New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-15

DrCdSt, 1851 n IOTIIlluuDlt lIlDlbooiOu nv"
be made upon the illustrious Eastern guest.
OF all things a great naval review was likely
TO Gil the royal bosom with terror and admi-
ration, and a great naval review at Spithead
was accordingly ordered. The comments of
The Times, on the day before the show. upon
the Drobable effect of the proposed display,
were amusing and suggestive. The readers OF
the great newspaper were cautioned In adj
vance to remember that the Shah was no
sailor. or to put it euphuistically, that Ills
"Maiesty could not he absolutely informed
"upon all points of the spectacle" Still he
could not but find the spectacle of twenty
iron-cIads all in row impressive. Yet even
The Times had nervous doubts, and hedged
after the following fashion: The truth is a
"nayy is TO Persian thing incomprehensi-
"ble. and whether the unknown will on this
"occasion be taken for the magnificent, or
"wbether it will fail in its effect, is more than
we can say.r Still there was good ground
for hoping for the best since :" the Persians
ARE shrewd people, singularly OBJ
servant and open to new ideas" And finally,
"a the conclusion of the whole matter, 1t was
admitted that eve must leave tho sight to
"work its own effect" which is as much as to
saw. We may brighten his Majesty or we may
not-it must all be as God pleases. We sup
pose so. Still the monarch of q great empire
may be supposed to have his eyes open and
his head lcvel,' If we may say so, upon such
an occasion. In all this display there is
touch, if no more, of the old familiar British
self-complacency. His Majesty ought to be
astonished, and if he is not. he must be stupid
indeed, although it may not be good policy to
say So
There is a difference, it must be allowed, in
value between the judgments of travellers
collecting materials for book and those OF
monarch whose voice may be for peace OF for
war. The danger in the English demonstra-
ton was that, with Oriental complacency, the
Shah might underestimate the grandeurs and
the glories which were obtruded upon him.
All the magni6cence which England can mus
ter might seem cheap and commonplace to
Eastern eyes, accustomed to the congregation
of great military masses, not In the
habit of discriminating between num-
bers and efficiency, and habituated by
daily custom to everything which can render
pageantry impressive. There was another
royal Vl5ltOr III EDSlduu WIN uOOo NV Ai"PPS"
to be yet reigning, although he is heir to one
of the greatest thrones in Europe. de Will,
according to the course of nature, be Car oil
all the Russias, although he is now only Caro-
WITT. The newspapers are beginning to Won
der whether it would not have been better
to show a little more attention to this
Prince who was comparatively neglected
in the hurry and hustle of entertaining the
Persian monarch. There is an odd discussion
of the question whether Russian or Persian good
will in the future will best promote the inter-
ests of the British Empire, and whether an
undue share of fondling and caressing and
stroking has not been bestowed upon the
wrong lion. Such is the aggravating result of
an embarrassment of riches. The most sensi-
tive Briton could be happy with either, "were
at other dear charmer away.' The utter
selfshness of the doubt may make British
hospitality seem little hollow and insincere;
but this is of no consequence, since neither
Shah nor Czarowtz is likely to attribute the
glory of his reception to his own personal
attracti Ons.