proceed in haste to Sarab in Azerbaeejan; his army being totally defeated, and his camp equipage falling into the possession of the Shah. The news of this victory had the best effect throughout Persia, as it discouraged men from taking part in any schemes of rebellion which may have been entertained. The Shah entered Kasveen in triumph, and thanked the citizens for their devotion to his cause. That city, celebrated as being the birthplace of Lokman, stands on a broad plain, about ninety miles to the west of Tehran, and dates its origin from an early period in the history of the nations. It was the point to which the Emperor Heraclius penetrated in his third expedition into Persia. It was the capital of the earlier Shahs of the house of Sefi, and in connection with that name it has been immortalized in the page of Milton.[1]
For services rendered in the battle at Kasveen, the Shah appointed his brother to be governor of the province of Fars. As this was the most important post in the kingdom, it may be thought not out of place to give at this point a short account of the province in question. Sheeraz, the capital city of Fars, is situated towards the centre of a narrow, fertile plain, shut in by mountains on the north-east and south-west,[2] The circumference of its walls is about three and a half miles. They are surrounded by a wide ditch, partly filled from underground springs and from ruinous canals; the water having no outlet, stagnates round the city,—a circum-
