Page:Frederic Shoberl - Persia.djvu/15

 viii continued to be the only authority on those subjects till the commencement of the present century, since which the assiduity bestowed by our countrymen on the study of the language and letters of Persia, our frequent intercourse with that country, the repeated embassies sent to its sovereign, and the travels, researches, and labours of an Ouseley, Malcolm, Morier, Kinnier, Scott, Waring and Porter, have furnished nearly as complete notions respecting the government, laws, manners, customs and character of the people of this empire, as we possess relative to those of any European nation.

The reader will naturally conclude that in the compilation of this volume, the valuable sources of information enumerated above, have not been overlooked. To Mr. Morier's truly interesting narratives of his two journeys, and the recent costly publication of Sir Robert Ker Porter, he professes to owe particular obligations. A correct portraiture of costume and character is given in the engravings, some of which are executed from original designs by Persian artists.