The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-07-02
TIE NEW SHAH OF PERSIA.
he Is Very Wealthy and Highly Accom-
plished.

plished.
Mouzatfer ed-Din, the present shah of
Persia, is in easy circumstances. The
royal treasure, which is kept in the
vaults of the palace of Teheran, was in
creased enormously during the reign of
his father, NaSsr ed-Din. Sentinels
stand day and night in front of a sealed
door which leads to a crypt where mill
lions in gold and silver are hid, as well
as nuggets of the precious metals. The
shah, in order to be close to his treasure,
has his private apartments immediate
ly above the vaults. Besides these
riches. which are estimated at over
$500. 100000, the shah also has a treasure
shut up in one of the apartments of his
palace. This is composed of pearls,
rubies. emeralds and other precious
stones. among which there is a lhagniti-
cent diamond, which, on account of its
rare beauty, is called the Sea of Light"
Just now the French papers are Civ
ing a good deal of space to the present
shah of Persia, but probably the best ac-
count of him is given in the Journal 5es
Debats. ...
"Atthe entrance to the palace, writes
the Debats' correspondent, 81 was re-
ceived by three personages who spoke
French with ease. They were the
nephew of the valyahd and two of his
aids-de-camp. and was not a little sur
| prised to heara military band composed
of young fellows, playing in a perfectly
| acceptable fashion quadrille from the
| 'Cloches de Corneville,' and also some
! French waltzes and oriental pieces.
/ which the ear must be accustomed to
in order to take in thoroughly all the
melancholy tones.
THE next day I was presented to the
valvahd in the same building. He was
so simply clad that | would have had
difficulty in picking him out of crowd
of courtiers that accompanied him, il
! ] had not remarked that each one oil
them kept himself respectfully turned
| toward him, and if his handsome face
and naughty air had not revealed him
as the master. The new shah of Persia
| is a dignified man. He is we'll made
| and his features are regular. His mouth
| is amiable, and it is surmounted by q
very large mustache. The entire coun.
tenance seems calm, and it would APP
! pear even severe, if in his great. dark
eyes. full of expression and gentlencss
and shaded by thick eyebrows that
never frown, one could not discern kind
ness.
"Mouzatfer ed-Din is good Mussul
! ,,,or lint hoe brOal q, nd Il ba,,aI iInn 9
For 30 years he was left almost alone
shut up, so to say, in Tabriz, the resi-
dence of the heirs to the throne, which
he could not leave except with the con
sent of his father. 1t is a capital in
which it is difficult to learn much OF
the outside world. Nevertheless. the
prince did his utmost to get some
knowledge of the colossal mechanism OF
life in Europe, where he would have
loved to travel if his father had not al
ways refused him permission. His in
quiring mind constantly went beyond
the frontier to which he was limited
He loves a nomadic life. and he used tC
pass the summer season under tent il
some fresh valley and near the banks
of river. He is a magnificent horse
man. and when the heat of the day was
over he mounted n superb Arab steeC
and, followed by about 20 horsemen
galloped over the sandy plain to reacf
some distant garden; and, when the sur
g. came near the horizon during that callr
and imposing hour in the east, when ma
ture begins to sleep, assuming the mos
beautiful colors, he dismounted at the
top of some hill. Immediately the
horsemen follow his example. \ serv
ant stretched upon the ground a fine
carpet. and the prince, with his face
turned toward Mecca, said his evening
prayer in the surrounding solitude. He
is a great hunter, and it was in the
chase that he learned to be a grea'
horseman and a most expert shot. He
loved to hunt the wild sheep in the
rocky mountains and the deep georges
of the Baba-Baghi, and also the bear O
the SUBMITS of the Sehemd. He trav
eled from morning to evening on horse
back. passing with intrepidity from one
mountain to another, riding over steel
hills and down dangerous slopes, never
stopping excepting to take aim at The
flocks of wild sheep which passed along
like clouds. He uses with extraordinary
skill the military rifles of Russia, Aus
tria and Germany. but he has never
been able to obtain the French rife
which he would have preferred above
all. His hunting expeditions, always
wild and dangerous, were often com
posed of 200 or 300 persons, and they
often continued for several days. A
home he chats familiarly with the per
sons of his suite. and walks about in mis-
gardens, in which he is greatly inter
ested and which, about year ago. h,
turned over to the care of a Frencl
gardener.
Russia. which has learned to know
him, is altogether favorable to him
Mouzaffer ed-Din, loved by his sub
jects of Azerbaldjan, when he was
! vaIyahd, is bound to be loved by all the
Persians. N. Y. Sun,