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 THE VIZEER HAJI MEERZA AGHASSI. 343 his guest for an entire week without having been waited upon by his host. During all this time, while the Haji's ill-temper lasted, there was a total cessation of the busi- ness of the central government of the country. It has been mentioned that the Shah's maternal uncle, the Asef-ed-Dowleh, had been appointed at the beginning of the king's reign to be governor of Kho- rassan. He had retained this important post ever since, but he had never ceased to hanker after the higher office which he had held in the time of Fetteh Ali Shah. His jealousy of Haji Meerza Aghassi sometimes broke out in words and acts, and was sometimes smothered until a more fitting occasion should occur for its display. But the influence of the Minister over his former pupil was paramount, and all the efforts of the Asef-ed- Dowleh to shake it were attended with as little result as the beating of waves against a rock : the Asef- ed-Dowleh could not shake the Minister, but by his efforts to do so he broke himself. There a*re two great offices in the Shah's gift which must be held by two persons residing in the city of Meshed. Of these two persons one acts as a check on the other. The governor of Khorassan is kept within bounds by the vicinity of an individual of character and influence who is in no way under his orders, and the custodian of the shrine of Imam Eeza is bound to regard the opinion of so powerful a personage as the Vali of Khorassan. The Asef-ed- Dowleh succeeded in uniting in his family these two important posts. He represented to the Shah that he was old, and that he wished to consult his interests beyond the grave by devoting his few remaining days to the task of guarding the holy places at Meshed. He