also remember to what country the writer belonged; because when travellers make comparisons they generally take the comparison from their own country rather than from any other.

Another cause of the wrong notions we get about cities in the East, is because we forget that the descriptions of splendour which we find in old travels and in real Eastern tales, do not so much apply to the outside as to the inside of the houses and buildings. When we read so much about ivory, gold, and marble, we cannot help thinking how grand the city must be! But when we read the description more carefully, we find that all this marble, ivory and gold is in the inside of the buildings; we may then indeed, unless we know better, think that the splendour of the outside, as in Europe, must have some proportion to that of the inside. But in, thinking so we should be greatly mistaken. A city may have within its buildings all the splendour which travels and tales describe, while you can see nothing in the streets but filth and meanness.

Frank. I don't very well understand.
Jane. But I do! You see, Frank-

U. O. Well: you will understand it well

enough presently. You know there are a great number of tales which relate to the East, and profess to be written by natives of the East. Some of these are really translated from the works of Eastern authors, while others are only imitations. Are you aware that I have told you something which may enable you to find out whether a tale that you are reading is really from the East or not?

H. Perhaps, Sir, you mean that when a tale describes the outside view of an eastern city to be rich and grand, the tale cannot be true.

U. O. True is not the right word. We should say, not Eastern, not authentic, not written by those who are said to write it. The tale might not be true, even though it really came from the East.

H. And I must consider the tale to be good for nothing when I find that it really did not come from the East?

U. O. Not so. The tale may be far more instructive than one that is really from the East; and in professing to come from thence it may not intend to deceive. But young people may be deceived in this matter; and in the chief value of tales that are really Eastern is, that

they instruct us in the manners and character of the people, it is desirable that we should know whether the tale which we are reading may, in this respect, be relied upon or not.

There is another cause which has done much to reduce the cities of Persia, in particular, from their ancient importance. That is the continual civil wars by which the country has been distracted for the two last centuries. Peace is necessary to the real welfare of a country, and the prosperity of its cities. But Persia has had no peace.

F. What did they fight among themselves about?

U. O. Generally because different persons wished to be king and they divided the country into parties which fought against each other. Only very lately two princes were in this way fighting for the crown in Persia; but till then the country had about forty years of comparative peace at home, and therefore it prospered, although in that time it had several unfortunate foreign wars.

Now I will tell you what the towns and villages of Persia really are, as they appeared to me in my travels and first for the towns :

I think the cities of Persia are much less like ours in every respect, than even the people of Persia are like ourselves. In fact I cannot recollect a single point of resemblance between a European and a Persian town, except that they are equally the dwelling places of men. What in England is a sign that you are getting into the country, is in Persia a sign that you are approaching a town: - that is, that is, the appearance of trees. I have already mentioned that trees are exceedingly scarce in Persia. It is very rare, indeed, to meet with a single tree in the open country. But the Persians are very fond of

trees.

O. Perhaps they are the fonder of them on account of their rarity.

U. O. I suppose so. And being so fond of them they plant them in great numbers within and on the outside of their towns. So a Persian town, when you see it at a distance, looks like a wood, and you cannot discover the least appearance of a town.

J. Ah, uncle, do you not know that the way to find a town is to look for the smoke. Won't the smoke go up higher than the tops of the trees?

U. O. If there were any smoke, it would. But my little Jane must know that there is no smoke over a Persian town, and this is one of the things which makes a difference between them and our own.

F. Have they no fires then?

U. O. Of course they have fires to cook their victuals, and to warm their rooms when it is winter. But they generally use charcoal, which makes no smoke; and, altogether, they are very sparing in the use of fires; one reason for which must be the difficulty and expense of procuring fuel, where wood is so scarce.

H. But still, Sir, could you not tell that you were getting near a city, by seeing the number of villages and country seats near them, and by the roads being better, and the hedges more neatly clipped than usual?

F. And could you not tell that you were near a city by seeing the steeples and high buildings rising above the trees?

J. And could you not tell that you were near a city by seeing a great number of people going to and fro upon the roads, and people driving about in carriages, and riding on horse-back for an airing or for business?