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 Shah Abbass. At the eastern side of this enclosure rises an immense blue dome, having in front two lofty minarets covered with blue tiles of Kashan.

The general state of lawlessness and misgovernment throughout the province of Khorassan made the invasion of Aga Mahomed at this time a public boon.

Shahrukh was willing to do everything that Aga Mahomed required of him, excepting to furnish the money wanted, and to give up the jewels of his family. But to obtain the possession of these was one of the chief objects of the Kajar king's invasion of Khorassan, and he was not the man to hesitate as to the employment of any means which seemed likely to bring about this end. Aga Mahomed felt convinced that the blind prince must be in possession of the greater part of the jewels which Nadir Shah had brought with him from Delhi, and the robbery of that conqueror was now to be visited upon his descendants to the second and third generation. Shahrukh was seized by the ferashes of the Kajar king, and received the punishment of the bastinado; but this not proving sufficient to overcome his love of his treasure, hot irons were applied to different parts of his person. Yielding at length by degrees, under the influence of a burning fever, he discovered his largest ruby to his torturer, who at once ordered the jewels to be packed up for transmission to Tehran. The Kajar Shah had received the submission of the whole of Khorassan, and taking with him the blind and aged prince, as well as a number of other hostages, he set out on his return to Tehran, having left in Meshed a garrison of twelve thousand men. On the way, death relieved the still suffering Shahrukh from the fear of