I was told these and other things by a very trustworthy person, and they may serve to give my readers some slight idea of the system of government in Persia.

I was presented to the viceroy a few days after my arrival.  I was conducted one afternoon by Dr. Cassolani to one of the royal summer-houses.  The house was situated in a small garden, which was surrounded by another larger one, both enclosed by very high walls.  In the outer garden there were, besides meadows and fruit trees, nothing deserving of much notice, except a number of tents, in which the military were encamped.  The soldiers wore the usual Persian dress, with the single exception that the officers on duty had a sword, and the soldiers a musket.  They only appear in uniform on the most rare occasions, and then they are, in some respects, like European soldiers.

Several eunuchs received us at the entrance of the small garden.  They conducted us to an unpretending looking house, one story high, at the end of a field of flowers.  I should never have looked for the country seat of the successor to the Persian throne in this house; but such it was.  At the narrow entrance of the little house were two small flights of stairs, one of which led to the reception-room of the viceroy, the other to that of his wife.  The doctor entered the former and several female slaves took me to the viceroy’s wife.  When I reached the top of the stairs, I took off my shoes, and entered a small, comfortable room, the walls of which consisted almost entirely of windows.  The viceroy’s wife, who was only fifteen years of age, sat upon a plain easy chair, not far from her stood a middle-aged woman, the duenna of the harem, and an easy chair was placed for me opposite the princess.

I was fortunate enough to be remarkably well received.  Dr. Cassolani had described me as an authoress, adding that I intended to publish the experiences of my journey.  The princess inquired whether I should mention her also, and when she was answered in the affirmative, she determined to show herself in full dress, in order to give me an idea of the gorgeous and costly dress of her country.

The young princess wore trousers of thick silk, which were so full of plaits that they stood out stiff, like the hooped petticoats of our good old times.  These trousers are from twenty to five and twenty yards wide, and reach down to the ankle.  The upper part of the body was covered as far as the hips by a bodice, which, however, did not fit close to the body.  The sleeves were long and narrow.  The corset resembled that of the time of the hooped petticoats; it was made of thick silk, richly and tastefully embroidered round the corners with coloured silk and gold.  A very short white silk chemise was to be seen under the corset.  On her head she wore a three-cornered white kerchief, extending in front round the face, and fastened under the chin; behind, it fell down as far as the shoulders.  This kerchief was also very handsomely embroidered with gold and silk.  The jewellery consisted of precious stones and pearls of great purity and size; but they had not much effect, as they were not set in gold, but simply perforated and strung upon a gold thread, which was fastened above the head kerchief, and came down under the chin.