REMINISCENCES

OF A THREE YEARS'

RESIDENCE IN PERSIA.

CHAPTER I.

FUTTEE ALI SHAH.

THE late King of Persia is most gracefully introduced on the canvass of history by Mr. Morier, in his "Zhorab." I will fancy him seated on his "musnud" of royalty, bearing his "jika" of monarchy, and girded with the imperial girdle of despotism; which took place in October, 1798. The young prince was at Shiraz at the time of his uncle's death, from whence he was summoned by the Grand Vizier, Hadji Ibrahim, who took instant measures for his succession to the throne. Whether the many striking instances of the

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precarious fortunes of the princes of Persia-that devastating waste of life and eyes which had marked the reign of Agha Mahomed Shah-had harrowed the young prince's mind, or whether by nature he was endowed with a merciful disposition, which was his general characteristic, suffice it, that the quiet tenor of his reign was marked with the mildest despotism, of thirty-five years' duration; during which very long period (for Persia) order generally prevailed. Civilization followed in the train, and prosperity threw her broad mantle over Iran's thirsty soil, which had been before so stained with blood, so convulsed with strife, so disgraced by those horrid scenes, the recital of which is almost enough to "make the two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres," that she deserved to be blotted out of the map of nations.

His Majesty began his reign with some slight deviations, certainly, from that clemency and justice which I have endeavoured to establish for him; but this, for Persia, is thought nothing of; and there is one thing to be admitted, that in the then semi-barbarous state of the country, the ascent to the throne was generally through streams of blood. All competitors must be cut off, or so

mutilated as to render them incapable of holding the imperial diadem. The brother of the deceased Shah then lived, and had entered the lists of struggle for the empire. At this time the young King showed much personal courage, and his enemy was subdued, or rather was won over to surrender himself to his nephew, on his sacred oath that he would not put him to death. The oath was accepted, and he threw himself on the King's mercy. How did his Majesty observe his oath, and conscientiously, as he thought-that is, for a Persian conscience? He ordered the poor wretch to be shut up in a room, the doors and windows of which were bricked up, and there the King's uncle fell a prey to starvation, some part of the floor being found to have been dug up with his hands, seemingly to assuage the pangs of hunger.

It was also said of him that one of his first orders, on ascending the throne, was for the execution of twelve thousand rebels at Kasvine, and to have their heads rolled into the bazaars, of which they made a "kella minnar," or pillar of skulls, in

I know of no word in their language which signifies "conscience;" and if there be any, it must be of the most latitudinarian dimensions.

tending to impose respect on the people by this terrible example.

Another slight blot in the character of this royal "kajar," and I have done with the dark shades of the picture. The Grand Vizier of the late monarch, Hadji Ibrahim, had proved himself the devoted friend of the young King in many instances; he was the first to proclaim the new Shah, and to bow the knee before him. A powerful rival to Hadji poured into the royal ear the leprosy of jealousy against the minister, aided by a golden bribe, with a view to having him displaced, and his great wealth confiscated. Gratitude for the services of the faithful minister soon melted in the royal breast at the shrine of avarice-that prevailing curse in the Persian character. Some pretence was necessary to degrade and punish the minister. It was soon found, and the Shah, in his pretended ire, ordered his eyes to be

cut out.

Poor Hadji felt sensibly the ingratitude and injustice of the monarch, some expressions of which escaped him. The King, now in real ire, ordered his tongue to be cut out. This being done, the minister inveighed more loudly than ever against