Much favourable notice is made in our Memoranda relating to Browne, the
African traveller, and many interesting conversations appear to have
taken place on the subject of what he had actually observed, as well as
of the expeditions which he meditated. He had the enthusiasm of visiting
remote and less known regions so strong upon him, that the wonder is,
he should so long remain at home after his return from Africa, however
tedious, perilous, and painful, his residence at Darfour must necessarily
have been.
No man, by his personal manners and appearance, his gravity, firmness,
good sense, and judgment, appears to have been better qualified for
undertakings of the kind. His demeanour was precisely that of a Turk of
the better order. He conversed slowly and sparingly, never descended to
familiarity, observed each and all of the company as if with jealousy and
suspicion. But when this wore off, and intimacy was established, he was
exceedingly communicative, and readily discussed the subjects about which
he was most anxious, and best qualified, to impart information.
After much and long deliberation upon the subject, he finally determined
upon the expedition, in the prosecution of which he lost his life.
He proceeded by Malta to Smyrna, and from thence through Asia Minor,
Amassya, Tokat and Armenia to Tebriz. At this place he remained a few
weeks, expecting the arrival of the English Ambassador from Hamadan, the
ancient Ecbatana. He lived with Sir G. O. some time at Tebriz, who gave
him letters to Naserraddin Mirza, son of Beg Ján, King of Boccara, and to
Ahmed Ali Mirza, the King of Persia’s son, the governor of Khorasan, and
residing at Meshhed.
The Ambassador, moreover, procured him passports and letters from the
King of Persia and his ministers, and a _Mehmander_, who would have been
responsible for his life and property, as far as the Persian dominions
extend. His impatience, however, to proceed, induced him to leave the
king’s camp some hours before his Mehmander was ready, and being in a
Turkish dress, and not known to be an Englishman, he was murdered by
some wandering tribe of Kurds or Turkomans, near the Kaflán Kúh or Tiger
Mountain, after having crossed the river Kezel Ouzan, which separates
Azerbarján (Atropatera) from Irak.
He had no English attendant, but whilst he remained in Persia, kept one
groom and one valet, both Persians, and had two or three horses.
He left no papers or memoranda behind him when he departed from Tebriz,
but a few dispersed fragments were collected at the spot where the body
was found.
He often avowed his intention of publishing his travels to Bokhara and
Samarkand, and he purposed, had it been practicable, to return by the
northern end of the Caspian sea, as he was to have gone by the southern
end of it. The Ambassador made such representations to the King of
Persia, that both he and his son Abbas Mirza took the greatest pains to
discover the assassins.
Mr. B. was in appearance and indeed in fact, one of the most reserved men
in the world—cold, cautious, and wary; and yet, in this last journey, he
was so impatient to proceed, that he not only refused to wait for the
escort, which the Ambassador undertook to provide for him, but he made a
display of the gold which was to enable him to accomplish his purpose.
This last fact, though strongly asserted, is so incompatible with his
general habits and character, that it may well excite a suspicion of its
accuracy. True it certainly is, that the same morning brought to England
the news of his safe arrival at Tabriz, on his way to Kurdistan, and of
his being murdered by the very band, who undertook to be his guides and
protectors.
The intelligence of his death came to England through Somnerat, the
celebrated French traveller. It is, however, to be hoped, that as some
of his papers remain in private hands, the public will have, sooner or
later, the benefit of his observations, as far as he was actually able to
proceed.
The annotations relating to Browne, in our manuscript, conclude with a
paragraph, in which serious regret is expressed, at his scepticism with
respect to religious subjects. Indeed he appears to have been an avowed
disciple of the school of Volney, and the other miscreant writers of that
stamp.
He has deformed and defaced his otherwise valuable publications, with
some passages so bad as not to be transcribed, and some remarks which he
has inserted on education, prove that he had adopted many of the wildest
absurdities of the modern French philosophy.
The following particulars concerning the latter part of the life
of Browne, are added by him who revised and has superintended the
publication of these volumes.
His intention, as above stated, was to proceed from Tebriz to Khorasan,
to the governor of which place he had the strongest recommendations from
the English ambassador, then resident at Tebriz with the Persian monarch.
This of itself being a distance of nearly a thousand miles, through a
barbarous country, was an adventure sufficiently arduous to have deterred
any other individual, of a less persevering and determined character.
From Khorasan he purposed nevertheless to make his way to Samarcand, and
thence to Turkistan, an undertaking which even to the best informed among
the natives, appeared to be full of difficulty, as well as danger.
Sir Gore Ouseley, with the greatest kindness and promptitude, undertook
to procure him the protection of a Mahmendar, an officer of the King,
under whose escort, as far as Chorasan, he not only would have had
personal security, but horses and provisions every where at his command,
at the expence of the Persian government.
There was, however, some little delay in the equipment of this officer
appointed to attend him, occasioned partly by the tardiness of the man
himself, and partly by the negociation then near a conclusion between the
courts of Russia and Persia, which necessarily occupied a considerable
portion of the ambassador’s time.
Browne accordingly became impatient, and left Tebriz with two attendants
only, directing the Mahmendar to follow him. This officer having
received his instructions, and apprehensive of the English Ambassador’s
resentment, lost no time in his endeavour to overtake the traveller. Most
unfortunately he found him within forty miles of the Persian Monarch’s
camp, barbarously murdered. Plunder does not appear to have been the
object, as Mr. Browne’s papers, pistols, and effects, were recovered, and
placed in the hands of Sir Gore Ouseley. His money, of which he had not a
great deal, was certainly seized by his servant. But in all probability,
he owed his death not so much to any improper display of his property,
as to his invincible obstinacy with which he resisted all expostulation
and remonstrance, in always wearing the Turkish dress. Now it happens
that the Hordes, by some of whom Browne was murdered, entertain the most
deadly hatred and animosity against the Turks, for one of whom in all
probability he was mistaken.
Strict search was, however, made after his assassins, and a great number
of the inhabitants of the district, where he died, were apprehended, upon
whom the King of Persia, without any judicial proceeding, expressed to
the ambassador his determination of inflicting the summary punishment of
death. This, however, Sir Gore O. would not permit.
The surmise that he owed his death to the circumstance of his appearing
as a Turk, is somewhat confirmed by the fact, that within a few months
preceding this melancholy event, Sir William Ouseley, brother to the
ambassador, and who accompanied him in his mission, passed this very spot
without molestation.
It is a subject of the deepest regret, and a most serious loss to
literature, that Browne did not live to fulfil the object of his
expedition. How well qualified he was to increase our stores of
geographical information, his work on Africa sufficiently attested. Of
the countries which he meditated to visit, with the view of describing,
our information is very scanty as well as unsatisfactory. These were more
particularly the regions of Chorasan, Boccara, Samarcand, &c. concerning
which regions, our best books of geography communicate very little.
(_Further particulars from another hand._)
Notwithstanding all that has been said above, and the seeming attention
and assistance paid to the English Ambassador’s endeavours to discover
and punish Brown’s assassins, there is too much reason to apprehend that
he fell a victim to the jealousy of the Persian government. People in
those remote countries, and the Mahometans more particularly, have no
conception whatever of a person’s undertaking the perils and fatigues of
a long and distant journey, for the sake of intellectual or scientific
improvement only. They invariably attach jealousy and suspicion to such
a character wherever he appears, and impute to him, either political
motives, or the desire of gain. The regions to which Browne directed his
attention, were at the time in a very unquiet and unsettled state. The
Persian Sovereign considered his authority over them, as precarious and
insecure. The peace with Russia was not definitively concluded, and the
government might, not improbably, entertain a suspicion, that Browne’s
motive was political, and not the avowed one of curiosity alone. Several
subsequent incidents, circumstantially considered, very much tend to
corroborate the idea, that the Persian ministers were not entirely
innocent of the death of this unfortunate traveller.
In the first place, his arms were not touched; his gun, double-barrelled
pistols, and weapons were all preserved and carefully returned to the
English Ambassador. So also were his papers of every kind, and indeed
each article of his property, except his money, which it was generally
understood was seized by his servant and secretary.
In the next place, one of our artillery-men, who was stationed at
Ispahan, on some provocation he had received, neglect of pay, personal
affront, or some other cause of offence, abruptly left the place, and
undismayed by the danger and the distance, endeavoured to make his way
to Tebriz, where the Ambassador was then resident, in the court of the
Persian Monarch. He then proceeded in spite of every obstacle, nearly to
the spot where Browne was murdered, when he was stopped, as it should
seem, by some of the miscreants, who had imbrued their hands in the blood
of his countryman. They insisted upon his immediate return, which for a
long time he refused to do, till at length they told him that if he did
not, they would treat him as they did the Englishman the other day.
Browne, when at Tebriz, had lived at the house of Colonel D⸺, who
commanded the artillery sent to Persia from this country. This gentleman
was greatly affected at the news of Browne’s death, and determined,
if possible, to obtain his remains for burial. He accordingly availed
himself of the influence he possessed, and obtained from the Persian
ministers, the necessary mandate, that Browne’s remains should be
delivered to the Colonel’s messengers.
He employed for this purpose a trusty serjeant, who proceeded to the
spot. On producing the minister’s orders to the principal person of the
place, he was informed that the mandate was so peremptory, that it could
not be resisted, but at the risk of his head, and he would immediately
give the necessary directions for the bones to be collected. Much evasion
was nevertheless practised, and so much time lost, that the honest
serjeant became impatient, and declared that if what he came for was not
immediately produced, he would return without them. At this moment, two
men, with each a small burden, were seen approaching, who were declared
to have with them what was wanted.
They were delivered to the serjeant, who, as directed, rewarded the
parties, and hastened to return. The English gentlemen had intended to
come out in a body to meet the relics, had ordered a coffin covered with
black velvet to receive them, and intended to inter them with the usual
ceremonies of the church. But the serjeant had already returned, and
deposited the charge in the officer’s house. The surgeon of the British
establishment undertook to examine the bones, and arrange them, but on
closer inspection it appeared that a gross imposition had been practised.
There was indeed a part of a skull, but the other bones were certainly
not human, but belonged to some animal.
Since the above was written, information has been received, that a
gentleman, an intimate connection of the traveller, has obtained
possession of his papers, and of various documents relating to him and
his meditated journies. These are methodizing and preparing for the
press.
Qui demissi in obscuro vitam agunt, Pauci sciunt—fama atque
fortuna eorum pares sunt—qui in excelso ætatem agunt, eorum
facta cuncti mortales novere.