The author, after two years on furlough in England, decided to return to India “via the Caucasus and Persia, with an off-chance of getting a peep at the Russian railway beyond the Caspian” (p. 3). Le Messurier travelled via Georgia to Baku and on to Bokhara; he returned to Baku and travelled south through Persia to Bushire. During the journey, he gained important intelligence regarding Russian activities, and his printed account was presented to the Viceroy of India, Lord Dufferin, before publication.