{279} I had picked up enough of the language between here and Mosul
to understand this much.
{287} Mela is the name of the Indian religious festivals at which
thousands of people assemble. The missionaries frequently travel
hundreds of miles to them in order to preach to the people.
{305} Tradition says that the country about Erivan is that part of
the earth which was first of all peopled. Noah and his family dwelt
here, both before and after the deluge; the Garden of Eden is also
said to have been situated here. Erivan was formerly called Terva,
and was the chief city of Armenia. Not far from Erivan lies the
chief sacred relic of the Armenian Christians - the cloister Ecs-
miazim. The church is simple in construction; the pillars, seventy-
three feet high, consist of blocks of stone joined together. In the
Treasury were, formerly, two of the nails with which Christ was
crucified, the lance with which he was stabbed in the side, and,
lastly, a seamless garment of Christ. It is asserted that in the
centre of the church is the spot where Noah, after his delivery,
erected an altar and offered sacrifice. Besides these, the church
is in the possession of innumerable important relics.
{308} This is carried to such an extent that if a traveller has his
horses already put to, and is in the carriage, and an officer
arrives, the horses are taken off and given to the latter.
