Teheran, Persia, 14 Oct., 1863

My Dear Mo,
 
A Mail arrived here yesterday from Bushire, but not a line for me from anyone in India - are you aware that a Steamer leaves Bombay with letters etc. for Karrachee and the Persian Gulf  twice every month?; after arrival of mails a courier is despatched immediately up to this -- so do write as often as you can.

You are by this aware that I left London on the 8 August for Teheran, in company with Mr. Walton, a Mr. Hoeltzer (a German from Siemens, Halske & Co) and a Persian servant belonging to Captain Champain, the Persian ran awav back to his master from Cologne - so we have got rid of him. Our route was via Calais - Brussels - Cologne - Berlin - Konigsberg - St. Petersburg - Nigni - the Volga calling at Astracan - the Caspian - Enzelli - Rescht - Casvin - and Teheran. We stopped at Brussels - 2 days - and did Waterloo, at Cologne, the Cathedral, and slightly the Rhine -- at Berlin we were a week stopped at a swell Hotel du Nord, and everything - our detention was due to the necessity of getting authority to go through the disturbed part of Russia -- on a/c of Polish rebellion - with our guns - also having to tel. and wait for answers about the blessed Persian servant, who we thought was murdered etc. etc. At St. Petersburg we were 10 days; there we were obliged to stop as the Volga Steamer only went twice a month. At Moscow we remained two days - and at Nigni we caught our vessel.  At every place we enjoyed ourselves. Brussels is a very clean city -- Cologne nothing but the Cathedral, Suspension, and Rhine the latter at Cologne is a humbug - Berlin, lots to see, pictures, Statues, principally; St. Petersburg a wonderful city – beautiful statues - fine galleries - regular Cremorne - Emperor's Summer Palaces - Cronstadt etc. - we stopped at an English boarding house kept by a Miss Benson - very jolly - about 15/- a day. After we received our Order from Russian and English Consuls at Berlin for passage of our Guns, the blessed Russians seized them at the Polish frontier, not liking the cuts of our jibs - and we have not yet got them back, though we are promised by the bigwigs to have them sent after us; at Moscow (all this time we travel by rail) - we saw the Emperor's palace - the big bell Kremlin - and went to Sparrow Hill to look down upon the city - and drink tea, everybody swigs tea all day in Russia - looked at the way old Napoleon went into Moscow, went to Cremorne there, etc, etc. - at Higni the Volga is joined - here we begin Steamers, fine vessels very swift, River in Places grand -- time taken to the Caspian, about, 9 days. To Enzelli where we land, 3, - we have to change vessels 3 times, as the river vessels do not go to sea - every night nearly we go to anchor, and at Sea did so also, as it blew hard. We coast along - now for Terra Firma - after lending we go over a sandbank, cross a lake and up a narrow stream to Pera Bazaar, a dirty hole. There we take horse for our baggage and ourselves - this 6 miles to Rescht is awful, particularly in wet weather. Such a mass of Mud, I have never waded through before. There is nothing like it in Jamaica. Fancy nothing but steps of deep mud. At Rescht (Persia) we slept a night at the English Vice-Consul's - took post-horses and went Express, Walton and I, Hoeltzer bringing up the baggage. From Rescht to Teheran is 200 miles; good: we rode it in under 4 days - changed horses every 25 miles; at first country forest and rich vegetation; lots of Tigers; Pheasants; Partridges; then an immense chain of mountain for 2 days; we were constantly going up mountains and also going down into Valleys, crossing rivers, and getting wet, all over, - climate cool scenery very grand. After clearing these mountains we came upon a plain - mountains running up on each side; the plain has occasionally very pretty slopes of trees - cultivation here and there - not at a11 bad country - fruit and vegetables about -- Grapes and all European fruit and vegetables abound - apples and pears excellent - grapes the finest in the world. We put up at the Dhurmsallahi. Not at all good - sometimes beastly. At last, 53 days' journey from London we sight the chief down of Persia. Teheran is not half a bad place - the Bazaar is very fine - a brick vaulted building. T he Houses occupied by Europeans - always a garden with a fishpond .............. [the rest is missing]