Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-10

0OiNflGnt IN tbe I nlteu states bredl DEAtdin
by Curtis Brown. All rights strictly reservedD
LONDON, January 80, 1907.
~ the marvellous Peacock Throne
9 {: 4: Il: II +: =: :s:: SIS: s; ::
grandioquent title which means
King of Kings" In all the
prominent English newspapers have APP
peared euIogistic notices of the successor OF
MuZafrer ed Din. derived from sources in
spired by Persian oficialdom. He has been
depicted as the embodiment of all the vir-
tues that should make him an ideal auto
crat-brainy. we'll educated, martial, de-
voted to his people and so on. Doubtless
the substance of 1t has been cabled to
America.
All the more interesting. therefore. is
true account of the personality of this new
sovereign of the once mighty people whose
armies subdued the wealth of Croesus, the
pride of Babylon, and the civilization OF
Egypt. Such an account l an able to give
thanks To an interview which / was FORUM
ate in obtaining from NJ Eustache de
Lorey, who was for three years an attache
of the French legation at Teheran, and
who is now resident in London. That NJ. de
Lorey made good use OF the opportunities
affOrde him by his Of1cial position Is evil
dent. for since his return he las become a
recognized authority on all that relates to
Persia, and he Is now engaged on an i'm
portant book dealing with the country. In
ctdentally he is one of the few men In Eng
land who have met and conversed with the
new shah. In the report of the interview
which follows the questions put to the
diplomatist by your correspondent have
been eliminated 10 save space.
x*
while at Teheran with the French le-
cation" said VI. de Lorey, Il was once sent
on a mission to Tabriz. the capital OF the
province of Azerbaidjan, of which the
crown prince is always appointed COVER
nor. and during my stay there Of three
months l had several audiences with him.
Nature has not bestowed on him either a
figure or physiognomy to match the i'm
posing titles-the Shadow OF God on Earth
is one of them-which he has now assumed.
He is a fat, pudgy-faced. double-chinned
little man. with close-cropped mustache,
and now about thirty-three years OF age.
lie looks more like a Turk than Partisan,
In European attire he would pass muster
very well for prosperous tradesman In
whom sedentary habits had produced pre-
mature obesity. No amount of gorgeous
raiment and glittering Jewelry could confer
an air Of dignity upon him. His features
show no Indications of strong qualities of
any sort, good or bad. Outwardly he bears
no resemblance to his father, who was
distinguished looking man.
In my conversations with him, which
were, OF course, merely formal and carried
through interpreter. he appeared
awkward and constrained. But appear
ances are proverbially deceptive. He may
turn out to be a much more capable man
than ne looks. AS the crown prince he had
little chance to show what Is In him. Re-
gard for his succession requires that the
heir to the crown in Persia should keep
himself much in the background so as to
cast no shadow. on the throne.
1T is a point in his favor that he is fond
of hunting and frequently went after bears
in the mountains of Azerbaidjan. In the
gardens OF his palace at Tabriz he could be
seen frequently practcing craftsmanship
on small birds or shooting at apples and
pears on the palace roof with some of his
courtiers. In the matter of wives he has
been extremely abstemious-that is, con-
sidering the standard set by his ancestors
and the matrimonial prodigality sanctioned
by his faith. When l was at Tabriz he had
only some half dozen. But wives are a
costly luxury. and perhaps the fact that he
was In chronic state of impecuniosity
may have accounted for his harem being
so scantily stocked. He was often in sore
straits to raise money His favorite method
was to promise titles, to be conferred when
he assembled the throne. for so much cash
down, the higher the dignities pledged, Of
course. the bigger being the pay In ad-
vance. ! have no doubt there are now a lot
OF people hanging around him at Teheran