manuscripts so written are highly prized and
very difficult to be procured.

In addition to writing, the meerzas perform
other important services. They stand before
their master during his daily levee, and when
not engaged in writing, echo his oracular
sayings, or lead a chorus in doing it; which is made
up usually of a train of dependents that come to
make their bow to their superior, and give him
their selâm. I never understood the full import
of sycophancy until I witnessed it in these
Persian meerzas, most obsequiously nodding at
every word their master utters, and interposing
once or twice in the course of every sentence,
"Beyley" (to be sure), "Albetdeh" (of course).
To pronounce an opinion themselves, before
it had come from his lips, would be the height
of arrogance and presumption. The meerzas
have also in general the responsibility of
communicating intelligence to their master. If this
happens to be of an unpleasant nature, the
announcement of it is no welcome or easy task,
and must be palliated by all the rhetorical skill
which the practised sycophant can command.
On extraordinary occasions, men of the highest
rank, as well as the most celebrated for
eloquence, are employed for this purpose. When
the late war was concluded between Russia and
Persia, the heir apparent, who had the management
of the foreign relations of the country,
engaged to pay to the Russian government
several kroor of tomauns. I forget the number,
but believe the amount to have been nearly
two millions sterling, to induce that government
to recal its troops from Persia, and
accede to the conditions of peace. It was some
time a question who could go and report these
terms to the king, the impression being general,
that whoever should bear such tidings to his
majesty would lose his head on the spot. The
governor of Tabreez, a celebrated orator, was at
length appointed to the perilous service. He
approached the old Shah with all due courtesy
and ceremony, and told him that "he was
commissioned by his exalted son, the Naib-Sultan,
to propose to his majesty, the admiration of the
world, that he should throw out a trifle, say
perhaps two millions sterling or so, from his
inexhaustible treasury, to those poor miserable
hungry Russian infidels, and let them go home."
The herald was dismissed without harm or
disgrace, though the "inexhaustible treasury" was
soon emptied in meeting the demand. One
instalment, a fifth of the whole sum, remained
long unpaid, and the Russians held the fertile
district of Khoy in pledge as security for it.

Sometimes unwelcome intelligence is
announced to the king through the medium of
emblems, as well as by exalted personages.
Such was the case in communicating to the
Shah news of the death of his favourite brother,
Kahraman-Meerza. A painting was made
representing the deceased prince in as perfect
likeness as possible, in the habiliments of death.
This picture was carried by the English and
Russian ambassadors, and laid before the king,
not a word being spoken. It is said that the
Shah at once took the hint (he had heard of his
brother's illness before), that he swooned, and
was carried into his anderoon (harem), where he
remained, not appearing in public for three days.

The death of friends is often kept studiously
concealed by the meerzas and others from their
masters as long as possible. The governor
of Oroomiah once returned from a journey
three months after the death of a favourite
son. After being greeted on his arrival by
the rest of his family, he inquired for the
little boy, and a violent burst of grief from all
present was the first intimation he had that the
child was dead. On asking his meerza, who had
regularly written to him, and reported his family
as well, why he had not told him the truth?
the latter replied that he was reluctant to give
the bereaved father pain; and the benevolence
of his motives excused him for the concealment.
It is often very affecting to witness the efforts
in Persia to keep from sick friends the extent
of their danger. They are always assured that
they are in a fair way to recover, and are lulled
in security until the lamp of life actually
expires; when a scene of raving lamentations
ensues among the relatives and connexions that
proclaims with awful emphasis the entire absence
of that hope, which blunts the sting of death,
and sheds light and solace around the darkness
of the tomb.

Unbusiness-like as they are in every
transaction of life, vain, ostentatious, and lavish, yet
the Persian's love of money amounts almost to
a mania, and they resort to the oddest devices
to gratify it. Everything in Persia, even human
life, has a money value. The prince-governor
of Kermanshah got into a scrape, and a deputation
succeded, after much difficulty, in finding
their way to Tehran to complain of him. Fearing
the interest against him was too strong to
be trifled with, he sent fifteen thousand tomauns
as a bribe to the prime minister. The minister
put aside ten thousand for himself, and then
went with the remaining five thousand to the
king. "The governor of Kermanshah," said
the covetous old man to his sovereign, "has
sent five thousand tomauns here as a present,
two thousand for your majesty, two thousand
for me towards the expenses of the state, and a
thousand for my son, to whom he is indebted.
He is a poor man, however, and Kermanshah
is a poor government. So I have returned my
two thousand, and I have ordered my son to
return the money which has been repaid to him.
What! are the remaining two thousand for the
centre of the universe? Will your majesty not
send back your two thousand also?"

"Belli! belli!" (yes, yes!) said the king,
kindly, and the Sadr-azem got for himself the
whole fifteen thousand. He then caused the
deputation to be bastinadoed for making frivolous
complaints against the best of governors,
and dismissed them with a terrible countenance.
It would seem at first sight that he might have
appropriated the fifteen thousand tomauns without
any artifice at all; but this would not have
been in accordance with the peculiar genius of