tabreez. The town is under the king of Persia, but he has 
 but little influence there. It is not only the place of burial of 
 Imaum Resa, but also of Haroun Rashid and his son; also 
 the great poet Firdousi, the author of the Shah Nameh : and 
 the great conqueror Moslem-Bey k, at whose tomb Tim in- 
 performed his devotions. It was conquered by Tamerlane, 
 and the following personages are the real rulers of the place : 
 
 1. Alloyer Khan, the Assaff-ood-Dowla, or Viceroy of the 
 empire. He is uncle to his Majesty the king of Persia. 
 
 2. Mirza Askeree Imaum Jumaa, head of the mosque of Imaum 
 Resa, and chief Mullah of the town. 
 
 3. Mirza Moosa Khan, the Metualli, i. e. President of the 
 mosque. 
 
 4. Mirza Haje Hashem, one of the directors of the prayer at 
 the mosque. 
 
 5. Minister of the Police. 
 
 These direct all the internal affairs of and around Meshed 
 as far as Semnan. In order to give some idea of the little 
 influence the king of Persia has at Meshed, I have simply 
 to note that, after the massacre of the Jews had taken place 
 at Meshed, the king sent a commissioner with an order that 
 the perpetrators of the crime should be delivered and brought 
 to Teheraun. This order was disobeyed ! 
 
 On my arrival I met Ali Muhammed Beyk, gholam of the 
 British embassy of Teheraun, already there, with letters 
 from Colonel Sheil for myself; and also letters from India, 
 that three thousand rupees had been collected for me, which 
 I never received. 
 
 On this subject I subjoin the following kind communication 
 from Colonel Sheil : 
 
 2c 2
 
 388 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 My dear Dr. Wolff, Tehran, August llth, 1844. 
 
 A messenger is on the point of going to Meshed, and gives 
 me time only to tell you that I have received a letter from Captain 
 Eyre, in which he informs me that three thousand rupees are at 
 your disposal. 
 
 You can draw on me for that amount ; but I beg of you parti- 
 cularly to distinguish in your different bills on what account it 
 is you draw. This is necessary for my reimbursement. 
 
 I have told Aga Abul Kassim to deliver to you this letter on 
 your arrival at Meshed ; for I cannot venture to place you in 
 danger by sending a letter to Bokhara. 
 
 With best wishes, believe me, 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 JUSTIN SHEIL. 
 
 T cannot express my thanks for Lieutenant Eyre's great 
 kindness, for I refer to him, indirectly if not directly, the 
 following communication from Colonel Sheil : 
 
 Sir, Tehran, June 1st, 1844. 
 
 I have the honour to forward to you a letter, which I have 
 received to your address from Captain D'Arcy, secretary to the 
 Bombay Cabul Relief Fund Committee, placing at your disposal, 
 for certain purposes, the sum of ten thousand rupees (10,000 Rs.) 
 Your drafts upon me to the above amount, not exceeding two 
 thousand tomans (Ts. 2000), will receive the attention requisite. 
 And T have moreover requested Agha Abul Kassim, a merchant 
 at Meshed with whom you are acquainted, to afford you assistance 
 in finding purchasers for your bills, and to answer your bills on 
 him. You should, however, avoid drawing largely on this per- 
 son without previous communication, as his means may be in- 
 adequate to the payment of considerable sums. 
 
 Should you draw upon me for the purposes mentioned by 
 Captain D'Arcy, I beg you will keep in distinct recollection 
 the necessity of stating, in the body of the bill, that it is drawn 
 on account of the Bombay Cabul Relief Fund Committee. An 
 omission on this point will put me to much inconvenience. 
 
 I also transmit to you a letter from the Secretary to the General 
 Committee Cabul Relief Fund, authorizing you to draw upon the 
 Sub-committee for ten thousand rupees (Rs. 10,000). I am in- 
 clined to conjecture that your bills on that Association would not
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 389 
 
 be saleable in Toorkestan, or even at Meshed, and I am not aware 
 that the Committee has made any other adequate arrangement for 
 their payment. It is therefore, I suppose, requisite that, in case of 
 necessity, you should draw bills on me for the above amount, not 
 exceeding two thousand tomans (Ts. 2000). And I have also re- 
 quested Agha Abul Kassim to afford you such assistance as may be 
 in his power in the disposal of your bills. I shall write to the 
 secretary of the General Fund to make arrangements for answering 
 my counter bills. 
 
 Should you draw on me on this account, I shall be equally obli- 
 ged to you to state distinctly in the bill, that it is on account of 
 the General Cabul Relief Fund Committee. 
 
 I have forwarded these letters to Mullah Mehdee, your agent at 
 Meshed, directing him to transmit them to Merve, to your servant 
 Rejjeb. But I have told Mullah Mehdee not to send these letters 
 to Bokhara; for however useful it might be that you should re- 
 ceive them in that city, I fear to expose you to what I believe 
 would be great danger, by rendering you liable to the suspicions of 
 the Ameer. 
 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 JUSTIN SHEIL. 
 
 I also subjoin Captain D'Arcy's kind letter to myself: 
 
 My dear Mr. Wolff, Bombay, March 19th, 1844. 
 
 I have the pleasure to inclose a letter to your address from the 
 Secretary of the General Committee of the Cabool Relief Fund, at 
 Umbalea; and at the same time I am directed, by the Bombay 
 Cabool Relief Fund Committee, to place at your disposal a further 
 sum of (Rs. 10,000) ten thousand Company Rupees, to enable you 
 to procure the release of any captive British subjects who may be 
 still remaining in Affghanistan, or the neighbouring states, as 
 slaves, or who may be incapacitated from returning to their native 
 country by wounds or sickness received during the disastrous 
 retreat of our army in 1842. 
 
 The Envoy at the Court of Persia, Colonel Sheil, has been re- 
 quested by the Bombay government to cash your bills for the 
 above amount ; and I have requested him, in forwarding this let- 
 ter, to address you on the subject, and point out the mode by 
 which you may most conveniently draw on him for the amount.
 
 390 
 
 That the Almighty God may bless you in your humane efforts, 
 is the prayer of, my dear Sir, 
 
 Very faithfully yours, 
 
 GEORGE D'ARCY, 
 
 Secretary to the Bombay Cabool Relief Fund. 
 
 I further add the following communication from the secre- 
 tary of the Cabul Relief Society alluded to in the above letter : 
 
 My dear Sir, Camp, Umbalea, March 3rd, 1844. 
 
 The General Committee of the Caubul Relief Fund 
 having taken into their serious consideration the case of the nu- 
 merous British subjects who must be remaining in Afghanistan 
 and the neighbouring states, either as slaves or from inability 
 to leave ; and regarding them as sufferers from the disastrous 
 retreat of the British force in 1842, have resolved to appropriate a 
 portion of their remaining funds to effect their release and return 
 to their own country. Their intentions are embodied in the an- 
 nexed Resolution, dated the 21st ultimo. 
 
 The Committee have reluctantly limited your power of drawing 
 upon them to ten thousand rupees. Their object in such limita- 
 tion is to reserve a portion of their funds to provide for the necessi- 
 ties of those who from physical disability may be unable to support 
 themselves, and who may not be entitled to a pension from Go- 
 vernment; but while they thus restrict your expenditure, they 
 anxiously hope that you may be able to enter into such arrange- 
 ments as may enable them, should their funds admit, to complete 
 their labours, under the gratifying assurance that not a single in- 
 dividual who has a claim on British sympathy grieves in captivity, 
 or is exposed to wander in the streets of a foreign country a beg- 
 gar and an outcast. 
 
 Earnestly soliciting your cordial co-operation, which from the 
 feelings which induced your present mission we confidently anti- 
 cipate receiving, and commending you to the protection of our 
 gracious God, 
 
 Believe me, dear Sir, sincerely yours, 
 
 J. RICHARDSON, 
 
 Secretary Gen. Com. C. R. F. 
 21st February, 1844. 
 
 Resolved, That a letter be written through the Resident at the 
 Court of Persia to the Rev. Dr. Wolff, requesting him to exert
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 3Q1 
 
 himself in the release and return to India of any Hindoostanees 
 and others, lately in the British service, who from physical injuries, 
 or from being in bondage, may be unable to leave ; and that he be 
 authorized to draw on the Sub-committee for this purpose to the 
 extent of ten thousand rupees. That he be further requested to 
 make all payments for this object dependent on the arrival of the 
 unfortunate sufferers at Peshawar ; and that, should the means 
 now placed at his disposal be inadequate to effect the release and 
 return of all that he may meet, he be solicited to enter into such 
 arrangements as may enable the Committee, should their means 
 admit, to extend their aid to others. 
 
 J. ElCHARDSON, Sec. Gen. Com. 
 
 I think it right to add, that I have received nothing from 
 either of these Societies 1 funds, which have possibly remitted 
 the separate amounts to England or Persia. Independent 
 of these, I received by the Agra Bank 129^. 15s. 4d, remitted 
 to my bankers, Messrs. Drummond, of which I subjoin the 
 following document : 
 
 Agra and United Service Bank, 
 Sir, May 10th, 1844. 
 
 I have the pleasure to advise my having this day sent 
 to Messrs. Drummond and Company, Charing Cross, a bill for 
 1291. 15s. 4d., being amount of subscriptions of officers and 
 others in the North-west Provinces of India, in aid of the bene- 
 volent object you have undertaken. 
 
 At the suggestion of Captain V. Eyre, we have made this sum 
 payable to Colonel Sheil, on your behalf. He will, no doubt, be 
 able to advise with you as to the best mode of realizing it. 
 I remain, yours faithfully, 
 
 H. W. I. WOOD, 
 Assistant- Secretary for the Society. 
 
 To Colonel Sheil I feel deeply indebted for the safe con- 
 veyance of all these notices, and for the following cautious 
 and well-timed epistle : 
 
 My dear Sir, June 16th, 1844. 
 
 As a matter of precaution, lest your detention at Bo- 
 khara should be prolonged on other pretexts, I have despatched a 
 letter from the Shah to the Ameer regarding you, to be forwarded 
 in the event of there being any necessity by the Assaf-ood-Dowlah 
 to Bokhara. I trust, however, that this will not be required, and
 
 392 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 that you are already within the Persian territory. It will be very 
 satisfactory to me to hear this intelligence, for until then I shall 
 not be free from anxiety on your account. 
 
 Believe me, my dear Sir, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 JUSTIN SHEIL. 
 
 The Assaff-ood-Dowla was just gone to the district of 
 Kayen, in the city of Birjand, called also by some travellers 
 Burjund. Ameer Assaad Ullah Khan, of Kayen or Burjund, 
 was the only Khan who refused submission to Abbas Mirza, 
 and now to the Assaff-ood-Dowla. The Assaff-ood-Dowla 
 marched against him whilst I was at Bokhara, and succeeded 
 in taking the whole district, and Burjund, the capital. An 
 earthquake also killed thousands of the people of Kayen. 
 
 Now to give an idea of how little the Persians can be trus- 
 ted as agents, I have just to state the following fact. Soon 
 after my arrival at Meshed, Aga Abool Kasem, then the 
 agent of Colonel Sheil, came to me. I was then with Mullah 
 Mehdee, and surrounded by a great number of Jews, or, as 
 they were now called by the Mussulmans, Islam Jadeeda, 
 ' new Mussulmans, 1 as Jews in Spain, forced to be Chris- 
 tians, are called Nuevi Cristiani, ' new Christians." 1 Now 
 Aga Abool Kasem brought with him a Saye'd, and introduced 
 him to me as a man sent as a secret agent by Colonel Sheil 
 to watch the movements of the Assaff-ood-Dowla. He told 
 me, also, that his (the Sayed's) brother was sent by Colonel 
 Sheil to Kayen, to watch the Assaff-ood-Dowla there, and re- 
 port to him whenever the Assaff intended to attack Heraut. 
 He told me that he was a secret agent of Colonel Sheil in the 
 presence of twenty Jews and many Mussulmans, and I know 
 that he was employed by Colonel Sheil. 
 
 The following circumstance must also not be forgotten. 
 One of the chief men of Yar Muhammed Khan at Heraut, 
 whose name I have forgotten, sent a man to Colonel Sheil 
 with some presents and a letter. Colonel Sheil gave to the 
 man a letter for Yar Muhammed Khan's chief man, and a
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 spy-glass as at present. The messenger came to me, and 
 wished actually to sell to me the spy-glass consigned to his 
 care by Colonel Sheil to deliver it to the man of Yar Muham- 
 med Khan, called Mirza Nujuf Khan ; and though the fellow 
 had returned from Teheraun to Meshed when I arrived at 
 Meshed on my way to Bokhara, he never proceeded to Heraut, 
 but was still at Meshed on my return, and never had deliver- 
 ed either Colonel Shell's letter or spy-glass. 
 
 As the Assaff-ood-Dowla was not there, his son Hussein 
 Khan received me very kindly, and delivered to me a letter 
 from his father, who made a thousand apologies for having 
 sent with me a man like Dil Assa Khan, and desired me to 
 order any punishment which I liked to inflict upon him, and 
 placed him immediately in irons ; but as Dil Assa Khan had 
 a wife and children, I interceded for him. But I got instantly 
 put into irons my servant Abdullah, bastinadoed and sent to 
 prison for forty days ; for he threatened to come after me, and 
 that he would not rest until he had accomplished the pledge 
 he gave to Abdul Samut Khan to put me to death, adding 
 these words . " God burn the father of Abbas Kouli Khan ! 
 for his care and solicitude about the Kafir, which prevented 
 me from killing him on the road." 
 
 The following letter reached me here from Colonel Sheil : 
 
 My dear Dr. Wolff, 19 Sep. 
 
 I am heartily glad to learn your arrival in Meshed. I 
 have sent a gholam specially to accompany you to Tehran, and 1 
 recommend you to quit your companions, and come on with him 
 as fast as you can. I conclude, from the state of your health, 
 thst you do not intend to travel to the eastward. 
 
 Believe me very truly yours, 
 
 JUSTIN SHEIL. 
 
 The bearer takes a letter to Hoossein Khan, directing him to 
 send you to Tehran. I have taken this precaution, lest Hajee 
 Ibrahem should attempt to impede you on account of the bill for 
 six thousand tillahs. 
 
 Get the two thousand tillahs from Abbas Koolee Khan without 
 delay. J. S.
 
 394 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Though I had a house assigned to me by Hussein Khan, 
 the governor, I stopped with Mullah Mehdee, who has always 
 shown himself a friend to me and all the English nation ; and 
 this kind Jew was, during the invasion of the English in 
 Affghanistaun, employed by Major Rawlinson at Candahar, 
 and Major Todd at Heraut, and suffered repeatedly for his 
 attachment to our people. In proof of it I record the follow- 
 ing fact. A German from Hamburgh, named Dieskau, came 
 from India to Meshed, pretending to be an English ambassador. 
 Mullah Mehdee lent him twelve hundred ducats, with which 
 the rascal escaped. The fact is known to Sir John Me Neill, 
 Colonel Farrant, and Colonel Sheil, and to the Governor- 
 general of India. While in this place the Jews asked, " Why 
 their countrymen of old did not know the doctrine of the 
 Trinity ?" I replied that they had some dark intimations of 
 it; as, for instance, in Isaiah vi., when the prophet saw the 
 glory of the Lord in the image of one sitting on a throne on 
 high surrounded by Seraphim, who, veiling their faces, ex- 
 claimed, c Holy, Holy, Holy !' I pointed out to them that the 
 prophet said, that the whole of the temple in which he saw 
 this vision was filled with smoke. I also pointed out that a 
 similar vision was given to John at Patmos ; but that then 
 the Seraphim surrounding the throne of the Holy One were 
 covered with eyes, and exclaimed also, * Holy, Holy, Holy ! ' 
 Both these descriptions, I told them, applied to one and the 
 same mystery, viz. the one Eternal Godhead, which with the 
 threefold Holy is to be adored in the three Eternal Persons. 
 I told them, also, to notice that the Seraphim surrounding 
 Isaiah veiled their faces, and smoke then obscured the temple. 
 That was the description of nations expecting redemption; 
 but in the new covenant all was light, therefore they appeared 
 full of eyes : Rev. iv. A very remarkable, and not commonly 
 noticed passage on the Trinity, occurs at Romans xi. 36 : 
 " For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, 
 to whom be glory for ever." Of Him denotes the creative 
 power of the Father; through Him, the mediation of the Son ;
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 3<J5 
 
 to Him, the fulness of life of the Holy Ghost. This blessed 
 Spirit unites the Son with the Father, and also unites the cre- 
 ated things with the Creator. But as they are inseparable 
 from each other, he concludes, " To Him be glory for ever." 
 
 Mirza Askeree, the Imaum Jumaa or chief of the mosque, 
 called on me in the night-time, for I was exceedingly unwell. 
 He made me a present of a turquoise ring. He said, " I was 
 suspected by Muhammed Shah (king of Persia) to be too 
 partial to England, and he therefore invited me to appear at 
 Teheraun. I obeyed the summons, but 1 could drive out the 
 Kajar, i. e. the present dynasty of Persia, from Meshed when- 
 ever I please." I besought him to protect the Jews, and not 
 to allow the Muhammedans to carry on against them a regu- 
 lar system of inquisition. Mirza Askeree is very fond of 
 money, and after receiving a few tomauns from a Jewish 
 family, he allowed a considerable number of them to emigrate 
 to Heraut, Yazd, and Teheraun, where they live again as 
 Jews. How affecting it is to look at the Jews of Meshed ! I 
 saw the poor old women go about continually, exclaiming, 
 " Allah-Daad ! Allah-Daad /" * God has given ! God has 
 given!' the exclamation used by the Sayed to excite the 
 populace to murder the Jews of Meshed. 
 
 On my second arrival 1 heard more fully the history of the 
 massacre of the Jews. The Jews for centuries had settled 
 there from the cities Casween, Rasht, and Yazd. They were 
 distinguished advantageously by their cleanliness, industry, 
 and taste for Persian poetry. Many of them had actually 
 imbibed the system of the Persian Sooffees. We heard them, 
 instead of singing the hymns of Zion, reciting in plaintive 
 strains the poetry of Hafiz and Firdousi, and the writings of 
 Masnawee. They had accumulated great riches, and did not 
 busy themselves in propitiating the authorities of Meshed 
 by occasional presents. Their wealth had long excited the 
 cupidity of the people of Meshed, who only sought an oppor- 
 tunity to seize on their possessions. The following occasion 
 presented itself, which enabled them to realize this object.
 
 396 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 In the year 1838 the Muhammedans celebrated the feast of 
 Bairam. On that very day a Jewess slaughtered a dog, at the 
 advice of a Mussulman physician, for the purpose of washing 
 with the blood of the dog her own hands. One of the Mus- 
 sulman Sayeds, who heard it, and to whom the Jews previ- 
 ously had refused a present, called together all the Mussulmans 
 in the mosque of Imaum Resa, and addressed them in the fol- 
 lowing manner; "People of Muhammed and Ali, the Jews 
 have derided our feast of Bairam, by sacrificing on the very 
 day of our feast a dog. I shall now tell you in two words 
 what must be done, Allah-Daad^ which means, ' God has 
 given.' They took the allusion, and whilst the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla, Mirza Askeree, the Imaum Jumaa, and the rest of 
 the authorities, were sleeping, the whole populace shouted 
 " Allah-Daad," and with this shout of Allah-Daad they 
 rushed into the houses of the Jews, slew thirty-five of them, 
 robbed and plundered their property, and the rest of them 
 saved their lives but not their property, by reciting the 
 Muhammedan creed. Only a few of them preferred death to 
 apostasy. Mullah Daoud Cohen, the chief Rabbi and High- 
 priest of the Jewish nation at Meshed, gave the first example 
 of apostasy. The year in which this event happened still goes 
 by the name of Allah-Daad among both Jews and Muham- 
 medans. In secret they observe the Jewish religion, and tell 
 their children not to forget the event of Allah-Daad. 
 
 There is a Jew here, Rahmeem by name, whom I knew in 
 former times. He was not only learned in Jewish learning, 
 but also in Persian literature, and rather given to the system 
 of the Sooffees. When he saw the Jews massacred, and the 
 shout of " Allah-Daad" became universal, he turned Muham- 
 medan with the rest, but soon after was struck with madness. 
 The word of " Allah-Daad !" struck him with consternation ; 
 he tears his clothes, and runs about in the streets, and the only 
 word he utters is "Allah-Daad!" I asked him, "Rahmeem, 
 if I give you a suit of clothes, will you wear them ? " " Yes." 
 I gave him a suit of clothes : the next day he tore them
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 397 
 
 into pieces, exclaiming, "Allah-Daad! When my mosque 
 shall be built I will wear clothing. Now Allah-Daad ! Allah- 
 Daad!" 
 
 Whilst I was with the Jews at Meshed, the time came that 
 the Jews commemorate their day of Atonement. The poor 
 women and the old Jews fasted in secret. The Mussulmans 
 were informed by those Jews who had been real apostates to 
 the Muhammedan faith, and who voluntarily embraced that 
 faith for the sake of convenience, previous to the event of 
 Allah-Daad, that the Jews converted in the year of Allah- 
 Daad were Jews in secret. Whilst I was with them the ser- 
 vant of Mirza Sayd Askeree, the Imaum Ajooma, entered the 
 house of a Jew in the evening time, in order to find out 
 whether they celebrated the Atonement. I was informed of 
 the fact, and sent him word to leave immediately the house of 
 the Jew, which he did. The next morning I wrote to the 
 Imaum Ajooma a serious letter, and gave him to understand 
 that most of the European powers take an interest in the con- 
 dition of the Jews, and told him that he would make himself 
 an immortal name if he would protect the Jews ; which he 
 promised to do. I wrote the following appeal to the Jews of 
 Meshed, which was copied by them, and sent by them to the 
 Jews of Heraut, Mazanderaun, Yazd, Hamadan, and others. 
 The appeal was as follows : 
 
 My dear Brethren, 
 
 I knew you fourteen years ago a long time before 
 the event of Allah-Daad took place. You were kind to me, and 
 administered to me the rites of hospitality ; and therefore what I 
 am going to tell you does not proceed from any feeling of hostility 
 and ill-will, but from a feeling of affection, regard, and compassion 
 towards you : and what I am going to tell you is, that you had 
 but little feeling for true religion of that religion which teaches 
 the Shah, the sage, and the philosopher to look up to the Creator, 
 the Lord of the world, with confidence, like a sucking child to the 
 mother while it rests upon her knees, and which teaches the 
 philosopher to exclaim with child-like simplicity, Abba, Father ! 
 You had little feeling for that religion which teaches us that all
 
 398 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 around us is desert, if our spirit does not look towards heaven. 
 You, like the Soofiees of the Persians, whom many of you wor- 
 shipped, studied history and nature without reference to religion, 
 unmindful that nature and history are only enigmas, which can 
 only be solved by the knowledge of true religion. You wallowed 
 about in the sensual poems of Hafiz, and Youssuff and Zuleika, 
 and forgot Moses and the Prophets. You were totally void of 
 faith, which is the element of all human knowledge and activity. 
 You despised Moses and the Prophets, and walked in the ways of 
 the Gentiles. God, therefore, gave you up to them in his right- 
 eous indignation ; and those very people in whom you placed your 
 entire confidence have been, as you told me yourselves, the first 
 who not only forsook you, but plundered you. Return, therefore, 
 to the Lord your God, with weeping, sorrow, and contrition of 
 heart. Search the Scriptures, which will lead you to Him who, 
 though He was rejected by the Jews as the brethren of Joseph re- 
 jected their brother, and as the children of Israel rejected Moses 
 in the beginning, was nevertheless the son of David according to 
 the flesh, and the Jehovah our Righteousness according to the 
 Spirit. He was bruised for our iniquities, and despised and re- 
 jected of men, and was cut off from the land of the living ; but, 
 after there shall have been over-turnings, overturnings, overturn- 
 ings of empires, He shall bring you into the wilderness, and 
 there He will plead with you face to face, like as He pleaded with 
 your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt. Those days 
 of Egypt, my dear friends, and the events which took place in those 
 days, are typical of those days and events which shall take place 
 when Jesus of Nazareth, who is the real son of David, shall come 
 the second time to redeem, not only Israel, but also accomplish 
 all the promises to the Gentiles. Mighty events shall soon take 
 place; and you have already had a forewarning of the sufferings 
 which shall come upon you in the event of Allah-Daad, until you 
 shall look on Him whom you have pierced, and mourn. Then 
 you shall enter into the Land of Promise ; but you must repent 
 first of your sins, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted 
 out when the days of refreshing shall come from the presence of 
 the Lord. 
 
 I advise you, however, in the first instance, to write to Sir Moses 
 Montefiore, who will give you every assistance in his power, in 
 order to bring you out of your present distressed condition. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 399 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Dissent among the Mussulmans Sayed asserts Pilgrimages to be unneces- 
 sary. Imaum Resa killed by Haroun Rashid. Muhammed All Serraf 
 calls on Dr. Wolff Dr. Wolff' charges him with Neglect in not deliver- 
 ing the Letters of Sir Moses Montefiore and the Sultan Muhammed 
 Ali Serraf shows a Letter from Colonel Sheil to justify his Conduct. 
 Date of the Execution of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly. Argu- 
 ment for 1258 Hejirah ; 1259 the right date. Dr. Wolff regrets that 
 the Sufferings of the Officers should have been so protracted, but cannot 
 come, on reflection, to any other conclusion than 1259 Hejirah, 1843, 
 A. D. Character of Colonel Sheil Evil of appointing Envoys that are 
 not of the Established Church Singular Conduct of Colonel Sheil. 
 Letter from the Assaff-ood-Dowla. Christian Missions Stations for 
 them recommended at Semnan, Damghan, Nishapoor, Meshed, Hasrat- 
 Sultan, Tashkand, Shamay, Yarkand, Cashgar, Eele, Thibet, and Cash- 
 meer; not at present at Bokhara. Khokand, Cashmeer, Ladack, and 
 Lassa the Languages requisite : Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Chinese, 
 Hindustanee, Hebrew, and Kalmuck Sciences and Arts. Conduct 
 required in a Missionary Missionaries in the East. Dialogue be- 
 tween Dr. Wolff and a Sooffee. Ameer Beyk, the Daoodee. Route : 
 Askerea Shereef Abad Kadam-Gah Nishapoor Sabz-Awar. Curi- 
 ous Report circulated there, at the first visit of Dr. Wolff, that he was 
 two hundred years old, and acquainted with all the Sciences of the Earth 
 Visited the second time by Crowds, who conceived he had predicted 
 the recent Earthquake. Route : Massanan Abbas Abad Miyandasht 
 Miyamey ; Dr. Cormick died at Miyamey Death of Abbas Mirza 
 Illness of Dr. Wolff. Conversation between Sabhan Ullah Khan and 
 Dr. Wolff. Letter from Colonel Sheil received en route. Route : Shah 
 Rood Deh-Mullah Damghan Dowlat Abad Aghwan Semnan 
 Lasgird Deh Namak Pah-Deb. Kish-Lagh. Arrival at Teheraun 
 Hospitable Reception by Colonel Sheil Monsieur Le Comte Sartiges. 
 
 IT is remarkable, that dissenters in doctrine are now prevailing 
 largely in the Muhammedan religion. A Sayed at Meshed 
 began to teach that the Koran was quite enough, and pil- 
 grimages unnecessary. This, in the great city of Imaum 
 Resa, was extraordinary doctrine. This Imaum Resa was the
 
 400 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 eighth of the twelve Imaums descended from Muhammed. 
 He was killed at Meshed, by the son of Haroun Rashid, by a 
 poisoned grape. Beside Imaum Resa, there is here interred 
 Aboo Mosleem, the fiercest of all the conquerors of the Islam 
 faith. A strong cry of heresy was raised against this Saye'd, 
 but Mirza Askeree protected him. A fierce schism now pre- 
 vails among the Sheahs at Meshed. 
 
 Muhammed Ali Serraf, Colonel Stoddart's agent, called on 
 me again on my return. I reproached him for not having for- 
 warded the letters of Sir Moses Montefiore and the Sultan 
 from Colonel Sheil. He showed me, for his own justification, a 
 letter from Colonel Sheil, in which he distinctly wrote to him 
 that he should not forward the letters by an express messenger, 
 but by some other opportunity. Colonel Sheil must have had 
 peculiar reasons for giving him these instructions, of which I 
 am not aware. He may have leaned to the conviction, that 
 both Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly were executed in 
 the year 1258 Hejirah, or A. D. 1842. 
 
 I shall now give further details of this date question. Both 
 the Nayeb and the King gave as the date, Sarratan, 1259, 
 and after I had sent away the letter written to the Stoddart 
 and Conolly Committee, by order of the king, in which this 
 date was mentioned, Nayeb Abdul Samut Khan repeated 
 again 1259 ; but counting the months since their death, 
 brought it to twenty months instead of twelve. He numbered 
 them on beads, as all the Persians do. I then said, " If twenty 
 months have elapsed, the event must have taken place in the 
 year 1258," for 1260 had just begun. The Nayeb then, after 
 reflection, said with some hesitation, " Yes, you are right ; 
 and both the king and I were mistaken." I think it also fit- 
 ting to add here, that I have my doubts whether the Nayeb 
 did not desire to confuse the matter, for it may yet be a 
 serious matter to him. I then asked several at Bokhara 
 about the date, among others Saadat, and they gave 1258. 
 Thus much may be said in favour of 1258, and that was
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 401 
 
 my impression in my excited state at Teheraun. But Haje 
 Ibrahim, before my arrival at Bokhara, told me distinctly that 
 the letter of Lord Ellenborough had arrived previous to the 
 execution of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly. Now I 
 counted at Bokhara the date of Sir R. Shakespeare's note, 
 which accompanied Lord Ellenborough's letter, and that note 
 was written, I well remember, only one year before my arrival. 
 Now Haje Ibrahim would not have said that Lord Ellen- 
 borough's letter arrived before their execution, if it had not 
 actually been the case ; and adding to this, that Abbas Kouli 
 Khan, as will be seen after my leaving Teheraun, decidedly 
 said to me that they had been put to death only eleven months 
 before my arrival; and besides that, the Assaff-ood-Dowla 
 also, on my going to Bokhara told me the same thing, it 
 cannot be denied that the year 1259 is the true date ; for 
 though the Nayeb had not delivered, as I fully believe, the 
 letter of Lord Ellenborough to the king, he (the Nayeb) yet re- 
 ceived it before their death, and suppressed it from the fear of 
 consequences to himself. With respect to Abdul Samut Khan's 
 second assertion, that Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly 
 were killed twenty months previous to my arrival, the date of 
 their execution does not then agree with Saleh Muhammed's 
 statement, who affirmed they were killed in June 1842. I 
 arrived on April 1st, 1844 ; now counting backward twenty 
 months, this brings the date to the September of 1842. 
 
 I much wish I could come to a different conclusion, since it 
 would be more satisfactory to the painful feelings of many 
 dear friends to learn that the misery of the unfortunate suffer- 
 ers had not extended over so protracted a period of time, that 
 the account of the Akhund-Zadeh was exact ; since to reflect 
 on two British officers, reduced to so horrible a state that the 
 flesh was gnawed from their bones in large masses"*by vermin, 
 with the fearful sufferings, mental and bodily, that they must 
 have undergone by the slow operation of the atrocious tyranny 
 practised upon them at the instigation of Abdul Samut Khan, 
 
 2 D
 
 402 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 excites an intensity of feeling on my part almost maddening, 
 and cannot produce an inferior feeling among those of their 
 own flesh and blood. 
 
 And here let me take the opportunity to add a few words on 
 the character of Colonel Sheil. He is evidently a gallant and 
 honourable officer, who would serve his Queen with his blood ; 
 but his reserved disposition must prove painful to many. I 
 once remarked this to the gentlemen of the embassy : " Colo- 
 nel Sheil has not that pleasing communicativeness which is so 
 conspicuous in Sir Stratford Canning." The answer I received 
 was, that " I ought to consider that Sir Stratford Canning was 
 ambassador, and Colonel Sheil only charge d'affaires." I am 
 also convinced that he will give protection to British subjects, 
 and to Protestants in general, as far as his religious principles 
 allow him, for he is a Roman Catholic. As an instance, I 
 mention the following fact : The American missionaries, who 
 have been always under the English protection, received the 
 greatest hospitality from Colonel Sheil ; but when they came 
 in conflict with the Roman Catholic missionaries, though he 
 believed the Protestant missionaries to be in the right, he can- 
 didly told them that he could not interfere, for he was a Ro- 
 man Catholic. This is one evil of appointing a minister of a 
 different religious persuasion to that established in the land, 
 an evil which the sagacity of the Archbishop of Canterbury 
 detected at the passing of the Emancipation Bill. His Grace 
 then stated that the Protestant missions must suffer from it. 
 
 As an instance, I may mention also the following fact, by 
 which it will be seen that a Protestant clergyman must suffer 
 considerably, even among the most liberal Roman Catholics, 
 by such a circumstance. Colonel Sheil very liberally gave 
 me permission to preach in the embassy, but he himself did 
 not attend. Now the impression raised among the natives by 
 this line of conduct is unfavourable to Christianity, who either 
 say the Vizier Much tar has no religion at all, or that he pays 
 no regard to the Mullah of his country.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA- 403 
 
 It will always remain to me an enigma why Colonel Sheil, 
 though he admitted that Abdul Samut Khan was a villain, 
 and though he was unfavourably impressed with the appear- 
 ance of Haje Ibrahim his brother, nevertheless would never 
 enter into details about him ; and when I recommended him 
 to get full information of the infamous character of Abdul 
 Samut Khan from Mirza Abdul Wahab, he actually turned 
 in a rude and insulting manner from Abdul Wahab. My es- 
 timate of Colonel SheiFs character will be fully established 
 by every Englishman that knows him. His bilious maladies, 
 however, and gout, must plead an apology for all this. He 
 also acted completely the reverse of Sir S. Canning in the fol- 
 lowing affair. He knew fully, as well by Abbas Kouli Khan 
 as by myself, how villanously I was treated by Dil Assa Khan ; 
 but he never for one moment thought of getting me any re- 
 dress, or of punishing him through the medium of the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla ; on the contrary, Sir S. Canning, when I told his 
 Excellency that the ambassador who was designed to accom- 
 pany me to England from Bokhara had taken from me money 
 and a shawl, would have compelled him to restore every thing 
 had I wished it. 
 
 I received, also, the following letter from the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla : 
 
 To the mighty in rank, of high family, the fellow-traveller 
 of greatness and dignity, the chief of the great personages of the 
 Christian faith, and the cream of the illustrious (followers) of the 
 Messiah, the unique of the times, Padre Joseph Wolff; may he 
 always be happy and delighted, and gratified by obtaining his 
 objects and desires ! 
 
 Be it known, that from excess of friendship, I was most anx- 
 ious and desirous to see that great man; and it so happened, that 
 when he returned from Bokhara to the Holy Land, I was not 
 there, which was a source of regret and disappointment to me ; 
 but since that mighty person came to seek for peace and the in- 
 crease of friendship and good understanding between both nations, 
 I am much pleased and delighted. 
 
 If it pleased God, that great person, after returning to the seat 
 
 2 n 2
 
 404 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of Government, will always write an account of himself to me, as 
 I am much gratified with his friendship. Salaam. 
 
 (Seal of Assaff-ood- Donla.J 
 
 At this point of my travels I drew together the following 
 view of Christian missions. During my journey to Bokhara, 
 I tried to ascertain where new missionary stations might be 
 established, and I believe that if some Christian-minded 
 physicians were sent into Khorassaun, they might become 
 eminently useful ; for, since the invasion of Affghanistaun by 
 the British army, the people of Khorassaun are rejoiced when 
 they see an Englishman. I was frequently asked for copies 
 of the Bible ; and in the cities of Semnan, Damghan, Nisha- 
 poor, and Meshed, I was invited to open discussions about 
 religion with the chief mullahs. The chief mullahs of Meshed 
 sent actually presents of turquoises after me, through Colonel 
 Sheil, when I had left the country. Writings published 
 against Muhammedanism by the late missionary, Mr. Pfander, 
 are read at Meshed and Nishapoor with eagerness. I there- 
 fore would advise persons to send Christian physicians to 
 Semnan, Sharoot, and Meshed, to labour there among Mu- 
 hammedans ; and Jewish missionaries ought to be sent to 
 the Jews of Mazanderaun. Dr. Thompson, at Damascus, who 
 is sometimes visited by three thousand persons, as I was 
 informed, has sufficiently proved the utility of a Christian 
 physician among Muhammedans. 
 
 There are, also, in Khorassaun several mines, and the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla wishes to obtain miners from England. If, there- 
 fore, some persons of respectability acquainted with mining 
 could be sent, they would prove highly useful. 
 
 From Khorassaun missionaries might easily extend their 
 influence, accompanied by Jews, to the deserts of Sarakhs, 
 Merw, Akhaul, and Khiva. Missionaries to Jews, as well as 
 to Muhammedans, in the cities of Khokand, Hasrat-Sultan 
 or Turkistaun, and Tashkand, would be hospitably received ; 
 for neither the Jews nor Muhammedans of those towns are
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 405 
 
 bigoted or intolerant. It is also remarkable that at Shamay, 
 in Chinese Tartary, a colony of Polish Jews is found, amount- 
 ing to three hundred families, who would hail the arrival of 
 English people with delight, as I was assured by some of 
 them whom I met at Bokhara. Yarkand is another city 
 where a missionary to the Jews, as well as Muhammedans, 
 would be of the greatest use, and also Cashgar and Eele. In 
 the latter city, caravans from Russia deposit their merchan- 
 dise. From Khokand, Tashkand, Turkistaun, and Cashgar, 
 Bibles might be sent into Thibet and Cashmeer. The people 
 of Thibet are also partially acquainted with the art of print- 
 ing ; if, therefore, printers and lithographers were sent to 
 those parts, it might tend to further the promotion of the 
 Gospel of Christ. 
 
 The question will be asked, " Could a mission be erected 
 at Bokhara?" I reply, " Not under the present Ameer, for 
 he is too capricious a tyrant ; and though he has an ardent 
 desire of knowing every thing, and gathers around him stran- 
 gers, yet he does not allow them free egress and regress. 1 ' In 
 consequence, no respectable person will go there, and as long 
 as Abdul Samut Khan is with him, Europeans would cer- 
 tainly perish. However, the son of the Ameer gives some 
 hopes of being a better man than his father : on his accession 
 to the throne a mission may be established. 
 
 The following places would be the best adapted for mis- 
 sions for Jews, heathens, and Muhammedans : Khokand, 
 Cashmeer, Ladack, and Lassa. The following languages 
 would be absolutely necessary : Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 
 Chinese, Hindustanese, Hebrew, and the Kalmuck. The 
 following sciences and arts would be useful : medicine, astro- 
 nomy, sacred and profane history, watch-making, and engi- 
 neering. Missionaries might also make excursions from the 
 above-mentioned places to the Kasaks, Ghirgese, Kaffer Seeah- 
 Poosh, and to the tribes of Naphtali and Ashur, in the 
 Hindu-Gush.
 
 406 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I think that a missionary in these countries should put on 
 the garb of a derveesh, and take a cottage outside the town, 
 when thousands would crowd around him to hear his wisdom. 
 He must use hospitality, bring forth to the stranger bread 
 and sherbet, pour rose-water on his head, present him with 
 a rose, and delight him with the song of the nightingale. If 
 he is distant in manner, no soul will come near him. They 
 ought to be missionaries like Schauffler, Goodell, Dwight, 
 Benjamin, Peabody, Jonas King, Bliss, Dr. Grant, Dr. 
 Wilson, and Duff; for though I essentially differ with 
 those gentlemen with regard to church government, I highly 
 esteem their zeal, judgment, kind-heartedness, and perse- 
 verance. They are men not only willing to learn, but also 
 to teach : they are, further, men not only willing to teach 
 others, but also to be taught by others. Or if missionaries 
 of the Episcopal church be sent, they ought to be like my 
 late lamented friend the Rev. Mr. Leeves, chaplain of 
 Athens, or the Rev. Mr. Hill, American Episcopal mission- 
 ary at Athens. 
 
 One circumstance would much facilitate communion with 
 the eastern Church, the complete union in sentiment on the 
 doctrine of the real presence, as held by the Church of Eng- 
 land. All the churches in the East, without exception, believe 
 the real spiritual presence of the body and blood of Christ. 
 Papas Yoet, now archimandrite at Jerusalem, told me in the 
 year 182d, " That body which entered the room, though 
 shut, filleth all in all. Why should he, who with clay cured 
 the blind, not be able to impart his spiritual body and blood 
 to the believer?" The Syrian Christians in Mesopotamia 
 call the Sacrament also " the Life." How Christ has been 
 brought into the Sacrament I do not know ; but this I know 
 well, that the word of God cannot lie, which says that it is 
 the body of Christ. 
 
 A few words more to the Missionary Societies. It often 
 struck me, that the Missionary Societies never thought of
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 407 
 
 sending missionaries to the inhabitants of the Desert, though 
 it may be done very easily. 1st. It might easily be effected 
 in the desert around Mount Sinai, by stationing a missionary 
 either in the convent of St. Catherine, situated upon Mount 
 Horeb, where the monks for a small remuneration would give 
 him board and lodging; or by building a missionary-house 
 in the small village called Tor, the ancient Elim, whence he 
 might make visits to the Beduins of Akaba. 2nd. Another 
 might be stationed at Suez and Cusseir. 3rd. Another at 
 Karak, where there is a Christian settlement, and where Ori- 
 gen taught. 4th. Missionaries might be placed at Loheya, 
 Hodeydah, Confooda, and Zubeyd in Yemen, on the coast of 
 the Red Sea. 5th. Even in the interior of Yemen, near the 
 city of Tayef, a missionary would find protection from the 
 mighty Sheikhs of the Desert, since my friend Monsieur 
 Botta, actual French consul at Mosul, has found most effi- 
 cient protection from them in his physiological researches ; 
 and especially the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 in Foreign Parts ought to send missionaries to the Coptic 
 and Abyssinian convents. Those missionaries ought to enter 
 as members of the order, and thus try to benefit their fel- 
 low monks : by example and word Philip Melancthon sent 
 young men to Rome, who entered the convent over which 
 Ignatius Loyola presided, in order to convert the inmates to 
 Protestantism. Some missionaries ought to be, like garrison 
 troops, stationary ; others, like light cavalry, resembling the 
 Cossack hordes, ever ready in time of alarm and surprise, 
 presenting themselves when no suspicion of their presence 
 exists. The renowned Hetman of the Cossacks, Platow, 
 furnishes no bad illustration. When the French supposed 
 that he was at Halberstadt, he was in reality at Breslau. 
 Where, again, do we not find a Jesuit, an order despite 
 their expulsions from every civilized or barbarian country, 
 nearly fragmentally ubiquitous. " Fas est ab hoste doceri" 
 I also confess that I do not like the style adopted by
 
 408 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 missionaries, who, on their return from countries where they 
 have preached, fill the ears of people at public meetings with 
 accounts of the superstition and horrible ceremonies of the 
 heathens, instead of showing that in the midst of the most 
 absurd fables we can easily find traces of truth. Mission- 
 aries, instead of reporting superstitious sayings, should try 
 to show the heathen, that, even in their own accounts, the 
 verity of Holy Writ is established. Allusions to the account 
 given of the first man, for example, as stated in Ovid, Met. 
 
 i., 76. 
 
 " Sanctius his animal mentisque capacius altae 
 Deerat adhuc et quod dominari in caetera posset. 
 Natus homo est. Sive hunc divino semine fecit, 
 Ille opifex rerum mundi melioris origo, 
 Sive recens tellus, seductaque nuper ab alto 
 ^Ethere, cognati retinebat semina cceli, 
 Quam satus Japeto, mixtum fluvialibus undis 
 Finxit in effigiem moderantum cuncta Deorum. 
 Pronaque cum spectant animalia caetera terrain, 
 Os homini sublimi dedit : ccelumque tueri 
 Jussit et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus." 
 
 Missionaries ought to prove to the heathen world that the 
 Indian Menu, the Chinese Fohi, the Egyptian Osiris, the 
 Chaldean Oannes, the Greek Deucalion, and the Italian 
 Saturnus were one and the same person with Noah. Even 
 in the offering of human sacrifices, the doctrine of Atonement 
 may be discovered. To the Persians the missionary ought to 
 prove that these ancient men occupied themselves deeply on 
 the solution of the origin of evil. Zoroaster taught a state of 
 primal innocence, and a subsequent fall of man. 
 
 While penning the above remarks, I read in the ** Jewish 
 Intelligencer" of June, page 223, under the head of < Aleppo,"* 
 the following paragraph : " The Rev. Dr. Kerns arrived at 
 his station in June last. A mission to the Jews being quite 
 a new thing at Aleppo, the idea of converting the Jews had 
 never entered their mind.""
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 Now if persons consult the first volume of my Mission to 
 Aleppo of 1822-24, and the Reports of the Jews 1 Society 
 of those years, they will perceive that I preached there, even 
 one day before the earthquake ; and again in 1824, when I 
 lived partly with the English Consul-general, and partly 
 with Mr. Masseyk, when I had thousands of Jews and 
 Gentiles with me. There exists not a single missionary sta- 
 tion in the East where I have not been. It is also matter 
 of notoriety at Aleppo, that a Jew was murdered for having 
 confessed Christ in the presence of the Jews. After this cir- 
 cumstance he was found with his throat cut on the following 
 morning. 
 
 A SoofFee called on me while at Meshed, and said, 
 " Youssuff Wolff, do you think that religion is necessary 
 to a wise man?" I replied, "My dear friend, he only is 
 a wise man who feels and is convinced that religion is the 
 only means of giving support to helpless nature; and all 
 the sages of every age have taught us, with one consent, that 
 knowledge which has only for its object terrestrial things, is 
 not worthy of that name. And understand, that God mani- 
 fests himself to the heart, and hides himself from those who 
 seek Him with their reason only. Faith, and obedience to 
 God's laws, are wings of the soul, by which it is able to soar 
 up to God's presence; and whenever human nature decays 
 and degenerates, divine knowledge disappears." 
 
 Soqffee. What do you think of our prophet Muhammed, 
 and of his religion ? 
 
 W. Muhammed is a prophet without miracles, and there- 
 fore a false one ; his system is a faith without mysteries, and 
 therefore not a divine one ; and a morality without love, 
 and therefore a devilish morality. Christianity takes hold 
 of the heart in order to make it better; Muhammedanism 
 takes hold of the heart in order to make it worse. 
 
 After we had stopped at Meshed for twenty-one days, 
 another gholam arrived for me with letters from Colonel 
 Sheil.
 
 410 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 The name of that gholam was Ameer Beyk, who, in the 
 year 1838, was seized by the Turkomauns in carrying de- 
 spatches for Sir John Me Neill from Colonel Stoddart, at 
 Heraut. He tried to escape twice from Khiva; the second 
 time he was brought back, and had his ears cropped close 
 to his head. He was afterwards purchased by Abbott, and 
 he enjoys a pension from the British government for the loss 
 of his ears. He is not a Muhammedan, but a Daoodee, i. e. 
 of a sect who believe that king David was a god. He was 
 of very great use to me. We set out, together with Abbas 
 Kouli Khan, the two Bokhara ambassadors, and Mullah 
 Mehdee the Jew, for Teheraun. The Jews of Meshed and 
 many Muhammedans accompanied me out of town. 
 
 We stopped the first day at Askerea, a village belonging 
 to Mirza Askeree, the Imaum Ajooma of Meshed. It con- 
 tains about twenty houses, and is about five English miles 
 from Meshed. 
 
 From thence we proceeded to Shereef-Abad, a place where, 
 fourteen years ago, I was obliged to remain for several days 
 on account of the wandering Hazarah, a Mogul tribe who 
 reside near Heraut, and invaded at that time Khorassaun in 
 order to make slaves. Now Shereef-Abad contains about 
 twenty houses, and is situated between two mountains, and is 
 very cold. A messenger came there from the Assaff-ood-Dowla 
 to welcome me, and made me a present of a shawl. The two 
 ambassadors from Bokhara, the one who was to accompany 
 me to England, and the other who was sent to Muhammed 
 Shah, were quite surprised that the Assaff' paid to me such 
 attention. From Shereef-Abad we continued our journey to 
 Kadam-Gah, which means * place of the foot/ for the foot- 
 print of Imaum Resa, the patron saint of Meshed and Kho- 
 rassaun, is still pointed out there; and it is therefore a famous 
 place of pilgrimage for the Muhammedans. The inhabitants 
 of that place are descendants of the family of Muhammed, 
 and therefore they cannot be forced by government to enter- 
 tain a stranger; but they treated me both times with great
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 411 
 
 respect and hospitality, and many of them wished me to send 
 to them the Gospel. Several of them asked me seriously, 
 " When will the English come and take this country ?" 
 
 Kadam-Gah contains also a strong castle. From Kadam- 
 Gah we arrived at Nishapoor, twenty miles distant from the 
 former place, considered, after Balkh, in their traditions, the 
 most ancient town in the world, and it was formerly the place 
 of residency of the king. There are several iron mines in 
 this place. It was destroyed by Tamerlane. The surround- 
 ing country is most lovely. 
 
 We proceeded thence to Sabz-Awar, which contains about 
 six thousand inhabitants, and a good many shops. When I 
 was there on my way to Bokhara, a rumour was spread that I 
 was two hundred years of age, and acquainted with all the 
 sciences upon earth ; so that the whole town naturally rushed 
 out to look on such a prodigy. When I told them that I was 
 only forty-eight, they declared me to be a great liar. How- 
 ever, on my second arrival, I was again visited by crowds of 
 Mussulmans, among whom was a chief mullah, who consi- 
 dered me to be a prophet; for I told him on my way to 
 Bokhara, that, previous to the coming of our Lord Jesus, 
 there would be earthquakes in Khorassaun and all over the 
 world. And as a terrible earthquake of which I have given 
 a description actually happened, it was considered as a part 
 of my prediction. Even some of them declared me to be 
 Baba Elias, a celebrated derveesh. I contradicted none of 
 these rumours, for it is useless to attempt it. Khorassaun 
 rings with the praises of Sir John Me Neill and Sir John 
 Campbell. 
 
 From Sabz-Awar we proceeded to Massanan, which has a 
 fine caravanseray, built by Shah Abbas. It has excellent 
 wells, and is highly cultivated. They have there several guns, 
 on account of the Turkomauns, whenever they come from 
 Astarabad to make chapow. 
 
 Thence we passed to Abbas-Abad, inhabited by descend-
 
 412 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 ants of Georgians, brought there from Tiflis by Shah Abbas. 
 They have many privileges peculiar to the place, confirmed 
 by firmauns from Shah Abbas, Nadir Shah, Abbas Mirza, 
 and Muhammed Shah. They profess now the Muhammedan 
 religion, except fifteen families of them, who are, in secret, 
 Christians. 
 
 We then proceeded to Miyandasht, a little place built by 
 the present king of Persia ; and from thence to Miyamey, a 
 beautiful caravanseray. Here Dr. Cormick died, who was an 
 Irish gentleman, and favourite physician to Abbas Mirza. 
 He was an excellent but eccentric man. He was married to 
 a Georgian by the famous Henry Martin, and, strange to say, 
 never acknowledged it ; but after his death, his wife produced 
 a certificate from Henry Martin, proving that she was married 
 to him. Dr. Cormick resided at Tabreez with Abbas Mirza. 
 When Abbas Mirza marched toward Khorassaun, he left Dr. 
 Cormick at Tabreez ; but when the prince saw that his stay in 
 Khorassaun would be prolonged, he wrote to Dr. Cormick to 
 join him. He obeyed ; but arriving at Miyamey, he was 
 seized with a violent fever, which killed him in twelve hours. 
 He left about twenty thousand pounds for his wife and chil- 
 dren. When Abbas Mirza was informed of the death of his 
 medical friend, he said, "Now all is over with me: I shall 
 soon follow;' 1 and his royal Highness died a few weeks after. 
 
 During our journey on to Teheraun, Sabhan Ullah Khan, 
 ambassador of the king of Bokhara to Muhammed Shah, came 
 every day to me, for I had taken up my quarters at a distance 
 from the rest, being too much indisposed to see any one. My 
 mind was overpowered with despondency and melancholy. I 
 was bled almost every other day, and took a medicine which 
 they have in Khorassaun, called Sheer-khishk, a kind of 
 powerful manna. I scarcely had strength enough to talk. In 
 this enfeebled state, I could not but note all that partook of 
 those internal sensations I myself experienced ; and the Hin- 
 doo Fakeer who accompanied me from Bokhara naturally
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 413 
 
 attracted much of my attention, from the obvious feelings that 
 filled his heart. He lived such a life of penance and hard- 
 ship as I can never forget. How has this consciousness of 
 sin sate in gloomy bodement on men in every age ! How 
 has it, as Claudius says, covered the earth with altars, 
 hermitages, temples, pagodas, mosques, and monasteries ! 
 Anxious from the divine afflatus within them, conscious of 
 their origin, men have constantly desired to disburden them- 
 selves of the chains that surround them. They have ex- 
 hausted inventions in order to regain the life they have lost. 
 But to be restored to that life, we must eat of that bread 
 from heaven which the Father has given us. 
 
 I give herewith a list of distinguished missionaries I met 
 with during my missionary peregrinations in the East. The 
 first excellent missionaries I met with in 1821 were at Gib- 
 raltar ; these were two Wesleyan missionaries, the Rev. Mr. 
 Rees, and the Rev. Mr. Croscombe, laborious, active, and 
 well-principled gentlemen. In the year 1821-22 I was the 
 only missionary in Palestine ; but in the year 1823 I joined 
 two excellent missionaries from America, Messieurs Pliny 
 Fisk and Jonas King, both of them holy men : they were 
 American congregationalists. In the year 1825 I met at 
 Shooshee one of the most extraordinary men among the 
 missionaries of the Basle Missionary Societies ; i. e. Felician 
 Count of Zaremba. He was formerly private secretary to 
 Count Capo d'Istria, when Prime-minister to the Emperor 
 Alexander. He experienced a decidedly religious change, by 
 perusing the life of Jung Stilling. He is certainly, except- 
 ing August Dittrich, now superintendent of the Lutherans 
 at Moscow, one of the most holy men I ever met with among 
 missionaries, and at the same time endowed with gifts of the 
 highest description. The above-mentioned August Dittrich 
 was private tutor to Count Einsiedlen, at Dresden : he was 
 a fellow-pupil of mine under Professor Lee, at Cambridge : 
 he is a gentleman of the most extraordinary talent. In 1825
 
 414 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I met at Tiflis, Saltet; at Karrass, Pfander, Kcenig, Gal- 
 loway, Lang, and Dickson, pious, disinterested, and good 
 men. In 1828, at Malta, the Rev. C. Schlienz, a pious, 
 industrious, talented, and active gentleman. At Corfu, the 
 talented Mr. Hildner. In 1829 I made the acquaintance 
 of the amiable and good-natured Theodore Mueller, who, 
 though of a weakly constitution, had accompanied the expedi- 
 tion of the Niger : he is now a clergyman of the church of 
 England. In the year 1832 I met in India among the mission- 
 aries of the Church Missionary Society, the worthy and dis- 
 interested Leupold, Knorp, and Smith, at Benares, Sandys, 
 at Calcutta, Weitprecht, Linke, and others, at Burdwan, 
 Rhenius, Schaffter, and Mueller, at Tinnivelly, Michel, 
 at Bombay. 
 
 Of the missionaries of the Society for Propagating the 
 Gospel, I made the acquaintance of many worthy gentlemen, 
 as Doctor Rottler and Mr. Irvin, at Madras, Thompson 
 and Schreyvogel, at Trichinopoly, and others of the Baptists. 
 I met with Thompson at Tinnivelly, Carey, Marshman, 
 and the rest, at Serampore. Of the Scotch kirk I made 
 the friendship of the great and excellent Doctors Duff, Wil- 
 son, and Stevens, and the Rev. Mr. Nisbett. I also must 
 not omit mentioning Mr. Candy. In 1845 I also admired 
 the zeal of Messieurs Goodell, Dwight, Schauffler at Con- 
 stantinople, Temple at Smyrna ; and others, as I have 
 already mentioned, viz. the excellent Mr. Leeves, Hill, &c. 
 The mission in Egypt seemed to me to be in an improved 
 state; but that in Abyssinia was in a most despicable 
 condition. 
 
 On the route, the following kind letter reached me from 
 Colonel Sheil : 
 
 My dear Sir, Oct. 18. 
 
 As the person who brought your note is returning, I 
 write to say that I am happy to find you will reach Tehran in three 
 days, and that your appetite and strength are increasing.
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 415 
 
 Should you require bleeding, any village barber is competent to 
 the performance of the operation. 
 Your old quarters are ready for you. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 JUSTIN SHEIL. 
 
 Sabhan Ullah Khan continued to come every day to see me, 
 and on one occasion he spoke to me in the following manner : 
 " I can assure you also of what the Kazi Kelaun has told you, 
 and I know it, that Stoddart and Conolly were put to death 
 at the instigation of Abdul Samut Khan. He was the media- 
 tor between Hasrat and them." 
 
 I arrived next at Shah-Rood, ' river of the king. 1 Stod- 
 dart's name is well remembered here. They call him the 
 Rashid, the ' brave man.' 
 
 Our next point was Deh-Mullah, one of Sultan Mali- 
 mend^ villages ; but it has beautiful gardens. Thence we 
 passed to Damghan, a most ancient town, in great part ruinous. 
 There are poisonous bugs here, which kill strangers. We then 
 reached Dowlat-Abad and Aghwan, and at last Semnan, 
 where a room was given to me in the palace of the Prince- 
 governor, who was absent at the time of my visit. These 
 beautiful palaces sink here to ruin ; for as the governors do 
 not know how long they may be allowed to remain, they 
 think it scarcely worth while to improve their dwellings. 
 Jews from Mazanderaun called on me here. They are better 
 off than in other parts of Persia ; and the Persians relate of 
 the Jews of Mazanderaun, that they are almost better off 
 than the Muhammedans, for they blacken twice a-day their 
 beards with henna. 
 
 We arrived next at Lasgird, a place with a most ancient 
 castle, said to be built by the Deeves (fairies). Thence to Deh 
 Namak, Pah-Deh, and Kish-Lagh, where I found a horse 
 sent for me by Colonel Sheil, and soon after the excellent Mr. 
 Reed came to welcome me, and Mr. Karapet, an Armenian, 
 who was the apothecary in the British residency ; and at last
 
 416 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 we arrived at Teheraun, where I met with a hospitable re- 
 ception by Colonel Sheil, the British envoy. 
 
 I also met there with Messrs. Thomson and Glen, the 
 attache's to the embassy, and Mr. Abbott, the British consul. 
 As the king and his Majesty's prime-minister were going out 
 hunting, Colonel Sheil and the attaches accompanied them ; 
 whilst I remained at the embassy, and received the visit of 
 Monsieur le Comte Sartiges, charg d'affaires to the king of 
 the French, who was sent there in order to effect the reinstate- 
 ment of the Lazaristes in Persia. I spoke to him that he 
 should write in my name to the King of the French, that I 
 ardently wished that France should join England in the en- 
 deavour to effect the liberation of the two hundred thousand 
 Persian slaves in Bokhara. He also told me that it was con- 
 sidered great courage on my part to address a letter to all the 
 European Powers from the city of Bokhara in behalf of the 
 slaves. I also received a visit from the French Lazariste, 
 Monsieur Clusel, who appeared to me to be a very zealous 
 man. The Lazaristes were established by that ardent philan- 
 thropist Vincent de Paul, who sighed in slavery at Tunis, 
 whence he escaped with his master, whom he had converted 
 to the Christian faith. Monsieur Clusel intends to establish 
 his mission at Teheraun, or Isfahan.
 
 OP DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 41? 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Dr. Wolff preaches at the Embassy. Noble Conduct of Count Medem. 
 Colonel Shell refuses to return the Letter of Lord Ellenborough. 
 Kindness of the Russian Embassy Khosrow Khan Dr. Wolff writes 
 to the Ameer. Reception by the Shah Dr. Wolff thanks his Majesty 
 for his Life His Life twice preserved by the Court of Persia Auto- 
 graph of the Shah Mullah Bahram, the Guebre. Colonel Shell de- 
 mands the Date of the Execution of Colonel Stoddart and Captain 
 Conolly Dr. Wolff' gives 1258 Hejirah Abbas Kouli Khan thinks it 
 was 1259 Dr. Wolff, on further reflection, coincides with Abbas Kouli 
 Khan. Persia could not, under existing circumstances, take Bokhara. 
 Mirza Abdul Wahab. Letter of Abbas Kouli Khan to Lady Georgi- 
 ana Wolff Kindness of the Embassy to Dr. Wolff. Armenian Church 
 Recourse had to the Russian Embassy, and not to the British, by the 
 Protestant Missionaries. Count Medem visits Abbas Kouli Khan, and 
 thanks him for his Kindness to Dr. Wolff. Visit of Dr. Wolff to the 
 Haje, the Prime-minister of the Shah their Conversation Haje Ibra- 
 him demands six thousand Tillahs Dr. Wolff' takes an Oath that he 
 never received this Sum Dr. Wolff pays him three thousand Tillahs, 
 and draws on Captain Grover for four hundred Pounds. Haje Ibrahim 
 claims three thousand Tillahs as due from Conolly Dr. Wolff' protests 
 against this Payment, and thinks Colonel Sheil ought to have refused 
 to pay Haje Ibrahim any thing for either himself or Captain Conolly. 
 Letter from the Queen to the King of Bokhara. Visit to Haje Baba. 
 Inexplicable Conduct of Colonel Sheil. Rajab, the servant to Colonel 
 Stoddart. 
 
 Now I may write again dates, for, having arrived at Tehe- 
 raun, which is the Rages of Tobit, I was informed that it was 
 the 3rd of November. On the 4th of November Colonel 
 Sheil allowed me to preach in the embassy, though he him- 
 self, being a Roman Catholic, did not come. 
 
 Count Medem, the Russian ambassador, behaved most 
 nobly towards me. He not only invited me to preach in his 
 house in German, on which occasion his Excellency and all his 
 attaches attended, but he also made me a present of two 
 
 2 E
 
 418 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 shawls, and gave me a public dinner, to which he invited 
 Colonel Shell, all the British attaches, Count Sartiges, Abbas 
 Kouli Khan, Monsieur Labat, the king's physician, &c. ; and 
 during my stay at Bokhara, he wrote to Count Nesselrode 
 about me. Count Sartiges gave also a public dinner to me, 
 to which he invited the British embassy. 
 
 I must here remark, that having been very unwell at Me- 
 shed, I sent on before me to Colonel Shell Lord Ellen- 
 borough's letter, given to me by the Ameer of Bokhara, and 
 other documents from Conolly to the Ameer. A few days 
 after my arrival at Teheraun, when Colonel Sheil came back 
 from the sporting expedition, and he was in his office, I wrote 
 to him from my room, on a piece of paper, 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Would you be kind enough to give me back Lord 
 Ellenborough's letter, and the other documents of Conolly ? 
 
 and sent the note by his servant ; to which he wrote in his 
 own hand-writing, upon a piece of paper, the following an- 
 swer, which I have still in my possession : 
 
 Lord Ellenborough's letter is the property of Government, 
 as well as all other official documents. 
 
 As I dislike to create any dissension, I of course submitted 
 to his judgment; and beside this, I did not wish to be em- 
 broiled with the government at home. I cannot also but 
 remark, that the kindness shown to me by the Russian am- 
 bassador at Teheraun was unbounded ; so much so, that 
 even Mullah Mehdee, the Jew, and persons in authority at 
 Teheraun, all said " the Russians are by far kinder to you 
 than your own people, the English." I have good authority 
 to say, that had I been a Russian subject, the Russian go- 
 vernment would not have suffered me to pay one farthing to 
 Abdul Samut Khan's brother. 
 
 But Colonel Sheil, beside that, did not send forward to 
 Captain Grover the note of Sir R. Shakespeare which accom- 
 panied Lord Ellenborough's letter.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 41<) 
 
 I have already mentioned that I had a friend at Teheraun, 
 whose name is Khosrow Khan, chief eunuch to Futt Ali 
 Shah. He occupied several high functions under that mo- 
 narch, as, for instance, the place of governor of Isfahan, and 
 at another time Geelaun ; but now, being out of favour with 
 the Haje, is out of favour with the king. On my first arrival 
 at Teheraun, he called on me ; but as Colonel Sheil did not 
 come to see him in my room, he refused to call on my second 
 visit, and therefore I called on him. He is, like all the 
 Georgians, secretly attached to the Christian religion, but he 
 is somewhat of a Swedenborgian. He always affects to see 
 some saint of olden time. When I last saw him, he told me, 
 with great earnestness, that he had lately seen, and even con- 
 versed with Samuel the Prophet, who had a little beard, 
 completely white, and beautiful blue eyes, and that he was 
 a man of powerful figure, but low. He also saw Moses, who 
 had a most powerful voice, and had a great resemblance in 
 his outward appearance to the late king, Futt Ali Shah. He 
 never smiled, he said, and was greatly incensed at the ingrati- 
 tude of the Jews towards him. 
 
 I took the opportunity while here of writing a full account 
 to the Ameer of Bokhara of my notions of his own conduct, 
 and a complete exposure of the villany of Abdul Samut 
 Khan. 
 
 My reception by the Shah was most gracious. When I 
 entered the presence of the Shah, introduced by Mr. Thom- 
 son, he smilingly said, " Now you have enough of Bokhara : 
 you will not go again to that city in a hurry." I replied, 
 " Twice have I been saved from danger by the gracious as- 
 sistance of the Persian government. Twelve years ago, from 
 the hands of Muhammed Khan Kerahe by your Majesty's 
 father, and from the Ameer of Bokhara by your Majesty." 
 He then asked me why I had cut off my beard ? I told his 
 Majesty that it had given me too much trouble, on which he 
 laughed heartily. I also requested his Majesty to give me 
 
 his autograph, upon which he wrote the following lines : 
 
 2 E 2
 
 420 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Praise be to God, Mr. Wolff is rescued ; and may he go 
 in safety to London to his wife. 
 
 Verse. 
 
 Two friends know each other's worth, when 
 
 their intercourse has been interrupted for 
 
 some time and they again meet. 
 
 The Month of Shevval, 1260 of the Hejirah. 
 
 Written by the Shall of Persia, and presented to Dr. Wolff at 
 his audience on his return from Bokhara. 
 
 Mullah Bahram, the chief of the Guebres, and who mana- 
 ged all matters for my departure twelve years ago, called on 
 me. He told me that the Haje Mirza Agasee was a great 
 friend to the Guebres, and had built them a village, four 
 miles from Teheraun, of which he had made him overseer. 
 
 On my arrival, Colonel Sheil asked me whether Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly had been put to death in 1259 
 of the Hejira, or 1258. I told him that the Nayeb had said 
 1259, but that twenty months had elapsed between the time 
 of my arrival and their execution. I told him, on a second 
 occasion, that according to this calculation the execution was 
 in 1258, to which he agreed. Others also said at Bokhara 
 that it was 1258. Colonel Sheil desired me to give him a 
 statement to that effect in writing, which I did. 
 
 On leaving, however, for Tabreez, Abbas Kouli Khan and 
 myself had some conversation on this subject, and he then 
 said, " I made most accurate inquiries, pursuant to my offi- 
 cial instructions. You may depend upon it that the informa- 
 tion I have obtained about their execution is more correct 
 than your own. Stoddart and Conolly were put to death 
 eleven months before your arrival." He then emphatically 
 added, " They were put to death, as the Nayeb told you at 
 the first, in the year 1259, and not 1258." And as it is cer- 
 tain that Shakespeare's note, with the letter of Lord Ellen- 
 borough, arrived before their execution, the information of 
 Abbas Kouli Khan, and the first official statement of the king 
 and Abdul Samut Khan, is correct. I therefore regretted
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 421 
 
 that I gave the paper to Colonel Sheil, which should not have 
 been demanded from me when I was in a state of the greatest 
 excitement, ill and miserable, and attended by Dr. Kade, the 
 physician of the Russian embassy. 
 
 It may be asked, If Persia proceeds to Bokhara alone, with- 
 out the assistance of either Russia or England, will she take 
 Bokhara ? My reply is, her success is very doubtful, for the 
 following reasons : First, it could only be effectually done by 
 an order and full power given to the Assaff-ood-Dowla ; but 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla and the Haje Mirza Agasee are deadly 
 enemies, and each jealous of the other; so that they would 
 counteract each other, as they did during the siege of Heraut. 
 Besides this, the officers themselves are very jealous of each 
 other. They would agree to no general combined plan, and 
 therefore they would mutually betray each other's plans to 
 the Ameer of Bokhara. Also Muhammed Shah is afraid of 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla; and I know for a certainty, upon the 
 best authority, that the king has a most well-founded suspi- 
 cion that the Assaff-ood-Dowla entertains the design of mak- 
 ing himself, if not king of all Persia, at least of Khorassaun. 
 
 I must here observe, that I paid at Teheraun thirty 
 tomauns to Mirza Abdul Wahab, the painter, for his work 
 for me; for though the Nayeb included him in his account, 
 he had not in reality given him one single farthing. 
 
 I must here repeat, that the kindness of Count Medem, 
 the Russian ambassador, can never be obliterated from my 
 memory. Abbas Kouli Khan also made me a present of two 
 Cashmeer shawls for Lady Georgiana. He also sent to her 
 the following kind and truly Eastern letter : 
 
 Translation of a Letter from the Persian Envoy to Bokliara 
 to the Lady Georgiana Wolff. 
 
 May my exalted and esteemed sister, whose station is as that 
 of Bilbeis (Queen of Sheba), the respected and dear lady of my 
 friend and brother, the Reverend Joseph Wolff, enjoy good health. 
 Five months ago, according to the desire of his Excellency the
 
 422 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Doctor, I addressed a letter to you, my esteemed sister, and I as- 
 sured you that I would bring with me, with honour and respect, 
 and in perfect safety, my friend and brother the Doctor. Praise 
 be to God, praise be to God, praise be to God ! eight days previ- 
 ous to the date of this, which is the 16th Shevval, I brought him 
 to Teheraun. I give praise and I am thankful to God, that I 
 have had no cause to be ashamed before you, my sister. The 
 gentleman will himself, please God, arrive soon in London, and 
 he will acquaint you, my sister, verbally, with what has occurred. 
 You will then perceive how I have acted as a brother. I hope 
 that you, my respected sister, will not forget me. May your 
 letters always reach me in Persia. 
 
 (Signed) ABBAS KOULI KHAN, KOOBJD, 
 16th Shevval, 1260. Sirteeb, (Colonel). 
 
 Count Medem invited me to preach in his house, as I have 
 said, in German, before the entire Russian embassy, proffered 
 pecuniary assistance, which I declined, also to send on his 
 own gholam to Tabreez, and recommended me to all the 
 Russian authorities and to his Imperial master. However, 
 I must say that Mr. Thomson and the excellent Mr. Reed 
 were exceedingly kind to me, as well as Mrs. Reed; and I 
 must also say, that Messrs. Thomson, Glen, and Abbott 
 rendered me every assistance in their power. 
 
 In preaching in such regions I always took occasion to 
 efface, if possible, these unnatural distinctions of caste and 
 class that are so prevalent in the East. However dreadful, 
 it is yet certain that a similar want of charity to that which 
 led the Samaritan to deny drink to a Jew, prevails to a large 
 extent in the East. It would be equal matter of surprise with 
 me to see a Persian ask a drop of water of a Jew, or an 
 Armenian or a Guebre, or even of an Englishman. It would 
 be full as surprising also to see a Sikh or a Hindoo ask a 
 drop of water of an Englishman, or a Brahmin from a Paria. 
 Nor even in the United States will an American sit down 
 with a black man. 
 
 I now proceed to speak of the Armenians. Hoannes Sur-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 423 
 
 renno Krimetzki, archbishop of Julfa, Hindustaun, and Te- 
 heraun, called on me, covered with Russian orders. He is 
 a venerable old gentleman, and anxious to improve the Arme- 
 nian nation. He has established a school at Julfa, where the 
 Armenian boys are instructed in the English, French, and 
 Armenian tongues. He receives contributions for that pur- 
 pose from Russia, Armenia, and from the Armenians of 
 Hindustaun and Yava. " I was frequently advised to send 
 Armenian youths to England and France," he observed ; 
 " but the danger of sending them there is : ] st. that they 
 forget their own language ; 2nd. they become spoiled by 
 good living ; and then return discontented with their own 
 country. I thought it therefore more advisable to instruct 
 them in their own country in foreign sciences, where, at the 
 same time, they do not forget their own language, and put 
 up with the hardships of their countrymen." 
 
 The Eastern churches have deacons in the most scriptural 
 sense of the word, for they are chosen by the people, consecra- 
 ted by the bishops, and they are seldom allowed to preach ; 
 but have simply to raise alms, to provide for the poor and 
 sick, and to make arrangements for the internal management 
 of the churches. This occupation of the deacons is obviously 
 derived by the apostles from the Jewish synagogue. I must 
 also observe, that there is far greater liberality and licence 
 in preaching in the Eastern and Roman Catholic churches 
 than in the British. It is a fact, that in the Eastern, as well 
 as in Roman Catholic communities, simple laymen, without 
 ordination at all, are allowed to preach in the church, with 
 the especial licence of the bishop. Thus, for example, Igna- 
 tius Loyola and the Jesuits preached without ordination, on 
 the simple permission of the Pope. 
 
 It must be observed, that Count Medem gives most effi- 
 cient protection to the Armenians throughout Persia, and also 
 to the Chaldeans residing in Oroorniah ; and when the Chal- 
 dean Nestorians of that place were oppressed by the Roman 
 Catholic missionaries, he put a stop to it. The Protestant
 
 424 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 missionaries of Oroomiah are also protected, and they recur 
 to the Russian embassy for protection in case of need. For- 
 merly they had recourse to the British embassy. 
 
 I was delighted to perceive that Count Medem called 
 instantly on Abbas Kouli Khan, thanked him for his kind- 
 ness to me, and invited him to dinner. I cannot avoid saying 
 that Mr. and Mrs. Reed, whom I knew in Persia fourteen 
 years previously, form the very life of the embassy, which 
 would be dulness itself without them. I must not omit to 
 mention the kindness of General Semino : he is alluded to 
 before in this work. 
 
 I also called on the Haje, and thanked him. He told me 
 that it would have been well if I had waited, according to his 
 advice, at Teheraun until Abbas Kouli Khan had reached 
 me there ; for my protection would have been stronger my 
 suffering less. This Persian Wolsey is very fond, as our own 
 was, of building palaces, and also villages. When the former 
 ambassador from Bokhara left Teheraun, he sent word to the 
 Ameer : " How can the Ameer dream of making war with 
 Khiva ? Khiva belongs to me. 1 ' He evidently does not like 
 the English; and he once made the following observation 
 to an English gentleman, whose name I forbear to mention : 
 " I know your English fashion. You first of all send a phy- 
 sician to a country to feel our pulse, and afterwards a sur- 
 geon to bleed us to death ; and then officers follow, and they 
 dispose of our land as the others have done of our bodies. 1 ' 
 
 I met at Teheraun M. 1'Abbe" Clusel, of the Lazariste 
 order, who was sent as missionary to Persia by the Propa- 
 ganda. He seems to me a man of zeal and piety. 
 
 Before quitting this city, I called on Mirza Abdul Hassan 
 Khan, the Haje Baba of Morier, and the Secretary for 
 Foreign affairs to the court of Persia. Haje, though look- 
 ing older, is cheerfulness itself. 
 
 Previous to my departure, Haje Ibrahim, brother to Abdul 
 Samut Khan, arrived for the six thousand tillahs. I took an 
 oath that I never received three thousand tillahs of this
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 425 
 
 amount ; and though, of the three thousand tillahs entrusted 
 to me, above six hundred were partly stolen on the road, and 
 partly went on account of the NayeVs camels, as above 
 mentioned, I repaid him the whole of the three thousand ; 
 to do which I was obliged to draw for four hundred pounds 
 on my dear and excellent friend, Captain Grover. Haje Ibra- 
 him also applied for the three thousand tillahs of Conolly ; 
 but against this I put in my protest, and I have it on the 
 highest authority that, had I been under the Russian flag, I 
 should not have been called on to pay Haje Ibrahim one single 
 farthing ; and I might have got, as an indemnification, the 
 whole of the sum entrusted to me by Abdul Samut Khan, as I 
 was through his instigation imprisoned in Bokhara, and ill 
 treated on the road. And Persians, as well as other person- 
 ages of high importance, were surprised that Colonel Sheil 
 did not insist upon the arrest of Haje Ibrahim, in order to 
 hear all, even the minutest circumstances, of the execution of 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, in which dark transac- 
 tion Haje Ibrahim was deeply involved. Instead of which, 
 Colonel Sheil suffered that villain to annoy me in my room, 
 demanding twenty per cent, for the money, until I took him 
 by the throat and turned him out. Ill, miserable, bilious, and 
 excited, I still bore up against all ; but these things soon had 
 issue in a dangerous and delirious illness on my arrival at 
 Tabreez, in the house of the excellent Mr. Bonham. But of 
 this more hereafter. I have only here to add, that if Govern- 
 ment pays the debt of Conolly to Abdul Samut Khan, they 
 will pay a premium to that villain for the murder of other 
 Englishmen, and for the robbery of their fellow-citizens. 
 
 One thing appeared to me very extraordinary ; that Co- 
 lonel Sheil said to me, in the presence of Mr. Glen and Mr. 
 Thomson, that he would recommend government to pay to 
 Abdul Samut Khan one hundred tillahs for the letter of Lord 
 Ellenborough. I asked why ? For according to Shakespeare's 
 note, the one hundred tillahs were to be paid to the bearer 
 after he had brought an answer from the Ameer to the Go-
 
 426 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 vernor-general. Now, not only was no answer given, but, as 
 shown above, the letter was not delivered to the Ameer until 
 after my arrival. I here say such conduct is utterly in- 
 explicable. 
 
 I told Colonel Sheil, one day, that a letter had arrived from 
 her Majesty Queen Victoria, and inquired why the king of 
 Bokhara had not received it ? All the answer I received from 
 Colonel Sheil, in the presence of Mr. Thomson, was, " You 
 are not at liberty to say that a letter has come from her 
 Majesty or not." 
 
 The more I reflect on Colonel Sheil's conduct, the more do 
 I perceive his culpable neglect and indifference. On my arri- 
 val at Teheraun from England, he told me that he had kept 
 in the embassy Rajab, late servant to Colonel Stoddart, who 
 was ready to accompany me to Bokhara. Rajab was from 
 Meshed. As soon as he had arrived with me at Meshed, he 
 expressed his fears, as I have stated, of accompanying me to 
 Bokhara ; I, however, prevailed upon him to accompany me 
 as far as Mowr, whence he returned to Meshed, where I met 
 Rajab again, who was on his way to Teheraun in order to 
 obtain one hundred and fifty tomauns which Colonel Sheil 
 owed to him. Now Rajab told me at Meshed, in the presence 
 of Ameer Beg, and Mirza Abdul Wahab, and Abbas Kouli 
 Khan, that that infamous fellow Abdullah said to the people 
 at Meshed in the public market-place : "Abdul Samut Khan 
 seized hold of my robe and said : * Kill this Englishman on 
 the road ; do not suffer him to go alive to his country.' 1 " 
 Mirza Abdul Wahab, the Persian painter, also affirmed that 
 Abdul Samut Khan had said the same. I desired, therefore, 
 Colonel Sheil to examine Rajab about it, for he arrived four- 
 teen days before me at Teheraun, and I gave carefully a let- 
 ter to that effect to Rajab for Colonel Sheil : but Colonel 
 Sheil never even admitted Rajab to his presence, and when I 
 brought Mirza Abdullah Wahab to him, he walked away as 
 fast as possible. How differently did Sir Stratford Canning 
 act. When I informed him of Abdul Samut Khan's conduct,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 427 
 
 his Excellency said : " Why did you not propose to the 
 Ameer to send Abdul Samut Khan as ambassador ? " 
 
 When I told Colonel Sheil at table that Abdul Samut 
 Khan was anxious that I should be killed on the road, and 
 that the murderers should bring back the money to him, for 
 which he offered them a reward, though I further assured him 
 that Abdullah himself had told me that he was under a pro- 
 mise to go back to Bokhara to Abdul Samut Khan for some 
 great purpose, which he said in a most diabolical sneering 
 tone, Colonel Sheil, in a very dogmatical manner, answer- 
 ed me that he could not believe that Abdul Samut Khan 
 intended to murder me, as he had given me the money to 
 deliver to him (Colonel Sheil). I then said, u He was in 
 expectation of being paid back double by government, as 
 he had a receipt for it." To this Colonel Sheil replied, 
 " Abdul Samut Khan had not yet been repaid the money lent 
 to Conolly, though three years had elapsed since he had 
 given that officer the money." I then said, " that he had got 
 back the money from Conolly, and besides that, was in pos- 
 session of the receipt of Conolly, which he never sent until 
 Haje Ibrahim arrived with it after me at Meshed ; so that he 
 was sure of the money." 
 
 And that he was sure is apparent by the fact, that the 
 moment Haje Ibrahim produced the receipt, Colonel Sheil 
 said to me, " This money must be paid." So that it is cer- 
 tain, and Abdul Samut Khan was too much in India not to 
 know well, especially as he did not expect that 1 should re- 
 turn to Bokhara, that the money was his own. Besides that, 
 he did not desire to get back the principal that he lent to 
 Conolly, but twenty per cent, profit, and the longer he waited 
 the more he got. And even the twenty per cent, profit he did 
 not want for himself, but for his son Abdullah Khan, who 
 was four years of age; and Haje Ibrahim was not so much 
 sent to Teheraun to get the money, as to be sure that at last 
 the interest might be paid to Abdul Samut Khan^s son. 
 However singular, the crafty Nayeb considered the British
 
 428 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 government more trustworthy than his own, since at Bo- 
 khara there is no security for life, limb, or property. He 
 also relied on that perpetual mystification of Colonel Sheil 
 continuing, which he practises successfully, I believe, up to 
 the present moment. 
 
 To show that I bore no ill will to Colonel Sheil, I empower 
 herewith Lord Aberdeen to produce the private and confiden- 
 tial letter I wrote to his lordship from Teheraun, on my way 
 to Bokhara, in which I tried to justify the steps adopted by 
 Colonel Sheil previous to my departure from England for the 
 liberation of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, on the 
 plea of the people of Persia feeling a particular horror to go 
 to Bokhara. But his refusal to give me a letter for the 
 Ameer, and tendering me a letter of introduction instead of 
 it to those consummate rascals Abdul Samut Khan and his 
 brother Haje Ibrahim, whose character he might have known 
 by the description given of him by Mr. Masson, and by Lieut. 
 Colonel Sir Claude Martin Wade, now at Ryde, who was 
 thirty-five years in India, and who was compelled to expel 
 Abdul Samut Khan from Peshawr on account of his intrigues. 
 His unwillingness to hear further information about Abdul 
 Samut Khan from me, made me justly suspect that there was 
 something behind the scenes which I could not fathom ; and I 
 call on the British nation to have this matter brought before 
 proper authority, in order that Colonel Sheil and myself may 
 stand face to face before that tribunal, and I shall call on him 
 to reply to my demand why he had not taken better precau- 
 tions for the liberation of Colonel Stoddart, Captain Conolly, 
 and Lieutenant Wyburd and others, and why he was so reluc- 
 tant to hear any thing about the former matter after my re- 
 turn from Bokhara in possession of information, which he had 
 not the courage personally to procure, nor even the ability to 
 get at it second-hand. I should be glad to see our envoy con- 
 front the Ameer as I have done, and as Sir Stratford Canning 
 would do forthwith, and far more ably, were he at Teheraun 
 and not at Constantinople.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 429 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Departure from Teheraun. Route: Kand Sunghur-Abad Sepher-Khoja. 
 Meeting here with Assaad Ullah Beyk. Route : Casween Sultanieh 
 Sanjoon Gul-Teppa. Illness of Dr. Wolff Kind Reception of Dr. 
 Wolff at Tabreez by Mr. Bonham ; his Treatment by Dr. Casolani. 
 Mr. Osroff and the Russian Legation. Introduction of Dr. Wolff by 
 Mr. Bonham to Prince Bahman Mirza the Prince presents Dr. Wolff 
 with a valuable Emerald Ring. Letter of Prince Bahman Mirza. 
 Russian Inhabitants of Tabreez consider it disgraceful to the British 
 Government to permit the Stoddart and Conolly Affair to rest in its 
 present position Extracts showing the exact Position of these Diplo- 
 matic Agents First, from Captain J. Conolly, Brother to the murdered 
 Captain Conolly ; Second, Extracts from the Correspondents of Colonel 
 Stoddart ; Third, Extract from the Journal of Captain Conolly 
 Impolicy of Non-interference. Holy Places visited by Persians. Dis- 
 pute between Turks and Persians on Frontier Question. Colonel Taylor 
 and Major Rawlinson. Disciples of John the Baptist their singular 
 History their Report of themselves, that they are Descendants of the 
 Chaldeans and of the Brothers of Abraham. Triple Name of God 
 Baptism of John in the Wilderness. Two kinds of Priests ; one the 
 Representative of the Baptist, the other of the Christ their Book, the 
 Sadra Raba reported Authors of it Seth and John the Baptist their 
 Residences Fruitless attempts of Father Agatangelos to convert the 
 Mandaye, or Disciples of John the Baptist. Dr. Wolff, however, esta- 
 blishes a School, which the Son of even the Ganz-Awra, or Representa- 
 tive of Jesus Christ, attends they affirm Boohyra to have been a Nesto- 
 rian Monk ; also that they emigrated from Egypt with the Jews, and 
 separated from them on the Institution of the Rite of Circumcision 
 by Joshua their Language Chaldean. The Ganz-Awra has his right 
 Hand cut off by order of the Governor of Bosra he maintained that 
 numbers of their Sect were resident in Morocco. Catholicity shown to 
 be a natural Principle from the Conduct of Sectarians. 
 
 ON the 7th November I left Teheraun, accompanied by Abbas 
 Kouli Khan, Messrs. Taylor, Thomson, Glen, Abbott, Reed, 
 Carapied, and the Russian attaches. Previous to my depar- 
 ture, Count Medem called at the British embassy, and took
 
 430 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 leave. I arrived that day at Kand, nine miles from Teheraun. 
 It is a beautiful village, with gardens. On the 8th of Novem- 
 ber we came to Sunghur-Abad, thirty-eight miles from Te- 
 heraun. It belongs to Haje Mirza Agasee. 
 
 On the 9th of November we reached Sepher-Khoja. A 
 curious incident happened when I arrived. Assaad Ullah 
 Beyk, who, when I was at Bokhara, was slave to Abdul 
 Samut Khan, also arrived in this village. He ransomed him- 
 self for ninety tillahs, though the Nayeb had never bought 
 him ; and besides all this, the poor fellow was obliged to give 
 him a shawl worth one hundred tillahs. I confess that I 
 supposed him acquainted with the Nayeb's design to kill me 
 by assassins, and that I believed him to be one of them ; but 
 he quickly undeceived and assured me, that Abdul Samut 
 Khan had not treated him better than me. Assaad Ullah 
 Beyk was now the Shales Chaparee (postman), and was going 
 to collect money at Khoy. 
 
 November 10th. Reached Casween with Mullah Mehdee 
 an immense town, but, on account of lack of water, and of 
 the plague, thinly inhabited. Formerly numerous Jews dwelt 
 there, who were transported to Sabz-Awar, Nishapoor, and 
 Torbad in Khorassaun. It was formerly a royal residence: 
 the governor, a very kind man, received me in his house, and 
 treated me most hospitably. On November 14th we reached 
 Sultanieh, built by the Shah Khoda Banda. A splendid 
 mausoleum is here. 
 
 On the 18th of November I arrived at Sanjoon, built ac- 
 cording to Jewish tradition, by Ahasuerus. There is a 
 Georgian there, Yakoob Khan by name, who is in the service 
 of the Persian army, and occupies the situation of Colonel. 
 He practises secretly the Christian religion, and has all his 
 children baptized; and as his wife was just confined, he re- 
 quested me to baptize the child, which I did, and Mullah 
 Mehdee, my baptized convert, was godfather. I pressed upon 
 Yakoob Khan the duty of confessing the name of Christ pub-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 431 
 
 licly ; upon which he begged me to recommend him to the 
 Queen of England, in order to be made a Colonel in the 
 British army. Then he said he would immediately go to 
 England, profess openly Christianity in the colonel's uniform, 
 and sword in hand. I could not give him any encourage- 
 ment. I found there another young Georgian, who told me, 
 if I did not take him on to England, and put him in the way 
 to make money, he would turn Mussulman in spite of me. I 
 told him he was welcome to do so. 
 
 On the 20th we arrived at Gul-Teppa. On the road 
 towards that place I met with the American missionaries, 
 Perkins and Stocking. I asked them where they came from. 
 Mr. Perkins said, " You are Dr. Wolff, I guess.' 1 Stocking 
 said, " Yes, I know him : it is Dr. Wolff, if I guess right." 
 We were not able to talk much, from the heavy fall of snow. 
 
 On the 24th of November I was taken so ill on horseback, 
 that I vomited immensely, and was also seized with a terrible 
 shivering ; I therefore sent immediately the gholam of Colonel 
 Sheil, who accompanied me to Tabreez, to Mr. Bonham, 
 her Britannic Majesty's consul-general. As he had no 
 takhtrawan (litter) himself, he procured me that of one of 
 the principal Armenians of Tabreez. Mr. Bonham, her 
 Britannic Majesty's consul-general, and his most amiable 
 lady, received me not only with hospitality, but with great 
 cordiality. I baptized their child, born while I was at Bo- 
 khara. Through the kind care of Dr. Casolani, the medical 
 gentleman of Prince Bahman Mirza, I was partially restored 
 to health. After which Mr. Bonham gave a public dinner on 
 my account, to which he invited Monsieur Osroff, and the 
 Russian attaches, and all the Greek and Armenian gentlemen. 
 Mr. Osroff gave a dinner in return, and told me that he had 
 orders from his government to give me every assistance in 
 case that I intended to go " via Russia." Mr. Osroff also 
 told me that he had been private secretary to Prince Galitzin, 
 late minister of Public Instruction ; and in perusing the
 
 432 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 private correspondence of that statesman, he frequently met 
 with my name, and an honourable description of .my pursuits. 
 I also was introduced by Mr. Bonham to his royal high- 
 ness Bahman Mirza, Prince-governor of Tabreez and the 
 whole province of Azerbijan. He is brother to the present 
 king. He wrote for me the following autograph, of which I 
 subjoin, from its length, the translation only ; and he also 
 made me a present of an emerald ring, worth thirty pounds. 
 
 Translation of a Letter from His Royal Highness Bahman 
 Mirza, Prince-Governor of the Province of Azerbijan, 
 Persia, addressed to the Rev. J. IVolff, LL.D. Sfc. 
 
 As at the time of the victory and dominion of the army of 
 the great state of England in the Affghaun countries, two officers 
 of that magnificent and powerful monarchy were lost at the seat of 
 government of Bokhara, and there were no signs of them ; in the 
 year of the Hijrah 1259, his Excellency, endowed with acuteness 
 and knowledge, a chief among the nobles of the Christians, and a 
 pillar among the learned of the religion of the Messiah, Priest 
 Joseph Wolff, who belongs to the great and noble of that religion, 
 and who is familiar and acquainted with every language, the 
 excess of his learning, and the extremity of his magnanimity and 
 research, outweighing in this business the sacrificing of his life 
 and property, that he might arrive at the truth of this news he 
 accounted the trouble of this very dangerous journey, in which the 
 first step is taking leave of life, more agreeable than remaining at 
 ease. And in this long journey, which in every road of it, from 
 the brigands of the tribes of Yemout and Turkomaun, and of the 
 Septs, with crooked languages, of Tartary, may be considered as 
 going out of the world, he trusted his own single person to the 
 step of diligence, until, after a thousand kinds of afflictions, he 
 accomplished the object which he had. In truth, undergoing 
 such hardships is beyond the endurance of every one. Now that, 
 in the latter end of the year of the Hijrah 1260, he has returned, 
 and arrived at the seat of government of Tabreez, it was necessary 
 for us to write an account of the extent of bis hardships, which we 
 have seen and heard of, in this our own hand-writing, that in 
 every state and in every country it may tend to the increase of his 
 consideration and honour. And we further order the governors
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 433 
 
 and lords, and nobles and chiefs of the country of Azerbijan, at 
 every station and in all journeys at the time of his passing, to take 
 care of the aforesaid priest, and treat him with kindness and 
 honour. Also, if after this he returns to Azerbijan, they must 
 act according to this order. 
 
 Written in the month of Zeekada, A. H. 1260, answering to 
 from 12th Nov. to llth Dec., A. r>. 1844. 
 
 The Russian inhabitants of Tabreez, as well as Greeks, 
 together with the English, observed that it would be a perfect 
 disgrace for the British government to let the matter of the 
 murder of Stoddart and Conolly sleep, as there was no doubt 
 that they were both political agents, sent by government, and 
 that Conolly went to Bokhara by direction of Colonel Stod- 
 dart. To prove that this notion is correct, I give 
 
 I. Extracts from a letter of Captain J. Conolly, brother 
 to the deceased officer, to a relative. 
 
 Arthur starts in a few days for Kokan. His mission will 
 be an interesting one, and the objects of it you will learn by 
 reading a correspondence which Arthur intends sending you. 
 
 ***** 
 
 The fortunate Envoy is Arthur. His route will be across the 
 desert to Khiva, and, if circumstances permit, to Bokhara. He 
 has the prospect of gaining great laurels. Sir A. Burnes was first 
 offered the appointment, but declined the embassy ; and Sir Wil- 
 liam said that he could hardly dispense with his services from this 
 place, (Cabul). Arthur will no doubt write to you shortly about 
 his mission. 
 
 I 1. The following correspondence from Colonel Stoddart : 
 
 July, 1841. 
 
 Conolly returns back, you have probably read, and is likely 
 to accompany me hence, and has been placed at my disposal, so 
 far as calling upon him to return by this line goes. * * * 
 
 I have availed myself of Captain Conolly's visit here to propose 
 to the Ameer to send me off, as Captain Conolly has orders to 
 stop here if the Ameer wishes. 
 
 III. The following extract from the Journal of Captain 
 Conolly himself: 
 
 2 F
 
 434 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 When I came here, Stocldart did all in his power to put me 
 forward ; but as long as the Ameer detains him, I shall refer to 
 him (as the accredited British agent] every communication or 
 business that the Ameer may make to me. He well knows the 
 people here, and the dignity of our Government is safe in his 
 hands. 
 
 My attention has been directed to the fact, that this state- 
 ment negatives that of Abdul Samut Khan. I fully admit 
 that it does, and it only adds another lie to that miscreant's 
 numberless delinquencies. 
 
 The above evidence is quite sufficient to prove, that it can- 
 not conduce to the honour of the British government to let 
 this question slumber as it has done. Affghanistaun and 
 Bokhara have broken through that charm that bound down 
 the Deeves and Afrits of these regions, as powerfully as the 
 fabled virtue of the Seal of Solyman. It is well that the 
 chivalric valour of a Napier in Sinde, a government like Lord 
 Ellenborough's, one meteor flash, dazzling and confounding, 
 and the recent hard-won triumph of our arms over the Sikhs 
 now startle the East ; but let reverses come, and see then 
 whether the two hundred millions of our Indian empire will 
 not break from the charm that has bound them astance for 
 nearly a century. Who will say that the butchery of our 
 envoys in Bokhara being unnoticed, did not contribute, in 
 conjunction with the Cabfil affair, to the recent hardihood of 
 the Sikhs in their late resistance to our arms ? The question 
 is a matter of indifference, as to envoys or officers. I am of 
 the wise man's opinion of old : That form of government is 
 best, " where an injury done to the meanest subject, is an 
 insult to the whole community" 
 
 He spoke of insult ; I speak of murder. What country, 
 I ask, has such facility to vindicate her honour, to preserve 
 the life of every one of her meanest subjects, as England ? 
 To say nothing of her officers, her distinguished officers, I 
 
 might add more, her But I forbear to use that word ; 
 
 that gives the climax to our shame. I speak not of the past ;
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 435 
 
 I inculpate no one, I leave that to others ; but I do demand, 
 Can matters rest thus ? Are we to allow this foul blot on the 
 scutcheon of national honour ? 
 
 The Persians here visit the following holy places : 1st. 
 Kerbelai, near Bagdad, where Imaum Hussein is buried. 
 2nd. Kasemein, near Kerbelai, the sepulchre of Kasem. 3rd. 
 Meshed, in which city is the tomb of Imaum Resa. After 
 a visit to these towns, a person receives the appellation of 
 Kerbelai, Meshedee, or Kasemein. I joked frequently with 
 them, and said, as I had been at Meshed, they ought to call 
 me Meshedee Youssuff Wolff. But after they have made 
 the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, they drop these appel- 
 lations, and become Haje, like the rest of the Muhammedans. 
 
 A considerable feud now prevails between the Persians and 
 Turks ; for which reason, as I have observed, English and 
 Russian commissioners are at Erzroom, in order to prevent 
 hostilities. The dispute first broke out on account of the 
 frontiers ; but it was increased by the Pasha of Bagdad send- 
 ing troops to Kerbelai, and massacreing the Sheahs of that 
 place, which will never be forgotten. I am very sorry that 
 Colonel Taylor's conduct, the British consul-general at Bag- 
 dad, was disapproved of on that occasion. He was displaced 
 for not having interfered, and prevented the Turks from 
 marching to Kerbelai. He is an excellent man, and of as- 
 tonishing learning, and a marvellous polyglot. He knows 
 above twenty languages. However, it seems that he placed 
 too much reliance on his Armenian subalterns, especially 
 Khatshik. I hope government will give him some other post. 
 Government has, however, greatly to their honour, sent to 
 Bagdad a most extraordinary man. His name is Major Raw. 
 linson, who has so distinguished himself at Candahar, and 
 who is so great a favourite with the Indian government. He 
 is, besides, a fine Arabic, Persian, and Turkish scholar, and 
 an ardent philanthropist. It must have been very amusing 
 to see these two gentlemen, as I learnt they did frequently, 
 
 2 F 2
 
 436 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 (Colonel Taylor and Major Rawlinson,) remaining up until 
 three in the morning, disputing about some Arabic root, as 
 my friend Colonel Farrant related matters to me. I hear 
 Major Rawlinson takes care to furnish the missionaries with 
 adequate protection. 
 
 I shall never forget the kindness of Colonel Taylor, and the 
 assistance he gave me when with him six months at Bosra, 
 in the Persian Gulf, in making researches amongst the disci- 
 ples of John the Baptist, who are called also Mandaye Hayah, 
 i. e. * the followers of the living God." They affect to be the 
 descendants of the Chaldeans, and of the brothers of Abra- 
 ham ; and when Abraham proclaimed the unity of the one 
 God, they relate the brothers of Abraham followed him. But 
 when Abraham established the rite of circumcision, they 
 looked at him with horror, and separated from him. But 
 they continued to worship the one living God by three names; 
 the names of Hayah Kadmaya, Hayah Tinyana, Hayah 
 Titaya, i.e. the living in the first degree, the living in the 
 second degree, the living in the third degree. And when 
 John the Baptist appeared, they received baptism by St. John 
 in the wilderness ; and from that moment they have had two 
 kinds of priests, they say, the one called the Turmeda, who 
 is a representative of the Baptist, and the Ganz-Awra, who is 
 the representative of Jesus Christ ; and the representative of 
 Jesus Christ is baptized every Sunday by the representative 
 of John the Baptist in the river Frat, or Euphrates. They 
 have a great book, called Sadra Raba, the authors of which, 
 they say, were Seth and John the Baptist. They relate that 
 John the Baptist was buried at Shuster, the ancient Susan, in 
 Khuzistaun. They themselves reside in the following places, 
 near the Euphrates; at Bosra, Gorno, Sook-al-Sheookh, 
 Shustar, and Desbul. Their number amounts to six thou- 
 sand. Father Agatangelos, a Roman Catholic missionary 
 about one hundred years ago, and whose journal was given to 
 me in MS. by the Roman Catholic priest at Bussorah in the
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 437 
 
 year 1824, and which I have given to the London Society 
 for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, relates that he 
 had made fruitless attempts to convert the Mandaye to the 
 Catholic religion ; but, with the kind assistance of Colonel 
 Taylor, I established a school at Bussorah. Even the Ganz- 
 Awra, representative of Jesus Christ, sent his son to the 
 school, who made great progress in English. 
 
 The poor Mandaye sing, persecuted as they are by the 
 Muhammedans, 
 
 We are oppressed by the circumcised. 
 
 Departed from our eyes is the timbrel and dance. 
 
 They maintain that Boohyra, the monk at Bosra, who assisted 
 Muhammed, and who was supposed to be a Nestorian monk 
 by the Christian historians, was a Mandaye. They also say, 
 that at the time when the Jews were in the captivity in 
 Egypt, they lived with them, and were oppressed, like them, 
 by the Egyptians; and when Pharaoh was overwhelmed in 
 the sea, they emigrated with the children of Israel to Mount 
 Sinai, and lived there in amity with the Jews. But when 
 Joshua re-established the rite of circumcision, they separated 
 from the Jews. It is very remarkable, that in the twelfth 
 chapter of Exodus it is said, that a mixed multitude went out 
 with the children of Israel ; and also, according to Joshua, 
 circumcision was neglected in the desert, and then re-estab- 
 lished. Their language is Chaldean. The Ganz-Awra, who 
 was my teacher in Sabaean, and also Colonel Taylor's, wrote 
 some mysterious characters upon a part of the Governor's 
 wife's body usually concealed from sight, in order to form 
 a charm to insure pregnancy; for which the Governor gave 
 orders to cut off his right hand, and he writes therefore with 
 his left. He maintained that a great number of their sect 
 were residing in the deserts of Faz and Mekanez, in Morocco. 
 Two things are very remarkable with respect to small sects, 
 that they always maintain that great numbers of their body
 
 438 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 are residing in distant countries ; so also the Mandaye assert ; 
 and the Samaritans at Nablooz told me the same, that great 
 numbers of their people lived in London and Paris: and the 
 Baptists in England rejoice very much to hear that there 
 exists a sect on the Euphrates, who, like them, are called 
 disciples of John the Baptist, and baptize in rivers. This 
 anxiety on their part indicates Catholicity to be a natural and 
 inherent principle.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 43Q 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Two leading Sects amid Muhammedans, Sheahs and Sunnees. Ball by Mr. 
 Bonham Dancers all Gentlemen. Death of Mrs. Bonham. Shamyl 
 Beyk Anecdote of him and General Neidhart. Chaldeans in the Moun- 
 tains of Kurdistaun not of the Ten Tribes, Dr. Wolff thinks, as commonly 
 asserted. Nestorians or Chaldeans their Assertion that they did not 
 become Followers of Nestorius, but simply received him kindly among 
 them Episcopacy hereditary among them oppressed by the Kurds 
 Sir Stratford Canning interferes in their behalf. Mar Yohannan, Bishop 
 of Oroomiah his Letter, written in English. Accurate Character of 
 Mr. Ainsworth's Work on Asia Minor, &c. Armenians of Tabreez 
 give Dr. Wolft'a Public Dinner. Diploma from Bahman Mirza to Dr. 
 Casolani. Daoud Khan. Attempt to abolish ancient Forms by the 
 Protestant Missionaries injudicious. Edward Burgess his unfortunate 
 Position Letter addressed by him to Dr. Wolff'. Departure of Dr. 
 Wolff from Tabreez. Route: Mayoon Dessa Khaleel Tasuj Sayd 
 Hajee Khoy. Dangerous travelling from this point Robbery of 
 Messrs. Todd and Abbott the Kurds compel Mr. Todd to swallow his 
 Pomatum. Route: Soraba Karaine Leyba Awajick. Snow compels 
 Dr. Wolff to go on Horseback The Pasha of Erzroom sends a Guard 
 of Honour for Dr. Wolff. Letters from Colonel Williams. 
 
 I SHALL now touch on a few points with respect also to the 
 two leading sects among Muhammedans, the Sheahs and the 
 Sunnees. The Persians, being Sheahs, practise dissimulation 
 whenever they come into countries where the Sunnees are in 
 power. This system of dissimulation is called by them 
 Takeea. Thus, for instance, the Sheahs pray with their arms 
 hanging down, like a soldier when he is drilled, and add the 
 name of Ali in their prayers, and curse five times a-day Omar, 
 Osman, and Abu-Bekr in their prayers ; but when they are 
 among the Sunnees they perform their devotions with their 
 hands laid upon their breast, omit the name of Ali, and take
 
 440 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 care not to curse Omar, Osman, and Abu-Bekr. A Muham- 
 niedan at Meshed told me that the Sheahs were enjoined by 
 Muhammed himself to practise Takeea in the presence of 
 Sunnees. When I told him, that in Muhammed's life the 
 distinction between Sunnee and Sheah did not exist, he told 
 me that Muhammed foresaw, by the spirit of prophecy, that 
 such a distinction must arise. 
 
 Mr. Bonham gave a ball on account of my arrival. He got 
 the band of the Prince to play European music, but the 
 dancers were not ladies and gentlemen, but all gentlemen. 
 The Russian consul-general, Mr. Osroft', with all his attaches, 
 and the respectable Greek merchants of the house of Ralli, 
 a firm established at Tabreez, Constantinople, Marseilles, 
 London, and Manchester, were there. They put on my 
 Turkomaun dresses and the robe which the Ameer of Bokhara 
 had given me. It was a most funny sight. Mrs. Bonham 
 kept herself in the other room, as some Persians were present. 
 
 I was sincerely grieved when I heard, after my departure, 
 of the death of that excellent lady, who died from typhus 
 fever, and is now removed from us. She was one of the most 
 pious, sensible, virtuous, and kind-hearted ladies I ever met 
 with, exquisitely beautiful, with a child-like simplicity. 
 She was daughter to Sir William Floyd, Bart., residing at 
 Brussels. I shall ever remember Mr. Bonham and his sainted 
 lady with gratitude and delight. 
 
 Previous to my departure, I heard also at Tabreez a great 
 deal of Shamyl Beyk, a mighty chief in Daghistaun, who has 
 risen up in battle against the mighty Emperor of Russia, and 
 a bloody war is now carried on in that region. General 
 Woronzoff has been sent against him ; and though the conflict 
 is obstinate, and the mountaineers supported by Polish officers, 
 there is no doubt entertained that, at last, Shamyl Beyk, 
 though a gallant fellow, must give in to the giant of the 
 North. I heard a curious anecdote of this chief and General 
 Neidhart, governor-general of Georgia.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 441 
 
 General Neidhart issued a proclamation to the following 
 purport ; that whosoever would bring him the head of Sharnyl 
 Beyk should receive as much gold as the head weighed. 
 Shamyl Beyk, on hearing of it, sent a letter to General Neid- 
 hart, expressing to his Excellency his gratitude for the great 
 compliment he had paid his head, by setting so high a value 
 on it ; but on his part he regretted he could not return the 
 compliment, since he could assure his Excellency that he 
 would not give a straw to any one who would deliver his 
 (General Neidhart's) head to him (Shamyl Beyk). 
 
 A few words on the Chaldeans in the mountains of Kurdis- 
 taun. These Chaldeans, as the late lamented Dr. Grant well 
 observed, are of Jewish origin, though I cannot go so far as 
 to affirm that they are of the Ten Tribes, since they do not 
 know their own genealogy. They are now mostly Christians, 
 and a number of them, converted to the Roman Catholic 
 church, have their patriarch at Diarbekr. 
 
 The real Chaldeans, also called Nestorians, had a patriarch, 
 Mar Shemaun by name, who resided until the last year only 
 at Khojanes. They protest, however, that they are not Nes- 
 torians, and they said to me, in the year 1825, when I visited 
 them at Salmast and Oroomiah, " Nestorius came to us, and we 
 received him kindly, but we never took him as our guide, but 
 as our brother in Christ." They resemble mostly the Protest- 
 ants of Germany and England, for they have neither images 
 nor monasteries, and their priests are married. The episcopal 
 dignity, however, is hereditary, as well as that of the patri- 
 arch, and at the time the mother of the patriarch becomes 
 pregnant, she abstains from drinking wine and eating meat ; 
 and, in case that a son is born, he is the patriarch, and if a 
 daughter, she is obliged to observe eternal virginity. They 
 are now sorely pressed by the Kurds : several thousands have 
 been slain by them, and many wounded, which atrocities were 
 committed at the instigation of the Pasha and Kaxi of Mosul ; 
 but this was too much for the great Sir Stratford Canning to
 
 442 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 allow. He interfered at the Porte, and the Kazi and Pasha 
 of Mosul were summoned to appear before the Sultan; and 
 the gallant Colonel Farrant was sent to the Kurds to investi- 
 gate matters, and Mr. Stevens, the British vice-consul of Sam- 
 soon, was despatched to redeem the Chaldean slaves made by 
 the Kurds, in which he was very successful. My excellent 
 friends, Colonel Williams and Mr. Brant, at Erzroom, were 
 also employed by Sir Stratford Canning to obtain the protec- 
 tion of the late excellent Pasha of Erzroom, or the Chaldean 
 Christian Haje Kamil Pasha, not only Pasha of Erzroom, 
 but Seraskier for all Kurdistaun. And he did so effectually, 
 but the Porte showed in that, as in every thing else, her im- 
 becility and total unfitness for government, by recalling that 
 excellent Pasha after my departure from Erzroom, and send- 
 ing as his successor to Erzroom a most miserable creature. 
 
 Mar Yohannan, bishop of Oroomiah, called on me at Ta- 
 breez. He is a gentleman of much intelligence, and had learn- 
 ed English from the American missionaries, and has visited 
 America. He wrote to me a letter which reached me in Lon- 
 don, and which I insert just as it came. 
 
 My dear and beloved Friend, Oroomiah, March 2/th, 1845. 
 
 I have much pleasure to write letters to you, but I could not 
 find good time. I greatly desire to see you, and to speak with you. 
 I hope you will not forget me : will you remember me with your 
 prayers in your churches, when you pray for the people? Your 
 prayers will be a blessing to us, and will guide us to heaven ; they 
 will be light to our way. I wrote another letter for the Lord Bishop 
 of London. If you please you will write me answer, that I may 
 know; I want to come to your country, and to see your people. 
 If you please, I will bring with me two or three boys that may 
 learn your language : they know little the English. My dear, we 
 made covenant with each other at Theran that we shall go together 
 to London ; you left me at Tabreez, you went. I hope now you 
 will send me letter about my going to your country. May the 
 Lord bless you with all his blessings in the kingdom of heaven ! 
 Your affectionate friend, 
 
 MAR YoHANJiAx, 
 
 Bixhop of Oroomiah.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 443 
 
 The letter is in itself fully indicative of the simple character 
 of these Chaldean bishops. I am pleased to find that Mr. 
 Ainsworth agrees with me that the Chaldeans are not Nestori- 
 ans, and the details in his admirable work are such as may be 
 fully relied on ; for I have confirmed by personal experience 
 a large portion of the matter in his highly interesting volumes, 
 entitled, " Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, Mesopo- 
 tamia, Chaldea, and Armenia." 
 
 The principal Armenians of Tabreez also gave me a public 
 dinner, to which the consul-general, Mr. Bonham, and the 
 rest of the English inhabitants of Tabreez, and the Russian 
 consul-general, with the Russian authorities, were invited. 
 
 I must here also express my thanks to Dr. Casolani, a Mal- 
 tese physician, who recovered me from a second dangerous 
 attack of bilious fever. Dr. Casolani is nominated physician 
 to the Prince-governor, Bahman Mirza, by a diploma to the 
 following curious purport : 
 
 A Royal Order, That since the sagacity, the acuteuess, the 
 science, the excellence of the high in dignity, exalted station, 
 having sincerity and candour, being endowed with judgment and 
 penetration, the great among the nobles of Christendom, Mr. 
 Casolani, English physician and surgeon, has been proved in the 
 receptacle of the honourable mind, and revealed to the illustrious 
 and royal understanding, particularly at this time, as the cures 
 which he has performed in this place have all been marked with 
 wisdom and science, and the remedies which he has made use of 
 in this country have been profitable to and effective in every con- 
 stitution and temperament, it was necessary that we should attach 
 particularly to ourselves a person of this kind, who was celebrated 
 and lauded for his approved skill. Therefore, in this year of 
 Loo-eel, of happy indication, we have enrolled the high in station 
 above mentioned in the rank of our followers ; and in reward for 
 this service we have granted and bestowed three hundred tomans 
 in the way of salary to the above-mentioned high in rank, that 
 he may receive and take it every year ; that he may use it for his 
 expenses, and spend it for his disbursements ; that with tranquil- 
 lity and repose he may accomplish the cure, and administer reme-
 
 444 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 dies, as may happen to the Royal Chief and his princely children, 
 and according to the extent of his skill he may be diligent in ex- 
 amining and considering our constitution, so that the Royal favour 
 may daily increase. 
 
 The honourable Secretaries of State will take a copy of the date 
 of this Order, and consider it as obligatory. 
 
 I visited again Daoud Khan, a colonel in the Russian 
 service. He is a genuine Georgian, and as such is not very 
 fond of the Armenians. He informed me what I knew before, 
 for I was in Georgia in the year 1825, that the native Jews 
 in Georgia are slaves to the country gentlemen of Georgia, 
 or, as those country gentlemen are called, Kenyaz. The first 
 of these is the Prince of Kenyaz Aristow, at Suran ; the se- 
 cond, Kostantil, at Mukhram Battone; and the third, Prince 
 Kalavantan, at Sekwee. I give these names, as the Jews* 
 Society may feel disposed, probably, to send some agents 
 there. The dignitaries in the Georgian church have the 
 following degrees : 1. Diacon ; 2. Odeli, (priest) ; 3. Behse, 
 (monk) ; 4. Dacanoggi, (dean) ; 5. Zinam Jawaree, (bishop) ; 
 6. Katalikos, (archbishop). 
 
 It will be in vain for Protestant missionaries to attempt to 
 abolish forms among the Eastern Christians. We seem to 
 forget that the human mind is like fluid matter, which can 
 only attain permanency in a vessel : therefore Dr. Grant, 
 Whiting, and Goodell perceived that, and left all forms un- 
 altered. I must also note here, that Dr. Southgate, American 
 Episcopal missionary at Constantinople, has gained the af- 
 fection of the Armenian bishop at Constantinople by his wise 
 conduct in this particular. 
 
 I must not forget also to name an interesting and unfor- 
 tunate young gentleman at Tabreez, whose name is Edward 
 Burgess, well acquainted with the Persian language. This 
 excellent young gentleman is employed by Prince Bahman 
 Mirza, as translator of the English newspapers. His brother 
 was in the service of the Persian government, and sent by 
 them with several thousand tomauns to England to buy mer-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 445 
 
 chandise, and poor Edward Burgess remained guarantee for 
 his brother's honour. His brother most shamefully neglected 
 to redeem his honour, and abandoned Edward to the conse- 
 quences of his generous devotion. He is therefore detained 
 in Persia for his brother the defaulter. The poor man would 
 be in the utmost distress, if Mr. Bonham and the Russian 
 consul-general, and the Greek merchants, did not do all in 
 their power to serve him. He told me, with tears in his eyes, 
 that he had written four times to Colonel Sheil without re- 
 ceiving any answer from him, though he had written to him 
 officially as a British subject. Such a matter ought to be 
 settled, since, in a country like Persia, nothing is more pro- 
 bable than that at the death of the king, Burgess would be 
 sold as a slave. I am exceedingly pained to be obliged to say 
 such things, for the forwarding the second letter of the Shah 
 to Bokhara by Colonel Sheil certainly saved my life; but I 
 am only one, and I was recommended powerfully, but an am- 
 bassador ought to take an interest in the meanest subject. 
 The translation of Prince Bahman Mirza's letter, given 
 above, is by him, and he enclosed it to me in the following 
 kind note, which I insert. 
 
 My dear Sir, Tabreez, 8th February, 1845. 
 
 I sent the translation of the letter the Prince wrote to 
 you by a courier of the French Mission, who started on the 1st 
 of January : I trust that it reached you safely. I did not write 
 to you when I sent that translation, because I had very little 
 notice of the courier's departure. I hope the translation will please 
 you. I have made it as near the Persian as possible to make 
 sense of it, and I endeavoured, as much as our language will 
 allow, to preserve the idiom of the Persian ; you, who are acquainted 
 with the latter language, know how difficult that is. The title 
 " Excellency," which is given to you in the letter, may appear 
 strange in Europe, but it is the only translation I could give to 
 the word Jenaub. In this country it is only used to priests of 
 high rank and ambassadors, and has always been translated as I 
 have done. One of the government secretaries attached to the
 
 446 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Prince told me that his royal Highness had given you this title 
 because he understood you had high clerical rank in England, 
 and therefore he wished to give you the same title and respect 
 as was usual in addressing their own Mahomedan priesthood. 
 
 You, no doubt, have heard of the melancholy death of poor 
 Mrs. Bonham ; she died on the 30th of December, after an illness 
 of only five days. 
 
 I hope that this will find you safely passed through all your 
 difficulties. We heard of your arrival at Erzeroom, but that you 
 were unwell ; no doubt, ere this reaches you, you will again have 
 returned home, and had a happy meeting with your family. 
 
 It was just as well you started when you did, for the winter has 
 been most severe. I believe nearly two hundred people have 
 perished in the snow in the immediate neighbourhood of this 
 town, besides those who have been lamed and crippled : the snow 
 in many places was drifted level with the walls of the vineyards 
 which surround the town, and the thermometer stood at ten de- 
 grees below zero, or forty-two degrees of frost. It was almost 
 like living in a place that was besieged, they were so constantly 
 bringing us in news of men being lost. For the last ten days the 
 weather has been milder, and to-day and yesterday we have had 
 quite warm spring days, and the ice and snow is fast disappearing. 
 I am, my dear Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 EDWARD BURGESS. 
 
 At last I determined on my departure from Tabreez. Mr. 
 Osroff, the Russian consul-general, gave me a third dinner, 
 and made me a present of a takhtravvan (litter) ; for being 
 ill, I could not ride on horseback. I left Tabreez on the 
 9th of December. Messrs. Bonham and Osroff, Dr. Casolani, 
 Daoud Khan the Armenian, all the Russian attaches, and 
 the Greek merchants, accompanied me a long distance. Dr. 
 Casolanrs brother accompanied me even to Khoy. All the 
 Europeans cheered me heartily on my departure, with many 
 a hearty hurrah. 
 
 On the evening of the 9th we slept in a village called 
 Mayoon, eight English miles from Tabreez. On the 10th 
 we went to Deesa Khaleel, twenty-four English miles from
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 447 
 
 the last place. On the llth we reached Tasuj, twenty-four 
 miles. On the 12th, Sayd Hajee, twenty-four miles. On the 
 13th we arrived at Khoy, a considerable town in former times, 
 but almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake. It is now 
 in great confusion, for there is a governor there, and besides 
 him a brother of the Haje, the prime-minister, who also 
 pretends to be governor, does every thing in despite of the 
 real governor, and Prince Bahman Mirza, Prince-governor of 
 Azerbijan, does not dare to keep him in order, from fear of 
 offending his brother the Haje. 
 
 I stopped then in the house of a Persian, for whom I had 
 a letter from the Armenians of Tabreez, till the 15th, when I 
 set out for Perea, always in the takhtrawan, for my excessive 
 weakness and biliousness did not allow me to ride on horse- 
 back. Here the great danger of travelling begins, by reason 
 of the Kurds, who assail every traveller, and who attacked, 
 some years back, Messrs. Todd and Abbott, and robbed 
 them of all they had. After they had stripped poor Todd of 
 every thing, they took away his pomatum. They asked him 
 what it was, when he said that it was butter ; they tasted it, 
 but as they did not like it, they forced poor Todd to demolish 
 sundry pots of it. I am told that he cannot endure bacon 
 ever since, and he was so disgusted with the country, that he 
 took a tremendous oath not to remain in Persia ; and he ac- 
 tually left Persia, where he was handsomely paid, and re- 
 turned to Constantinople, where he was attache without pay, 
 but minus pomatum, until he became attache in Hanover. 
 
 I have this account from high authority, no less than his 
 bosom friend, Mr. Layard, who goes into the full details of 
 every thing, and does not leave a tittle unfathomed. I learn 
 that Mr. Todd wrote something about me, which compliment 
 I beg leave to repay. He is, however, an excellent person, 
 notwithstanding all this. 
 
 On the 16th December, we arrived at Soraba, twenty-four 
 English miles from Khoy. The cold was intense, and my
 
 448 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 biliousness increased. Snow had begun to fall. However, 
 we continued our journey, and we arrived at Karaine, where 
 eight Armenian families are residing, who are exceedingly 
 dirty; but as they were well acquainted with the road, I 
 agreed with one of them to accompany me as far as Erzroom, 
 in order that he might everywhere prepare lodgings among 
 the Armenians ; for as my health was precarious, I wished to 
 stay in Christian houses, so that if I should die I might be 
 decently buried, and in a Christian manner. After I had 
 agreed with him to give him two ducats to Erzroom, and his 
 victuals, the priest who had recommended him told him that 
 he should not allow him to go, except I gave him something 
 for his recommendation. Though 1 am rather partial to the 
 Armenians in general, I must say that the Armenian priest- 
 hood around Tabreez and Khoy, together with those priests 
 of the Chaldean nation who have been converted to Roman- 
 ism, and who reside at Salmast, Bashgala, Khosrowa, and 
 Oroomia, are most depraved, and generally perform the office 
 of ruffiani to Europeans who are of a gay disposition. I gave 
 that Armenian priest something for the permission to depart 
 with his nephew. A few miles distant from Karaine is an 
 Armenian convent, called Tatus Arrakel, which means Thad- 
 deus the Apostle, for it is believed that the apostle Thaddeus 
 preached there. That convent contains about six priests, 
 who are called Wardapiet. 
 
 We were detained at Karaine by a Kulagh. We then arri- 
 ved at Seyba, seven miles distant. As it snowed too hard, 
 and natives were actually frozen to death that day, I was 
 compelled to keep the house, where the Armenian whom I 
 had taken with me thoroughly disgusted me by his dirty 
 habits. The filthiness of that fellow was almost inconceivable. 
 
 On the 20th December we set out for Awajick, the last 
 frontier town of Persia. Khaleefa Kouli Khan, the governor 
 of that place, received me very kindly, and he again asked me 
 particularly whether I had heard anything of Me Neill Saheb
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 449 
 
 and Campbell Saheb. I met with a very curious circumstance 
 in his house. I saw there a Persian servant of Colonel Far- 
 rant, of Erzroom, by whom he was sent away, and in irons, 
 from Erzroom to Persia, in order to receive condign punish- 
 ment by the Haje of Teheraun. He entered my room with 
 his feet in irons, striking them together, and then sat quietly 
 down and smoked a galyoon, and asked me several questions 
 with great arrogance. After having inquired the reason of 
 his being ironed, I ordered him to leave the room, which he 
 did. I was obliged to leave my takhtrawan behind, on ac- 
 count of the prodigious snow, and I had now to ascend the 
 mountains of Armenia, and therefore was obliged to go on 
 horseback. 
 
 Khaleefa Kouli Khan went some distance with me him- 
 self, and sent twelve horsemen on with me, who had orders 
 to accompany me as far as Ghizl-Deesa, fifteen miles from 
 Awajick, in the Sultan's dominions. Arriving there, I found 
 a cavass, i. e. a guard of honour, sent there already twenty- 
 four days previous by his Excellency the Pasha of Erzroom, 
 Haje Kamil Pasha, with a welcome letter of my dear friend 
 Colonel Williams, who informed me that I should find there 
 the gallant and cordial Colonel Farrant, and that on my ap- 
 proach to Erzroom they should come out to me, and give me 
 three cheers ; at the same time reminding me of my promise 
 to stay with him, and not with my friend Mr Brant, the Bri- 
 tish consul. How cheering was this to me ! Would to God 
 he had been at Teheraun on my return there, for certainly he 
 would have made an example of Dil Assa Khan and of Haje 
 Ibrahim !
 
 450 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Route : Ghizl-Deesa Utsh Kelesea Nierses, the Katokhikos of the Ar- 
 menian Church. Efforts of the Czar to unite Armenian and Russian 
 Churches. Route : Yuntsh Aloo Kara Klesea Mullah Suleiman 
 Seydekan. Dr. Wolff injured by a Fall from his Horse. Route : Dehli 
 Baba Komassur Kopre Koy Hassan Kaleh. Letters from Colonel 
 Williams and Mr. Brant Letter of Colonel Williams to Captain Gro- 
 ver. Arrival at Erzroom. Dreadful sufferings of Dr. Wolff Kindness 
 of Colonel Williams, Mr. Brant, and Mr. and Mrs. Redhouse to Dr. 
 Wolff. Death of Mrs. Bonham. Ambassador from Bokhara to England 
 arrives at Erzroom. Letter from Sir Stratford Canning. Interview of 
 Dr. Wolff, Mr. Brant, Colonel Williams, and Colonel Farrant, with 
 Kamil Pasha Kamil Pasha's Statement to them of his Interview with 
 the Ambassador from Bokhara to England. Departure from Erzroom. 
 Route : Mey Mansoor Saaza Massad Beyboot Jaajee Koy Gu- 
 mush Khane 1 Artasa Yerkopri Yeseer Oglu. Letter from Mr. 
 Stevens. 
 
 WE set out for Ghizl-Deesa, and proceeded on to Diadeen. 
 On our way thither the heavens were clear, not a cloud 
 visible until we had passed between two mountains covered 
 with snow; when suddenly the wind blew, from both sides 
 apparently, and drove from both summits masses of snow into 
 our faces. The cavass seized hold of the rope of my horse, 
 and giving a spur to his own, said, " Let us try to get through 
 that horrid pass as fast as possible ; if not, we shall be buried 
 in the snow, for here is the Kulagh." After a few minutes* 
 ride the sky was covered with mists, which kept back the 
 wind, and thus we came safely through the dangerous pass, 
 and arrived at Diadeen. There is more danger in these 
 countries when the sky is clear, than when surrounded with 
 thick mists.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 451 
 
 On the 23rd we arrived in the Armenian convent of Utsh 
 Kelesea, i. e. " three churches,"* of which I have already given 
 a description, for I have been twice there. In that convent I 
 found an ancient MS. of the Bible in the Armenian tongue, 
 and my friend J. H. Frere will be glad to learn that, on his 
 account, I looked particularly at Daniel viii. 14, in which the 
 number two thousand four hundred is found. Thus the He- 
 brew MSS. at Bokhara, at Adrianople, and Utsh Kelesea con- 
 firm his hypothesis. Utsh Kelesea is situated near the Moo- 
 rad, i. e. Euphrates. The convent is placed at the very back 
 of a mountain, and we cross the Moorad by a bridge, so that 
 in winter it is exceedingly cold, and there is almost a continual 
 Kulagh. The superior informed me, what I knew before, that 
 the great Nierses, formerly archbishop of Tiflis, was exiled by 
 Paskewitsh to Bessarabia, on account of his inflexible charac- 
 ter, and refusal to cede any rights of the Armenian church. 
 The Emperor Nicholas, however, showed his good sense by 
 proposing Nierses to the Armenian church as a candidate 
 worthy of being chosen as Katokhikos at Ech-Miazin. I 
 knew Nierses when at Tiflis in the year 1825. He was 
 a venerable man, learned in the Armenian language, and 
 even in Russian. His whole mind was absorbed in the 
 great attempt of reviving in his nation the spirit of Nierses 
 Shnorhaale and Nierses Lampronazi. He tried to reform his 
 nation without imbuing them with a spirit of German neo- 
 logy. He established schools for his nation in all parts of 
 Georgia, and the writings of Mesrop are read, and those of 
 Nierses Shnorhaale and Moses Korinaze. In these addresses 
 he reminds his countrymen that they are descendants of King 
 Abgar, who corresponded with our Lord. He had his nation 
 instructed not only in the Armenian language, but also in the 
 Russian literature. This great Nierses spoke to me, when I 
 was with him at Tiflis, in the following manner about Christ : 
 " Every instrument, every material used for the crucifixion of 
 Christ, teaches us a lesson. 
 
 2 G 2
 
 452 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 7 
 
 1. The thirty silverlings are emblems of the mean price 
 for which the sinner casts away his prospects of eternal life. 
 
 2. The lantern with which Judas led the bands to Christ, 
 is emblematical of the false light spread by modern civilization. 
 
 3. The bonds with which Christ was bound, are emblems 
 of the bonds of love with which he loved us, in opposition to 
 the bonds of sin, which enslave us. 
 
 4. Voice of the cock. An emblem of the voice of con- 
 science. 
 
 5. Scourges. Emblems of eternal chastenings. 
 
 6. Purple robe. Punishment for blood-guiltiness. 
 
 7- Crown of thorns. The difficulty with which one obtains 
 a crown of glory. 
 
 8. Sceptre of reeds. Vacillation of the will. 
 
 9. Gall and myrrh. Bitterness of heart. 
 
 10. The bason in which Pilate washed his hands. An em- 
 blem of hypocrisy, self-righteousness, l)_y which the inquie- 
 tude of conscience seeks pretext and excuse. 
 
 11. Superscription on the cross and with the cross, shows 
 him against whom the heart of man is rebellious, and how 
 far the enmity of man against God can be carried. 
 
 12. Casting of lots. An emblem of man's folly, in exposing 
 eternal salvation to risk and uncertainty. 
 
 The great Nikolaus has hopes to unite the Armenian church 
 with the Russian ; and though I consider it to be a Scriptural 
 principle that the Sovereign ought to be the head of the 
 church, I think that he will find it a difficult matter to carry. 
 All attempts among Protestants to establish a union have prov- 
 ed abortive; and not only that, but Christian communities, 
 who have lived in peace among themselves, have been disunited 
 as soon as a direct attempt was made to establish a stricter 
 union among them ; thus, for instance, the so-called Evan' 
 yelische Kirche, i. e. the Swiss Confession, lived in perfect 
 harmony with the Lutheran Confession, until the late king of 
 Prussia made an attempt to unite both together; then even
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 453 
 
 the great Professor Creutzer, at Heidelberg, and others, rose 
 against it. Thus the attempt to establish a union between 
 the Greek and Anglican church has failed ; and thus also the 
 attempt lately made of uniting the Lutheran church with the 
 Church of England will fail, yea, has failed already. The 
 best mode of uniting Christian churches is, to give each other 
 assistance in those things which the Christian churches are in 
 want of, and to show good will toward each other; and thus, 
 by each branch trying in its own community to promote a 
 spirit of holy zeal for the glory of God, and the promotion of 
 His kingdom, and by each branch displaying a holy emulation 
 in the practice of Christian virtues, the best union is esta- 
 blished. And, I ask, is there union within the pale of the 
 Roman Catholic church ? I ask, is there any union between 
 the Roman Catholics? Even before Ronge was excited to 
 an open protest against the * coat of Treves,' the schools of 
 Hermes, Sailer, Gosner, were as much opposed, not only to 
 Rome, but even to the school of Klee, and even more than the 
 Lutherans and Evangelicals are. I ask, is the theological 
 seminary of Prague, where Caspar Royko, Bolzano, and 
 Peszel taught, in union with the unity taught at Rome ? 
 And is there not a distinct difference made in Austria between 
 Roman Catholics and the so-called Romlinge, i. e. Romanists ? 
 Why was Johannes Jhan, Professor of Oriental literature, 
 openly denounced as a heretic by Cardinal Severoli ? I ask 
 further, are the theological schools in Italy united ? Whe- 
 ther, for instance, there is no difference between the teaching 
 of Tamburini at Pavia, and Professor Piatti, formerly Pro- 
 fessor of dogmatic theology in the Collegio Romano at Rome ? 
 And, I ask, would Dr. Wiseman dare to teach at Rome as he 
 does at Oscott ? There is no union in the churches, and no 
 rule of uniformity will re-establish that unity ; and no unity 
 will be re-established until the coming of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ to reign upon earth : then the nation shall go up to 
 Jerusalem, and one language shall be spoken.
 
 454 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I stopped at the convent of Utsh Kelesea one day, and was 
 kindly treated by the monks. An Armenian from Angora was 
 also there. He recollected having heard me preach to the 
 Jews at Angora, or Angoroo as the Turks call it. Angoroo, 
 the north-easternmost point of the conquests of Alexander the 
 Great, is the capital of Galatia. They show there the house 
 where St. Paul preached. It was also conquered by Haroun 
 Alrashid, and Mamoon his son. It is the chief emporium for 
 commerce of Asia Minor, and is certainly, both in situation and 
 fertility, the most beautiful place in Asia Minor. The silk hair 
 of the goats, the fat tails of the sheep, the sweetness of its pears, 
 its apples upon the mountain Alm-Tagh, surpass, as the Arme- 
 nian Makarditsh tells me, all the fruits of Paradise, whilst the 
 romantic rocks around enchant the eye of the most phlegmatic 
 traveller. Its inhabitants are also famous as clever rope- 
 dancers. The city is filled with the convents of renowned 
 derveeshes, and the college of Tash-Koopre Saadeh, the great 
 Encyclopedist. Sultan Moorad also conquered it. 
 
 The Armenian, Catholic, and Greek Christians of Angoroo 
 are the most amiable, clean, hospitable, and learned Christians 
 of the East, and the Jews are well treated by them. I con- 
 versed with the superior of Utsh Kelesea and the monks on 
 Eternity, and translated for them the words of the damned, as 
 described by Augustin : " Oh, tremendous and horror-full 
 eternity ! Woe to us and eternally woe ! Woe to us 
 that we were born ! Woe to us that we are not able to die ! 
 We live an eternal death ! We faint. we languish, yet we 
 endure for ever, for no death terminates our death ! Our 
 end has no end ! It was a moment that we lived in delight, 
 but we are crucified eternally !" 
 
 On the 24th we arrived at Yuntsh Aloo, twenty-five Eng- 
 lish miles from Utsh Kelesea. Here a priest informed me 
 that the Armenian liturgy was composed by Nierses, Mesrop, 
 Yeknisha, and Isaac, in the fourth century. On the 25th 
 (being Christmas-day) we arrived at Kara Klesea, inhabited
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 455 
 
 also by Armenians, who were very anxious to know whether 
 the English people were united with the church of Rome or 
 not. I gave them a full account of that point. I wished 
 to set out that same day for Mullah Suleiman, but I was 
 overtaken by a shower of snow, which compelled me to re- 
 return, and I was so weakened besides, that I sent on an 
 express messenger to Colonel Williams, telling him of my 
 near approach. 
 
 On the 27th I set out for Mullah Suleiman. The hatred 
 subsisting between the Armenians and the Armenian Catholics 
 cannot be described. The Armenian servant I had with me, 
 and an Armenian priest who came with me, actually refused 
 to go with me to the house of the Armenian Catholic priest, 
 and rather preferred leaving me and going to the house of a 
 Muhammedan. 
 
 From hence we went to Seydekan, five English miles. I 
 was detained there also by the snow. The Armenians there 
 are so dirty, that it would be actually indecent to describe it. 
 On the 30th December we arrived on the Mount of Taher, 
 and as I wished to get fast through the mountain, and was 
 afraid of being overtaken by a Kulagh, I spurred my horse 
 forward ; but I got a violent fall, and the horse fell with me, 
 so that I was taken up senseless, and brought bound on the 
 horse to Kurd Ali, inhabited by Kurds, and stopped in the 
 house of Hassan Aga. The present Pasha of Erzroom has 
 inspired terror among the Kurds in his immediate vicinity, 
 and therefore I was civilly treated, but left in a stable with 
 cows and horses. Most of the Kurds in villages wear no 
 turbans, but large caps dropping behind, like the Maltese. 
 Their language is a most horrid corruption and mixture of 
 Turkish arid Persian, and therefore the proverb is current 
 among the Persians : 
 
 Arabee wasi ast. 
 Farsee shereen ast. 
 Turkee hunur ast. 
 Kurdee khar ast.
 
 456 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Which means, Arabic is an extensive language; the Persian 
 sweet ; the Turkish powerful ; the Kurdish don key -tongue. 
 
 On the 31st December we arrived at Dehli Baba, which 
 has one Armenian church and three priests. On January 1st, 
 we slept at Komassur. On the 2nd of January we reached 
 Kopre Koy, where it was horridly cold ; and from thence to 
 Hassan Kaleh, where I was hospitably received by the Turkish 
 governor, who delivered to me the following kind letters from 
 Colonel Williams and our consul : 
 
 My dear Dr. Wolff, Erzeroom, 3rd January, 1845. 
 
 Pray persevere and come into Erzeroom: it would be 
 madness to take medicine so near us. We will nurse you, and 
 put you all to rights in a few days. Brant sent you some wine, 
 which, after all, may be bad for you. I will ride out to the first 
 village this afternoon ; pray, therefore, take courage and come 
 along. We are all ready for you, and if you are to be laid up, we 
 are to be your nurses. 
 
 Ever yours truly, 
 
 W. F. WILLIAMS. 
 
 Mv dear Wolff Erzeroom, 2nd January, 1845, 
 
 ltt ' Thursday Evening. 
 
 I am glad you are so near us. 1 received your note from 
 Dahar, and asked the Pasha to send out a takhtravan or a sledge. 
 He sends out a man to order the Woyvoda of Hassan Kaleh to 
 pay you every attention, and to furnish you with either a takhtra- 
 van or a sledge, both which the Pasha said the Woyvoda had ; 
 but in case he did not send, the Pasha requested you would wait 
 until one was sent you from hence. As to Dr. Dickson, he would 
 willingly have gone to Hassan Kaleh, had you been very ill and 
 required immediate assistance ; but he thinks you had better defer 
 taking medicine until you arrive here, therefore lose no time in 
 coming on. I send you a bottle of Marsala, which Dr. Dickson 
 recommends in preference to French wine ; but use it moderately, 
 it may perhaps not do you good. 
 
 I know you intended to have taken up your quarters with 
 Colonel Williams, and although I think you ought to have applied 
 to your old house, the Queen's Arms, yet I did not wish to thwart 
 your inclination. However, as you require nursing and doctoring, 
 I think you had better come to me, as you will get a more com- 
 modious room than Colonel Williams can give you, and a house
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 45? 
 
 in which you will not be so liable to catch cold. Besides, you 
 will be nearer the doctor, who can more easily and frequently visit 
 you at my house than were you living at such a distance. I cal- 
 culate you will not reach Hassan Kaleh until Saturday evening, 
 and I hope you will be here by Sunday, or Monday early. 
 
 Thank you for the offer of your services to bind me to a wife, 
 but I do not mean to avail myself of your kindness just now. 
 Hoping soon to welcome you, and see you set up in health to 
 prosecute your journey, 
 
 Believe me, my dear Wolff, 
 
 Your affectionate Friend, 
 
 JAMES BRANT. 
 
 To show, also, the great interest taken in my proceedings 
 by that eminent philanthropist, Colonel Williams, I also add 
 this letter to Captain Grover : 
 
 Dear Captain Grover, Erzeroom, November 28th, 1844. 
 
 I have to thank you for your note of the 5th of Sep- 
 tember, which, owing I presume to delays at the Foreign-office, 
 only reached me by the Turkish tatar yesterday. Since that date 
 you must have received my letters announcing Dr. Wolff's fortunate 
 escape from Bokhara, and his arrival at Meshed ; not, however, 
 before you undertook your benevolent journey to St. Petersburg, 
 from whence the last Galignani gives your return to London. I 
 sent the good old Doctor's journal to the Ambassador a fortnight 
 since, under flying seal, and directed to you ; no doubt it is now 
 on its way to London. By the golaum who brought this lengthy 
 letter, I received a private note from the gallant Doctor, telling 
 me that he should leave Teheraun in time to arrive at and quit 
 Tabreez by the 17th instant. I therefore sent off two of the go- 
 vernor's cavasses, or guards, to the town of Bayazeed, on the Per- 
 sian frontier, to escort the Doctor to my house. His Excellency 
 Kaimili Pasha sent letters to Baloul Pasha, the governor of Baya- 
 zeed, enjoining him to furnish the necessary guard through the 
 Koordish tribes; and his Excellency also caused orders to be 
 addressed to all the village chiefs along the route, directing them 
 to receive Dr. Wolff as his friend, and to furnish him with every 
 thing he might require, (horses, &c. &c.) 1 wrote to Wolff by the 
 cavasses, so that he will be aware of all this kindness on the part 
 of our excellent Governor. Although I have not heard of his
 
 458 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 arrival at Tabreez, I look for him about the 1st of December, and 
 will use my utmost endeavours to get him off for Trebizonde on 
 the 4th. Until I see him I shall be anxious about his dress, for 
 our weather is now as stormy and cold as that through (here) 
 which he passed on his way to Bokhara, and I fear he has been 
 fleeced of the skins I rigged for him ! Then his excitement was 
 equal to one great coat ; now the good pilgrim has for his travel- 
 ling companions regrets for the victims of Bokhara, and the daily 
 misery of riding and resting in the filthy stable-hovels of Armenia. 
 He has performed a deed of almost unexampled goodness, and I 
 hope he may meet with a commensurate reward, I mean in this 
 world. Whilst I am writing you these hurried lines, a storm of 
 snow is raging without, and the desolate appearance of the land- 
 scape would lead an Englishman (could he view it) to estimate 
 Wolff's courageous task. Next week I hope to announce to you 
 his passage over the first snowy passes. 
 
 Believe me, very truly yours, 
 
 (Signed) W. F. WILLIAMS. 
 
 On Saturday, January 4th, I left Hassan Kaleh, and ar- 
 rived at the small village where I found a takhtrawan sent to 
 me by his Excellency the Kamil Pasha of Erzroom, and Se- 
 raskier of Kurdistaun. On the 5th of January I left that 
 village in the Pasha's takhtrawan, and set out for Erzroom. 
 Colonel Williams, Mr. Redhouse, and Colonel Farrant came 
 out to meet me. I was in such a state of debility and ner- 
 vousness, and so eaten up by vermin all over the body, that 
 I was not able to walk. Colonel Williams rode, therefore, 
 back to Erzroom before me, and ordered immediately a good 
 Turkish bath, gave me his own linen, and then brought me 
 to his hospitable dwelling, where I found my dear old friends, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Redhouse, and Mr. Brant, the consul, Mr. Cal- 
 vert, Dr. Dickson, Mr. Peabody, and the American missionary, 
 who sent me clothes. Colonel Farrant shook hands with me 
 cordially. He is a fine, open, English soldier. He was the 
 appointed secretary of legation to Teheraun. 
 
 For five days poor Colonel Williams was engaged in put- 
 ting the vermin off my body, and it would have been of no
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 459 
 
 use if Dr. Dickson had not given me an ointment to kill them. 
 I was not allowed to walk about in the streets, as they were 
 covered with ice, and slippery ; but as we had a nice terrace, 
 Colonel Williams took me there every day, dressed in Mrs. 
 Redhouse's fur cloak, red comforter, fur gloves, and Mr. 
 Redhouse's big boots, which gave me the appearance of a 
 Russian nobleman. These walks refreshed me so much, that 
 I felt renewed in me the hope, which I had given up, that I 
 should be able to bear the fatigues of the last stage of my 
 journey by land to Trebizond, when the doctor said the sea 
 air would thoroughly restore me to health, strength, and good 
 spirits. His Excellency, the Pasha, sent to me his brother to 
 inquire after the state of my health ; and so did the other 
 Turkish authorities. 
 
 As I have already given a description of my dear friends, 
 James Brant and Colonel Williams, I must say only a few 
 words of Colonel Farrant, who was sent by government to 
 Mosul, in order to ascertain the reasons of the massacre 
 of the Nestorian Christians by the Kurds. He is a fine, 
 straight-forward fellow. He had heard a great deal of me, 
 as he said, and Sir John Me Neill had told him the story 
 of the famous wasps which stung me twentv years ago, at 
 Bosra, on which account I had made such a noise in the house, 
 that I awoke the whole family of Colonel Taylor from sleep. 
 It is singular that such an insignificant story about the sting 
 of wasps should have travelled from Bosra to Bushire ; thence 
 to Teheraun, and excited the attention of the great diplomatist 
 Sir John Me Neill, so that I was reminded of it, after twenty 
 years, by Colonel Sheil at Teheraun, by Colonel Farrant at 
 Erzroom, and by Mr. Alison at Constantinople; and I dare 
 say, as Sir John Me Neill is at Edinburgh, he will have made 
 all the scientific societies of the Athens of the North acquainted 
 with it, and probably it has even reached Downing-street. 
 
 Mr. Redhouse was formerly dragoman to the Porte. He 
 has written a Turkish Dictionary, which the Sultan has
 
 400 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 dercd to be printed ; and has also published a Grammar of 
 the Ottoman language, which I think that every person who 
 wishes to be employed in any Oriental embassy ought to 
 possess. The British government should appoint Mr. Red- 
 house Professor of the Turkish literature in one of our En- 
 glish universities. I received at Erzroom the melancholy 
 letter from Dr. Casolani, announcing the death of dear Mrs. 
 Bonham, from Tabreez, which nearly overpowered my already 
 sinking spirits. 
 
 During my stay at Erzroom, Ameer Abul Kasem, the 
 ambassador from Bokhara for her Majesty Queen Victoria, 
 arrived there ; for, though he was told by Colonel Sheil that 
 he would not be received by the court of St. James, he never- 
 theless was determined to proceed on his way to Constantino- 
 ple, as he had also letters for the Sultan. 
 
 Previous to my departure from Erzroom, I received the 
 following kind letter from Sir. S. Canning : 
 
 My dear Sir, Buyukdere, Oct. 1, 1844. 
 
 I hope this letter will meet you on your return from Bo- 
 khara; if not, the Turkish letters, which I now hasten to forward, 
 may possibly be of some service to you. At all events, they will 
 show the interest which Turks, as well as Christians, take in your 
 safety. Her Majesty's government have shown a laudable zeal on 
 your behalf, by instructing me officially to exert myself for you. 
 I cannot help fearing, that if the former letters have not helped 
 you, these are not likely to prove of much use. But, at all events, 
 they may as well be sent to you. 
 
 It must be consoling to you to observe the interest which you 
 have generally inspired ; and I assure you that no persons feel a 
 larger share in that interest than Lady C. and myself. 
 
 May God protect you, my dear Sir, and restore you to those 
 who are capable of appreciating your talents and virtues ! 
 Believe me very sincerely yours, 
 
 STRATFORD CANNING. 
 
 Never shall I forget my noble friend Sir. S. Canning. I 
 feel towards him an enthusiasm that I never felt to any other; 
 and how should I feel otherwise to one who has given a
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 401 
 
 greater blow to Muhammedanism than any ambassador ever 
 did ? With one word he, with the assistance of the great 
 Guizot at Paris, has overthrown one of the fundamental laws 
 of Muhammedanism. The abolition of the cruel law of the 
 Muhammedan code respecting the capital punishment of apos- 
 tates from Islam, is an achievement that any government may 
 well pride itself on, and Lord Aberdeen owes this to our dis- 
 tinguished ambassador at Constantinople. I am not anxious 
 to deny his lordship the full merit due to any portion of his 
 foreign policy. I have shown how defective some branches of 
 the foreign department must be, in the course of this work ; 
 but I am no opponent of the late government, no partisan to any 
 general attack on their policy, and am ready on all occasions 
 to acknowledge any benefit that I see arising from their mea- 
 sures, whether it be the abolition of a cruel law of Islam, or 
 the erection of a Christian church within the limits of the 
 British consulate, or in fact any other measure tending to 
 the further promotion of philanthropic and Christian senti- 
 ments, to the advancement of the former of which we are 
 bound as men, and to that of the latter as more than men, 
 as Christians. 
 
 I called, with Colonel Williams, Colonel Farrant, and Mr. 
 Brant, on his Excellency Kamil Pasha. He told me that the 
 ambassador from Bokhara had just visited him, when he 
 asked him about the extent and power of Bokhara; upon 
 which he gave the following exaggerated statement : That the 
 kingdom of Bokhara was six hundred farsaghs in length, and 
 that the king of Bokhara has two hundred thousand regular 
 troops in continual pay, and eight hundred pieces of artillery. 
 Kamil Pasha then asked what had become of Stoddart and 
 Conolly ? when he gave the following lying statement : That 
 Stoddart had arrived at Bokhara. Soon after his arrival, the 
 king observed that many of the Serkerdeha had become rebel- 
 lious ; he inquired into the matter, and his Majesty discovered 
 that Colonel Stoddart had been the instigator of the rebellion.
 
 462 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 With regard to Conolly, he gave the following statement: 
 That Conolly had been at Khokand, when the king from Bo- 
 khara arrived with his army there ; that Conolly was made a 
 prisoner, and he did not know his fate. He denied altogether 
 that he had been sent to England, and simply said that his 
 mission was to the Sultan. 
 
 The evening before my departure from Erzroom, all my 
 English friends, and also Colonel Dainesi, the Russian com- 
 missioner, and Signor Garibaldi, the Russian vice-consul, 
 Signer Bertoni, and the American missionaries, assembled in 
 the house of Colonel Williams, where they dined, and drank 
 most cordially my health. 
 
 On the 27th January a cavass from Kamil Pasha, and ano- 
 ther cavass of Mr. Brant, the consul, with a takhtra wan-driver, 
 arrived at the door of Colonel Williams. Colonel Williams, 
 Colonel Farrant, Mr. Brant, Messrs. Calvert, Guarracino, 
 Garibaldi, Bekir Pasha, a Turkish gentleman who had been 
 in England, mounted their horses, and I entered my takhtra- 
 wan, and they accompanied me three hours to Elijeh. My 
 kind-hearted friends then took a hearty leave of me, embraced 
 me, and then returned to Erzroom, whilst I prosecuted my 
 journey towards Trebizond. Colonel Farrant, a lively cordial 
 soldier, became a great friend of mine, so that I called him 
 my nephew, and he called me his uncle. 
 
 I continued my journey and arrived on the 28th of Ja- 
 nuary at Mey-Mansoor, inhabitedby Mussulmans. On the 
 29th we arrived at Saaza ; on the 30th at Massad. On the 
 31st at Beyboot, where I lodged in the house of an Armenian, 
 not of the best disposition. On the 1st of February we were 
 obliged to remain at Beyboot. Dr. Frankfurter, a Jew from 
 Presburg, in Hungary, was stationed there by the Turkish 
 government as medical man to superintend the place of 
 quarantine. On the 2nd of February we arrived at Jaajee 
 Koy. On the 3rd of February we reached Gumush Khane, 
 where I lodged in the house of a respectable Turk. He was
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 463 
 
 an old man : his name was Mustapha. On the 4th February 
 we arrived at Artasa. On the 5th at Yerkopri. On the Gth 
 of February at Yeseer Oglu. I received at this place the fol- 
 lowing letter from Mr. Stevens, the vice-consul of Trebizond. 
 
 My dear Sir, Trebizond, 6th Feb., 1845. 
 
 I received last evening your note from Ardassi, and I 
 hasten to send you out my cavaz, Mehmed Agha, with the enclosed 
 letters, which have accumulated here for you ; and also to write 
 you these lines to welcome you back to Trebizond, where I hope 
 you will arrive in safety to-morrow morning. I shall be at the 
 lazaretto, and bring with me my colleagues. An apartment is 
 being prepared for you. I presume the ambassador from Bokhara 
 will arrive to-day. 
 
 My cavaz has orders to communicate with you, and place him- 
 self under your orders in quarantine. Send him into the lazaretto 
 at least an hour before you reach to-morrow, to give me warning. 
 
 Mrs. Stevens and my sister send you compliments. 
 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 FRAS. J. STEVENS.
 
 464 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Arrival at Trebizond Folly of Land Quarantine there. Ambassador from 
 Bokhara arrives. One of his old Friends the Makhrams calls on Dr. 
 Wolff Dr. Wolff feels reluctant to renew the Intimacy Visits receiv- 
 ed by Dr. Wolff when in Quarantine. Letter from Colonel Farrant 
 Letter from Sir Stratford Canning. Bokhara Ambassador gets Pra- 
 tique one day before Dr. Wolff Singular Conduct of the Pasha of Tre- 
 bizond. Letter from Mr. Brant. Departure for Constantinople 
 Sinope and Samsoon Arrival at Constantinople. Dr. Wolff preaches 
 on board the Virago. Letters from Sir Stratford Canning, the Honour- 
 able Mr. Wellesley, and Lady Canning. Kindness of the Legation. 
 Curious Painting of St. Bernard. Letter from the Rev. H. D. Leeves. 
 Arrival of seven Franciscan Friars at Constantinople, expelled from 
 Russia for their refusal to swear Allegiance to the Czar Sympathy 
 excited for them. Power of the Romish Church greatly curtailed by 
 the Czar. Letter from Sir Stratford Canning. Visit to Saint Sophia. 
 The Missionaries call on Dr. Wolff Schauffler; his extraordinary Ac- 
 quirements in Language Conversations with Count Sturmer. Santa 
 Clara, the Court-Preacher at Vienna his Views on Transfiguration 
 his Description of Faith Punishment of Death for Apostasy abolished 
 the Declaration of the Porte. Letter of Mr. Brant. Introduction of 
 Dr. Wolff to the Grand Vizier, the Reis Effendi, the Shekeeb Effendi, 
 and the Sheikh Islam Introduction to Greek Patriarchs. Liturgies of 
 St. Chrysostom, St. Basil, and St. Gregory. The Patriarch visits Dr. 
 Wolff. Dr. Wolff preaches at the Legation, and in other places Kind- 
 ness of Lady Canning. Letter from the Honourable Mr. Wellesley. 
 Dr. Wolff embarks for England. Arrives at Smyrna Meets there 
 Lord Clarence Paget and the Rev. H. D. Leeves. Quarantine of Malta 
 Lord Lorton visits Dr. Wolff in Quarantine The Bishop of Gibral- 
 tar also sees him in Quarantine. Then sails for Gibraltar ; on his 
 arrival there receives Letters from the Governor, Sir Robert Wilson, 
 and the Reverend Dr. Burrow. Reaches Southampton on April 9th 
 Letter of Bishop Doane Meets at Southampton Captain Grover, Lady 
 Georgiana, and his Son Starts for London Returns Thanks to Al- 
 mighty God for his Preservation, in Trinity Church, Gray's Inn-road. 
 Public Meeting at Exeter Hall Noble Character of Captain Grover. 
 Letter from the Rev. R. W. Stoddart. Correspondence and Papers 
 relating to the Fate of Lieut. Wyburd Dr. Wolff rejects the proffered 
 Reward for the recovery of Lord Ellenborough's Letter Correspond- 
 ence with Mr. Schwarz regarding Giovanni. Pope Pius XI. a Personal
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 465 
 
 Friend and Pupil of Dr. Wolft : his liberal Sentiments ; his Piety and 
 Benevolence. Prince Hohenlohe the Miracle-monger his unworthy 
 Qualities his Hypocrisy detected and punished. General Jochmus. 
 Strictures on the Bishopric of Jerusalem. Government repays the 
 400 advanced by Captain Grover. Conclusion. 
 
 I ARRIVED on the Jib of February at the place of quaran- 
 tine at Trebizond. It is strange to hear of quarantine on 
 land, and it is one of the most foolish things I ever heard of' 
 for until a caravan arrives at Trebizond, it must have touched 
 all the neighbouring places which are not in quarantine. All 
 the answer I can give is, that all the attempts of the Turks 
 at civilization appear farcical. A room was assigned to me 
 close by the ambassador of Bokhara. He did not himself 
 come near me, but what is very extraordinary, a Makhram 
 sent after us by the Ameer called on me, and he told me that 
 he believed that the Nayeb, Abdul Samut Khan, had met 
 with his deserts already, or would certainly meet with punish- 
 ment shortly. I confess that I was not easy in his company : 
 though I know that people will think that my fear was ima- 
 ginary, I am not ashamed to confess it. For one thing must 
 be observed, which I have omitted to mention in speaking 
 of Bokhara; that the king and Abdul Samut Khan are con- 
 nected with the people called the Ismaelee, whom the Ameer 
 sends for some great purposes always to murder people whom 
 he suspects, like the Old Man of the Mountain, the chief of 
 the Assassins. Thus, for instance, one of his Serkerdeha, 
 whom he suspected, and who had fled to Shahr-Sabz, was 
 murdered in the palace of the Khan of Shahr-Sabz, and 
 the head was brought in triumph to Bokhara two months 
 before my arrival. It was said that he was suspected to 
 have been a friend of Stoddart. 
 
 I have already adverted to the circumstance that one of 
 the Ameer's brothers was murdered at Khokand, and another 
 at Orenbourg; and besides this, that Makhram, whose name 
 was Shereef Sultaun, whenever he came to me, desired me to 
 send away my servants. It may be objected that the Ameer 
 would not do such a thing, for he would put in jeopardy his 
 
 2n
 
 466 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 own ambassador ; but to this I answer, such an argument is 
 quite ridiculous, for a savage like the Ameer does not care 
 a straw for the life of his ambassador. And if the report 
 stated first in the Times be true, that he killed that ambas- 
 sador on his return, then I assert that he would not have 
 cared if the Sultan had killed his ambassador. It may be 
 objected, also, that the Nayeb would not do such a thing, for 
 he is in the power of the Ameer ; but to this I answer, that it 
 remains still to be seen whether the Ameer will put to death 
 the Nayeb, or the Nayeb the Ameer. Both are bent upon 
 each other's destruction, and the self-interests of both cause 
 each to delay the execution of the deed. 
 
 During my stay in the quarantine, I was visited by the 
 English, Turkish, and Russian consuls, and also the excellent 
 American missionaries, Messrs. Benjamin and Bliss, who all 
 of them sent me daily European dinners, and visited me 
 daily ; and during my stay in the quarantine, I received a 
 letter from Colonel Farrant, which I subjoin. 
 
 My dear Doctor, Erzeroom, 31st January, 1846. 
 
 I write you a few lines to inquire after my good old 
 uncle's health, and hope sincerely this may find you safe and 
 sound at Trebizonde. We all miss you very much here. No 
 news from Persia. Our gholam arrived in twenty-seven days 
 from Teheran, and was twelve days between Turcomanchaie and 
 Tikmedash. What a lucky escape you had ! Bonham writes me 
 that he is broken and destroyed, and takes his little boy home in 
 May. I see the book you expected has arrived here for you. Good 
 by, my dear Doctor ; I wish you health and every good, and a 
 happy meeting with Lady Georgiana and Master Charles Henry 
 Drummond, and that your severe trials may meet with their just 
 reward, for you have performed a long and perilous journey. 
 
 God bless you. Always yours most sincerely, 
 
 J. FARRANT. 
 
 Mind you do not tell the riddle, " My first it * * * " We 
 have had no earthquakes since you left. Mollah Medhee sends 
 a million salaams, and begs me to tell you that those two tur- 
 quoise rings were sent you by the Chief-priest's brother of Me- 
 shed. Adieu; take care of yourself. J. F.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4()7 
 
 On another occasion, the following reached me from Sir 
 Stratford Canning : 
 
 My dear Sir, Constantinople, February 7, 1845. 
 
 I had much pleasure in receiving your letter from Erz- 
 room, and I congratulate you most cordially on having surmoun- 
 ted with so much fortitude the many difficulties, privations, and 
 dangers with which you have had to contend in the course of 
 your benevolent and bold enterprise. It is well that men of your 
 generous character should be under the special safeguard and 
 direction of Providence. 
 
 We shall be happy to see you here, and to assist in rendering 
 your pause at Constantinople gratifying and comfortable to you. 
 I understand that you are to put up at the Southgates', though I 
 know not how this is to be managed in the absence of the Bishop. 
 The box of shawls has never reached us ; if it had, Lady 
 Canning would have had much pleasure in forwarding it, with- 
 out availing herself of your kind permission. 
 
 Dr. Bennett has abandoned for the present his thoughts of 
 retiring. I understand that your converted friend has returned to 
 Meshed, and I think Colonel Williams has counselled you wisely 
 in that respect. I do not wonder at your expressing yourself so 
 strongly in favour of the Colonel. He has always taken the 
 strongest interest in you. With every good wish from Lady 
 Canning and the children, I beg you will believe me, 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 STB.ATFOKD CANNING. 
 
 One day before our pratique, the Bokhara ambassador re- 
 ceived his, as he had entered one day before me. During his 
 stay in the quarantine, he received every day his victuals from 
 the Pasha, Abdullah by name, who, a few weeks before my 
 arrival, was forced by the Porte to make an apology to the 
 British vice-consul in person, for having grossly insulted him. 
 This person differed widely from the former Pasha of Erz- 
 room. He could not conceal his hatred against Christians, and 
 especially Europeans ; and therefore, whilst he treated the 
 Bokhara ambassador with all distinction, he took not the 
 slightest notice of me. 
 
 I must give an instance in point, to illustrate the character 
 
 2 H 2
 
 4G8 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 of the Bokhara ambassador. He had left Bokhara with seven 
 attendants. With these he reached Teheraun. To my great- 
 est surprise he arrived at Trebizond with four-and-twenty. 
 He managed this in the following manner. He collected 
 at Bokhara several of the Bokhara and Khiva merchants, 
 whom he told, " If you pay me a certain sum of money, I 
 shall get your merchandise free into Bokhara." On my ar- 
 rival at Constantinople I told the Vizier and the Reis Effendi. 
 I omitted to give the following characteristic letter from 
 our consul at Erzroom. 
 
 My dear Wolff, Erzeroom, 31st January, 1845. 
 
 I hope you this morning started from Baiboot, and you 
 ought to be at Trebizond on the evening of the 5th of February. 
 I shall be very anxious to hear that you have got on in comfort: 
 a man reported you well at Maimansoor. The second evening I 
 feared you would not get to Khoshappoonah. Do get to England 
 as fast as you can, and do not daudle at Trebizond and Constan- 
 tinople. Once with Lady Georgiana you will be happy and com- 
 fortable, and will be properly attended to ; and I trust you will 
 soon regain your health, and forget the cut-throats of Bokhara. 
 Write to me when you are at home, and let me know where 
 your living is situated, for I shall one day come and see you. 
 Remember me to our excellent kind friend David Baillie. 
 
 God bless and preserve you, my dear old fellow, and restore 
 you to your wife and child ; and may you enjoy many many years 
 of health and comfort in a snug living, and after a long life of use- 
 fulness may you descend honoured to the grave, soothed by the 
 recollection of a well-spent life, and the opening hopes and pros- 
 pects of a better. With sincere respect and esteem, believe me, 
 my dear Wolff, 
 
 Your affectionate friend, 
 
 JAMES BRANT. 
 
 After I had left quarantine, I took up my abode with Mr. 
 Stevens, from whom I experienced the most cordial reception ; 
 and after having visited the Greek church, I set out in an 
 Austrian steamer for Constantinople with Captain Clician. 
 The Bokhara ambassador embarked with his whole escort, 
 but he had no room in the cabin.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 469 
 
 The steamer stopped for a few hours at two remarkable 
 places, Samsoon and Sinope, in Paphlagonia. Amisus is the 
 ancient name of Samsoon, which was colonized by the Athe- 
 nians and embellished by Mithridates, taken by Lucullus, 
 then by Antony, ruined by the tyrant Strabo, again exalted 
 by Augustus after the victory near Actium. Both places, 
 Sinope as well as Samsoon, were governed after this by the 
 son of Isphandiar, then taken by Bayazid the Lame, then by 
 Bayazid the Lightning. Khasee Thselebe, nephew of Khaayz 
 Adden, of the Seljuck dynasty, was master of Sinope. He 
 carried on piracy against the Genoese. There are in both 
 places many mines, and they are both inhabited by Greeks 
 and Turks, and Muhammedans of Greek origin, who in 
 secret profess the Greek religion. Sinope is the birth-place of 
 Diogenes. An interesting account of both these places is 
 given by Joseph Von Hammer, in his History of the Otto- 
 man Empire. 
 
 I left Trebizond on the 20th, and reached Constantinople 
 on the 23rd of February. The moment I arrived in the har- 
 bour of Constantinople, the steamer Tagus was sailing for 
 England ; and as her Majesty's ship Virago was there, com- 
 manded by Captain Otway, I sent a note announcing my 
 arrival, without knowing him personally. He immediately 
 sent a boat after me with a midshipman, and as it was Sun- 
 day I preached in her Majesty's ship Virago to the officers 
 and crew ; and scarcely had I done preaching, before the 
 following note came from my dear dear friend, Sir Stratford 
 Canning. 
 
 My dear Sir, British Embassy, Sunday, February 23, 1845, 
 
 I rejoice to hear that you arrived at Constantinople this 
 morning, and hope that you are well enough to partake of our din- 
 ner to-day at seven. Come to us if you can, and afford me an 
 opportunity of saying in person how cordially I congratulate you 
 on your providential escape from so many dangers and perilous 
 fatigues. Believe me, faithfully yours, 
 
 STRATFORII CANNING.
 
 470 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 When I had finished preaching, breakfasted, and received 
 a shaving from one of the sailors, I called on their excellent 
 Excellencies Sir Stratford and Lady Canning. Her ladyship 
 at once told me that she had prepared a room in the palace 
 for me ; but as a new attache", Mr. Douglas, had arrived, her 
 ladyship could not receive me in the palace, but had taken 
 rooms for me in the Hotel d'Angleterre, where all my ex- 
 penses should be paid. At M. Missieri's, the British hotel, 
 I met Lord Clarence Paget, Lord Maidstone, Lord Anson, 
 Mr. Rashleigh, M.P., Mr. Ponsonby, Mr. Hammond, &c. 
 
 On the 24th of February I received the enclosed letter of 
 the 4th of February, from the Honourable Mr. Wellesley, 
 first secretary to the legation. 
 
 Dear Sir, Pera, February 24, 1845. 
 
 Although I have not the advantage to be personally 
 known to you, I trust that your acquaintance with my mother will 
 excuse my setting aside all forms, and proposing to you to come 
 and dine with me to-morrow at seven o'clock. It will give Mrs. 
 Wellesley and myself the greatest pleasure to have this opportunity 
 of making your acquaintance. 
 
 Believe me, dear Sir, very faithfully yours, 
 
 H. WELLESLEY. 
 
 I received also, among many other communications, the fol- 
 lowing from dear Lady Canning : 
 
 Dear Dr. Wolff, 
 
 If it would not be too fatiguing for you, I think it would 
 be best for you to be with us by three o'clock ; when you could 
 give a little lecture to the children, as you promised them, after 
 dinner being too late ; and then you might satisfy also the wishes 
 of your friends at Missieri's by returning early there. We hope 
 to settle this evening about next Sunday's plans. 
 
 Believe me, very truly yours, 
 Sunday. E. C. CANNING. 
 
 I give these documents to show the great spirit of kindness 
 and affection which warmed every breast in the legation, from 
 its distinguished chief and his charming lady downwards, to a 
 humble individual like myself. I saw here at Constantinople,
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 471 
 
 in the house of the Roman Catholic priest on whom I called, 
 an old picture representing St. Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, 
 in the following manner. His head was surrounded with a 
 crown of thorns, upon his shoulders a heavy cross ; near it a 
 spear and staff, on the edge of it a sponge was fixed ; around 
 his body ropes were wound ; in the left hand he held a lantern, 
 in the right hand a basket with scourges, nails, hammers, 
 and tongs ; a pillar stood before him, near it a bason 
 with water, and upon it a cock. Under it the words were 
 written from Ephesians, chap. vi. verse 11, " Put on the 
 whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against 
 the wiles of the devil." 
 
 The last communication I ever received from an individual 
 whose virtues made me as proud of his acquaintance as that 
 of any of the most distinguished parties here, my late lament- 
 ed and beloved friend, the Reverend H. D. Leeves, chaplain 
 of Athens, I give at length: 
 
 My dear Dr. Wolff, Smyrna, March 15, 1845. 
 
 Hearing that you are in the neighbourhood, I write you 
 a line to congratulate you sincerely upon your escape from the 
 perils of your adventurous journey, and to say that I hope that I 
 shall soon do the same in person, together with my daughter Mary 
 Anne. We are here together on our way to Syria and Jerusalem, 
 and are staying at the hospitable house of Mr. Lewis. We learn 
 that you come down here by the boat which leaves Constantinople 
 on Monday, and will therefore be here on Wednesday ; and I 
 was charged by Mr. Lewis this morning to say, that he meant to 
 write to you ; but as I proposed doing so on my coming into 
 town, he has charged me to say, that he hopes on your arrival you 
 will come up to Boujah, and take up your quarters with him. 
 This I hope, also, you will do, as we shall then be under the same 
 roof, and be together during our stay. We cannot leave for Syria 
 till the 27th ; and you, I suppose, will like to halt here for a short 
 time before you proceed to England. 
 
 I shall send this to the care of the ambassador, from whom as 
 well as from Lady Canning you are, I doubt not, receiving every
 
 472 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 kindness and assistance. With every good wish, and expecting 
 very soon to shake you by the hand, 
 
 I am, dear Wolff, yours affectionately, 
 
 H. D. LEEVES. 
 
 Seven Franciscan friars arrived at Constantinople, who 
 were expelled from Russia for having refused to take the oath 
 of allegiance to the Emperor. Great sympathy was excited 
 among the Roman Catholics at Constantinople about them. 
 There is no doubt that the Papal power has received a 
 blow, and will receive a still mightier, in the Russian empire. 
 
 I received, on the 1st of March, the following letter of Sir 
 Stratford Canning: 
 
 Dear Sir, Pera, Saturday, March 1, 1845. 
 
 Your letters shall be duly forwarded when the messenger 
 goes. If I thought you would be ready with your sermon a 
 regular church discourse to-morrow, I would willingly propose 
 to Dr. Bennett to lend you the pulpit then, without waiting for 
 another week ; but I have not yet seen the Doctor ; the rain has, 
 perhaps, detained him in the country. 
 
 I understand you wanted a firman for travelling with; but if 
 you go away by sea, how can you want a firman? 
 
 With respect to the dedication of yonr Journal, my name, if 
 you really desire it, is at your service ; but I should like to see the 
 record of so much humanity and resolution placed under the 
 auspices of a nobler or a brighter name. 
 
 I think you told me that you are to dine with the Russian 
 envoy to-day. I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing you 
 at dinner to-morrow. 
 
 Believe me, dear Sir, 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 STRATFORD CANNING. 
 
 Lords Clarence Paget, Maidstone, Anson, and Ponsonby, 
 Captain Otway, Mr. Rashleigh, M.P., and others, visited the 
 great mosque of Saint Sophia, and they invited me to go with 
 them, which I did. Thus have I now seen the greatest 
 churches upon earth, St. Peter's at Rome, St. Paul's at 
 London, and St. Sophia's at Constantinople.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 473 
 
 My missionary friends, Schauffler, Goodell, and D wight, 
 also called on me. Mr. Southgate has since been made Bishop, 
 by the Episcopal church of America, for all Turkey and its 
 dependencies. Mr. Southgate is a worthy man, but I abstain 
 from any judgment about the institution of bishoprics under- 
 taken by either the Church of England or America, as I re- 
 serve that for a future work, in which I shall develope the 
 utility of those bishoprics, and the impression they have made 
 among the Eastern churches. 
 
 I have only to say a few words of Schauffler. This is an 
 extraordinary man. When I went from Persia through the 
 Crimea, and arrived at Odessa, I met there a young man, a 
 German, William Schauffler by name, who copied my Journal, 
 though he did not completely understand English. He was 
 a turner by trade. I sent Schauffler, at my expense, to Ame- 
 rica, and recommended him to the celebrated Miss Hannah 
 Adams, authoress of the History of the Jews ; and to Jere- 
 miah Everts, Secretary to the American Board of Commis- 
 sioners for foreign missions. Schauffler studied at the An- 
 dover seminary, in America, under Moses Stuart ; and after 
 this at Paris, under Silvestre de Sacy. He then went to 
 Vienna and translated the whole Bible into Jewish- Spanish. 
 He now knows twenty-four languages, and is beyond all doubt 
 the most eminent missionary in the Levant. I cannot but 
 speak with gratitude of him, and the rest of the missionaries, 
 for their kindness. 
 
 Count Stiirmer, the Austrian internuncio, and his Countess, 
 Mr. Titoff, the Russian ambassador, and Madame Titoff, fre- 
 quently invited me to dinner, and our conversation was on 
 topics of the highest importance. William Palmer, of Mag- 
 dalen College, I observe, is well known by the Russian 
 church, and is highly esteemed. I conversed on this occasion 
 with the learned Count Stiirmer on the literature of Austria, 
 especially about Royko at Prague ; Von Hammer, Justell, 
 Lorenz, Grueber, and others; also about the famous preacher
 
 474 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Abraham of Santa Clara, court-preacher at Vienna. Though 
 this man displays in his sermons considerable coarseness, yet 
 the depth of theology exhibited also by him is surprising. 
 His view on the transfiguration of our Lord upon the mount 
 is, in my opinion, the correct one : " Christ the Lord takes for 
 a time three beloved disciples with him upon Mount Tabor, 
 and shows to them, in his transfiguration, the glory in com- 
 pendia, heaven in a sketch, beatitude in a model. He shows 
 them also, what no pencil of any painter ever could have de- 
 scribed, what no tongue ever could have pronounced ; and cer- 
 tainly, the glory of his majesty, and the majesty of his glory 
 could never have entered any heart." And this is what I 
 always say, that the transfiguration served as a shadowing 
 forth of the second coming of Christ in glory. The descrip- 
 tion of faith given by the same Santa Clara is excellent : " All 
 other virtues take their origin from faith, as little rivers take 
 theirs from a large fountain. Therefore Augustin says, * Just 
 as in the root of a tree the least beauty is not perceived, and 
 yet all that is beautiful and good found on it is derived from 
 that root, so does every thing spring from the great founda- 
 tion of faith. Therefore the Fathers have compared faith to 
 the sun ; for as all creatures of the world receive light from 
 the sun, in the same way those supernatural truths revealed 
 to men have their origin in the virtue of faith. 1 Yea, more : 
 all creatures receive their sustenance of life from the sun ; thus 
 is it just, that man should ascribe the beginning as well as his 
 progress in spiritual life to his faith ; and just as all things on 
 earth receive their beauty and ornament from light by means 
 of the sun, thus all receive perfection and grace by God from 
 the power of faith, whatever man himself does. Finally, as 
 every thing receives its necessary heat from the sun, thus 
 must man receive the fire of love and burning zeal through 
 faith. Farther, faith is that pillar of light, which leads hu- 
 man reason forth from the Egypt of darkness and error as a 
 faithful conductor."
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 475 
 
 Sir Stratford Canning's exertions, in union with the French 
 and Russian ambassadors, to effect the abolition of the bar- 
 barous law of putting Christians to death who embraced 
 Muhammedanism and then returned to Christianity, were 
 crowned with the most distinguished success. The following- 
 declaration was issued by the Sublime Porte : 
 
 It is the special and constant intention of his Highness 
 the Sultan, that his cordial relations with the High Powers should 
 be preserved, and that a powerful reciprocal friendship be main- 
 tained and increased. The Sublime Porte engages to take effectual 
 measures to prevent henceforward the execution and putting to 
 death of the Christian who is an apostate. 
 
 Several Armenians were at Erzroom, who had embraced 
 the Muhammedan religion. They were taken by Colonel 
 Williams and Mr. Brant from the palace of the Pasha, and 
 have now openly returned to the Christian religion. There 
 ought to be established a Society for the protection of Eastern 
 Christians and Jews. 
 
 While here, I received from Mr. Brant the following letter. 
 
 My dear Wolff, Erzeroom, 18 Feb. 1H45. 
 
 I got your lines of the 1st from Baiboot, and 1 1th from 
 the lazaretto, Trebizond. I delivered the letter contained in the 
 former, and all the messages and remembrances contained in the 
 latter. I shall be very glad to hear that you have embarked in a 
 direct steamer to England from Constantinople : one should be 
 sailing about the 20th instant from Constantinople, and I hope 
 you will be there in time to profit by it, because it would save 
 you a month, 
 
 I was quite enchanted to hear that the tables were turned, and 
 that the Bokhara Elchee is afraid of you, instead of your being 
 afraid of him ; does he apprehend you are going to poison him ? 
 
 I should be glad to hear the report of Abdul Samut Khan's 
 death being confirmed, as such a monster was unfit to tread God's 
 earth : and his punishment was certainly 'merited, if crimes ever 
 merit punishment in this world. He will not disturb your mind 
 any more I hope. 
 
 I was pleased to hear, as well from yourself as from others, that 
 your health was so much improved ; and I hope by the time you
 
 476 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 arrive in England, you will be quite yourself again. After your 
 arrival, at some leisure moment think of Erzeroom, and let me 
 hear from you. Give me your address, and I will write to you. 
 I hope you will be presented to some country living in a pleasant 
 part of the country, and that you will then give up all thought 
 of further wanderings. Do not fail to remember me to our excel- 
 lent friend David Baillie, when you see him. 
 
 Farrant is talking of starting for Persia in a few days : the 
 roads are very bad, and will not be improved by a heavy fall of 
 snow which has just occurred. 
 
 Our Pasha is recalled, and all the people of Erzeroom and its 
 immediate neighbourhood regret this very much, most particularly 
 as his successor is not very well spoken of. 
 
 Present my respectful compliments to Lady Georgiana ; and 
 wishing you may find her ladyship and your son in good health, 
 and be perfectly so when you meet, 
 
 Believe me, my dear Wolff, 
 
 Your sincere and affectionate friend, 
 
 JAMES BRANT. 
 
 I give this kind letter with the intent, that it may appear 
 perfectly evident to my readers, that the feeling entertained 
 by Colonel Sheil as to Abdul Samut Khan is not participated 
 in by the other officers of our foreign consulate. I await 
 daily news from Bokhara, which will confirm the statement 
 in this letter of the death of Abdul Samut Khan by order of 
 the Ameer. I think I can say that all our corps diplomatique 
 (with the exception of Colonel Sheil), and the whole of the 
 Russian, Austrian, and French, sympathize with me in my 
 unmitigated abhorrence of that murderer. 
 
 By order of Sir Stratford Canning, I was introduced by 
 Messrs. Frederick and Stephen Pisani to their Excellencies 
 the Grand Vizier, Raoof Pasha, and to the Reis Effendi, 
 Shekeeb Effendi, who was formerly in England, and to the 
 Sheikh Islam. All of them expressed their great sympathy 
 with my sufferings, and their delight to see me again. His 
 Excellency got me introduced to the Greek patriarch, the 
 successor of St. Chrysostom in the church of Constantinople, 
 who made me a present of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysos-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 477 
 
 torn, Basil the Great, and Gregory Theologos, of which I 
 
 insert an abstract : 
 
 Service Book : comprising the Divine and Holy Eucharistical 
 Services of John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory 
 Dialogus (alias Theologos), namely, for the Sanctified. 
 Moreover, the Orders for all the Ordinations ; the Office of 
 the Marriage Vom, and Crowning ; the Office of the Lesser 
 Purification, and Portion of the Communion ; and other 
 necessary Prayers for the Chief Priests. Now publi.hed 
 for the use of the Chief Priests, by the combined care of the 
 Most Holy Superintendents of the Patriarchal Typography at 
 Constantinople, 1820, at the Greek Press in the Patriarchate, 
 by permission and order of the Holy Synod. 
 
 To our most venerable Fathers, the most holy Patriarchs, 
 and to our most beloved Brethren, all the Chief Priests, befitting 
 homage and due salutation. It is fit that the husbandman that 
 labours should first partake of the fruits, as the holy Apostle has 
 already spoken. They cultivate, some here, some there, as to 
 every one it is committed ; and they gather as much fruit as the 
 tillage is calculated to produce. Since then, we have undertaken 
 to labour at the common patriarchal typography of the nation ; 
 but there have joined themselves, and do join themselves, all, 
 so to speak, by spontaneous love of excellence, and unanimous 
 alacrity ; but more actively than the rest they who are compre- 
 hended in the hierarchical order, as having sown the seed by their 
 labour as in this soil, it is fit that they before others should reap 
 also of the fruits. Moreover, the book called the Archicraticon 
 (Book of Offices) having fallen short, we thought it right to pub- 
 lish this. Besides, we have introduced many things, which in 
 previous editions were omitted, but which seemed necessary and 
 indispensable ; having also corrected whatever was erroneous in 
 them. And they would have been distributed gratuitously to 
 men of the same order, to be the first-fruits, did it not appear 
 safer that the things belonging to individuals should be dispersed 
 to the public, than that the things of the public should be dis- 
 persed to individuals. Thus, then, having chosen the safer part, 
 accept this book, and with us carry it forth, sowing in this furrow 
 a more abundant seed, that it may bear a larger crop. Farewell ! 
 THE SUPERINTENDENTS OP THE 
 
 PATRIARCHAL TYPOGRAPHY.
 
 478 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 His Holiness paid me back my visit. He, as well as the 
 Armenian patriarch, spoke with high regard of Dr. Tom- 
 linson, and called him their dear brother. The Greek patri- 
 arch observed, " This is a Bishop with some sense." His 
 further remarks I shall notice in a future publication. I also 
 called on the Armenian patriarch, and on the Armenian 
 Catholics : all of them treated me with the greatest kindness, 
 and paid me the compliment that I had always acted in my 
 missionary pursuits in such a manner as not to grieve the 
 Eastern churches, since I had directed my attention to those 
 out of the church. The Bishop of the Catholic Armenians 
 conversed a great deal on Christian prudence, and he related 
 to me the following story in illustration of this virtue. Persen, 
 a Roman Catholic priest, resided at London during the reign 
 of Queen Elizabeth, to afford spiritual assistance to the Ro- 
 man Catholics there. He was esteemed among the nobility on 
 account of his education and accomplishments ; but he was 
 forced to conceal from them that he was a Roman Catholic 
 priest, for his life was endangered. One day he was invited 
 by the nobility, when, according to the custom of the coun- 
 try, the toast was given, " Long life to Elizabeth, Head of 
 the Church ! " What could Persen do ? Just at this mo- 
 ment some one came into the street offering shoes for sale. 
 Persen opened a window, and ordered the shoemaker to 
 come up stairs, when he laid a wager with the shoemaker, 
 that he (Persen) could make a dozen of shoes in half an 
 hour. He whispered something to his servants, who brought 
 to him twelve boots, of which he cut off the upper parts, 
 by which they were transformed into shoes. By this stra- 
 tagem the toast was forgotten. 
 
 I preached several times, not only in the English em- 
 bassy, but also in the house of Sir Stratford Canning, and 
 expounded my views on the personal reign of Christ in the 
 palace of Count Sturmer and Mr. Titoff, in the presence also 
 of Prince Dolgorouki, Mr. Lecoque, the Prussian ambas- 
 sador, and others.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 479 
 
 On the eve of my departure, Sir Stratford and Lady 
 Canning had so arranged matters, that I had nothing to 
 pay, either for my stay at Constantinople or my journey 
 to England. Lady Canning herself took care to have my 
 trunks packed up, and sent a present of an Armenian scarf 
 to Lady Georgiana. I received the inclosed letter from the 
 Hon. Mr. Wellesley : 
 
 My dear Sir, Constantinople, March 20, 1845. 
 
 Here is the letter you wished to have for my father. 
 I hope to find a moment this morning to hid you good-by ; in 
 case, however, I should be prevented, pray accept Mrs. Welles- 
 ley's and my best wishes for a prosperous journey home. 
 
 Yours very faithfully, 
 
 H. WELLESLEY. 
 
 I then embarked in the Oriental Peninsular Company's 
 steamer The Duke of Cornwall., for England. We stopped 
 twelve hours at Smyrna. Immediately on my arrival there, 
 Lord Clarence Paget, whom I had seen at Constantinople, 
 sent a boat from his ship, the Aigle, to invite me to break- 
 fast, where I met the Rev. W. Lewis, chaplain, and my now 
 dear departed friend, the Rev. H. D. Leeves. I then em- 
 barked again with two fellow-passengers, Captain Irvine and 
 Captain Macpherson, who took brotherly care of me during 
 the voyage to Malta, where they disembarked. 
 
 I stopped in quarantine at Malta two days, to wait for 
 passengers from India, via Alexandria. During our short 
 stay at Malta, Lord Viscount Lorton, to whom I have the 
 honour to be chaplain, and the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop 
 of Gibraltar, called on me, and regretted that they could 
 not shake hands with me in quarantine. At last Sir Joseph 
 Sackville, Colonel Ovans, and seventy other passengers, ar- 
 rived from Alexandria. 
 
 We sailed that same day, and arrived on the 2nd of April 
 in the harbour of Gibraltar, where I received the two follow- 
 ing letters ; one from his Excellency the governor, Sir Robert
 
 480 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Wilson, the other from that excellent and interesting indivi- 
 dual, Dr. Burrow. 
 
 Dear Sir, Gibraltar, April 2nd, 1845. 
 
 It gives me great pleasure to afford you any gratification. 
 We had accompanied you in your generous career with our best 
 wishes, and trust your health has not been impaired. 
 
 I have only to regret no personal communication is admissible. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 R. WILSON, G. G. 
 
 My dear Sir, 
 
 I cannot express my regret and disappointment at not 
 having it in my power to take you by the hand, and to congratu- 
 late you on your arrival in safety under the guns of a British for- 
 tress. I have looked with deep anxiety for the vessel which might 
 be bringing you home again from your perilous, but truly Chris- 
 tian enterprise. We all bless God that He has been pleased to 
 preserve you under the many trying circumstances which have 
 passed since we last met, and trust that He has yet in store for 
 you, even in this life, the reward of your charitable labours. 
 
 Had it been possible, I would have put myself into a boat, 
 merely for the chance of having a few words with you alongside ; 
 but unfortunately I am confined to the house by a severe cold, 
 which has settled in my face, and threatens to prevent my doing 
 duty, if not attended to. 
 
 I am sorry to say that I have no newspapers of my own to 
 offer you, but I will send and endeavour to procure some, without 
 loss of time. 
 
 Mrs. Burrow and my family unite in best wishes with, 
 Dear Sir, your very faithful servant, 
 
 Wednesday, April 2, 1845- E. J. BunROW. 
 
 On the 9th of April I arrived off the Isle of Wight; on the 
 llth I disembarked at Southampton, where I met, on the 
 shore, my most dear and excellent friend Captain Grover, and 
 many other friends, all cheering me; and, a few minutes after, 
 my dear wife and child. Captain Grover had procured an 
 order from the Lords of the Treasury that my presents from 
 the different sovereigns and ambassadors should be duty free.
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 481 
 
 I received at Southampton the following note from the 
 Right Reverend George Washington Doane, Lord Bishop of 
 New Jersey : 
 
 Dear Dr. Wolff, Bivunde, Eve of St. Andrew, 1844. 
 
 This letter is to bear you my heart's welcome to your 
 home. You have ever had a place in its affections since we met 
 one day at Newark. In your generous undertaking in Bokhara you 
 realized yourself to me : had there been time between my hearing 
 and your starting, I should have sent my blessing to you ; as it 
 was, it followed you with daily prayers for your success and safety. 
 When you seemed to be in danger, I invited on your behalf the 
 prayers of the whole church. In the recent report of your deliver- 
 ance I have rejoiced with thanks to God : and I now write to ask 
 your kind remembrance of me to Lady Georgiana and your son ; 
 to assure you that you are most kindly remembered in my house, 
 and by all your American friends ; and to subscribe myself 
 Affectionately and faithfully yours, 
 
 G. W. DOANE. 
 
 On the 12th of April I arrived in London. I embraced the 
 first opportunity that presented itself of returning thanks to 
 Almighty God for my preservation at Bokhara, and in the 
 deserts of Merwe and Sarakhs, in Trinity-church, Gray's Inn 
 Lane-road, of which my friend, the Rev. J. W. Worthington, 
 D.D., is the incumbent. I preached there to a numerous con- 
 gregation, and received on my return to England the visits 
 and congratulations of many most distinguished individuals. 
 
 It was considered proper, on the part of the Stoddart and 
 Conolly Committee, that a public meeting should take place 
 in Exeter Hall: I attended it, and spoke for several hours, 
 and was heard with the deepest attention. 
 
 To my kind friend Captain Grover, at the conclusion of 
 this Narrative, which never would have been furnished to the 
 public but for his manifold kindness in numerous ways, I 
 cannot but publicly express my feeling that the most disin- 
 terested, generous, noble-minded, and zealous friend which 
 Stoddart and Conolly could have had, and which I could 
 
 2 i
 
 482 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 have had during the whole period of my wandering, detention 
 in Bokhara, and after my arrival home, and the most zealous 
 friend the British army could have, is that gentleman ; one 
 who was no niggard, from his disinterested character, of his 
 scanty income ; one who has reproved the lukewarmness and 
 indifference of others, whose duty it was to have shown greater 
 zeal in the cause of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly. 
 I must here state to the public, that Captain Grover spent 
 four hundred pounds out of his own pocket for defraying 
 the expense of my journey ; and besides that, more than two 
 hundred pounds, in order to interest the Russian government 
 in my behalf, on his journey for that object to St. Petersburg. 
 Among the various letters that I have received since my 
 return, I have to lay before the public one from a worthy 
 member of the Stoddart family, the Rev. R. W. Stoddart, 
 Vicar of Hundon : 
 
 T, , ~. . Hundon Vicarage, near Close, Suffolk, 
 
 Rev. and Dear Sir, Aril fa h 1845 . 
 
 April (y ) nh , 1845 . 
 
 As a cousin of the ill-fated and much-lamented Colonel 
 Stoddart, one of the Bokhara victims, I take the liberty of writing 
 to you to express, as one of his relatives, a deep sense of gratitude 
 due to you especially, in the risking your life in search of him and 
 his fellow-captives. Only weekly receiving a paper in this retired 
 spot, I have just read, with deep regret, that the harmony of the 
 meeting at Exeter Hall should have been so unfortunately inter- 
 rupted by my cousin, the Rev. George Stoddart. I am at a loss 
 to know the grounds of his charge against Captain Grover, evi- 
 dently based upon something which he has seen in the red book 
 published by that gentleman ; but I feel that nothing justifies his 
 interruption of a meeting, so harmonious as it appears otherwise 
 to have been, in expressing the high sense of gratitude due to 
 yourself, and Captain Grover as a promoter of your self-sacrificing 
 journey, wherein your own life was in danger. 
 
 Whatever advice of my cousin's friends might have caused him 
 for a time to assume the garb of a Mussulman, yet I felt from the 
 first that nothing would show but that he died in the faith of 
 Jesus, which I am glad to see confirmed by your statement; and 
 before any would detract from his honour or Christian faith, let
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 433 
 
 men bear in mind, that a captive in a dungeon might be made to 
 appear outwardly in the garments of any faith, but inwardly his 
 heart was evidently unchanged. Also from the very first I enter- 
 tained no hope of his life having been spared, and especially after 
 the blood on our flag in the Affghanistan war ; for I observed, after 
 reading that, that without doubt poor Charles's fate was fixed ; yet 
 a superficial hope still remained upon my mind, and every letter 
 which you have sent I have read with deep and painful interest. 
 I think, also, our best thanks are due to Captain Grover, for his 
 interest and sacrifice made in the good hope of rescuing a fellow - 
 soldier from the tyrant's grasp. No praise I feel to be too much 
 to be given to you both ; and perhaps you will be kind enough, 
 as I know not his address, to convey mine, and in them the ex- 
 pression of the feelings of the relatives of Colonel Stoddart, to 
 him. My means are limited, but if you will be kind enough to 
 tell the secretary of the Stoddart Fund to place my name down as 
 a subscriber of a sovereign to the testimonial you so justly de- 
 serve, I shall feel obliged. I would that I could give ten times 
 the amount; and most happy should I be to see a subscription to 
 reimburse Captain Grover, to which I would willingly give my 
 mite. Hoping that you will meet in another and better world with 
 the reward due to your endeavours to rescue the captives from their 
 dungeon, is the prayerful wish of 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 R. W. STODDART. 
 
 Since my return, I have entered into the following corres- 
 pondence relative to the lamented Lieutenant Wyburd, which 
 I subjoin to the present edition. 
 
 While at Malines, on my small chaplaincy of 251. per an- 
 num, the following letter from Mrs. Furrell, the sister of 
 Lieutenant Wyburd, reached me : 
 
 Dear Sir, Vicarage Place, Kensington, 31st October, 1845. 
 
 The enclosed copy of a letter from the Foreign-office is 
 in reply to one addressed by me to Lord Aberdeen, requesting him 
 to obtain from you, directly, a full, particular, and official detail of 
 all you know respecting the supposed fate of my unfortunate bro- 
 ther. Will you, therefore, again tax your memory in our behalf, 
 and forward the same either to Lord Aberdeen or myself; if to 
 
 2 i 2
 
 484 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Lord Aberdeen, I shall feel obliged by your transmitting to me a copy 
 of the same. With grateful remembrances to Lady Georgiana, 
 
 I remain, yours truly, 
 
 ANN FURRELL. 
 
 Copy of the Letter enclosed. 
 
 Lord Aberdeen presents his compliments to Mrs. Furrell, and in 
 acknowledging the receipt of her letter of the 23rd instant, he 
 begs leave to state to her, that as the additional information re- 
 specting Lieutenant Wyburd, to which Miss Wyburd and Mrs. 
 Furrell referred in their letter of the 15th instant, was communi- 
 cated to Mrs. Furrell in the first instance directly by Dr. Wolff, he 
 considers that it would be more suitable that she should herself 
 obtain from Dr. Wolff the full particulars of his communication 
 to her, which from the circumstances under which it was made 
 appears not to have been sufficiently impressed upon her mind to 
 admit of her distinctly imparting the substance of it to Lord 
 Aberdeen, without further reference to Dr. Wolff. Dr. Wolff is 
 at present at Malines, and any letter which Mrs. Furrell or Miss 
 Wyburd will address to him for the purpose above specified, will 
 be forwarded through her Majesty's mission at Brussels, if sent to 
 Lord Aberdeen on any Tuesday or Friday. 
 
 With regard to the request contained in Mrs. Furrell's letter of 
 the 23rd instant, to be furnished with a copy of the instructions 
 sent to Lieutenant-Colonel Sheil respecting Lieutenant Wyburd, 
 Lord Aberdeen begs leave to state, that if Dr. Wolff's reply to 
 Mrs. Furrell's inquiry should make it necessary to address any 
 further instructions to Lieutenant-Colonel Sheil, Lord Aberdeen 
 will have the honour of communicating again with Mrs. Furrell. 
 
 Foreign Office, October 28, 1845. 
 
 I must confess this circuitous process of the Foreign-office, 
 when the direct one of simply addressing me in person for 
 information was before them, greatly displeased me, and I 
 immediately replied to Mrs. Furrell. that the course of Lord 
 Aberdeen was clear, that if he wanted information which his 
 office could not afford him, it was easy to seek it directly and 
 not indirectly ; and I accordingly addressed a reply to Lieu- 
 tenant Wyburd's sisters, with some strong reflections on Lord
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 485 
 
 Aberdeen ; but as I have no wish to injure our Foreign-office, 
 but only to improve the vigilance of some of its departments, 
 for which I fear I am considered hostile to them, but to which 
 I am constrained by the necessity of circumstances, I suppress 
 the strong comments on this circuitous process which I penned 
 at the time, and sent to the Wyburd family. The following 
 communication from the Foreign-office then reached me : 
 Sir Foreign Office, November 14, 1844. 
 
 I am directed by the Earl of Aberdeen to transmit to you 
 a copy of a Letter purporting to have been written by you, which 
 has been sent to his Lordship by Mrs. Furrell ; and I am to re- 
 quest that you will furnish this office with whatever information 
 you may possess respecting Lieutenant Wyburd's fate, and espe- 
 cially his supposed presence at Bokhara. 
 
 I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 H. U. ADDINGTON. 
 
 My reply to this letter, furnishing the following details, was 
 as follows : 
 
 My Lord, Malines, November 18, 1845. 
 
 I had the honour to receive yesterday a letter from Mr. 
 Addington, with an enclosed copy of my letter to Mrs. Furrell, 
 which I beg leave to acknowledge; and I have now the honour, 
 according to your Lordship's command, to furnish you with the 
 following information respecting Lieutenant Wyburd's fate, though 
 I had intended to reserve that information, together with what I 
 still possess with regard to the fate both of Colonel Stoddart and 
 Captain Conolly, for my third edition, which will appear in two 
 months. 
 
 On my arrival at Merve, on my way to Bokhara, Ak Muham- 
 med Aga Sakal of Yalatan called on me in the house of the Kha- 
 leefa, and gave to me the following account : " In the Hejira 1252, 
 thereabout, corresponding with 1835, A. n., I and Saber Beykof Tiri 
 Salor, and others of the tribe (Tiri) of Timur Torra, accompanied 
 by an Eljee Inglees from Asterabad (if I am not mistaken), were 
 on the road to Organtsh, when we perceived the Ilaraam Zade- 
 gee (bastard), Alaman from the Pedr Sukhta (whose father ought 
 to be burnt) Ameer Behadur of Bokhara, inarching towards us. 
 We at once knew that the Eljee was the cause, and Kouli of Or-
 
 486 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 gantsh said, ' Those Haraam Zadegee of Bokhara shall not get 
 hold of him,' and struck him down and took his money; but he 
 had not much with him, and believing him to be dead, we rode 
 off. But we were afterwards informed that he was only confused, 
 (makhshush) and not dead, but brought to Bokhara, where he 
 was put into prison ; and we heard after this that he was put 
 to death in spite of the iltimas (intercession) of the Goosh 
 Bekee (God bless him !) at Bokhara. The name of the Eljee 
 was Wooburd Saheb." 
 
 The Khaleefa added, " I warned the Ameer at that time, but he 
 was too much guided by a Guzl-Bash." On my arrival at Jehaar- 
 Joo, I received the information about Lieutenant Wyburd men- 
 tioned in my first volume, page 307 of my Narrative, second edi- 
 tion ; but with regard to my information about him contained in 
 vol. i. page 326, I now proceed to inform you. One night the 
 Ameer Shab (which means Prince of the Night, and corresponds 
 with Director of Police) had already ordered the drum to be 
 beaten : Abbas Kouli Khan's quarter was closed. Ameer Sarog 
 and Kaher Kouli, my Turkomaun companions, Abdullah my ser- 
 vant, and Dil Assa Khan with his people, being invited out to 
 some house of a Mervee, unexpectedly the Kazi Kelaun entered 
 my room, accompanied by many servants, and a few minutes 
 after him a young man of most dignified appearance, with several 
 others. The Kazi Kelaun rose, and embraced him. The young 
 man said to me, " Swear not to tell any one here that I have been 
 with you." I promised solemnly that " I would not tell a living 
 soul." He replied, " I am not satisfied with this. Swear by the 
 head' of Jesus and his mother Mary, that you will not tell any 
 one here ; and only in your country you may tell the Padishah 
 and the Vizier, with the condition not to publish it. If thou dost 
 not swear, thou shalt be put to death." I swore. The young 
 man then proceeded: " Stoddart and Conolly Saheb, poor men, 
 I tried to save them, and my mother tried to save them, but in 
 vain: we shall succeed with you." I said, " How do you know 
 that they were killed?" He and the rest then gave to me the 
 most incontrovertible and most indisputable evidences, which shall 
 appear in my third edition. 
 
 The young man and the Kazi Kelaun then said, " But you only 
 know half. Wyburd Saheb, a slender looking man, of firm cha- 
 racter, who spoke Arabic and Turkish, on his way to Khiva was
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 487 
 
 overtaken, brought here, sent to the Siyah Jaa (black well), and 
 afterwards to that ' blood-hound, the cursed ' Abdul Samut Khan, 
 and after that to the Hareem. The Goosh Bekee tried to save 
 him, and even one of Hasrat's pleasure .... tried to save 
 him ; but good Goosh Bekee had lost his influence, and the boy 
 was asked * * * * And thus Wyburd Saheb was put 
 to death without mercy," as I stated in page 326, vol. 1, second 
 edition, and the Kazi Kelaun and Muhammed Razool saw his 
 head. And the Kazi Kelaun smilingly added, " Wyburd Saheb 
 hated Islam, and would not take service with us ; and when 
 Hasrat said to him, " If you turn to Islam and take service, I 
 will show you kindness ; " Wyburd, though meagre and lean, and 
 white like a wall, replied, " Know that I am an Englishman, and 
 therefore I shall neither change my religion, nor enter your ser- 
 vice. You shall see how an Englishman can die ! " 
 
 The young man then said to me, " You English people love 
 your religion." I arose from my seat, and said " Yes, very much." 
 
 His desired me to sit down, and said, " Say, when you come 
 
 home, that I shall be always the friend of England, and so will 
 all the mullahs ; and you must give me the fatkha, ' blessing,' 
 for we know that you are a great derveesh." The conversation 
 then turned upon Stoddart and Conolly, and the evidence of their 
 execution was repeated. I wished to have the bones, which they 
 declared to be impracticable to obtain, for both bodies had been 
 cast into a well, and there were also the bones of many others. 
 After they had left, an agent of Sheer Ali Khan of Khokan, in 
 understanding with the young man, remained behind ; his name 
 was Haje Muhammed Hussein Khokaanee, together with those 
 servants of the Ameer Shab acquainted with the interview, as 
 Makhsoon, Habeeb, Molam, Sheybek. Timur entered the room 
 and said, " You know who this was?" "Yes." The Haje Mu- 
 hammed Hussein Khokaanee related to me that he also knew 
 Wyburd. Mullah Benjamin Kaashee, a Jew, also entered one day 
 my room and said, " If your Padishah has some work for me to 
 do, I am ready. I knew Morecroft, who was killed at Ankhoy ; 
 Guthrie and Trebeck, who were poisoned at Muzaur; and Wyburd 
 Saheb, who was taken by the Alaman of Bokhara on his way to 
 Khiva. The Beejaara, poor man,' told me that the Khivites 
 knocked him first down, took every thing of him, and then the 
 Alaman of Bokhara brought him here, where I made his ac-
 
 488 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 quaintance in the Siyah Jaa. I was liberated, but he not until 
 he was killed." 
 
 I shall be obliged to be at London on the 27th of November, 
 in Berner's Hotel, Berner's-street, Oxford-street, as I wish to 
 make arrangements for the third edition. I shall leave Antwerp 
 on the 26th, (Wednesday). I have only to add, that no other 
 person has been made acquainted with this communication, as 
 it was requested by your lordship. I have, &c. 
 
 (Signed) JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 After Lord Aberdeen had received these sad details, I 
 was favoured with the following brief acknowledgment of 
 my services : 
 
 Sir, Foreign Office, November 25th, 1845. 
 
 I am directed by the Earl of Aberdeen to acknowledge 
 the receipt of your letter of the 18th instant, and to thank you 
 for particulars contained in it respecting the late Lieutenant 
 Wyburd. I am, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble Servant, 
 
 H. U. ADDINGTON. 
 
 One allusion in this correspondence relative to the indispu- 
 table evidence of the death of Stoddart and Conolly may re- 
 quire some explanation. I supply the details on this subject 
 not contained in the letter, but to which allusion is made. The 
 heads of both officers were brought to the Ameer and to the 
 Kazi Kelaun ; both saw them, and a derveesh then present 
 exclaimed before the king, " The blood of these murdered 
 men shall cry up to the Most High against you. 11 On this 
 the Ameer became so enraged, that he ordered the derveesh to 
 be bastinadoed, and exiled from the country. The heads were 
 then ordered to be buried, and were cast into a well, together 
 with their bodies. The Kazi Kelaun said, " I tore my beard 
 when I saw the heads, and they appeared to speak to me, 
 and to reprove me for not having issued the Fetwa against 
 the Ameer, to restrain him. But, 1 ' he added, " I did all 
 in my power, but in vain. 11 Several of the servants of that 
 young man said, " As long as we live, we shall never forget
 
 >F DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 489 
 
 the impression the sight of these heads made upon us. Our 
 wives at home wept, and old Ibrahim Kouli Khan came to us 
 and said, " A great calamity will befall the country by reason 
 of this foul murder." Others said, " Suleiman, and several 
 other Jews, passed the Ark the moment these heads were 
 brought from the Ameer's presence out of the Ark. And 
 the Jews could not abstain from weeping, and beating their 
 breasts." Now it is very remarkable that these very Jews, 
 who after this came to me, told me the same circumstance. 
 The young man also said, " Several of the Court assembled in 
 my room, and we consulted on measures to put an end to these 
 atrocities ; and all agreed that it could not be done otherwise 
 than by effecting the death of Abdul Samut Khan." The 
 Kazi Kelaun then said that Abdul Samut Khan, when the 
 murder was reported to him, exclaimed, " Let them go to the 
 devil ! I have not succeeded with Dost Muhammed Khan, 
 but I have succeeded with these Frank Haramzadekee." 
 
 I think it proper to add to the above observations, that the 
 Jews say that these Khivites are Philistines, the Hivites of 
 Scripture : and the people of Merw claim to be descendants 
 of the people of Meroz. The curse of Meroz I subjoin from 
 the Judges v. 23 : " Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the 
 Lord ; curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they 
 came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty."" The 
 locality does not agree with this tradition ; but old tradition 
 has long affirmed that Meroz was the angel of the Canaanites, 
 who was cursed by Michael the guardian angel of Israel. All 
 I can say is, that if abominations prove kindred origin, the 
 Khivites apparently quite equal the Hivites, or any other 
 Canaanilish nation. Their infamy would almost induce the 
 solid earth to throw them with loathing from her bosom, as 
 she is described to have done in the time of old when she 
 sickened at the enormities of the Canaanites, when the Lord 
 gave them up at last to the exterminating sword of Joshua,
 
 490 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 and cleansed thereby the moral atmosphere by a similar pro- 
 cess to that which occasionally purifies the physical. 
 
 I was never more affected in my life than in penning the 
 above truly melancholy intelligence, and I am extremely sur- 
 prised to find, that while the sisters of Stoddart receive a pen- 
 sion from the Queen, those of Wyburd have been unaccount- 
 ably neglected. It is remarkable, that the Roman Catholics, 
 and even of late Faber affirms, that the Church of England 
 has not one real martyr; and I say that Conolly and Wyburd 
 are as much martyrs as St. Justin and St. Cyprian. I am 
 therefore astonished that the sisters of Colonel Stoddart, who 
 was a momentary apostate, and who thus in a degree has cast 
 a stain on the English character, should have obtained a 
 pension, and the excellent sisters of Wyburd, who showed 
 so much sympathy in his fate, should have been altogether 
 overlooked by the British government. Such conduct is in- 
 explicable ; and really, however I may appear an enemy to 
 Government, I must repeat that the indifference evinced 
 towards Mrs. Furrell and Wyburd's unmarried sister is 
 unaccountable. I need only appeal to the noble firmness 
 of Lieutenant Wyburd under sickness, torture, and depri- 
 vation, true to the last to his country and his God, in be- 
 half of this assertion. On my arrival in England, I learnt 
 that Dr. Bowring had placed before the House of Commons 
 the petition of these unhappy ladies, not for themselves or 
 their necessities, but for inquiry into the facts connected with 
 their brother's decease. They cling to the hopes of his life 
 naturally as relatives, and are more thoughtful for him than 
 for themselves. 
 
 During my stay at Malines, the following extraordinary 
 communication reached me from Colonel Sheil : 
 
 Sir, Camp, near Tehran, August 13, 1845. 
 
 I have obtained authority from the Government of India, 
 to reimburse you the amount you expended at Bokhara in re-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4Q1 
 
 covering a letter from the Governor-general of India to the ruler 
 of that country which had not reached its destination. I accord- 
 ingly transmit to you a draft for 571. 6s. 9d., being the equivalent 
 of one hundred tillas. 
 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 JUSTIN SIIEIL. 
 
 I never felt more indignant at any communication in my 
 life. It appeared to place a valuation on my services on 
 behalf of the Company's agents, certainly at little more than 
 thirty pieces of silver ; and had I taken it, I should have 
 felt myself degraded to the position of an accomplice of 
 that villain Abdul Samut Khan. It will, however, prove 
 to the British nation, that I looked into matters more sharp- 
 ly than their own resident at Teheraun, for I ascertained 
 the fate of this letter, of which Colonel Sheil was utterly 
 ignorant. The following was my reply : 
 
 Sir, Malines, October 13, 1845. 
 
 I have received yesterday your kind letter with the enclosed 
 draft, authorizing me to draw one hundred tillahs for the recovery 
 of Lord Ellenborough's letter. As these said hundred tillahs were 
 one of those items against which I protested when at Teheraun, 
 and again when sent to me to London last May ; as neither my- 
 self nor Abdul Samut Khan, to whose good offices I was recom- 
 mended by you on my journey to Bokhara, paid one single far- 
 thing for the above-mentioned letter, which was given to me by 
 order of the Ameer of Bokhara as a present to me, I cannot make 
 use of the draft you kindly forwarded to me by order of the 
 Government of India, as I am not disposed to reward the assassin 
 Abdul Samut Khan for having committed the murder of Colonel 
 Stoddart and my friend Conolly, Captain Wyburd and others. 
 You will therefore be pleased to return the enclosed draft to the 
 Government of India, and also permit me, for my own justifica- 
 tion, to publish this present correspondence. And you would also 
 oblige me if you could give me any information about the 3,300 
 rupees from India which you were empowered to draw, not one 
 farthing of which has ever reached this country, whilst you are 
 aware that Abdul Samut Khan made me pay for the transport of
 
 492 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 his property from Bokhara to Meshed, brought there upon eight 
 camels, for all my effects were scarce enough for a little donkey ; 
 so that I am now, by my journey to Bokhara, 400/. out of cash. 
 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 I also considered that this money matter was a subject 
 which the Foreign-office ought to deal with, and accordingly 
 sent to Lord Aberdeen the following letter : 
 
 My Lord, Malines, October 13th, 1845. 
 
 I received yesterday a letter from Colonel Sheil, dated 
 Camp, near Teheraun, August 13, 1845, with the enclosed draft, 
 which I take the liberty to request your Lordship to return to 
 Colonel Sheil, with the accompanying letter ; for the hundred til- 
 lahs, which the Government of India is pleased to send me for the 
 recovery of Lord Ellenborough's letter, was one of the items of 
 the fraudulent account of the Nayeb, Abdul Samut Khan, the 
 murderer and spoliator of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Conolly, 
 against which I most solemnly protested when at Teheraun, and 
 again when Colonel Sheil sent to me to London those items forced 
 from me in the garden of the Nayeb. And therefore, not one 
 farthing having been spent on the recovery of that letter, either 
 by myself or the Nayeb, I am not justified in appropriating the 
 kind grant of the Government of India on this account ; and I 
 repeat what I stated in my narrative, that should the Nayeb re- 
 ceive the three thousand tillahs in behalf of Conolly, the British 
 Government will have rewarded him for the assassination of brave 
 officers. I have the honour to be, 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 Your most humble and obedient Servant, 
 JOSEPH WOLFF. 
 
 P. S. I beg your Lordship to inform me, whether you will have 
 any objection to the publication of this present correspondence. 
 
 His lordship did not object to the publication of these 
 papers, and I therefore give them to the British public, to 
 form their judgment on the same. 
 
 My observations on Giovanni Orlando, the watch-maker 
 at Bokhara, excited the attention of Mr. Schwarz, the 
 American consul at Vienna, and have elicited the following 
 correspondence :
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 Reverend Doctor, Vienna, October llth, 1845. 
 
 Many, many thanks, not only for the speedy reply 
 of the 27th April to my respects of the 4th April, but also for the 
 copious benevolence therein expressed. You have fully evinced 
 yourself as a perfect philanthropist, for which you are universally 
 held. I beg to assure you, also, that I have lost no time to secure 
 success to your well-meant counsel. I have sent your letter and 
 newspapers to my friend in Parma; and her Majesty the Duchess 
 of Parma (who acts like a mother to her unthankful subjects) has 
 taken up the matter with great zeal, and the necessary steps were 
 taken, so that the Austrian state-office will try to effect the free- 
 dom of the unfortunate Giovanni Orlando, whose case is warmly 
 advocated also by Prince Metternich. The matter was stated 
 to the Austrian ambassador in St. Petersburg with all possible 
 emphasis, and there is no doubt but the Governor of Orenburg- 
 has already received the necessary injunction from his govern- 
 ment. 
 
 Desirous of having something decisive to communicate from 
 Russia, caused my deference hitherto, but fearing to appear un- 
 grateful in your eyes, I would not wait any longer in discharging 
 so agreeable a duty. 
 
 Application could not be made by Prince Metternich to the 
 Shah of Persia, agreeably to your advice, as the Austrian foreign - 
 office is in no direct intercourse with that power ; but the few 
 matters are carried on by means of the Sublime Porte, which in 
 this case is considered too uncertain, and therefore preferred pro- 
 posing the affair to the influential government of Russia. 
 
 We are here already apprised of your meritorious Work, which 
 you introduce with so much modest worth, and I doubt not but 
 the high-spirited British nation will endeavour to reward you for 
 your perseverance amidst all the dangers ; at any rate you may be 
 convinced that you are distinguished in all Europe for the philan- 
 thropic sacrifices made by you, and every one acquainted with 
 those facts must consequently feel a disposition to serve you, 
 among which number please to count and depend on, 
 
 Reverend Sir, 
 
 Your most humble and obedient servant, 
 J. G. SCHWARZ.
 
 494 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 It is highly gratifying to me to perceive that the most in- 
 significant states of Europe are determined on rescuing from 
 the tyranny of the Ameer the meanest subject that claims 
 from them citizenship. I cannot but contrast the bold re- 
 monstrance of other governments with the timid assertion of 
 power on the part of England ; nor can I avoid remarking, 
 that although the Ameer has murdered with impunity three 
 English envoys, yet has he never ventured on measures of 
 this character with Boutinieff, the Russian envoy, (despite of 
 Abdul Samut Khan, who wished to execute him also,) or any 
 officers of that country. I further trace to these weak mea- 
 sures of our Oriental policy the alienation of Persia from our 
 influence, and the hold Russia has, and evidently means to 
 keep there. All these recent arrangements, to our decided 
 disadvantage, are the result of a want of firmness on the 
 English government, which quietly suffers Turkey and Persia 
 to sink into vassalage to the Czar. And what are these coun- 
 tries but stepping-stones to India ? My prediction in my 
 first edition relative to the annexation of the Punjaub bids 
 fair to be speedily realized, if pounds, shillings, and pence 
 are not too much taken into consideration, and if the first 
 man in the East, the great Sir Charles Napier, is made 
 Commander-in-Chief. Now is the time to make use of Dost 
 Muhammed Khan for the purpose of punishing the Ameer 
 of Bokhara : on the slightest hint to Dost Muhammed Khan, 
 he would take possession of Peshawr and Jelaal-Abad, which 
 was forcibly taken from AfFghanistaun by Runjeet Singh. 
 The effect of this would be, that we should gain the friend- 
 ship, not only of the Affghauns, but also of our Muhammedan 
 subjects in India. I speak here not as a politician, but as a 
 philanthropist and Christian, for by the conquest of the Pun- 
 jaub, Cashmeer, which has been sighing for a long time after 
 the English, will fall into their hands. This will not only 
 lead to the costly product of its looms being our own, but 
 to the diffusion of the Gospel of Christ among the dense
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 
 
 population inhabiting the loveliest valley upon earth, Cash- 
 meer. From thence it would spread into Thibet, Cashgar, 
 Turkistaun, and Chinese Tartary, as I have already menti- 
 oned. I should like to see whole colonies of English artists, 
 men of science and literature, and divines, proceeding to Cash- 
 meer. The catholic Church of England might well found an 
 Episcopality there, with the highest prospects of success. 
 
 I am not without hopes that my fellow-pupil in the Col- 
 legio Romano, Cardinal Ferretti, now elected Pope, will con- 
 tribute in no small degree to the union of the Roman and 
 Anglican church. He was my personal friend, and I gave 
 him lessons in Hebrew : I had an argument with him on the 
 infallibility of the Pope, and the salvability of Protestants. 
 He expressed on the latter point very liberal sentiments, but 
 was decidedly opposed, not only to the Lutherans, but to the 
 Austrian government. He is a gentleman of high education, 
 was born Conte Ferretti at Ancona, and is a man of piety, 
 zeal, benevolence, and amiability. He was the means of the 
 conversion of a negro, whose godfather he was, and whom he 
 sent to the Propaganda to be educated. He gave him his 
 own name Ferretti. He will probably promote Cardinal 
 Ostini to a high position, as he was a professor at the Collegio 
 Romano. I shall here mention, with less honour, another of 
 my pupils in the Hebrew language, Prince Alexander Hohen- 
 lohe Schillingfurst, who was afterwards famous as a miracle- 
 monger at Vienna and Elwanga. I found him to be a lying, 
 profligate, and hypocritical fellow : he was expelled from the 
 seminary of Tyrnau in Hungary. Archbishop Hohenwart 
 at Vienna, and Johannes Jahn, the famous archaeologist, both 
 warned me against him. While I was at Rome, he came 
 there, and stood in the fame of great sanctity : he lived with 
 the Jesuits, with whom he was an especial favourite. Pius 
 VII. was on the point of consecrating him bishop; but I sent 
 word that if he did so, he would offend all Germany. The 
 Jesuits were furious against me, and also all the Austrian, 
 Wirtembergian, and Saxon ambassadors. However, Cardinal
 
 496 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 Litta asked for my proofs ; I gave him, 1st. Count Hohen- 
 wart ; 2nd. Jahn ; 3rd. Baron Peukler ; 4th. Fr. Schlegel ; 
 5th. Hoflbauer; 6th. The seminary of Tyrnau. Six weeks 
 after, Cardinal Litta sent me word by Professor, now Car- 
 dinal Ostini, " Che Guiseppe Wolff, ha parlato la verita," 
 &c. Prince Hohenlohe consequently walked off without his 
 bishoprick, and thus I stopped one unworthy person from 
 attaining episcopacy. 
 
 In conclusion I have to add, that I am, by the kindness of 
 my friend Colonel Michel, a beneficed presbyter of the Eng- 
 lish church. I now hope to end my days quietly in England, 
 and to give up migrating altogether, for my natural inclina- 
 tions are all in favour of comfort and ease. I here solemnly 
 assure my readers, that I ever detested travelling for travel- 
 ing's sake, for I dislike uncivilized life and uncivilized habits; 
 and it is altogether an absurdity to talk of the sacredness of 
 * the word of an Arab, 1 or * the noble character ' of a rapaci- 
 ous robber Kurd, or ' the generosity' of a treacherous Tur- 
 komaun, who invariably require for their hospitality tenfold 
 the price of what they tender to the weary wanderer. But I 
 was carried onwards by the object, and should I ever be again 
 called on to be the instrument of ransoming English or other 
 captives from the hands of the vile Khyburees or the merci- 
 less Affghauns, or from the power of the blood-hound Abdul 
 Samut Khan, I trust never to be wanting at my post. 
 
 This latter worthy has found an advocate in one of our 
 weekly papers. Heaven defend me from the tender mercies 
 of the blood-dyed Nayeb ! 
 
 The following extracts from letters received by Sir Claude 
 Martin Wade, our British resident at Lahore, from his official 
 correspondent, (I am not permitted to publish the name of 
 this gentleman,) will prove the mischief done elsewhere to 
 English interests by this villanous Persian. To him Colonel 
 Stoddart and Captain Conolly owe their imprisonment, their 
 tortures, and their death. To his tender mercies Colonel 
 Sheil especially assigned myself:
 
 OF Dll. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4[)7 
 
 31st May, 183i. 
 
 Abdool Samut, the Persian, it is understood, has privately 
 sent off his money and effects from Cabul ; and it is reported that 
 he meditates flight in consequence either of his fear of the Amir, 
 Dost Muhammed Khan, or of suspicions of political commotions 
 then apprehended. Latterly, he has not enjoyed the high favour 
 with the Amir which he formerly did. Some persons have been 
 trying to prejudice the Amir against my correspondent, that he 
 is ajasus, or spy, particularly the notorious Abdool Samut. 
 
 This letter proves the extent of his intrigues at that period, 
 which subsequently ripened, we shall see, into bitter fruit. 
 
 The following clearly indicates that he pursued the same 
 sure game at the court of Dost Muhammed that I have point- 
 ed out in Bokhara, by securing the interest of the harem. 
 
 20th September, 1835. 
 
 Dost Muhammed Khan may not be able to realize the results 
 expected by him from such a bold stroke of policy, but it may be 
 considered an unequivocal manifestation of his designs, and per- 
 haps the signal to commit a series of acts of violence, in which he 
 will be abetted by those who counselled the act. It is one which 
 every Affghan but himself execrates, and which will be approved 
 by no Kizzilbash when brought about, as it evidently has been, 
 by the instrumentality chiefly of so unworthy a person as Abdool 
 Samut, who pledges himself to the Amir for a favourable reply to 
 his application. Abdool Samut has at the same time addressed 
 letters to some Russian officers with whom he claims acquaint- 
 ance, among them one to a General Shebato Stor, some such 
 name. I know not yet whether the Amir did the same or not ; 
 probably he did, and if so, it will be known in a few days, my 
 correspondent writes. I have observed already that some un- 
 pleasant insinuations had been made to the Amir, and no doubt 
 his new disposition may induce him perhaps to listen to them. 
 His abettor is Abdool Samut, also a most consummate villain, who 
 has an influence in the Amir's harem sufficient to counteract any 
 advice given to the Amir. 
 
 This indicates pretty clearly the affection of this detestable 
 Kuzzilbash to the British interest, and the opinion of the 
 British agent of him there. 
 
 2 K
 
 498 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 I now subjoin a letter which connects Haje Ibrahim with 
 his brother Abdul Samut Khan, and indicates the nature of 
 the associations between them, the associations by which 
 Stoddart, Conolly, and myself became deep sufferers, but 
 from which the commonest care on the part of Colonel Sheil 
 might have shielded all three. 
 
 30th November, 1835. 
 
 The despatch of letters by the Amir to Muhammed Shah, &c., 
 I informed you of as a matter of duty ; it is probable they will 
 never reach their destination, and it is possible they were never 
 intended to do so by Abdool Samut, the instigator of them, and 
 who has deceived the Amir. There is reason to believe that Hadji 
 Ibrahim, the bearer of them, will go no further than Bokhara, 
 where he will trade on account of his brother, Abdool Samut, 
 who has, since his departure, sent after him another stock of mer- 
 chandize. Abdool Samut has amassed some money in the Amir's 
 service, which it is better to remove from Cabul. The Amir 
 might have objected to his brother's departure, as indeed he did 
 when it was first proposed, and it became necessary that he should 
 be suffered to depart under pretence of the Amir's own interest 
 being concerned. The false and exaggerated reports at the time 
 current in Cabul, as to the affairs of Persia, give him an oppor- 
 tunity of imposing on the Amir, and of creating for himself a 
 momentary importance. The Amir may still expect to receive at 
 Nao-Roz replies to his letters ; but the Hadji, there is little doubt, 
 will spend Nao-Roz comfortably at Bokhara. 
 
 1 now connect him still further with the intrigues and 
 chicanery and villany that produced the Affghaun war, by 
 the following letter : 
 
 3rd August, 1837. 
 
 Abdool Samut has received permission to depart, taking the road 
 to Bokhara ; his effects have been retained by the Amir. Khan 
 Sherein Khan has given him seven or eight horses, and Mir Ali 
 Khan the same number; so that with their assistance, and that of 
 other friends, he will start with some fifteen horsemen that he may 
 consider his own. Khan Sherein Khan will also provide twenty- 
 five horsemen to escort him beyond the Hindoo Kosh. He will 
 leave to-day or to-morrow. Since the arrival of Mahomed Akhbar
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 4Q9 
 
 Khan, he has had several private interviews with Abdool Samut, 
 as have Mirza Sami Khan and others ; and I should not be sur- 
 prised that the Persian, before his departure, may have concocted 
 with them some extraordinary plan. He takes his companions 
 with him ; but one of them, who calls himself Shah Sahib, is to 
 return from Bokhara. 
 
 Here we find him in connexion with the notorious murderer 
 of Sir William Macnaghten Akbar Khan, concocting the 
 very war that was attended with such disastrous consequences 
 to our interests. I believe him fully to have been either the 
 originator of that war, or privy to the entire plan and design. 
 
 The following extract from another letter, dated the llth 
 of August, 1837) shows that however Dost Muhammed might 
 dislike and despise the earless villain, that our keen-eyed Bri- 
 tish agent saw deeper into him than Colonel Sheil apparently 
 did, and that he detected that his influence lay with Akbar 
 Khan and not the Ameer. Fatally did events prove the mea- 
 sures concerted too well planned and deliberately executed, as 
 poor Sir Alexander Burnes deeply rued: 
 
 llth August, 1837- 
 
 Since my last, Naib Haji Khan and Abdool Samut have both 
 left Kabul, the former has taken the road to Ghazni, but it is not 
 known whether his destination may be Toba, Qandahar, or ulti- 
 mately Peshawer. Abdool Samut has taken the road to Bamian ; 
 his destination also is unknown, or whether he will proceed to 
 Bokhara or, via Hazarajat, to Herat and Meshed. Mir AH Khan 
 Morad Khani furnished him with an escort of horse to Bamian, 
 at which the Amir was much incensed ; if the Persian, previous to 
 his departure, made any intriguing arrangements with the Kuzzil- 
 bashes, it would appear that the Amir was not privy to them. 
 
 It would not interest a British public to enter deeply into 
 the intrigues of two villanous Persians ; but if Lord Aber- 
 deen wants any further proof of the vile conduct of the 
 Persian agents, to whom the life and honour of our country- 
 men are implicitly confided, I shall be happy to furnish him 
 with a mass of details pointing out the utter worthlessness of 
 
 2K 2
 
 500 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 the agents and employes of Colonel Sheil. Forgery, lies, 
 peculation, robbery and murder, became familiar items in 
 account with these worthies. The attempts to cheat and cir- 
 cumvent all parties, whether Muhammed Shah, Dost Muham- 
 med, British or other envoys, were incessant. They proved 
 nearly always abortive ; but the blow intended to be dealt to 
 the British interest, if it failed in Cabul partially for a time, 
 was fearfully realized by the joint operation of Haje Ibrahim 
 and Abdul Samut Khan, on the devoted heads of Stoddart 
 and Conolly in Bokhara. 
 
 Sir Claude Martin Wade authorizes me to state, that he 
 was compelled to effect that very expulsion from Peshawr that 
 drove Abdul Samut Khan to Bokhara. The intrigues and 
 rascality of Abdul Samut Khan compelled Sir Claude to adopt 
 this course ; and Masson also, in his Reports, describes him 
 as a consummate villain. His motives for putting to death 
 all Frankees, independent of the habitual evil of his life, arise 
 from the fear he entertains of his real ignorance of the art of 
 war being detected, and his lies and presumption punished by 
 a worse evil than one he has partially sustained already, 
 the loss of his ears. I have warned the resident at Teheraun, 
 our various consuls on my route, my noble friend Sir Stratford 
 Canning, and the Foreign- office against this miscreant; and 
 next to propagating good, is the clear denouncement of evil. 
 But in the first has been my pure, my best, my only reward. 
 
 My readers will be delighted to receive the following in- 
 formation. They are aware that I had intended to petition 
 Parliament to grant to my excellent friend Captain Grover 
 the 4<QO sterling, which he had spent for me ; but my friend 
 Mr. William Beckett, from Leeds, spoke in consequence, at 
 my request, on the subject to Sir Robert Peel, stating that 
 Sir Robert ought to deliver the money to me, in order that 
 I might discharge my debt to Captain Grover. Sir Robert 
 Peel, with the full assent of the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
 and Lord Aberdeen, desired me last May to go to the Trea-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 501 
 
 sury myself, in order that I might fetch the money ; but pre- 
 vious to my going there, the 4QO was paid in my name to 
 my bankers, Messrs. Drummonds and Co., Charing-cross, and 
 I immediately discharged my debt to Captain Grover. 
 
 My readers will, however, not be aware that my dear friend 
 Grover has not only sacrificed in this business money and 
 health, but also has lost his promotion in the army, as he was 
 I believe, the first on the list; and therefore I am sure that 
 the victor in one hundred battles and the great Lord Pal- 
 merston will give him his promotion, and that I shall find 
 a host of friends in the British public to second my petition. 
 
 Having heard it generally reported at Constantinople that 
 General Jochmus was of the Jewish nation, and being assured 
 by people of high authority, confirmed by his physiognomy 
 and complexion, I stated my opinion on this general report in 
 my first, second, and third edition. I have since received on 
 this account most insulting letters from General Jochmus, 
 and am now fully convinced that, whatever General Jochmus 
 may be outwardly, he certainly is not a Jew inwardly, in the 
 sense of St. Paul. 
 
 I have hitherto abstained from saying any thing in this 
 work on the Bishopric of Jerusalem ; but the church and 
 the country must now allow me, in this edition, to state that 
 I consider the establishment of a Bishopric of Jerusalem the 
 most disgraceful act ever committed by persons in the Church 
 of England. 
 
 First: The Archbishop of Canterbury, perhaps without 
 intending it, has by consecrating a Bishop for Jerusalem, 
 usurped Papal power, as Jerusalem is not within his Grace's 
 diocese. 2. The former Bishop (Alexander), though a good- 
 natured man, was totally unfit to represent the English 
 Church. 3. The Church of England ought to have been 
 consulted, and also the Lutheran clergy; and it ought not 
 to have been a mere act of diplomacy. 4. As the Russians 
 have roused the energy and genius of Shamyl Beyk in Cir-
 
 502 NARRATIVE OF THE MISSION 
 
 cassia, and the French the fanaticism and patriotism of Abd- 
 el-Kader, I am also afraid that the Church of England, which 
 has already excited the hatred of the Church of Rome, and 
 of the rest of the Eastern churches, will also excite the hatred 
 and fanaticism of the Arabs and Turks against her ; and I 
 should not be surprised to hear that some Bedouin of the 
 talents and enthusiasm of Abd-el-Kader, should start up to 
 chastise the folly and presumption of the British church. 
 
 Many have observed that I have been badly requited, and 
 that this ought to deter me and all others from such Quixot- 
 ism in future; but I deny the inference. I have given such 
 proofs to my Jewish friends of my sincerity of belief, as I 
 may say without boasting no other Jewish convert has yet 
 done. Independent of this, my nation saw that the Jew was 
 prepared to risk his life to save the Gentile ; and further, this 
 mission has been a practical preaching of the Gospel to the 
 Sublime Porte, to the Court of Persia, to the descendants of 
 Ghengis Khan and Timur ; and Youssuff Wolff and his Bible 
 is as well known in the world, as the opposite principle in 
 Wellington and the cannons of Waterloo. 
 
 I cannot conclude these remarks without once more recom- 
 mending the Society for the Promotion of Christian Know- 
 ledge and the British and Foreign Bible Society to the British 
 public ; for unless the engines of peace over all the earth 
 accompany the progress of Lord Hardinge, and all other 
 warriors, the nations will think we love blood, and recoil with 
 horror from our path. But if the great practical issue of the 
 Messiah's kingdom be pointed out, " Peace on earth, good 
 will among men, 11 we shall then scarce need the amiable efforts 
 of a Peace Society, but all the nations feel as brethren, and 
 form one holy bond of union. It is on Christian elements 
 alone that this can be effected. Muhammed could not do it, 
 he took the opposite principle for union ; Menu could not 
 do it ; Brahma and Buddha could not do it ; but Christ has 
 in part already effected this, and a distate for war is percep-
 
 OF DR. WOLFF TO BOKHARA. 503 
 
 # 
 
 tible amid nations ; all are now, in fact, pouring their common 
 contributions without jealousy into each other's bosom, and 
 all will become enriched, I trust, by a mutual interchange of 
 the nobler gifts of thought, of holiness, and sanctification. 
 
 I have now to thank my readers for the patience with 
 which they have hitherto indulged me, for that munificent 
 patronage that has enabled me to publish this fourth edition, 
 and I trust that the time will never come when the lot of the 
 captive in the dungeon shall cease to command the deep sym- 
 pathy of a British public ; and that the slight effort here made 
 for the lives of the brethren will in no wise be measured by its 
 success, but by the important principle it has developed, that 
 there exists not a recess so dark upon God^s earth into which 
 Philanthropy will not pour its light, that Eastern tyranny 
 can neither daunt nor subdue the Christian principle, but that 
 it will force its way, like the mighty leaven that leaveneth the 
 mass, not only to the remotest ends of the earth, but possess 
 every particle in it with its own benevolence, charity, and 
 love. 
 
 THE END.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Abbas Kouli Khan, Persian ambas- 
 sador to Bokhara, arrival of, 312 ; 
 promises to protect Dr. Wolff, 316 ; 
 his kindness to the author, 332 ; his 
 conversation on religion with Dr. 
 Wolff, 333 ; his letter to Lady Geor- 
 giana Wolff, 334 ; receives permis- 
 sion from the Ameer to depart with 
 the author, 340 ; confirms author's 
 statement of the execution of Stod- 
 dart and Conolly in 1259, 420. 
 
 Abbas Mirza, Prince of Persia, Dr. 
 Wolff's first interview with him at 
 Meshed, saves him from slavery, 
 9 ; account of his taking Sarakhs, 
 384. 
 
 Abd-Arrahman Khaleefa of Mowr, 
 197 ; his character, 198 ; advises Dr. 
 Wolff not to go to Bokhara, 200 ; 
 his account of Hullakoo Khan ; 
 dislike of Persia, 379. 
 
 Abdullan, servant to Dr. Wolff, his bad 
 conduct, 331. 
 
 Abdul Samut Khan, chief of artillery 
 of King of Bokhara, his life, 245 ; 
 author's conversation with, 246 ; do- 
 cuments produced by him from Stod- 
 dart and Conolly, and Sir Alexan- 
 der Burnes, 252 ; the king stands in 
 dread of him, 283 ; puts a Turko- 
 maun to death, also a Jew from 
 Meshed, 327 ; sends Dr. Wolff mo- 
 ney, 335 ; lays a plan to murder 
 him, 335 ; persons killed by him at 
 Bokhara, 344. 
 
 Abraham of Santa Clara, 474. 
 
 Abyssinians, customs, rites, belief of, 
 33. 
 
 Address circulated by the author 
 among Mahometans of Persia, Kho- 
 rassaun, Cashmeer, Affghanistan, 
 and Bokhara, 123 ; to the Armenian 
 nation, 126. 
 
 Adlerfeld, Baron Von, apparition of 
 his father's ghost to him, 323. 
 
 Afrasiab, King of Persia, history of, 
 368. 
 
 Affghanistaun, our too early abandon- 
 ment of, 207 ; opinion held there of 
 British officers, 309. 
 
 Affghauns, singular book on their ori- 
 gin, 12 ; their account of the Euro- 
 pean officers, 309 ; conversations with 
 them, 328. 
 
 Ahmed, an officer of the Pasha, his 
 conversation with Dr. Wolff, 38. 
 
 Ahmood Aboo Misamecr, Shereef of 
 the tribe of Hobab, called the father 
 of nails, anecdote of, 40. 
 
 Ak Muhammed Beyk, Turkomaun 
 chief, appointed ambassador to the 
 Queen of England, 276. 
 
 Allah Daad, massacre of, 396. 
 
 Ameer of Bokhara, author's presenta- 
 tion to ; description of, 232 ; throws 
 Lieutenant Wyburd into prison and 
 executes him, 235 ; his system of 
 espionage, 282 ; his fear of Abdul 
 Samut Khan, 283 ; his desire for 
 information, 348. 
 
 Amisus, ancient name of Samsoon, 
 description of, 469. 
 
 Amlak Ghebra implores Dr. Wolff's 
 blessing, 35. 
 
 Apostles, regions in which they arc 
 supposed to have preached, 353. 
 
 Assad Ullah Beg enslaved by the 
 Nayeb, 289. 
 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla, Colonel Shell's mes- 
 sage to, respecting Stoddart and Co- 
 nolly, 161 ; etymology of the name, 
 178 ; author's interview with, 187 ; 
 his great talent and able government, 
 188 ; his presents to the Ameer of 
 Bokhara, 209. 
 
 Axum, description of convent of, 36. 
 
 Baba Deen, a celebrated Derveesh of 
 
 Bokhara, 10. 
 Balkh asserted by the Jews to be the 
 
 Halah of the Scriptures ; account of 
 
 it by the Muhammedan Mullahs, 11 ; 
 
 general notice, 353. 
 Barker, B., missionary, 21. 
 Barenstein, his account of Colonel 
 
 Stoddart and Capt. Conolly, 154. 
 Bayboot, description of this place, 
 
 113. 
 Benares, author's visit to this city, 21.
 
 506 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Behadur, Hussein Ali, his conversa- 
 tion with Dr. Wolff, 288. 
 
 Beni Israel, account of them, 26. 
 
 Bentinck, Lord W., his reception of 
 Dr. Wolff, 14. 
 
 Bernard, St., picture of him, 471. 
 
 Bethlehem, Dr. Wolff's Abyssinian 
 servant, 30 ; his opinion of councils 
 of the church, 32 ; his insolence, 33. 
 
 Bible, Armenian, its agreement with 
 Septuagint, 4. 
 
 Bishop of Gibraltar, Dr. Tomlinsoii, 
 excellent character of, 76. 
 
 Boghos Youssuf Bey, minister of Mu- 
 hammed Ali, his life saved by Mr. 
 Salt, 29. 
 
 Bokhara, the author's first visit to, 
 10 ; character of the king, Behadur 
 Khan, 10 ; asserted by the Jews to 
 be the Habor of the Scriptures, 11 ; 
 population, manners of the Jews of, 
 11 ; author's second entry into, 228 ; 
 reception by populace, 228 ; its col- 
 leges, 258 ; Jewish synagogue, 259 ; 
 its situation, population, and build- 
 ings, 259 ; prevalent sickness called 
 rishta, 260 ; possibility of England 
 Bending an army to, 345 ; commerce 
 of, with Russia, 349 ; chief digni- 
 taries of state and of religion, 354. 
 
 Bolzano of Prague, 2. 
 
 Bonham, Mr., consul at Tabreez, 443. 
 
 Boohyra, a monk, who assisted Mu- 
 hammed in his studies, 14. 
 
 Borowsky, General, a Jew, adventures 
 of, 164 ; his quarrel with General 
 Semino, 165. 
 
 British and Foreign Bible Society, im- 
 mense utility of, 21. 
 
 Bryant, Sir J., his reception of Dr. 
 Wolff in India, 14 ; presides as 
 chairman in England at a public 
 meeting convened by the Stoddart 
 and Conolly committee, 71. 
 
 Burgess, Edward, translator to Prince 
 Bahman Mirza, his sad history, 444. 
 
 Burnes, Sir Alexander, says he had 
 performed his devotions at Doctor 
 Wolff's tomb, 381. 
 
 Canning, Sir Stratford, abolishes a 
 
 fundamental law of Mahomedan- 
 
 isro, 461. 
 ( iani, Dr., physician to the Prince 
 
 Governor of Tabreez, his curious ; 
 
 diploma, 443. 
 Cashmeer, Dr. Wolff's first visit to it, 
 
 said to be built by the Genii, 15 ; 
 
 fugitives from this place, account of 
 
 its celebrated Fakeers, 17. 
 
 Chaldeans of Kurdistaun, account of, 
 150 ; additional particulars, 441. 
 
 Cholera, course of remedies by which 
 author was cured, 23. 
 
 Christian missions to the East, to what 
 place recommended to be sent, 405. 
 
 Church of England, author's convic- 
 tion of her pre-eminence over all 
 other Christian branches of the 
 Christian faith, 48 ; want of a bet- 
 ter division of the incomes of the 
 10,478 livings belonging to it, 50. 
 
 Cochin, black and white Jews at, 24. 
 
 Conolly, Capt. Arthur, author meets 
 him at Cawnpore in 1832, 19 ; his 
 heroic and religious character, 19 ; 
 sent on a mission as envoy from the 
 Indian government, 53. 
 
 Cormick, Dr., physician to Abbas 
 Mirza, account of, 412. 
 
 Csomo de Koros, an Hungarian tra- 
 veller, 292 ; his acquirements, 292. 
 
 Customs of the East, their unchange- 
 able character, 5. 
 
 Da Costa, Isaac, a converted Jew, 321. 
 
 Daood, Captan, one of the Beni Israel, 
 his stupidity, 27. 
 
 Daoudee, a sect that believes King 
 David to be a God, 39. 
 
 Dastar Khanjee, chief of the custom- 
 house at Bokhara, a vile Catamite, 
 282. 
 
 Degeler, Signor, 2. 
 
 Derveesh of Geelan, on route to Tehe- 
 raun, 147. 
 
 Derveesh of Kashgar, conversation of 
 Dr. Wolff with, 201. 
 
 Dil Assa Khan, a Mervee, ordered by 
 the Assaff-ood-Dowla to conduct Dr. 
 Wolff to Bokhara, 190 ; a man-seller, 
 218 ; his extortion, his dread of the 
 Ameer of Bokhara, 193 ; conversa- 
 tion with Dr. Wolff, 225. 
 
 Elijah, argument concerning the com- 
 ing of, 38. 
 
 Elijeh Tebbe, spot where Pompey de- 
 feated Mithridates ; etymology of 
 the word, 115. 
 
 Ephrem Syrus, a divine of the Syrian 
 Church, 103 ; his prayer, 104 ; anec- 
 dote of him, 105 ; extract from his 
 writings, 157. 
 
 Erzroom, description of place, and de- 
 rivation of this word, 117 ; Pasha of 
 the place calls on the Mussulmans to 
 support Dr. Wolff, 125. 
 
 Eylet, inhabited by the Shiho, 33.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 507 
 
 Ezekiel, the prophet, his description of 
 the Turkomauns (Togarmah) ap- 
 plicable to the present day, 354. 
 
 Fakeer of Belaspoor, his conversation 
 with Dr. Wolff, 15. 
 
 Fakeer of Bombay, his austerities, 26. 
 
 Ferretti, Cardinal, at present Pope, a 
 pupil of Dr. Wolff's, his liberal opi- 
 nions, 495. 
 
 Frederick the Great, anecdote related 
 of, in oriental phraseology, by the 
 author, 304. 
 
 Frere, J. H., a friend of Dr. Wolff, lends 
 him 500, which Dr. Wolff repays, 
 20 ; second interview with this gen- 
 tleman of Malta, 79. 
 
 Friut of Vienna, 2. 
 
 Georgia, names of the dignitaries of 
 the Georgian church, 444. 
 
 Geramb, M. J., the celebrated Trappist, 
 lines written by, in the stranger's 
 book at convent on Mount Sinai, 31. 
 
 Ghengis Khan, account of him, 333 ; 
 employs a corps of Jews, 380. 
 
 Goa, state of Christianity at, 25. 
 
 Gobat, missionary in Abyssinia, 38 ; 
 Dr. Wolff's kindness to him, 38. 
 
 Grover, Captain, his noble conduct ; 
 draws public attention to the case of 
 Colonel Stoddart and Captain Co- 
 nolly ; offer to Dr. Wolff, gives him a 
 cheque for 500, his instructions to 
 Dr. Wolff as president of the Stod- 
 dart and Conolly Committee, 70 ; his 
 speech at Hanover Square rooms, 
 70 ; unanimously thanked by the en- 
 tire meeting standing, 72. 
 
 Gumush Khane, Dr. Wolff's arrival 
 at, reception by the Armenian arch- 
 bishop, 111 ; its silver mines, 111 ; 
 population, 112. 
 
 Habakkuk, passage in this prophet, 
 
 217. 
 
 Hadara, an Abyssinian, 33. 
 Haje Ibrahim, brother to Abdul Samut 
 
 Khan, his conduct, 184. 
 Haje Mirza Agasee, prime minister of 
 
 Persia, author's interview with, 160. 
 Haje Muhammed Khokaane, a Yoos- 
 
 Bashi, killed by Abdul Samut Khan, 
 
 312. 
 Hakim Beyk, Goosh-Bekee, or Vizier 
 
 of Bokhara, his life, 234. 
 
 Hashid, Rabbi Judah, singular history 
 of his mother, 323. 
 
 Hassan Shirazi, servant of Colonel 
 Stoddart, 289 ; conversation of the 
 Nayeb with him, 289. 
 
 Hoffbauer, Father Clemens Maria, vi- 
 car-general of the Ligorians, his bru- 
 tal manner, 15. 
 
 Hassan Kaleh, built by Oossun Has- 
 san, visited by Dr. Wolff, 128. 
 
 Hobab, brother-in-law of Moses, Beni 
 Hobab, an Arab tribe, 39. 
 
 Holenlohe, Prince, his hypocrisy ; Dr. 
 Wolff prevents his receiving epis- 
 copacy, 496. 
 
 Hussein, servant to Dr. Wolff, his con- 
 duct, 370. 
 
 Hyloo, an Abyssinian chief, 33. 
 
 Ibrahim Pasha, nephew of Mehemet 
 Ali, author's interview with, 40. 
 
 Indians of North America, author's 
 opinion concerning their origin, 46 ; 
 tradition of the Mohican tribe, simi- 
 larity of many of their customs to the 
 Tartars, 46. 
 
 Iskandar Beyk, his history, 377. 
 
 Israel Rabbi, of Brunswick, his his- 
 tory, 322. 
 
 Jacobson, a Jew, establishes schools, 
 322. 
 
 Jehaar-joo, author's first visit, 10 ; 
 description of, 220. 
 
 Jesman-doo, village near Bokhara, 356. 
 
 Jews of Khorassaun, their probable 
 origin, 7 ; the Sooffees of Meshed, 8 ; 
 of Bokhara, their number, manners, 
 11 ; black and white Jews at Cochin, 
 24 ; the Beni Israel at Poonah, 26 ; 
 Jews of Sanaa, 27 ; burn their genea- 
 logies, 27 ; number and belief of 
 Jews in province of Yemen, 44 ; 
 Jews in America, 44 ; of Chaldea, 
 their seven sacraments, 150 ; great 
 number of distinguished generals in 
 the East who are Jews, 165 ; Jews 
 of Meshed in Khorassaun, all com- 
 pelled to turn Mahometans, 175 
 Jews at Bokhara, their synagogue 
 how treated by the Ameer, 259 
 number of Jews at Samarcand, 261 
 sing hymns with the author, 318 
 list of converted Jews of distinction 
 319 ; celebrated Jews in Germany 
 324. 
 
 Jiddah, description of town of, 28.
 
 508 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Kabbadose, Dr. a converted Jew, 321. 
 Kaffer Seeah Poosh, their origin and 
 
 rites, 12. 
 
 Kalja, desert place, 214. 
 Karakol, author's first visit, 10 ; second 
 
 visit, 223. 
 Kazi Kelaun, chief judge of Bokhara, 
 
 his visit to Dr. Wolff, 304. 
 Ketaub Ansabee Muhakkek Toose, a 
 
 Persian MS., 12. 
 Khaibaree, an Affghaun tribe, 12. 
 Khatsauran, washing of the Cross, an 
 
 Armenian custom, 139. 
 Khorandal, inhabited by Bedouins, 
 
 Sheikh receives Dr. Wolff kindly, 30. 
 Khiva, commerce of, with Russia, 350 ; 
 
 character of the Khan of, 352 ; Jews 
 
 of Mowr, called the Khivites ' Philis- 
 tines,' 380 ; supposed to descend from 
 
 the Hivites, 380. 
 Khokan, its produce, commerce with 
 
 Russia, 350. 
 Khorassaun, author's seizure by the 
 
 robbers of, 6 ; atrocities of the Khan, 
 
 7 ; origin of the Jews of, 7 ; change 
 
 of feeling in, towards the English, 
 
 170. 
 Khosrow Khan, his opinion of Colonel 
 
 Shell, 213. 
 King Otho, of Greece, author presented 
 
 to, conversation with, 81. 
 Kob, village of, tradition of a holy 
 
 derveesh, 114. 
 Kulagh, a snow storm, description of, 
 
 147-149. 
 
 Latif, his equivocating account of Col. 
 Stoddart, 154. 
 
 Lee, Professor, Dr. Wolff studies Per- 
 sian and Arabic under him, 3. 
 
 Leeves, Rev. H. missionary, 21 ; chap- 
 lain at Athens, interview with him, 
 81. 
 
 Letter of author in Morning Herald, 
 addressed to the officers of the Bri- 
 tish army, 52 ; to Captain Grover, 
 stating his reasons for disbelieving 
 the account given by Saleh Muham- 
 med of death of Stoddart and Co- 
 nolly, 54 ; to same, stating proposed 
 arrangements and requests, 58 ; to 
 same, stating probable moral effects 
 of his mission, 59 ; from Lieutenant 
 Vincent Eyre to author, 61 ; from 
 Lieutenant Colonel Napier to same, 
 64 ; of author to Captain Grover, 
 stating outfit and presents requisite 
 for the voyage, 65 ; to same, repeat- 
 ing reasons for going to Bokhara, 68 ; 
 
 letter from the Foreign Office by 
 Mr. Addington, 72 ; of recommen- 
 dation of author by Bishop of Gi- 
 braltar, 78 ; from Sir Stratford Can- 
 ning, 87 ; and Mr. Leeves, at Athens, 
 89 ; from the vice-consul, Mr. Ste- 
 vens, 92 ; letter from F. Pisani, 95 ; 
 letters to Captain Grover from Con- 
 stantinople, 96 ; to author from Aus- 
 trian internuncio, Count Sturmer, 
 96 ; from the Sultan Abdul Medjid 
 to the Khan of Bokhara, 97 ; from 
 Mr. James Calvert, concerning Co- 
 lonel Stoddart, 99 ; to Captain Gro- 
 ver, dated Erzroom, 119, 122 ; letter 
 from Colonel Williams, 122 ; to Cap- 
 tain Grover, from Erzroom, 124 ; 
 from author to Stoddart and Conolly 
 Committee, 138 ; to Ameer of Bo- 
 khara from Count de Medem, Rus- 
 sian ambassador, 155 ; to same, from 
 Shah of Persia, 158 ; to king of 
 Khiva, and to the Hazarah tribe, 182 ; 
 to the Ameer of Bokhara, from Me- 
 shed, 191 ; to Captain Grover, 202 ; 
 and Lady Georgiana, from Mowr, 
 204 ; letter to Captain Grover, 211 ; 
 to the philanthropists of Europe, from 
 Kalja, 214 ; to the King of Bokhara, 
 220 ; letters presented to the Ameer 
 previous to his introduction, 230 ; 
 letter of the Sheikh Islam of Con- 
 stantinople, 230 ; official to Captain 
 Grover, from Bokhara, giving ac- 
 count of execution of Stoddart and 
 Conolly, 255 ; letter to Colonel Shell, 
 285 ; from Sir R. Shakespeare, 293 ; 
 from Sir Charles Napier to author, 
 309 ; from author to Lady Georgiana, 
 296 ; from Abbas Kouli Khan, Per- 
 sian ambassador to Bokhara, to Lady 
 Georgiana Wolff, 334 ; letter from 
 Mrs. Ellen Macnaghten, 336 ; from 
 the author to all the monarchs of 
 Europe, 337 ; to Captain Grover 
 from Bokhara, 338 ; to Lady Geor- 
 giana and son, 339 ; from Colonel 
 Sheil to author, 388 ; from Captain 
 D'Arcy to author, 390 ; from secre- 
 tary of Cabool Relief Society to au- 
 thor, 390 ; from Colonel Sheil to 
 author, 391 ; from the Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla, 403 ; from Abbas Kouli 
 Khan to Lady Georgiana, from Te- 
 heraun, 421 ; from H. R. Highness 
 Bahman Mirza to the author, 432 ; 
 from the brother of Captain Conolly 
 to a relative, 433 ; from Colonel 
 Stoddart, 433 ; to author from Mar 
 Yohannan, bishop of Oroomiah, 442 ;
 
 INDEX. 
 
 509 
 
 letter from Mr. Edward Burgess to 
 author, 446 ; to author from Colonel 
 Williams, 456 ; from Mr. Brant, 
 457 ; from Colonel Williams to Cap- 
 tain Grover, 457 ; from Sir Stratford 
 Canning, 460 ; from the vice-consul, 
 Mr. Stevens, 463 ; from Colonel 
 Farrant, 466 ; from Sir Stratford 
 Canning, 467 ; from Mr. Brant, 468 ; 
 from Sir Stratford Canning, 469; 
 from the Honourable Mr. Welles- 
 ley, 470 ; from Lady Canning, 470 ; 
 from Rev. H. D. Leeves, 471 ; from 
 Sir Stratford Canning, 472 ; from 
 Mr. Brant, 475 ; from the Hon- 
 ourable Mr. Wellesley, 479 ; from 
 Sir Robert Wilson, 480 ; from Dr. 
 Burrow, 480 ; from the Bishop of 
 New Jersey, 481 ; from the Rev. 
 R. W. Stoddart, 482 ; from Mrs. 
 Furrell, enclosing letter of Lord 
 Aberdeen, 483 ; from Foreign Office, 
 requesting particulars of the fate of 
 Lieut. Wyburd, 485 ; Dr. Wolff's re- 
 ply, giving details of his death, 486 ; 
 from Foreign Office, thanking him 
 for the same, 488 ; from Colonel 
 Sheil, enclosing draft, 491 ; from 
 author, declining to accept it, 491 ; 
 from author to Lord Aberdeen, com- 
 plaining of Colonel Sheil's insulting 
 offer, 492 ; from J. G. Schwarz, on 
 Giovanni Orlando, 493. 
 
 Letters, extracts from correspondence 
 of Sir Claude Martin Wade, 497- 
 499. 
 
 Litta, Cardinal, 2 ; kindness to Dr. 
 Wolff, 2. 
 
 Loote Khan Jehaun, his Poshtoo 
 book, 12. 
 
 Loote, a set of derveeshes, called ' The 
 Fools,' 151. 
 
 Lucknow, author's visit, 20. 
 
 McCaul, Dr., his dialogue with Rabbi 
 Herschel, 325. 
 
 Macgreggor,Mr., secretary to the Board 
 of Trade, his remarks on the Us- 
 beck States, 349. 
 
 Majmooa Alansab, a collection of ge- 
 nealogies in Persian, 12. 
 
 Mahometanism, its intolerant and fa- 
 natical character, destiny of its pro- 
 fessors,l6 ; author's controversy upon 
 at Delhi, 18 ; signs of its gradual ex- 
 tinction, 139 ; difference between the 
 Sheeahs and the Sunnees, 439. 
 
 Mandaye Haya,h, disciples of John the 
 Baptist in the Persian Gulf, 436. 
 
 Manoole Koodsee, British agent at 
 Suez, interview with Greek priests 
 at his house, strange tradition of 
 Satan, 31. 
 
 Masnawee Roomee, a work similar to 
 Jacob Bohme, of a mystic character, 
 149. 
 
 Mayers, Dr., a converted Jew, 320. 
 
 Mervee, conversations of Dr. Wolff 
 with them, 301. 
 
 Meshed, the holy capital of Khoras- 
 saun, description of author's ihst 
 visit, 8 ; immoral place, 9 ; chief per- 
 sonages, 387. 
 
 Missionaries of the Society for Pro- 
 pagating the Gospel, 414. 
 
 Mooghrubee, Rabbi Joseph, revives the 
 antient customs of the Jews of Bo- 
 khara, 11. 
 
 Mortesa, the chief of the Kafila, con- 
 spires to murder Dr. Wolff, 3G9. 
 
 Moulavie Khyr Addeen, author of a 
 history of Cashmeer, 17. 
 
 Mosawah, on the African coast, con- 
 versation with the governor, 33. 
 
 Mount Sinai, convent of, visit to, 30. 
 
 Mowr, author's first visit to, 10 ; cha- 
 racter of Turkomauns of, 199 ; danc- 
 ing derveeshes at, 199 ; Mahometan 
 schools kept up at, 205 ; state of 
 Jews at, 205. 
 
 Muhammed AH Serraf, Colonel Stod- 
 dart's agent at Meshed, character of, 
 176 ; conversation with, 176 ; proofs 
 of his treachery, 184. 
 
 Muhammed, author's life of, 262, writ- 
 ten by command of the Ameer, 262 ; 
 reception of this work by the Ameer 
 and Sheikh Islam, 275. 
 
 Muhammed Ali Khan of Khokand, 
 put to death by the Ameer of Bo- 
 khara, with his wife and child, 299. 
 
 Muhammed Izhak Khan of Khoras- 
 saun, his atrocities, 6 ; author's in- 
 terview with, 8 ; author visits him in 
 prison at Tabreez, 133 ; manner of 
 his being taken prisoner by Abbas 
 Mirza, 134 ; translation of his auto- 
 graph, author's conversation with 
 him, 135. 
 
 Muhammed Izhak, Grand Mullah of 
 Delhi, disputation with Dr. Wolff, 18. 
 
 Muhammed Bakher Nakash denies 
 that Muhammed is a prophet, 325. 
 
 Muhammed Hussein Khan, a Guzl- 
 Bash, Governor of Karakol, consults 
 Dr. Wolff on the Fetwa, requests a 
 prayer from him, 10. 
 
 Muhammed Shah Nakshbandee, his 
 conversation with Dr. Wolff, 16.
 
 510 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Muhammed Taki, an astrologer, his 
 
 bad conduct to his ill-starred wife, 
 
 357. 
 Mujtehed, Ameer Sayd Ahmed, his 
 
 dispute with Dr. Wolff, 21. 
 Mullah Seffey, his kindness to Dr. 
 
 Wolff, 214. 
 
 Nadir Shah assisted by Turkomauns, 
 216. 
 
 Napier, Sir Charles, his letter to the 
 author, 309 ; high opinion of him 
 in the East, 346. 
 
 Napoleon, the author's history of, in 
 oriental style, 301. 
 
 Nierses of Lampron, Archbishop, his 
 life and learning, his speech at the 
 council called in 1179, to effect the 
 union of the Greek and Armenian 
 churches, 141. 
 
 Nierses of Tiflis, Archbishop, account 
 of him, his description of the instru- 
 ments used in the Crucifixion, 452. 
 
 Oologh Beyk erects an observatory at 
 Samarcand, 261. 
 
 Oriental customs, how permanent and 
 unchanged in nature, 5. 
 
 Orlando, Giovanni, an Italian, made 
 prisoner by the king of Bokhara, 212. 
 
 Ostini, Cardinal, Dr. Wolff introduced 
 to him, 2. 
 
 Oubia, an Abyssinian chief, 30. 
 
 Oude, King of, gives Dr. Wolff 10,000 
 rupees, 20 ; disputation by Mullahs 
 in the presence of the king, 20. 
 
 Ovenden, Dr., dies in Dr. Wolff's pre- 
 sence, 32. 
 
 Palmerston, Lord, his high character 
 in the East, 367. 
 
 Persians, their character of different 
 British ambassadors, their estimate 
 of the power of England and Rus- 
 sia, 148. 
 
 Pius VII. decrees the banishment of 
 Dr. Wolff from Rome, 2 ; kindness 
 to Dr. Wolff, 2 ; expels him from 
 Rome, 2. 
 
 Punjaub, Dr. Wolff visits it, 13. 
 
 Persen, a Roman Catholic priest, anec- 
 dote of him, 478. 
 
 Queen of Greece, author presented to, 
 long conversation with, 83. 
 
 Rabbi Solomon Hirschel, interview of 
 
 Dr. McCaul with, 325. 
 Rafitak, desert station, 216. 
 
 Rajab, servant to Colonel Stoddart, 
 
 accompanies Dr. Wolff to Mowr, 
 
 but afraid to proceed to Bokhara, 
 
 192 ; leaves Dr. Wolff at Mowr, 217. 
 Raphael Wald, an Abyssinian chief, 
 
 Dr. Wolff gave him Testaments, 35. 
 Rawlinson, Major, anecdote of, 310. 
 Rechabites,author's residence amongst, 
 
 at Sanaa, 42. 
 Redhouse, Mr., dragoman to the Porte, 
 
 author of a Turkish dictionary and 
 
 grammar, 460. 
 
 Reese, his great talents, 323. 
 Resa Imaum, patron saint at Meshed, 
 
 pilgrims at his tomb, 9 ; poisoned by 
 
 Haroun Rashid, 386. 
 Riley, Captain, the best Arabic scholar 
 
 in India, 14. 
 Robinson Crusoe, how highly prized 
 
 by the Arabs, 66. 
 Russia, Emperor of, refuses a present 
 
 from the Ameer after death of Co- 
 
 nolly and Stoddart, 295 ; commerce 
 
 of, with Khiva and Bokhara, 349. 
 Russians, possibility of their invading 
 
 India, through Turkistaun, Bokhara, 
 
 and Cashmeer, 206. 
 
 Sailer, J. M., Roman Catholic bishop, 
 
 2. 
 Saleh Muhammed, the Akhund Zadeh, 
 
 states to government what he had 
 
 heard but not what he had seen, 54 ; 
 
 Dr. Wolff disputes his accuracy, 58 ; 
 
 his statement negatived by a mer- 
 chant, 135 ; interview with Dr. Wolff, 
 
 175 ; his information derived from a 
 
 single person, 183. 
 Samarcand, its situation, buildings and 
 
 population, 261. 
 Samut Khan, a Persian, mistaken for 
 
 Colonel Stoddart, 211. 
 Sanaa, description of the Jews of this 
 
 place, 28 ; of the Imaum, 43 ; of the 
 
 chief rabbi Alkaree, 43. 
 Sanjah, Sultan, his riches, 381. 
 Sarakhs in Turkistaun, etymology of 
 
 name, 9. 
 Sarog Ameer, his folly, 217 ; Dr. 
 
 Wolff's joke on him, 305. 
 Scandername, a Persian work, detailing 
 
 the adventures of Alexander, 333. 
 Schauffler, American missionary, sent 
 
 to America at Dr. Wolff's expense, 
 
 89. 
 Schlegel, Friedrich, a converted Jew, 
 
 his high literary reputation, 321. 
 Schlegel, Mdme., a converted Jewess, 
 
 881.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 511 
 
 Sefaweya, dynasty, 166. 
 
 Serkerdeha, Usbeck chiefs, 260. 
 
 Service Book, comprising the divine 
 and holy eucharistical services of 
 John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, 
 and Gregory Dialogus (alias Theo- 
 logos) namely, for the sanctified. 
 Moreover, the orders for all the or- 
 dinations ; the office of the marriage 
 vow and crowning ; the office of the 
 lesser purification, and portion of the 
 communion, and other necessary 
 prayers for the chief priests, 477. 
 
 Shah of Persia, author's interview with, 
 419 ; and his autograph, 420. 
 
 Shahr Islam, the capital of Afrasiab, 
 368. 
 
 Shahr Sabz, town of, description of, 
 367. 
 
 Shakers, folly of this sect, 47. 
 
 Shamyl Beyk, a chief of Daghistaun, 
 anecdote of, 440. 
 
 Sheahs and Sunnees, distinction be- 
 tween the two, 439. 
 
 Sheer AH Khan, King of Khokand, his 
 message to Dr. Wolff, 300. 
 
 Sheil, Col., his reception of the author 
 at Teheraun, 152 ; character of, in 
 official capacity, 162 ; his shabby 
 present to the Ameer of Bokhara, 
 209 ; distant manner, 213. 
 
 Sheuram, Brahmin, his theology, 16. 
 
 Simeon, Rev. Charles, teaches Dr. 
 Wolff theology, 3. 
 
 Simha, Rabbi Pinehas Ben, converted 
 by Dr. Wolff to Christianity, 11. 
 
 Simon Stylites, preaches to thousands 
 of Arabs, 15. 
 
 Singh, Serdar Hung, his reception of 
 Dr. Wolff, 13. 
 
 Singh, Runjeet, Dr. Wolff dismissed by 
 him with handsome presents, 14. 
 
 Sinope, birth place of Diogenes, 469. 
 
 St. Simonians, absurdities of the sect 
 of, 28 ; their immorality censured by 
 the Turks, 32. 
 
 Stauros, J., his work, 31. 
 
 Stoddart, Colonel, sent on a direct 
 mission from government to Bo- 
 khara, 53. 
 
 Stolberg, F. L. Count of, his accom- 
 plishments, 2. 
 
 Tabari, Persian work, presented by 
 the Ameer to Dr. Wolff, 333. 
 
 Tamerlane, or Timur the Kurikan, 
 stories of among the Turkomauns, 
 his life, 361 ; tents pitched at every 
 siege, 376. 
 
 Teemur Nameh, a Persian MS., 12. 
 
 Tekha, Turkomauii tribe, 381. 
 
 Tekla Haymanot, the great saint of 
 Abyssinia, tradition concerning, 30. 
 
 Todd, Mr., anecdote of him, 447. 
 
 Todderweis, a German, erroneously 
 supposed to have been executed at 
 Bokhara, 257. 
 
 Turkomauns, origin and manners of, 
 10 ; character of those of the desert 
 of Mowr, 197 ; proposal of the Tur- 
 komaun chiefs to author to war upon 
 king of Bokhara, 199 ; their account 
 of Timur, 215 ; of Nadir Shah, 216 ; 
 extraordinary power of smelling, 
 359 ; their bad conduct, 383. 
 
 Trebizond, character of Pacha of, reli- 
 gion of inhabitants of, 110. 
 
 Usbecks in Usbekistaun, character and 
 manners, 299. 
 
 Utsh-Kelesea, convent at this placo, 
 130; further description, 451 ; con- 
 versation with the superior, 454. 
 
 Valsaint, monks of, their flagellation, ?>. 
 Veith, Emanuel, a converted Jew, his 
 
 history, 319 ; selection from his 
 
 poetry, 320. 
 Veith, Philip, a converted Jew, his 
 
 gallant conduct in battle, 322. 
 Virgin, same sense given to Isaiah vii. 
 
 14, by the Jews of Bokhara, which 
 
 the Christians assign to this word, 1 1 . 
 
 Wahabites, their belief, 44 ; horse- 
 whips the author at Khamees, 44. 
 
 Weilersbach, in Bavaria, native place 
 of Dr. Wolff, 81. 
 
 Wolff, Dr., his early life, education by 
 eminent Romanist divines, 2 ; con- 
 version to the Church of England 
 at Cambridge, 3 ; his missionary 
 travels at different periods, 3 ; in- 
 tercourse with Armenians and Yc- 
 seedee, 4 ; conference with Jews, 
 Guebres, and other Eastern sects, a ; 
 robbers of Khorassaun, 6 ; their 
 treatment of the author and his 
 caravan, 6 ; atrocities of Muham- 
 med Izhak Khan, 7 ; origin of the 
 Jews of Khorassaun, 7 ; author's 
 release from the robbers, 8 ; inter- 
 view with Muhammed Izhak Khan, 
 8 ; Jewish Suffees of Meshed, 8 ; 
 interview with his Highness Ab- 
 bas Mirza, 9 ; origin and manners
 
 512 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 of the Turkomauns, 10 ; author en- 
 ters Bokhara, 10 ; number and state 
 of the Jews there, 11 ; goes on to 
 Balkh, Muzaur, and Cabool, 12 ; 
 Peshawr, physiognomy, customs of 
 the tribes of, 12 ; enters the Pun- 
 jaub in 1832, 13 ; goes to Loodiana 
 and Simlah, 14 ; passes into Cash- 
 meer, 15 ; conversations with the 
 Mullahs and Brahmins of, 16 ; fana- 
 ticism of the Koran, 16 ; author 
 leaves Cashmeer for Delhi, 17 ; con- 
 troversy with the Grand Mullah 
 Muhammed Izhak, 18 ; meets Lieu- 
 tenant Conolly at Cawnpore, 19 ; 
 goes to Lucknow, is presented to 
 the King of Oude, 20 ; disputations 
 with the Mullahs before the king, 
 20 ; passes on to Benares, Calcutta, 
 and Hyderabad, 21-23 ; is seized 
 with cholera, course of remedies, 
 23 ; goes to Madras, lectures there 
 and at Palamcottah, 24 ; visits the 
 Jews at Cochin, 25 ; goes to Goa, 
 state of Christianity there, 25 ; con- 
 verses with the Jews at Poonah, 26 ; 
 reaches Bombay, visits a celebrated 
 Fakeer, 26 ; passes to Mocha, 27 ; 
 description of the town of Jiddah, 
 raving St. Simonians, 28 ; embarks 
 for England, 29 ; revisits Cairo and 
 the monastery of Mount Horeb, 30 ; 
 proceeds to Suez, 31 ; traditions of 
 Greek priests, 32 ; revisits Jiddah, 
 St. Simonians, 32 ; Mosawah, 33 ; 
 author's reception at Zaasega, 33 ; 
 visits Adwah and Axum, 36 ; argu- 
 ment at Confoodah concerning the 
 coming of Elijah, 38 ; sects among 
 different nations outwardly profess- 
 ing one religion and inwardly an- 
 other, 39 ; interview with Ibrahim 
 Pasha at Hodeyda in Yemen, 40 ; 
 goes among inhabitants of Saneef, 
 41 ; dwells with the children of Re- 
 chab at Sanaa, 42 ; description of 
 Sanaa, 42 ; visited by Mose Joseph 
 Alkaree, rabbi of the Jews of Ye- 
 men, 43 ; horsewhipped by the Wa- 
 habites at Kamees, 44 ; sails for 
 New York from Bombay, 45 ; au- 
 thor's opinion concerning origin of 
 American Indians, 46 ; converses 
 with Indians at New York, 46 ; re- 
 turns to England, is ordained, be- 
 comes incumbent of Linthwaite, 49 ; 
 takes the curacy of High Hoylaud, 
 51 ; writes letter in Morning Herald 
 to the officers of the British army 
 proposing to proceed to Bokhara, 
 
 52 ; has interview with Captain 
 Grover, 53 ; his letter to Captain 
 Grover from Bruges, 54 ; utility 
 of author's mission proved by re- 
 sult, 60 ; formation of the Stod- 
 dart and Conolly committee, 61 ; 
 letter to author from Lieutenant 
 Vincent Eyre, 61 ; from Lieutenant 
 Colonel Napier, 64 ; author appears 
 before Committee in London, 70 ; 
 before public meeting in Hanover- 
 square Rooms, 70 ; states at full 
 length his reasons for anticipating 
 success, 70 ; sets sail for Gibraltar 
 in October 1843, 74 ; lands at Gib- 
 raltar, visits Sir Robert Wilson, 75 ; 
 reaches Malta, 77 ; interview with 
 governor, 77 ; with Admiral Sir Ed- 
 ward Owen, 77 ; with Bishop of 
 Gibraltar, Dr. Tomlinson, 78 ; with 
 Mr. Frere, 79 ; proceeds to Athens, 
 80 ; is presented to King Otho, 81 ; 
 conversation with his majesty, 82 ; 
 introduced to the Queen of Greece, 
 83 ; arrives at Constantinople, 87 ; 
 dines with Sir Stratford Canning, 
 89 ; sees Admiral Walker, of Turk- 
 ish fleet, 90 ; conflicting evidence 
 gathered at Constantinople respect- 
 ing the fate of Stoddart and Conolly, 
 91 ; documents requested of Pisani, 
 interpreter to British embassy, 93 ; 
 author dines with Count Sturmer, 
 the Austrian intemuucio, 94 ; lec- 
 tures in German upon reign of 
 Christ, 94 ; writes to Captain Gro- 
 ver, 95 ; receives letter from Count 
 Sturmer, 96 ; letter from Sultan to 
 Khan of Bokhara, 97 ; has interview 
 with Haje Muhammed Shereef, a 
 Sheikh from Bokhara at house of 
 Russian ambassador at Buyukdere, 
 101 ; presented to the Sheik Islam, 
 the first, mullah of the Mahometan 
 religion, 101 ; receives eight letters 
 of introduction from the Reis Ef- 
 fendi, 102 ; account of Ephrem Sy- 
 rus, 103 ; leaves Constantinople in 
 Austrian steamer the Metternich, 
 107 ; arrives at Trebizond, intro- 
 duced to the Pasha, 110; different 
 religions around Trebizond, 110 ; 
 proceeds to Gumush Khanee, its 
 inhabitants, 111 ; arrives at Bay- 
 boot, 112; thence to Kob, 113; 
 crosses the Western Euphrates at 
 Ashkaleh, 115 ; thence to Elijeh- 
 tebbe, 115; arrives at Erzroom, 116; 
 preaches and administers sacrament, 
 117 ; interview with the Pacha of
 
 INDEX. 
 
 513 
 
 Erzroom, 117 ; writes to Captain 
 Grover, 119; author's snow equip- 
 ment, 121 ; circulates letter among 
 the Mahometans of Persia, Khoras- 
 saun, Cashmeer, Affghanistaun, Bo- 
 khara, etc. 123 ; publishes address 
 to the Armenian nation, 126 ; pro- 
 ceeds from Erzroom to Tabreez, 127 ; 
 visits Muhammed Khan Kerahe in 
 prison, 133 ; finds out the falsehood 
 of Saleh Muhammed' s story to go- 
 vernment, 135 ; writes to Stoddart 
 and Conolly Committee, 138 ; jour- 
 ney from Tabreez to Teheraun, 146 ; 
 description of a kulagh or snow 
 storm, 147 ; information he receives 
 from Colonel Sheil, 153 ; receives 
 letters of recommendation from the 
 King of Persia and Count de Me- 
 dem, 154, 155 ; introduced by Colo- 
 nel Shiel to the Shah, 157 ; has 
 interview with Haje Mirza Agazee, 
 the prime minister, 160 ; with the 
 ambassador of the King of Khiva, 
 161 ; message sent by Colonel Sheil 
 to the Assaff-ood-Dowla respecting 
 Stoddart and Conolly, 161 ; account 
 of General Borowsky, 163 ; pro- 
 ceeds from Teheraun to Meshed, 
 167 ; to Semnan, 169 ; calls on 
 Prince Seif Ullah Mirza at Semnan, 
 169 ; description of Sharoot, change 
 of feeling towards the English in 
 Khorassaun, 170 ; delay in message 
 sent to the Ameer by the Assaff- 
 ood-Dowla, 172 ; interview with the 
 chief Sayids of Kadamgas, 174 ; 
 Mullah Muhammed Serraff, Colonel 
 Stoddart' s agent at Meshed, conver- 
 sation with him, 176 ; writes to the 
 King of Khiva and the Hazarah, 
 182 ; conversation with Haje Ibra- 
 him, brother of Abdul Samut Khan, 
 184 ; with Aga Abool Kasem, 185 ; 
 shawls of Colonel Stoddart in pos- 
 session of his agent, 186; interview 
 with the Assaff-ood-Dowla, viceroy 
 of Khorassaun, 187 ; measures taken 
 by him to ensure Dr. Wolff's safety 
 at Bokhara, 187 ; author writes let- 
 ter to Ameer of Bokhara, 191 ; in- 
 formation collected from caravan 
 arrived from Bokhara, 191 ; equivo- 
 cation of the Akhund Zadeh, 192 ; 
 trouble given to author by Dil Assa 
 Khan, 193 ; journey from Meshed 
 to Mowr, 194 ; English names now 
 well known in the desert of Mowr, 
 197 ; conversation with Derveesh 
 
 from Kashgar, 201 ; sends letter to 
 Captain Grover from Mowr, 202 ; 
 author's opinion of possibility of in- 
 vasion of India by Russians, 20(5 ; 
 of the too early abandonment of 
 Affghanistaun by the English, 207 ; 
 of the shabby presents sent by the 
 English authorities to Assaff-ood- 
 Dowla and King of Bokhara, 208 ; 
 writes from Mowr to philanthropists 
 of Europe, 214 ; arrives at Kalja, 
 215 ; alarm from Khivites, 217 ; 
 foolery of Ameer Sarog, 217 ; ras- 
 cally behaviour of Dil Assa Khan, 
 218 ; arrival at Jehaar Joo, four 
 wells, 220 ; visited by Jews from 
 Bokhara, who give author assurance 
 of death of Stoddart and Conolly, 
 222 ; has rooms assigned him at 
 Karakol by order of the Ameer, 
 alarm among his attendants, 223 ; 
 travels in full canonicals with Bible 
 in hand from Mowr to Bokhara, 
 226 ; entry into Bokhara, 228 ; re- 
 ception by population of, 228 ; pre- 
 sented to the king, his character and 
 life, 232 ; interrogated by the Shek- 
 hawl, 239 ; questions put to author 
 by the king's Makhram and Mirza, 
 243 ; carried before Abdul Samut 
 Khan, the Nayeb, 246; conversa- 
 tion with him, 246 ; documents from 
 Stoddart and Conolly produced by 
 the Nayeb, 252 ; Makhram sent to 
 him from the Ameer desiring to 
 know how the Christians prove the 
 truth of their religion, 261 ; desired 
 by the Ameer to write the life of 
 Mahomet, 262 ; approval of the work 
 by the Ameer and the Sheikh Islam, 
 
 275 ; day fixed by the Ameer for the 
 author's departure, delay, treachery, 
 276 ; treated well by the Ameer, 
 
 276 ; frequent questions sent to 
 author to answer by the king, 277 ; 
 names given him by the people and 
 the Ameer, ordered to be detained, 
 278 ; visited by Jews of Bokhara, 
 278 ; Makhram sent constantly with 
 questions relative to Europe, 279 ; 
 his answer concerning witchcraft in 
 England, 280 ; other questions put 
 personally by the king, 280 ; author's 
 visit to the Nayeb, 284 ; conversa- 
 tion relative to the permission to 
 depart, 285 ; his letter to Colonel 
 Sheil on receiving intelligence that 
 he was to be detained as long as the 
 Bokhara ambassador was detained 
 
 2 L
 
 514 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 in Persia, 285 ; conversed with Rus- 
 sian prisoners, 288; is assured by 
 officers of the Nayeb of their mas- 
 ter's treachery, 288 ; conversation 
 with the Nayeb upon a note signed 
 by Sir R. Shakespeare, 293 ; re- 
 ceives, by the Nayeb, permission to 
 depart in four 6fr five days, 294 ; or- 
 dered again to be strictly watched, 
 
 296 ; scene with Dil Assa Khan, 
 
 297 ; sends warning to Sheer Ali 
 Khan of the Ameer's design to sur- 
 prise Shahr Sabz, 300 ; relates the 
 history of Napoleon to some of the 
 Merve in eastern phraseology, 301 ; 
 relates witty and amusing stories to 
 his audience, 303 ; receives visit 
 from the Kazi Kelaun relative to 
 Stoddart and Conolly, 304; relates 
 anecdote of Frederick of Prussia, 
 305 ; jest upon Ameer Sarog's beard, 
 305 ; Affghauns call upon author, 
 their indignation against certain Bri- 
 tish officers, 309 ; author waits upon 
 the Persian ambassador, Abbas 
 Kouli Khan, upon his arrival, 312 ; 
 author has quarrel with the Nayeb, 
 313 ; carried to the house of the 
 Yawer, 314; ordered by the king to 
 go to the Toora Khane and stay 
 there with Abbas Kouli Khan, 316 ; 
 message sent to him by the Ameer, 
 316 ; sings Hebrew hymns and 
 songs to certain Jews of Bokhara, 
 318 ; gives them a history of several 
 converted Jews, 319 ; receives in- 
 formation that the king has just 
 given orders for his execution, 326 ; 
 gives Abdullah a sound beating, 
 331 ; questions about the English 
 sent to author from the Ameer, kind- 
 ness of Abbas Kouli Khan, 332 ; 
 reads Persian books and talks reli- 
 gion with him, 333 ; receives Lord 
 Ellenborough's letter from Abdul 
 Samut Khan, 335 ; precautions tak- 
 en by Abbas Kouli Khan to pre- 
 vent author from being secretly 
 murdered, 337 ; writes a letter to all 
 the monarchs of Europe, 337 ; and 
 to Captain Grover, 338 ; summoned 
 to turn Mussulman, visited by the 
 executioner, 340; receives, finally, 
 permission to depart upon Abbas 
 Kouli Khan's presenting a letter to 
 the Ameer from Muhammed Shah, 
 340 ; presents sent to him from the 
 Ameer, 342; summoned, with Ab- 
 bas Kouli Khan, to appear before 
 
 the king, 343 ; author's opinion of 
 the means England has of punish- 
 ing the Ameer of Bokhara, 345 ; 
 cavalcade accompanying the author 
 in his journey from Bokhara, 357 ; 
 conversation with a derveesh of 
 Yarkand, 358 ; author visited by 
 some Calmucks, 359 ; exposed to 
 danger from treachery on the road, 
 369 ; false alarm of the approach of 
 the Khivites, arrival at Mowr, 374 ; 
 author plays the madman to impose 
 upon the Turkomauns, 383 ; entry 
 into Meshed the Holy, 386 ; inter- 
 view with Hussein Khan, son of 
 Assaff-ood-Dowla, 393 ; visited by 
 Mirza Askeree, the Imaum Jumaa, 
 or chief of the mosque, 395 ; writes 
 an appeal to the Jews of Meshed, 
 397 ; author's computation of the 
 date of the execution of Stoddart 
 and Conolly, 400 ; his character of 
 Colonel Sheil, 402 ; disputation upon 
 subject of Christian missions to the 
 East, 405 ; argument with a Sooffee 
 concerning religion, 409 ; passes 
 through Shereef Abad, Kadamgah, 
 and Nishapore, 410 ; received as a 
 prophet by the inhabitants of Sabz- 
 awar, 411 ; interview with the 
 Comte de Sartiges, French Charge 
 d' Affairs at Teheraun, 416 ; civili- 
 lities shown the author by the Rus- 
 sian ambassador there, 417 ; inter- 
 view with the Shah of Persia, 419 ; 
 with the Haje, 424 ; his remarks on 
 Colonel Sheil's neglect, 426 ; seized 
 with illness on arrival at Tabreez, 
 431 ; introduced to the Prince Go- 
 vernor, Bahman Mirza, 432; jour- 
 ney to Erzroom, 450; encounters a 
 Kulagh, 450 ; Armenian convent of 
 Utsh Kelesea, 451 ; calls upon Ka- 
 mil, Pasha of Erzroom, 461 ; in qua- 
 rantine at Trebizond, 465 ; arrival 
 at Constantinople, 469 ; character 
 of Schauffier, the missionary, 473 ; 
 visits the Greek patriarch, 476 ; sails 
 to Malta, Gibraltar, and arrives at 
 Southampton, 480 ; his reception in 
 England, 480 ; returns thanks for 
 his preservation in Trinity Church, 
 Gray's Inn-road, 481 ; attends a 
 public meeting of the Stoddart and 
 Conolly Committee, 481 ; receives 
 communications from the Foreign 
 Office, 484 ; also from Colonel Sheil, 
 offering him a reward for discover- 
 ing the letter of the Governor-Gene-
 
 INDEX. 
 
 515 
 
 ral of India, 490 ; declines to receive 
 it, and complains to Foreign Office 
 of the insult, 492 ; receives a com- 
 munication on the subject of Gio- 
 vanni Orlando, 493 ; receives a liv- 
 ing from Colonel Michel, 496 ; re- 
 ceives communications from Sir 
 Claude M. Wade, detailing the vil- 
 lany of Abdul Samut Khan, 496- 
 499 ; author obtains from govern- 
 ment the 400 for Captain Grover, 
 which he pays to him, 500 ; his re- 
 marks on the bishopric of Jerusa- 
 lem, 501. 
 
 Williams, Colonel, his great kindness 
 to Dr. Wolff, 458. 
 
 Wilson, Dr., his efforts among the 
 Hindoo philosophers, 26. 
 
 Wilson, Sir R., Governor of Gibraltar, 
 75 ; his reception of Dr. Wolff, 75. 
 
 Wyburd, Lieutenant, his arrest and 
 execution by the Ameer of Bo- 
 khara, 486. 
 
 Xavier, Francis, his labours at Goa, 
 25. 
 
 Yar Muhammed Khan, vizier of king 
 of Herat, his life and crimes, 218 ; 
 his treachery to Dr. Wolff, 276 ; 
 Colonel Stoddart kicks him down 
 stairs, 277. 
 
 Yemen, heat of the climate of; Chris- 
 tianity and Mahometanism in, 40. 
 
 Yeseedee, worshippers of the devil, 
 singular rite of, 4. 
 
 Yohannan, Mar, Chaldean bishop, his 
 conversation with Dr. Wolff, 156 ; 
 calls on him on his return from Bo- 
 khara at Tabreez, 442. 
 
 Youssuf Khan executed at Bokhara, 
 212. 
 
 Youssuf Szeye, anAffghaun tribe, 12. 
 
 Zaasega, arrival of Dr. Wolff at, 33.
 
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