Year: 1873

The Shah of Persia has at last reached
England, after journey filed with unprece-
dented honOrs and splendor. The Eastern
Question has become matter of such living
reality to all the great Powers of Europe that
no effort is spared to impress and conciliate
an Oriental potentate whose friendship
may be vital in few years. Accord
ingly we find his progress from Tehe-
ran to London one of the most
brilliant recorded in the annals of monarchy.
His own discretion has assisted greatly in the
success of his journey. He has shown the rare
talent of learning by the way. He started
with harem of some half-dozen wives, but
long before reaching st. Petersburg he saw
what embarrassments and complications
would be produced by bringing such
domestic question as this into the
etiquette of the courts of Western Europe.
He therefore sent them all remorselessly
back TO Persia, and it is not difficult to see
how much this prudent action smoOthed his
way IN the rigid Protestant courts of Prussia
and England. A fortnight ago the Shah called
upon the Empress Augusta, in Berlin, and yes
terday the widowed Queen of England came
down from her Summer home at Balmoral,
DTODdDlJ
receive the guest of the nation in
her own palace. 1t required some admOni-
tions, in Parliament and the Press, which
verged upon irrevercnce, to induce the Queen
to leave her mountain retreat for this purpose.
She would doubtless have fatty refused to do
so, if the coming of the Eastern sovereign
had been complicated with this imperfectly
defined plural household. 1t was unquestiOn-
ably this consideration which determined the
action of the Shah, and not, as has been i'm
pertinently stated, tho msbehayiOr of the
illustrious ladies of his suite. This fact alone
shows the possession Of unusual tact and
quickness.


Hitherto he has seen little in his journey
except soldiers Military display is at once
the cheapest, the most convenient and most
effective sort of show with which to impress
foreign prince, when his entertainers desire
him to carry away an adequate idea of their
wealth and power. The Shah had little but
reviews to look at in st. Peters
burg and Berlin. There was evidently
a little nervousness in London, lest
the impression thus created might be too deep
to bo effaced by anything that England could
show This is plainly to be seen in the COM

ments of the English press upon the scanty
arrangements which the Government was
making to receive HIM. 1t was suggested by
some that as they could not cope with the
great Continental Powers in military dis
plag, it would be well to give the Persian
some idea of tho naval force of Great Britain.
But it is doubtful if the most intelligent of
inland 0rientals could be made to appreciate
the value and meaning of q fleet of IRON
clads. After all the general conclusion, and
it was probably wise one, was that the most
impressive sight which the world could offer
to this Asian Ruler was London and its
people. Keep the roughs from making q
rush for the Shahs diamonds said
one Journal "and he will go back satisfied
that the British Capital is stronger than his
Empire This seems to be the principle
upon which the Government has acted. There
was apparently little formal organization or