of
observing the manners and customs of the Kurds. What she saw by no means
prepossessed her in their favour; the women were idle, ignorant, and
squalid; the men worked as little and robbed as much as they could. The
Kurds practise polygamy; their religion is simply the practice of a few
formalities which repetition renders meaningless. The costume of the
wealthier is absolutely Oriental, but that of the common people differs
in some particulars. The men wear wide linen trousers, and over them a
shirt confined round the waist by a girdle, with a sleeveless woollen
jacket made of stuff of only a hand's-breadth, sewed together. Instead
of white trousers some affect brown, but these are by no means
picturesque; they look like sacks with two holes for the insertion of
the feet--the said feet being encased in red or yellow leather boots,
with huge iron heels; or in shoes of coarse white wool, adorned with
three tassels. The turban is the universal head-covering.

The women don loose trousers, and red or yellow iron-heeled boots, like
those of the men; but over all they throw a long blue garment, which, if
not tucked up under the girdle, would depend some inches below the
ankles. A large blue shawl descends below the knee. Round their heads
they twist black shawls, turban-wise, or they wear the red fez, with a
small silk handkerchief wound about it; and on the top of this, a kind
of wreath made of short black fringe, worn like a diadem, but leaving
the forehead free. The hair falls in narrow braids over the shoulders,
and from the turban droops a heavy silver chain. As a head-dress it is
remarkably effective; and it is only just to say that it frequently sets
off really handsome faces, with fine features and glowing eyes.

In the course of her wanderings through the wild highlands of Persia,
Madame Pfeiffer came to Urumiyeh, on the borders of the salt lake of
that name, which, in some of its physical features, closely resembles
the Dead Sea. Urumiyeh is a place of some celebrity, for it gave birth
to Zaravusthra (or Zoroaster), the preacher of a creed of considerable
moral purity, which still claims a large number of adherents in Asia.
Entering a more fertile country, she reached Tabriz in safety, and
rejoiced to find herself again within the influence of law and order.
Tabriz, the residence of a viceroy, is a handsomely built town, with
numerous silk and leather manufactories; it is reputed to be one of the
chief seats of A