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 upon the condition that the latter should agree to renounce all designs of attacking the Anglo-Indian possessions. On the other hand, the treaty bound the English authorities to furnish warlike stores to the Shah in the event of his majesty being attacked by the French or by the Affghan nation. After this the British envoy returned to India, leaving behind him in Persia, as we are assured by the Persian historian, a well-established reputation for common sense and justice, and knowledge of the world.

Shortly after this period there occurred in Persia one of those examples of the exercise of despotic power, which show at the same time the strength and the weakness of an Oriental monarchy. The Itimad-ed-Dowleh, Haji Ibraheem, the prime minister of Persia, had acquired such a degree of influence throughout the country as gave his enemies' statements the appearance of reasonableness, when they whispered to the Shah that it was the intention of his minister to depose him. There is no ground for believing that Haji Ibraheem actually did harbour any such design, but in justice to the character of Fetteh Ali Shah it must be remembered that he had been again and again betrayed by those in whom he had placed the utmost confidence, and from whom he had least reason to expect the conduct of which they had been guilty. He had shown clemency in so many instances that he cannot be suspected of having wished to shed needlessly the blood of one who had performed signal services to his family. A tradition is current in Persia, that Aga Mahomed Khan charged his heir not to allow the grey head of Haji Ibraheem, who had betrayed his first master, to go down in peace to the grave; but