** The cuts at pages 24 and 332 are from paintings by Colonel D'Arcy, in the possession of Major George Willock. The author feels much pleasure that, through the kindness of

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these gentlemen, he is enabled to present his young readers with pictures of so much interest, and of subjects which have not before been represented in any engravings.

It may be desirable to add that in the engraving, "The Interior of a Persian Cottage," the women on their knees are in the act of making bread, at one of those oven-pits described in pages 34-39. In the other engraving, the little slave-girl, who enters the room at the door opposite the lady, is bringing in the kaleon, for smoking tobacco through water, which has been noticed in page 176. The other details of these instructive pictures do not appear to need explanation, or are sufficiently explained in the present volume.