1 206
2 CONDUCT TO SHEEAHS.
3 Hie flbeeahs we mora discountenance dMUt any otfaor fdigidnt
4 ■act i jefcf all the numerous Persians in the country are Sheeahs, wai,
5 many of them bold high offices in the state and housdiokL Xlieir re-
6 ligion allows, and evm «iQoins them to dissemUe^ when in heBetk
7 INT infidel oountries ; and, oonsequentljt they are put to no incoove-
8 Bience by the restrictions impoaed on Cfaem. Hioae restrictiooa pre-
9 vent their praying in the attitude peculiar to their sect. Their -cuiaiiig
10 the three firat caliphi, and their exhibiting puhlw prooaaaiona, and
11 odier representi^ions, during tl^Mohunem; but de net obl%e them
12 to renounce their faith, or to aubmit to any inconvenience or d(Bga4^
13 tion. The Sheeaha» however, (perhaps because they are the depressed
14 party), are far more bigotted than the Sunnees, and never scruple to
15 attack the opposite sect when they think they have favourable or
16 neutral hearers. From a storv of some Christian ambassador, under
17 the fifth Calif, who declared tor the so^is of A!i. and suffered martyr-
18 dom tor his zeal, they have a notion tluit all Christiiius are convinced,
19 by the force of natural reason, oi the justicse of Ali's claims. T have
20 often be^n asked, with ^rcat earnestness, to give my real sentiments
21 on the case ; and, it was only by saying that 1 was not a Moollah, and
22 could not pretend to give an opinion on such subjects, that 1 evaded
23 so embarrassing a question. I had a good opportimity of seeing the
24 spirit of toleration, or at least of forbearance, of the A^haun ^vem-
25 wkh Boch diftfcsit viewi, u s itnmg oooflmuUion oftlie accuracy afholh. I aftermurdb
26 made liim write out his journey in detail, and took down information on other topics,
27 which he gave on being questioned. Hitt education must have been that of the lower
28 orderofhidf casta in India; and he spoke Ei^^lishilL But he had read several of our bat
29 dwHOi) nd, Iboiii^hklHifni^ wMinooiiTect,h«w MrfkiMttocspiMM hbthoi^^ito
30 fullv and clearly, and even on aomr occitsioiis witli a good deal of vigour and eloquence.
31 Though he never shewed the least incoherency iii his discourse, and though be was poas wised
32 of natural talents very surprisii^ in Ids atuadon, he wm pewrdMleaB sutgect to paitU
33 naganntof Utnndrntandiiig, the strongest symptmcf nUdi was his impalkiiife of any
34 long continuance in one place. I ofPcrrd hirr. t ;;-/. nyonr to -tny with me asaderk; but,
35 though he was actually in a state ot beggary, he refused the u&r ami t^et off to Bombay
36 t»eaAmA in the fint Arab ship, which Aonid «0tod hhfc m oppwttmii^ cf Mseon^Ii&hiug
37 Uigitizeo by LiOOgle