Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-24

tion Of European statesmen, mere ess;,>e- s,>e-
oially those of Russia and England each
of which governments has repeatedly
sought to conclude with the Persian
monarch "A treaty of commerce as to the
entering wedge to greater encroach-
ments upon his territory
1t was with this object in view that
British allurements were held out to the
shah to visit Europe in 1873, upon which
occasion, despite his peculiarly offensive
habits, he was made much of at the diff
ferent capitals and persistently impor-
tuned by officials and capitalists for
railway, banking trading and other
concessions in Persia, whereby the shah
was to receive enormous profits. With
true oriental courtesy the shah gave as
sent to several of the propositions sub
mitted to him and the capitalists were
happy. So was the shah. He had
good time and went home rich in ex.
perience and wise in the knowledge of
having had it at the expense of those
who thought they had plucked him.
4 Great Schemer.
But the shah is past master in the art
of oriental diplomacy, which consists
chiefly, if not wholly of duplicity and
mendacity. When he arrived ut Teher-
an he resumed business Mt the old stand,
and in spite of the promises he had
made, refused to make any concessions
except to himself. Meanwhile Russia
and England continued their efforts to
establish better relations with the
Asiatic kingdom, making, however, lit
tie headway.
In 1878 the shah made trip to Rus
sia, after which the st, Petersburg gov
ernment enjoyed a short season of pre-
ferment at the Teheran court, and in
1889 he again visited London, Paris and
other European capitals, repeating his
former practice of promising eonces-
sions, on the strength of which Prince
Dolgorouki, Russian minister TO Persia,
was instructed to negotiate a treaty of
commerce based on the lines of the
shah's promises. Dolgorouk was re-
called in the latter part of 1889, he hav-
ing failed to justify the expectations to
which his appointment gave rise.
Russia Has the Lions share.
OF late Russia has enjoyed the lions
share of the scant commercial privileges
obtainable from the shah's government.
With Russia in possession of these ad-
vantages, slight as they are as compared
to the objects sought, she would be in
calculably in the lead of all other Euro
pean nations in the event of the death of
the shah with its attendant change of
government and u possibility Of reyo-
luton.
Who Would Ascend the Throne7
Sometime ago the shah created sen.
sation in his court by naming the son of
one of his concubines, an officer in the
Persian army, as his successor, instead
of the rightful heir Mouzaffer-de Din.
his legitimate son. This raised tre-
mendous row, and the shah finally yield
cd to the opposition and abandoned his
idea. The matter was kept as quiet as
possible, but those who were aware of
It ascrbed the shah's action to Russian
intrigue.
The seeds Of discord having been thus
sown, the likelihood of an uprising In
favor of the pretender after the death
of the shah is not remote. and just sucs.
circums ance is what IL most feared
by English statesmen. Russia has thou
sands Of troops on the frontier Of Persia,
within easy marching distance of Tehe-
ran, while il would take England three
months to get troops there ii their pres
ence shonld be necessary.
Should any disturbance occur in Per-
sia through change OF government
Russia would unquestionably move her
troops forward to Teheran at once to
preserve order" and once there they
would remain. Il will therefore be seen
that the shah's Illness is indeed serious.