Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-06-28
PERSIAN POLITRNEss.
The shah n Troublesome Quest
New Notions OF Etiquette.

W. II. Russelps Berlin lettor In N. Y. Times.l
But in spite Of his jewels aAd external
splendor, the Shah Is, according 10 Eu
ropean notions, a savage in many re-
spects-proud, willful, sensual and arbi
trary. II punctuality be the polite
ness Of princes, as Il is said 10 be, the
Shah would in consequence Of his utter
indifference 10 engagements, be one OF
the most ill-mannered men in the world.
He kept the parade at Potsdam, ordered
by the kaiser, waiting a couple Of hours.
He kept the Queen for half an hour at
the railway station waiting for him. He
would not 20 to breakfast when il was
announced, at the time OF invitation,
but walked about in the garden, and
then, seeing an arbor which pleased him,
desired 10 have his breakfast brought
there. When he sat at dinner yesterday
he put his fingers in his plate and ate
with them. and if he came on piece Of
some dish he did not like, he took il ont
of his mouth and threw il down-not on
the ground, but on the Queens EN-
press dress. II free from the more
horrid vices attributed to Persians by
travellers, he is quite without shame or
scruple in his disregard Of what is
called morality by Christians and good
Mussulmans came home from Pots
dam in the same carriage with some Of
bis suite-vory fine gentlemen as far as
their lace and clothing went-but with
all the frivolity and arrogance Of igno-
rant and uneducated men. Their
talk was Of their cwn prowress and Of
clothes; how they could ride better than
any people in the world, because they
could back horse from the desert and
ride him, whereas Europeans rode only
horses which we're already broken ina
Prussian officer dryly remarked: "The
difference is that we direct the course of
our horses, and that your horses follow
their own" They all spoke French, and
the Shah in-Shah knows it much better
than he would be thought to do from his
mode of speaking it, as when he is quite
at his ease he can talk it pretty fluently.
But he is not much at his ease with Eu-
ropean barbarians, and it is ludicrous to
see him standing alone in a crowd with
a clear space around him and no one to
talk to, for he balances first on one leg
and then on the other, like hen on a
hot griddle," and does not know what to
do with them or his hands. When he
turns his back and the spectator calmly
surveys his exterior, freed from the dis
tracing influence of his diamonds, the
Shah does not present an imposing ap-
pearance. / admit that the backs of
most people fail to impress one, but his
majesty's tailor has rendered his re-
vers quite abnormally ridiculous by
making his frock-coat with multitude
of fine plaits, like those of Highland
er's kilt or of lady of Queen Bess time,
over the hips and so all round. His face
is seldom animated, and there is some
thing incongruous in the position of his
respectable gold spectacles, as a la
Theirs, on his aquiline nose, under a
Persian cap, and, over all these, dia-
monds. Before l close, as an illustra-
ton of their character, which in some
respects is the same as that of their
ancestors, | may mention that they told
some Prussians that the campaign in
1856 was in their favor. The reason
they gave was curious. The British
retired from Persia-that showed they
were beaten. Had they been victorious,
they would have remained" But the
Shah signed treaty granting all the
British demands and apologizing for the
offenses committed by his people.
f" Yes, that may be so, but it was not be-
cause we were obliged to do it," They
made some appeals to the enormous old
colonel Of police, who is famous for the
rigidity of his manners and the severity
with which he guards the morals of the
city, to relax his code in their favor, and
were not at all successful. The Shah
has, however, some reason for thinking
that the high tone of the police director
is not maintained uniformly, for he has
as | think told you already, added to
the number of his wives here, if report
be true, and espoused a girl of fifteen,
whom he saw by accident and inmedi-
ately proposed to by representa-
ton to her mother, which that good lady
accepted, as there was a provision made
for her daughters future in Persia.
There has been some trouble in teaching
the Shah and his followers that women
are to be treated with respect, even
though they go about with their faces
uncovered; and one of the most useful
lessons they will carry back from Eu-
rope is that which will teach them to
their wives their equals, and
not their slaves-if they learn it. There
IS a great I" if, for they do not at all ap-
,royo of III thav COO hare