grounds by the novelty of these "grave lamentations." The women were apparently the principal mourners, and children have I seen in seeming agonies, whilst the young Moslem, occupied with the Koran, was reading aloud from its inspiring pages. I like these associations from the living to the dead, it reminds me of the idea of our great poet:

"Each soul

That ever animated human clay

Now wakes, is on the wing."

36

CHAPTER IV.

THE EVENING SALAAM.

Ir is customary for the Persian monarchs to show themselves twice a-day to their subjects at a public audience, where they hold what may be termed a "court of common pleas," for redress of grievances, pronouncing judgment, &c., such as "off with his head"-" cut out his tongue," or some such other summary mandate, which is always as summarily executed. The sovereign is supposed to witness these executions, and during my stay at Tehran, a culprit was suspended by the legs from two poles, and literally cut in halves by the henchman in the royal presence.

This mode of punishment is common in Persia,

and it is called the "shekeh," and is performed by the chief executioner, a most important officer, and always near his majesty's person.

They sometimes adopt the ancient mode of executions, said to have been first tried upon "Bessus," the murderer of Darius-that of having two young trees brought together by main strength at their summits, and then fastened with cords. The culprit being brought out, and his legs tied with ropes at the top of the trees, the cords which fasten them together are then cut, and by the power and elasticity of their spring the body of the culprit is immediately torn asunder, and the different parts are left attached to each tree separately.*

The ceremony of the "salaam" was much more simple than I thought could comport with the dignity of the "cousin of the sun and moon." Nor were the people attracted to it very numerous. The raw-looking troops formed a large circle near the "Nagaristan," or palace of his majesty's summer

• Other modes of punishment in Persia savour equally of the barbarous ages. Scooping out the eyes is a very ancient practice. Mutilating the limbs, and boring the nose and tongue with an awl, are some of the signs of the royal displeasure; also blowing from the mouth of a mortar, beheading, and the bow-string.

residence, environed with a small park of artillery. Then the "Nokareh kaneh," or royal band—and such music!" enough to split the ears of the groundlings"-what with the drums, dulcimers, &c.; but the leading instruments were ram's horns, attached to long poles, through which the men "blew wind and cracked their cheeks," producing every imaginable discord-which, however, seemed the music of the spheres to the Persians.

Standing on the tip-toe of impatience, and looking round on this prospect of novelty, I had time to notice the sundry groups which were stationed within the "mujlis," or assembly, amongst whom were some of the "shah zadehs," or princes of the blood royal, the "hakeem bashi," or chief physician, the "ameen u doulut," or finance minister, Abul Hassan Khan, a regular Falstaff, who has been twice in England as ambassador from the court of Tehran, and is admirably sketched by Mr. Morier in his history of " Hadji Baba," whose extraordinary adventures, by the bye, are very descriptive of the precariousness of royal favour in Persia.

In the centre of the "mujlis" was placed a plain English chair, destined as the imperial seat of jus

tice. This was the great centre of attraction, and as the different groups stood around it, they assumed the profoundest gravity, like a corps of mandarins waiting the imperial nod, "to nod again." There is a quiet bearing in the Persian mobility which I have never seen in any other-a sort of respectful terror, if I may so say, at the approach of majesty; they have a religious respect for their sovereigns, whom they call "Kebleh Alum," or asylum of the world. They are thus taught by Saadi, who says of him, "Even if all should be vice in thy slave, any vice approved of by the prince becomes a virtue; he who does not think with the sovereign washes his hand in his own blood." "If the king should say, in broad day it is night, it is necessary to exclaim immediately, behold the moon and stars." His subjects may be said, therefore, to live on the breath, and are dependent on the will, of "his most despotic majesty."

Some half hour passed subject to this oriental discipline, when, as by the wand of enchantment, the scene was changed by the slow and majestic approach of Futtee Ali Shah, and, by one simultaneous movement, every head was bowed with