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 he handed over to his heir has ever since maintained its integrity under Kajar princes; with the exception of some outlying provinces which have been conquered by Russia, and a small island in the Caspian Sea, which has fallen into the possession of the same power.

Aga Mahomed Khan had, as has been said above, only one full brother, the same who revolted against Kereem Khan and was slain by the Turkomans with whom he took refuge. That brother's blood was avenged by Aga Mahomed in his expedition against those tribes; and the blood feuds of those times between Kajars and Turkomans have gone on multiplying to the present day: a Persian army is now in the field to endeavour to punish and subdue those refractory neighbours. Aga Mahomed's natural heir was the eldest son of his next rother, and accordingly Fetteh Ali Khan was early designated to be his uncle's successor. He was employed by him to command armies, and afterwards to rule over the provinces of Fars, Kohghiluyeh, Laristan, Yezd, and Kerman.

Aga Mahomed feared lest, after his death, his nephew's authority might be disputed by his half-brother, Jafer Kuli Khan, whose bravery and experience gave him great weight in the tribe. The means he adopted to remove all apprehension on this account, were as follows: He sent his mother to induce his brother to come to Tehran on his way to Ispahan, of which city he had promised to appoint him governor. He further swore on the Koran that he would not detain him longer than one night at Tehran. Having by these means got the object of his fears within his power, he posted assassins to waylay him next morning as he was on the point of leaving Tehran for Ispahan. By this