The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-28 00:00:00

The Shah has presented to Her Majesty, and also
to the Prince of Wales, his portrait net in diamonds.

The Shah, through his Minister, on Monday f.,r-
warded to the Lord Mayor a letter of thanks for the
magnificent reception given him on Friday night last.
His Majesty records in the warmest t, rms the gratifica-
ion he experienced.

The Shah expressed especial gratification on learning
that direct telegraphic comniunication had been esta-
blished between Buckingham Palace and Teh :ran.
The whole of his suite are accommodated in Bucking.
ham Palace. The Grand Vizier and the principal
members of the suite communicate every day with
Teheran giving details of their journeyings, and for-
warding instructions regarding atfairs of State.
The Shah belongs, it seems, to the Turkish dynasty
of Kadjars who have seized power in Persia. and
bears with the Persian titles of " Shah " and " Shah-
inobah," whit h means " king " and "king of kings,"
the Mogul name of " " Khagan "or "Emperor." He
is one of that singular Tartar race which possesses not
only a wonderful degree of vitality and energy, but
admirable moral faculties and aptitude for polities,
and which has imposed sovereigns upon the three
greatest and most important Empires of Asia The
Emperor of China, the Shah of Persia, and the Sultan
of Turkey, may call themselves COIIALIS. The reign of
Nailer Ed-Din, the Shah, has been fertile in military
achievements. The Shah believes in his own lucky
star, has a warlike tendency, and is possessed by a
veritable mania for conquest. He has even assumed
the surname of " the victorious." He is generally
represented as intelligent, polite, amiable, and very
delicate in all his relations with those about him.

The continual intrr-marriages have, both in Turkey
and Persia, produced a very handsome race, especially
in the latter country. A half-sister of the Shah, and
c ,nsequently of the mixed blood. is thus described by
Lady Shell :—" She was really lovely--fair, with inde-
scribable eyes, and a figure only equall.d by some of
the chef d'oeuvres of Italian Art." But the Royal
Family of Persia have always been celrbra.ed for their
beauty. It is impossible to imagine young children
more beautiful than the Persian.

The Shah's Master of the Ceremonies in Chief
carries as one of the insignia of his office a baton worth
a considerable amount of ready money. It is of ivory,
studded thickly with diamonds, some of which are of
large size and exquisite purity.

When a lady is presented to the Shah he first looks
on the ground at her feet, then at his own feet, gene-
rally on one aide and rather over his shoulder, then
again at here, and at last gradually raises his eyes to
her face, when be assures her in French that he is
extremely happy to have made her acquaintance. It
is then the turn of the next lady, and the ceremony is
repeated in the same manner, but c ,ntersation there
is none. One of the gentlemen of the Court, who had
watched the Shah veil), cloeely, ezplained this pecu•
liarity of manner as arising from his never having been
azcustomed to see ladies unveiled in seciety, and thus
feeling shy and somewhat shocked.

Ladee generally take an interest in family mattets,
especially when they concern a remukable personage,
and a rather handsome man, like the Shah of Persia.
They may, perhaps, care tdbe reminded that Nesr-ed•
din is the son of Mohammed Shah, one of the 48 chil-
dren of the late Abbas Mina, eldest of the 265

children of Path All Shah, who died in 1834. He
himself in the happy father of six daughters and three
sons, all grown up or nearly so, though he is only forty
years of age, and they have already given him twelve
grandchildren.

The Shah's talismans are very numerous, exceed-
ing two hundred, and they are the most curious
part of his baggage. One is a gold star of five
points, and is en ',posed to have been onesessel
by the legendary Rnstem. It is called Merzonin,
and has the reputation of making conspirators im-
mediately confess. When the Shah's brother was
accused of treason some time since the star was shown
him, and terrified and overcome by remorse, be avowed
his iniquities. His confession was sfconree attributed
to its efficacy. He was banished. The next im•
portant talisman is a cube of amber, which fell from
heaven in Mahomet's time. It is supposed to render
the Shah invulnerable, and he wears it about his neck.
Another is • little box of gold, set in emeralds, and
blessed by the Prophet. It renders the Royal Family
Invisible as long as they are celibates. The Shah had,
however, numerous wives before it came into his pos-
session. Another is a diamond net in one of his
scimitars, whicb renders its possessor invincibl+, and
there is also a dagger with the same property, but it is
ordained that those who use it should perish by it. It
is, therefore, carefully kept shut up in a sandal-wood
box, on which is engraved a verse of the Koran.

A brief notice of the Shah and Persia, gleaned from offi-
cial documenla compiled by Mr. F. Martin, for the Stolen-
moons Year Book, will be of interest:—
His name is "Neared-din ;" born in 1829, being the
eldest son of Shah Mohammed, he succeeded to the
throne on the death of his father, Sept. 10, 1848. His
Majesty has two children, born in 1850 and 1853. The
Shah of Persia, by hie official title, "Shah-in Shah,"
is absolute ruler within his dominions, and master of
the liven and goods of all his subjects; he km the right
of designating his succeasor to the throne. The whole
revenue of the country being at thei *disposal, recent
Sovereigns of Persil, have been able to amass • large
private fortune. That of the present Shah is reported
to amount to four millions sterling, one-half repre-
sented by diamonds, the largest, the Derya-i-Non of
178 carats, and other prejous stones, forming the
Crown-jewels. The Shah is the fourth Sovereign of the
dynasty of the Kaajare, which took the possession of the
grown after &civil war. It t. within the power of the
Persian Monaich to alter or to overrule the existing
law of succession. All the laws of Persia are based on
the prec-pts of the Koran; and though the power of
the Shall is absolute, it is only no far as it is not opposed
to the accepted doctrines of the Mahometan religion.
the Shah is regarded as the Vicegerent of the Prophet
and it ices such that he claims implicit obedience. The
majority of the inhabitants of Persia are Mahomedans,
the total numbers of dissenters not amounting to more
than 74,000. The latter consist of Armenians,
Nestoriene, Jews, and Guebren or Pares-es. The
Armenian population is estimated at 4,660 families, in-
cluding both Protestants and Roman Catholics; the
Jews at 16.000 ; and the Guebren at 7,190. The Persian
priesthoo 1 consists of many orders. The Armneians
are tinder two bishops, one of them being Roman
Catholic. There is a wise tolerance exercised
towards Armenians and Nestorians, but not, it is paid,
towards Jews. Education is advancing in the upper
classes, and colleges supported by public funds are
established. During the reign of the present Shah the
revenue of Persia has increased. The receipts in 1868
were £1,744,664 in May, besides oayment in kind,
making the total revenue of £1,965,000. The income
is in excess of expenditure, and Persia has no national
debt. The balance due to Russia on account of the
expenses of the war concluded in 1828, amounting to
abont £200,000, was cancelled by the present Czar in
1456. The population of Persia is about 9,000,000 or
10,000,000.