The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-10-04 00:00:00

.FIRST REPORT.

ThelonMottos of this Society is so rttest, sod the &des-
tine and liberality /tribe Bejaia sad Irish satffneif have Wes
so estirely absorbed by the existing desires* is 'related, that
the materials foe the First Keport of your Committee must
be limited to the foam:llion and objects of tie lociety itself,
to the tegolytiosis adopted by your Committee for their pro-
(pedlar., sod to the List of Notations, width, is the coo.
diet of woriorrous chains 'tis public charily, oisasing but the
slimy sesesee of the okeeseity sad utility of such au lost..
.scion could at this seeps have produced. At soy period of
the hististy nf leetss.l„ Ike eaistomeof • Society soidug the
labours rad the talents, Of English sod Irish gentlest., is in Ibis
beserulent cause, aud steadily sod permasestty occupied in
studyikg the inteiests, its' rellevisg the waists, sod is ins.
proving the rooditios of•tbe Irish pamoiry, would ham
bees a valmailg acquisitive to both cosistriesi but, to as
obvious suck tirdiaary advantages, the opportionity will sort
be added of miticatiug sane of the cosseque•res of the pre.
stilt distress, and of eusirthstiug to obviate ibe Vecurresee
or obis mai anal salsesity.
It is, i islet'', evident to all, who es the state of Ire.
lard, that one orate beet substitutes fur the residtom of her
Nubility and Grotty, may be foss.: in the vigainst este the
disinterested liberality, the tonstsol and stmt. Muslim,
which a Society funned us the primipks which we bore
adopted, may direct to the rider of the sufferings, mid to the
improvemest of the habits of her rosemary.
The Gentles's* of Irelaud, who are compelled by attn.
oily to taw*, themselves from their ratite tosislty, may by
the •pplicao io• of their.ksowledge, their iodosiry,and thew In.
Is Herne* to the °Meets atlas, Society, afford some esisipeo-
@alien to the pout of 'reload for the evils oftbeir sissedidable
absence.

If it were requisite to accomobite erromewie is t of
this lostitotion, the sea miaow* a say system of Poor-
rates I. Ireland, together with the total waist of any resident
[catty throughout eitensive tracts of toont0„ might fairly
be said to create oe the part of the Irish pour • peculiar
claim to the aseiseastee of Societies, loch as we are at present
occupied in eetablisitiog.
Your Commiller.are salamis not to merit the impufelios
of holding out magoilimat promisee of the good to be ef-
fected'by this, as yet, infitat Society; bet deem it to be
their duty batty to state mote of the lendierpeduts, to
which, in their opiation, the 'Heade)s of the Society may be
directeJ with rentals and immediate effect, and which would
he directly conducive to the attainment of 'heir object—fAe
asseuding the condition of the Poor as Ireland.
It is in extensive sod a Noble field of beseveleoresertion,
in which the rilfret of attention &one moot be ineakulably
beneficial; is which the greatest quantity of good may he
accomplished by means •pperroily escossiderable; and in
which but little hos as yet bee. attempted—out from any
ice-
sensibility to the esi Pp I t ig evils, but from the wood of that
combination, and of those resettlices, which your Cuintoiftee
ardently hope, will be supplied Sy the socceerful istabliste.
meat of this Society.
Your Committee limit their views to the lower classes he
Ireland; for though they casout be ignorant of the peculiar
sufferings of the Irish Poor to Eniskod, yet ehr a they con-
eider the numerous charities, by which in tbiiopuleat come.
try their sufferings are atitigateet; sod 'bat, by coetribaling
to raise the level of the pour is belied, trey nay diesioish
the is crier resulting to both cooateles bum their migration
hat° England, your Committee feellestilled it recommend.
lag this limitutiow to the anal judgateut of the Society.
By euestautlybeliprog in their view the causes of lie main
distiortioas between ihe'condaiee of the Eugliih sad the
lash Pi ',miry, your tothinistee have been induced to be.
here, that we may be enabled to dilicover Ad to pursue the
be.t memos uf attaining our propdeed object. The sopersority
the mural habits of the former has sheave bees conside.id
the most striking of 'brie Jistiocelons. To Morgeeeral dib
fusion, and to the strength of Mote habit., aid sot to say
physical differences, we bay be permitted to asenbe the
truth, sfilictiug to the heart of every Melanin, that they pre-
seat a contras" ro the blab Peasantry in the eujoyemais and
qu slides of a tranquil sod happy oucinstmity.
If, thrrefuee, this Society shall be euabkd to ileums, the
means of sedit•trites employment to the Irish pour • if it
can helium them to act more' frequently oarthe priple of
entstation. which hoe effected such material improvemeale
in the conelitiou of the English peasaatry ; if Wean in say
degree inspire Melt aitb a nate fur the comforts, she smiler
sod cleanly half'', of ale' English peasant, your Committee
will vesture to ape, that the social happloese, and the Mi..
lily to the Sidle of the Irish prams' may be greatly in-
creased, without say detriamot to hie original and admitted
virtues.
Frum theie principles it would main, that the feeds of the
Society might be usefully applied it; the'6rst iota/nice;
To the distribution of Piraifems by the resident Clergy,
or
Gentry, to the l'eesaatedistiogelehed by their industry, by
the maiumenoce of large families ie iadostriuss babas, by
the careful coltivatiou of their plot of ironed sad earths.,
by the superior ovalness and clemloaess of ilnir permute and
rabies;
Y. Tithe oeceeimel-ead gratuitous publication of such
practical isfoomptios as may be hest adapted to impedes the
condition of the Mak peasantry in their domestic comforte,
in the comtructiou of their cabins, is the impleencits of eget-
'kultural labour.
When the existence of the Society has hire We longer
duration, massy other stream will be discovered to promote
the success of' its propound object; and wiles that object
has bee. (friendly mederatteed, your Committee do out eater-
tans a &NW, that it will speedily acquire the character of a
pernissiot and a flourishing establishment. be the list of
uames'which we are already enabled to renal' to the public
as.Patenne and Sobseribees of this domination, they will feel
that a very sullicieut guarantee is offered to them for the
honest and useful applications of their (etude—such, in truth,
is the nature of our object, that it directly sod forcibly ap-
peals out only to the best feelings of huisautty, but to all
the coulee calculations of itrierest—the effect of Charity so
employed is palpable and immediate; the coorequeloces of
their exertion are certain sad dellutte.
The degraded condition of the Irish poor is sot now a
novel or a disputed questiou ; in raising their station in
society, and in improving their babas, every Eaglislimen
feels thaehe isemotribotiog directly to the wealth mid to the
prosperity nf Etighted. He feels IVO, that it is doe to the
character of his country to make some alaseurest to 'reload
for the neglect and the injustice apart centuries.
To the Irish landlord, the success of this Society most be
an object of •persomil and heartfelt society; for it offers to
him 'hematite, is the failure of his was resuureuk of tholi•
meeting the Imppinem, and of dismal/hist the vice% of those
from whose labour alone he drawee the soured of his 1111Milii
sod of his conoquence.
He well knows that it is meanly is describe the ethane.
tee, this to exaggerate the miseries of his poorer samotey;
and be hot daily opportemities of feeling, that im their babas
of caber, of piece, sod of noilostry, the lasppiseee and the
tramethiy of his owe existence, materially deemed.
Bat whatever may be the extent of the Nods carded in
fortbentece of the cause which this Society has andertekm,
your Committee menet boasts to express their orioles,
that a great geed 101 bate beta muted for Ireland, sad for

• Tbe Cesisittee are at Frescos occupied is determining
the eatese cud elijecle of the realism t• be dishabille!.

PERSIA 111 MINIATVRS.

CiIIIRACTER OP THE PERSIANS.

The following extract presents a fair pitture of
the inhabitants of this ancient kingdom. considered
with reference to their intellectual qualities, and this
very circumstance serves to give • deeper shade to
the gloomy prospect exhibited in their moral dia.
racier :

" lu delineating the character of the Persians,
we can scarcely have a better guide than Chardin,
whose lung residence, and whose intercourse with
the great, enabled him to make himself intimately
acquainted with tl►e charac.er of the nation. rather
than with that of the lower classes, the number of
whose vices is increased by want of education. The
Persians are pre-eminent for intellectual qualities ;
their moral character exhibits a cotnpound of the
moat odious defects. They have a sound under-
standing, a quick intaginution, a ready memory.
and a happy capacity for the sciences and the liberal
and mechanical arts. Under the appearance of ■
proud indifference, they derive information from
the society of foreigners, and profit by their know.
ledge; they receive them kindly, patronize them.
tolerate their religion, and regard them with pity
rather than contempt. 'ln illness and affliction they
even solicit the prayers of Infidels. but this may
proceed fiom superstition rather than from to-
leration.

" In conversation the Persians affect elegant !lan-
guage. and are feud of introducing quotation' from
the works of their best poets, such as Saadi,
Hafts, and Djami. This love of quotation is com-
mon alike to persons of distinction and to the dregs
of the people, because those who have received no
education. and cannot even read and write, take
advantage of the readiness and retentiveness of their
memory to‘lerrn by heart r great number of strik-
ing passages, which they omit no opportunity of
bringing forward. They are also very clever at
irony sod punning.
"Endowed with a supple and intriguing disposi-
tion, they have agreeable manners and ext►eme
politeness, but this politeness is little better than a
jargon of biglillown compliments and hyperbolic
expressions. equally destitute of sense and feeling ;
hence it is, no doubt, that they have been deno-
minated the French of Asia.
_ _

" Mr. Morier gives several examples of this pro-
pensity of the Persians to flattery, hyperbole, slid
exaggeration. When the British Embassy reached
Shim, the Vizir of the Prince Governor, attended
by most of the principal men of the city, came out
to meet the Ambassador. When the usual routine
of first compliments had been gone through, and
repeated over and 'over again, fhe Minister placed
himself on one side of the Ambassador, while the
mshmondar, as officer appointed to attend distin-
guished stratigers, mud who acts as commissary,
guard, and guide, was on the other. The Meh.
msndur said to the Minister, ' How well the Elaine
(Ambassador) talks Persian?' Well !' cried
tht Minister, '‘ he talks it admirably—he is supe-
rior to any Monad,. We have never yet seen such
an Elshee—none so accomplished, none so clever,
none so learned.' To all this there was a chorus
around of • Belli, be/li, Belli.' The Mitaistir
then turned to • person on the other side of hien, and
said loud enough, and expreoily for the Aisibmiador
to hear, Did you e eeeee e any one so charming as the
so much better than all the other Elahres.'
The Ambassador, in praising the climate of Shirai',
observed, ' It is so fine, that I should have thou6ht
mankind never died here, had I not seen those
tombstones,' pointing to some which he was just
passing. • Wonderful ! wonderful?' exclaimed
the Mehmundur. ' DA you hear that !' br roared
out to the Minister. ' What a wit is the Elalsee."
He then repeated the joke to the Minister, who
cried out ' Wonderful ! wonderful !' as did all
the others. However impertinent this cost of bare-
faced flattery may appear to Europeans, in as
eyes of the Poston* the omission of it would be a
neglect of the common forms of politeness. Mr.
Monet was once present when the Prime Minister
gave instructions to a man who was sent to greet a
Russian officer on his arrival, and his principal ins
jut • tioti was, 'Be sure you give him plenty of
Battery.' They know, however, the real valne of
it, as well as we, for at the same time lie turned
round to our countryman, rind said, You know it
is necessary reesk-kkinditla bektitteent.' to laugh at his
braid, or, in other worth., to itiontrug him. Among
themselves they practise the same sort of deceit;
and though they are iii genetsl aware of the value
of the praise they receive, yet it does not fail to
stimulate their vanity, which, as far back as
Ilerclotus, aripesis to have been a national vice—
for lie sa)s, • they esteem themselves the most ex-
cellent of mankind'

" lo the embassy of Sir Harford Jones—we quote
the words of the same traveller—l once witnessed
the introdecti:sto of one Persian to another, the
principal Mitza of the embassy to the Chief Jewel-
ler. • What !' said the latter, •is this the re-
nowned A•ge Meer, that learned, that ingenious
man, that ransom' penman ?' and then went
through such ■ rapid enumeration of virtues. qua-
lifies, personal cha ttttt , and family di►tinctions.
that the Mirza at fir►t appeared quite overwhelmed;
but by little and little he recovered, and returned
so brisk • fire of compliments as almost to MIIIIIIII-
- Ilse jeweller.
•• I have repeatedly heard them compliment a
person,' observes Mr. Scott Waring • either in
Isis IleArlogs or in the presence of some one who
would convey this adulation to his ease; slid the
instant that he has departed, their praises have
been turned into abuse, and they have, with
emus pirsmire, exposed the character which not a
moment before they praised with f t servility.'
•• I recollect,' says the same writer, • the Sheili
at Beshise remonstrating against the rapacity of
Chirsy Ali Khan, the Governor of Shiraz, whets he
was informed of the arrival of his principal Secre-
tary. He began by inquiring after the Governor's
betelth, and when he was told that he had quitted
the city, he readily observed, that now Shiraz was
worthless, and that it had lost the only ornament it
possessed.' This spirit of exaggeration and insin-
cerity is not confined to their personal intercourse
with one another ; it insinuates itself into public
affairs as well as into the !nimbler relations between
man and man.

" Passionately fond of plenum and luxury. and
voluptuous to excess, the Persians ore unboundedly
prodigal. H•nce they acquire merely to expend :

'with there the enjoymrit of the present tidy it every
Thing, and the morrow belongs to God.
" A Persian will never blaspheme the e•me of
God, but he will invoke him without occasion.
He will one moment ptdr►ounce that sacred name
with the same lips which the next are pouring forth
the grossest obscenities; he will punctually recite
his prayers; he will purify himself several time•
•-day; he will avoid all corporeal' containiustmo„
the contact of a person of a different religion, or
the admix•inn of such • person into his house in
rainy weather, since the wet from his clothes would
render impure whatever it touched, whether person
or furniture—but lie will bear false witness for the
sake of filthy lucre ; he will borrow without return-
log, or even deny his debt ; lie will seize every or"
port unity of cheating ; he will be destitute of biit_
cerity in the service of his friend, of fidelity in his
engagements, and of honesty in trade : in short,
while lie outwardly r shams the bark of all the ►in-
tues, the sap of vice will circulate through all lus
wimps.

4‘ From these different traits we may conclude
that the society of tire Persians is agreeable, if
the connexion between the parties is diviiiterested;
but we must not expect from them either sincere
friendship, strict integrity, or refined delicacy.--
'Nudge from the Guebres, the relics of the ancient
Persians, they were originally a coarse-looking peo-
ple ; but their blood has siuce been refined by the
intermixture with that of Georgia and Omani..
There are few Persians of quality wk., are not sprung
from women or 'hose naviolls; and ■s this intermix-
ture has been practised for several centuries, both
sexes have been greatly improved by it. The men
are tall and well proportioned, vigorous, active, end
comely. The women, without being qualified in
vie with those of Georgia in beauty, are in general
handsome it, face and figure."