1 IfBGOTIATIONS WITH PERSIAN MINISTERS, ^
2 lot pstaotimi, by impraMing me •mfh an idea of the fruitlesmoM df
3 any design on the Doonumee state. I made such replies as wem
4 iikely to convince him and the bywrtanders of the vanity of his appre-r
5 iiensions, without appearing to apply what he wd to myself. Not-
6 iivithstanding his affected roughn^s, lus behaviour, and his ordinaij
7 conversation, during my visit, were perfectly polite and attentive,
8 lie sent me a present next day, as is usual ; and, as he was unable
9 to return my v!«?it, T sent him a present, without waiting for that
10 cotenuiny: He sent a polite message of thanks; and was highly
11 pleiised with a pair of spectacles, with which he said he iihould be
12 able to read the Korniin bettor ll»;in with those ot" his own country;
13 but he returned a peii-kaile witii iviany blades, begging me to give
14 him a larger one instead. And I learned from a by-stander, that
15 when he first saw it, lie had said " what am I to do with this tliiriff
16 like a scorpion ? 1 wiijh the Envoy would give me a knife, thai umim
17 could make some use of." When this was related to me, it intro-
18 duced many stories from my visitors about Ahmed Khaun's manners.
19 All said that he would eat three sheep's heads for breakfast, and the
20 greater part of a sheep for dinner. On another occasion, when Ahmed
21 ■Khaun's maiuaecs were talked of among two or three people whom I
22 knew well» I luppeiked to mentioii the land of sahite lie .had ^ven
23 me^ wliich aflbsded great etrfsertaiamflnt to Ae company. Bat jaisxt
24 -dayt the.stoiy came to Ahmed Khami's ears ; and be tfiought it ne»
25 ieciiy to aendgfcfmal apology, explaining that the kindof embnoe
26 lie had given me'wM leallj in the old' A^ann fittluon» and waa Jiiy
27 constant practice with peo|ile tm whom he had a tefftd*
28 I eannoi give a better Idea of the Dooiraunee JSifdais; or oontarast
29 •them more with ihe PenianB, than by lehting a part of my owm
30 .transactiona with' them both. ' At atime when Shauh Mabmood waa
31 admaneuig fnm the wertt Sbauh Sbi^jau*8 aimy« wbidi bad been . col-
32 lected at a great CTpenae, was defeated and dispersed by the rebdb
33 4n Caahmeer, And he was entirely destitute of the meana of raiaing
34 Aiother ^ the defenoe ^ .his throne. In these circumstanjBes, it
35 ^vas of the utmost importanoe to him to obtain pecmipiy assiataiwe
36 Digitized by Google