he could rely, must, according to his own account, prove no very easy task; but this cautious and deliberate mode of inquiry is by no means to the taste of our travelier, who decides as confidently on the Persian character, morality, and manners, as if he had spent his life in the country. The faults of Mr Waring,, however, are the faults of youth: the abilities, of which we discover occasional traces in this work, will remain, after time has corrected the precipitate judgments and fastidious taste, which too frequently obscure its merits.

Those who have contemplated the state of society in modern Persia, through the medium of former travellers, will find little novelty in this work; and of a portion of that little we doubt the accuracy. In the pleasing, good-humoured, and unpretending narrative of Captain Franklin, they will find much more amusement. But many of his facts are questioned. That the environs. of Shiraz should have appeared delightful to Captain Franklin, as they are represented by the Persian muse, whilst to Mr Waring they seemed disagreeable, does not surprise us: de gustibus, &c. But the singular discrepancy regarding a physical fact, which required only observation, is calculated to excite surprise. Captain Franklin, speaking of the climate of Shiraz, informs us, 'The mornings and evenings are cool, but the rest of the day temperate. In summer, the thermometer seldom rises higher than 73° in the day, and at night generally falls to 62°.' Mr Waring has the following note. Captain Franklin mentions that the thermometer in summer is never more than 77°. I am sorry to differ from him; my thermometer I found to be correct, and, from daily observation, I am confident it was never under 90°.' We have some difficulty, however, in reconciling Mr Waring's observation with the following passage, written the day after he left Shiraz. The night was disagreeably cold; and I Í could not refrain from reflecting, that I had to prepare myself for the dust and heat of the Gurmsir. Thermometer 94°. This disagreeable coldness was not surely produced by an atmosphere heated to 90° of Fahrenheit.

Our readers are probably not unacquainted with the importance attached to the alliance of the court of Persia, by the present ruler of France. The repeated secret missions of the most intelligent and active agents in his employ, since the commencement of the present contests, sufficiently evince his anxiety on this point. The present object may probably be to incite the Persian monarch to attack the Russian possessions between the Euxine and Caspian; but there is reason to think, that, at one period, a design of a different nature actuated his ambition. This momentary interest, added to that laudable curiosity which

is

is at all times attracted to the fate of great and once powerful nations, induces us to insert a succinct account, collected from the publication before us, and other documents, of the most important events which have occurred in that country since the death of Nadir Shah in 1747.

On the death of that illustrious warrior, his descendants disputed the succession for a moment in the heart of the empire, whilst on its skirts arose two powerful monarchies which extinguished their contention, by extending their own boundaries till they met in the centre. The grandsons of Nadir returned to the obscurity of his father; and the descendants of that great monarch, whose name, only half a century ago, scattered dismay from the banks of the Euphrates to the shores of the Ganges, now earn a laborious subsistence in the humble occupation of grooms. Ahmed Khan, the Abdali, into whose hands fell the treasures of his master, founded at Cabul a dominion which he has transmitted to his descendants; at this day, his successor governs, in that city, the fair and fertile regions of Cabul, Multan, Casmir, and Sind in Hindustan ; whilst, in Persia, his jurisdiction extends over the provinces of Candahar and Khorasan. The empire, founded in the west by Kerim Khan, was not destined to be of so long duration. This officer was governor of Shiraz; and, on the death of his master, rendered himself independent in the province of Fars. A long and prosperous reign of thirty years established his power, and extended his authority over the whole of Persia, excepting that portion still possessed by the Abdallis. When M. Gmelin travelled in Persia by order of the Czarina; the empire of Kerim extended over Aserbijan, Masenderan, Asterabad, the cities of Tabriz, Hamdan, Tigrat, Shiraz, Ispahan, and Kerman, with all their dependencies; in short, it comprehended all the countries from the Gulph of Persia to the frontiers of Turkey. His administration was marked by the severity of military discipline, and the exercise of a rigorous justice. Shiraz, his capital, contains monuments of princely munificence erected by Kerim; amongst others, a bason half a mile in length, covered over like Exeter 'Change; and a mosque, of which the architecture is highly praised. He never assumed the title of king, contenting himself with the appellation of Vakil, or deputy. His death, in 1779, was the signal of new disturbances, of which we shall particularize those only which led to important consequences.

Whilst in the south the family of Kerim disputed the 'succession to the empire, the eunuch Aga Mohamed Khan, whom Kerim held in confinement in Shiraz, contrived to escape'; and flying to the north of Persia, where his relations held elevated

stations,

stations, subjected to his dominion the provinces bordering on the Caspian. The son of Kerim, his brother, and another relation, paid successively the forfeit of their ambition. Ali Morad, also related to the Vakeel, succeeded to their authority, and enjoyed for near five years the dominion of the southern provinces. His death, in 1784, paved the way for Jaffier Khan, a nephew of

Kerim.

Jaffier Khan reigned four years, a period filled with disorders, and marked by several rebellions. Notwithstanding his personal courage, success rarely attended his arms. Aga Mohamed, his most formidable rival, extended his power to the centre of Persia, and established the seat of his empire in Tahiran, where his successor still continues to reside. It was during this period that Captain Franklin visited Persia, who has furnished an account of his interview with Jaffier Khan: in the following year, 1788, that prince was assassinated by two of his officers.

Latif Ali Khan, fon of Jaffier Khan, found means to gain poffeffion of Shiraz, after various viciffitudes of fortune, and to eflablifh his authority over the province of Fars. The rest of Perfia, exclufive of the Abdalli poffeffions, had for fome time been fubjected to the controul of the eunuch Aga Mohamed Khan, who carried his arms into the only remaining poffeffion of the house of Kerim. His campaign of 1789, was diftinguifhed by a fignal victory and an unfuccefsful fiege; and, difappointed in his defign of making himself master of Shiraz, Aga Mohamed retraced his fteps to Tahiran, now the capital of Perfia. Latif Ali availed himself of his retreat to attempt the reduction of Kerman; but the defection of his confidential minifter, who poffeffed himself of Shiraz, in his master's abfence, and called in the aid of Aga Mohamed, completed the ruin of this young prince, worthy of a happier deftiny. This event occurred in the year 1790; but the heroic, though unhappy efforts of Latif Ali, procrastinated his fate till the year 1794. Now a folitary fugitive, and now at the head of a confiderable force, his activity and refolution spread alarm over the whole extent of the empire, till, taken prisoner on the capture of the city of Kerman, he was put to death by order of Aga Mohamed, in the 25th year of his age. In his perfon ter minated the short-lived dynafty established by Kerim Khan in Shiraz, in the year 1748.

Aga Mohamed now beheld all the provinces, which we have enumerated as conflituting the empire of Kerim, united under his fway. He died in the following year 1795, and his nephew, Fatah Ali Shah, quietly afcended the vacant throne. This prince, like his predeceffor, holds his court in the city of Tahiran, a city of confiderable fize,' fays Mr Waring, and now the capital of VOL. X. NO. 19. Perfia

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Perfia. It is fituate' (fituated) in a plain, and experiences equal feverity of heat and cold; it is about twelve marches to the Caspian, and little more to Ifpahan.' Our readers will find the modern capital of Perfia, in the maps of the accurate D'Anville, nearly equidiftant from the city of Cazvin, and the ruins of the farfamed Raï. Its pofition, according to the geographer, is much nearer to the Cafpian than to the city of Ifpahan. As a fpecimen of our author's ftyle, we infert his account of the present king of Perfia.

The prefent king of Perfia afcended the throne under a variety of advantages, which rarely occur in a country where the only claim to fovereignty depends upon the fword. At the time of his uncle's decease he was at Shiraz; upon this event he advanced towards Tahiran, and was fortunate enough to gain poffeffion of this important place. It was at this place where all the treasure of the empire was depofited, and the families of all the principal officers of the realm. He, by this means, fecured the affections of the foldiery, and the fidelity of all the principal officers of ftate. Haji Ibrahim, the moft confiderable and respectable perfon in the empire, declared himfelf in his favour; and it was chiefly owing to his exertion and influence, that the king met with fo little refiftance in the accomplishment of his wifhes.

Fatah Ali Shah, the present king, is about feven-and-twenty years of age; he is a Kejer, an inconfiderable tribe in the neighbourhood of Tahiran, and of no repute before the acceffion of Aga Mohamed Khan to the throne of Perfia. * Indeed, during the reign of Kerim Khan, they were in general difrepute, nothing being more common than the people of the bazar refufing to fell them any article, on the plea that they had nothing fit for a Kejer fufficiently bad and vile. † But now, owing to the very great partiality the king evinces for his tribe, they have become the most confiderable people in the kingdom; and the name of Kejer is detefted and feared in every part of the empire of Pera. All the refponfible trufts are conferred upon them and the prefent governor of Ifpahan, and of the diftrict of Irac, was elevated from his former situation of a feller of greens, to his present station, merely because he was a Kejer.

• The manners of the king are faid to be very dignified, though at the fame time very affable and prepoffeffing; and he is allowed to poffefs all the exterior accomplishments of a Perfian. In his perfon he is fuperior

to

* All great men have an illuftrious pedigree. It is faid the prime minifter, whom Nadir Shah feduced the unfortunate Tahmafp Shah to murder, was an ancestor of the prefent royal family. He was a name. fake, and a Kejer.

† Aga Mohamed Khan was a ftate prisoner during the reign of the Vakil Kerim Khan. Upon his acceffion to the throne, he dug up his body, and destroyed the grave of his illuftrious and lamented predeceffor.. I faw the tablet in one of the gardens.

to most men; and the immenfe length of his beard (a gift highly valued by the Perfians) is a perpetual theme of difcourfe and admiration. He has been engaged in no military enterprise, and, in confequence of this, the public opinion denies him the only Perfian virtue, courage. His annual expeditions towards Khorafan are made with the view of engaging the attention of his fubjects, and accuftoming his troops to the fatigues of actual fervice, but without the smalleft defign of attempting the reduction of that province. The greatest blemish in his character, is the murder of Haji Ibrahim, who had regarded him as a fon, and who had evinced for him the affection of a father. It is faid that the minifter used to take greater liberties than the extent of his fervices allowed; but I know of no excufe which can palliate fuch barbarous inhumanity.

The court of Tahiran is faid (by those who have had many opportunities of judging) to be very magnificent and fplendid, and in every refpect becoming the fovereign of an extenfive and flourishing empire. When the king receives any one in ftate, his fons, who are very numerous, ftand in a line from the throne; * his minifters and officers of state behind them; and in the avenues are perhaps more than two thoufand golami fhahis fumptuoufly clothed. The mafter of the ceremonies introduces the stranger; and every thing is conducted with the greatest decency and folemnity. Permiffion of being feated in the prefence of the king is only granted to embaffadors, and envoys of foreign ftates, and to, I believe, the Shaikh al Islam, as the chief priest of the Moflem religion. The king sometimes wears his regalia; and by allowing the rays of the fun to fall upon him, I have heard it was impoffible to behold him with any degree of steadinefs. His jewels are fuppofed to be fuperior to any potentate's in the world; indeed it would be furprising were it otherwife, as he has poffeffed himself of all the valuable jewels in his empire.

The king has now reigned above seven years; and were it poffible to form an opinion on the duration of a defpotic government, he has every profpect of reigning for a much longer period. His brother, Huffun Culi Khan, who twice threw off his allegiance, is now in a place of fanctuary, which, I believe, the king refpects more on account of the entreaties of his mother, than from any reverence he entertains for the place itself. He is, however, guarded with the ftricteft vigilance, and it is almost impoffible for him to effect his escape.

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• The

I have frequently heard the Perfians fay, that the king did not deferve the throne, because he had not won it by the fword. *His family amounts to above fifty, several of whom were born on the fame day.

I learnt, on my laft vifit to Bufhir, that his mother was dead. She was mother to both the brothers, and was exceffively fond of her youngest fon. By all accounts fhe was a woman of confiderable ability, and was highly refpected by all claffes of people.