Year: 1862

regulated and stewarded the estates and reve-
nues committed to his management, created
him enemies among the most influential per-
sons of the court, more particularly the
eunuchs, and, worst of ALL the ladies of the
harem, whose extrava gant wishes and bound
less expenditure he unhcsitating opposed,
and, as far as he could, remorselessly re-
strained.


With this self-interestedly hostile party
several ministers and mobiles Of the kingdom
associated themselves. for political purposes,
and strove. --all in vain, to their bitter dis
appointmenta- to inure the honorable and
Justly honored man in the opinion of Abbas
the Great


But what they failed to accomplish with
that wise and experienced monarch. they
anticipated attaining. with less difficulty.
from his thoughtless and in every respect
inferior successor. his grandson, Mira Shah
Isaf. Yet, with even him they seemed,
for time. to have reckoned without their
host: for although one after another threw
in disparaying word against the Nazar.
and insiduously tried to infuse suspicious of
his recttude into the mind of the young
monarch, he made as though be heard them
not. till all at once there occurred what
seemed to the cahal the long wished for fa-
vor,hle opportunity for effecting the obnox-
ions ones overthrow and they availed them
selves of it on the instant.


The King was one day amusing himself
with the examination of his collection of
costly sabers and dageers of variovs shapes.
the hits of which we're all, more or less,
richly set with jewels of great value. when
one Of his chamberlains asked as if on the
spur of the moment. if his Majesty would
not cause to be fetched from his royal trea-
sury that specially costly and indeed unique
saber which had been given to his illustri
Gus grandfather, Shah Abbas, by the Grand
Sultan, and which. being closely studded
with jewels Of priceless worth, was reported
not to have its equal upon earth, and was in
consequence always deposited for safety with
in the locked recesses of the royal treasure
house.


The Shah's curiosity being strongly ex-
cited by this glowing description, (and the
more so, because be did not remember to
have ever seen this renowned saber, even
on occasions when his grandfathers jeweled
pomp was wont to be displayed before eyes
of strangers,) dispatched messenger in
stantly to the Nazar, (who, be it remember
ed, was also keeper of the crown jewels, } to
desire the Sultan's splendid gift might forth
with be sent to him. E he Nazar, although
he at once declared he had never seen such
through all the various repositories Of the
treasure-house, but without success and
the Shah's messenger returned with this
unsatisfactory answer.


The willy chamberlain, after expressing
great surprise and disappointment, suggested
that the book in which all foreign presents
were registered might throw some light on
the matter. The Shah commanded it to be
brought, and sure enough there stood full
description of the jeweled saber, duly regis
tered on being deposited in the royal trea-
sury.


Now the facts of the case fully explana-
tory Of the apparent mystery, and which
were perfectly we'll known to several Of the
calumniators, though not to the young
chamberlain, whom they put forward on
the occasion, were in full accordance with
the Nazars declaration that he had never
seen the saber now sought for. He never
could have seen it, inasmuch as, before
his appointment to the office of Nazar, Shah
Abbas had caused all the precious stones,
as well as the hilt Of massive gold, to be
removed from the Sulton's gift. and formed
into jewel of his own device, which, from
its high worth and rare beauty, constituted
in fact the greatest ornament of the present
jewel-chamber. But unfortunately. at the
time when this alteration was made, it had
been neglected to be noted in the registry,
in which the jeweled saber still figured, as
before its spoliation and this fact. too, was
we'll known to more than one of the plotters,
and formed in their minds full security
against detection.


The malicious enviers were therefore now
at the summit of their wishes; and when
the Shah. whose curiosity they had purposely
excited to the highest pitch, naturally felt
not only disappointment but displeasure at
the Nazar's declaration that he had never
seen the saber, contradcted as that was in
distinct terms by the registry he himself
ought to have examined when he entered
on office. wide door was opened for all
imaginable insinuations and accusations
against the apparently falling favorite. They
accordingly hastened to inform their lord
that the whole country had long been amaz-
ed by the immense expenditure in which the
Nazar indulged. He had, they said, erected
caravansaries for the reception of pilgrims
at his own cost he had built bridges and
dykes for the improvement and security of
the public roads; and, lastly. had erected
for himself so magnificent house, or rather
palace, that it were worth even his Maies-
tvs while to look through it: and whence.
asked they then, could any private individual
procure means adequate to all these great
undertakings, unless by helping himself
from the royal treasury? 1t was therefore,
they concluded, felt by them all as their
bounden duty to counsel his Majesty to call
the Nazar to strict account; and if he could
prove his innocence, who would be so hap