of a most unheard-of outrage committed during the night of the 22nd instant, on the premises of the British Consulate, and on the person of its Moonshee, Meerza Mootallib.

Having brought the circumstance in a friendly manner under the notice of the Persian Minister, the Undersigned expected that a proper consideration of what is due to the British Government would have induced the Persian Government to adopt spontaneously, and without delay, measures which would have rendered a recourse to official correspondence unnecessary.

Disappointed in this hope, the Undersigned considers it to be his duty to place before the Persian Ministers, in an official form, the main points of the case, of which, he feels, he has just reason for serious complaint.

In the middle of the night before mentioned, a person knocked at the door of the British Consulate in Tehran, demanding Meerza Mootallib, saying that his Excellency Syed Morteza desired to see him. The Meerza had scarcely appeared at the door when he found himself surrounded by a party of 20 or 30 persons, who forcibly dragged him away from the Consulate, severely beat him, rifled his pockets, of 32 tomauns in cash, and of a packet of papers; some of the clothes he wore were taken from him; violence was employed to make him swallow a quantity of opium; and finally, he was conveyed in almost an insensible state to the house of Syed Morteza, whence he escaped on the 23rd to the residence of his Excellency the French Envoy, who immediately gave the Undersigned notice of what had happened.

Such is a brief narrative of what occurred, and such is the statement which, on the 21th instant, the Undersigned charged the Akhoond Mollah Sauleeh to convey verbally to his Highness the Sadr Azim, who was pleased to promise that the affair should be inquired into, and suitable redress granted.

After waiting 8 days for the fulfilment of this promise, the Undersigned has received a note addressed by his Highness the Sadr Azim to the Akhoond Mollah Sauleeh, inclosing one written to his Highness by Syed Morteza, the contents of which, especially the concluding lines, evidently added after Syed Morteza had written his note, are intended to intimidate the Undersigned into relinquishing his claim for reparation, by allusions to popular disturb. ances which might occur if the demand be persisted in, and by the extraordinary admission in the Sadr Azim's note, that the Persian Government has no power over the Ulemahs.

No person entertains a higher respect, and no person has, during a long residence in Persia, shown a greater respect for the Ulemahs than the Undersigned; but when a member of that body, however high may be his rank, so far forgets himself as to publicly commit

an act, both insulting to the British Government and contrary to the Treaties existing between the two Governments, the Undersigned cannot remain silent, nor will any threats deter him from acting as he may think necessary for upholding the dignity of his Government. He may here be permitted to remark, for the information of Syed Morteza, and of the Ulemahs generally, that if any foreign Government is entitled to their respect, it is assuredly the British Government, which numbers among its subjects in India millions of Steeahs, enjoying both temporarily and spiritually, a greater degree of freedom, protection, and consideration than are enjoyed by their co-religionists in Persia.

The Sadr Azim having in his communication distinctly asserted the inability of the Persian Government to grant adequate reparation for the insult in question, it would be a useless waste of time for the Undersigned to demand any.

It therefore only remains for the Undersigned to forward by couriers leaving in a few days, a detailed statement of this affair to Her Britannic Majesty's Government, and to the British authorities in the Persian Gulf; he will accompany it by the Sadr Azim's written declaration, that the Persian Government is unable to preven the violation of the British Consulate, or to save British subject and dependents residing in the capital of Persia, the seat of royalty, from being arbitrarily seized, ill-treated, robbed, and poed; and it will be for the British Government to consider what steps it may be necessary to adopt for securing to its agents and dependents in Persia the respect and protection to which Rey are entitled both by usage and by existing Treaties.

In requesting that this letter may be communicated to his HighLet the Prime Minister, the Undersigned, &c.

RICH. W. STEVENS.

(Inclosure 2.)-The Sadr Azim to Akhoond Mollah Saulech.

(Translation.)

I HAVE perused the letter which you have written to me regardg the athir between the Very Exalted, &c., Syed Morteza, brother of the late Imaum-o'-Jooma, and Meerza Mootallib.

You are yourself acquainted with the character and the conduct the Persian Mollahs towards our Government, and towards everydy else in Persia; and you know that we do not possess that wer over them which we ought to have: at any rate, we are ed to be cautious in dealing with them.

Lave given myself a great deal of trouble about this affair, strong letters, and sent Meerza Abbas Khan two or three athen. (the Moliahs), and the discussion is even now condon both sides,

P 2

I send you the answer which they have written, in order tha you may show it to the high in rank, &c., the Consul.

I have not yet given up this matter, and will let you know wha I may have done, or may do; but it is nevertheless necessary tha you should not take it so seriously, and that you settle it in som way or other, because Meerza Mootallib is a person having neithe talent nor tact: several times he misbehaved himself towards hi Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs. With regard to th report that Syed Morteza held improper language about the Englis Government, it is unfounded-all a falsehood. Meerza Mootalli perhaps has done well. I ask you not to persist in this affair, bu terminate it as soon as possible.

Akhoond Mollah Sauleeh.

SADR AZIN

(Inclosure 3.)-Syed Morteza to the Sadr Azim.

(Translation.)

Ir is represented that you have addressed us a letter concernin the pretension of Meerza Mootallib, the nephew of Agha Sye Hussein, and an employé of the British Government.

From time immemorial it has been the custom that, during th whole year, religious meetings are held at our house every Thursday which are attended by the poor, and the clerical students and others That night, after prayers, the aforesaid presented himself, withou being invited. Some of those who remained, knowing him to b a Syed, desired to give him advice. Among other things, it wa said that it was a pity that a Syed, and a descendant of the Imaun Moussa, should lay aside his turban, wear long curls, and frou morning to evening employ himself in saying and hearing absur words.

In withdrawing to another room, he replied by unbecoming remarks about several who were present, and others of much higher rank. In consideration of the friendship between the two Govern ments I took no notice; it was those who were present who answered him. A second time, with a tongue of impudence, and the mouth of irreligion, he used blasphemous language, which so exasperated them that they could not contain themselves.

It was then I gave orders to strike and turn him out. This is what occurred in my presence. When he was outside he used still worse language and went away. It being near the morning, and many devout persons arriving for prayers, these circumstances became known; the mob went to his lodging to drag him before the high judge, that sentence might be passed upon him, and then referred to your Excellency (the Sadr Azim) for execution. When I learnt this fact, I understood that a popular commotion might result, and I sent two or three intelligent persons to prevent it, and to save

him from ill-treatment. Very probably their firm attachment to the true faith led them to other acts against him: this is possible. They met him en route, and summoned him to the house of the uncle,* when the mob was dispersed, hoping, with the aid of God, that the affair would pass over by mid-day. The crowd once dispersed, I desired him to go home and not leave the house, lest some disturbance should happen.

Everybody knows that in the time when Syed Hussein was in Tehran, I was acquainted with the bad conduct of Meerza Mootallib and dismissed him from my house.

As you say that some of the people present spoke ill of the foreign Missions, I swear to you it is a falsehood, invented to palliate his misconduct.

This is what passed, and I write it accordingly for the rest, you are at liberty to act as you think proper; the affair and its judgment are in your hands.

Salutation.

(Then follows, in a different handwriting):

I add that, considering our friendship for and union with the Government (English), you will tell the Consul not to retain this seditious man in his service. Let him dismiss him: otherwise from this (the affair under discussion), great disturbances may break out against his own person, disturbances which it will, perhaps, be quite impossible to put down. You wrote to me that the man came with an invitation, but he is not a person worthy of being invited.

This affair occurred in the tenth hour of the night. Had it occurred during the day there would undoubtedly have been a revolution, and matters would not have passed off so quietly.

I have nothing further to add.

H.E. The Sadr Azim.

SYED MORTEZA.

No. 111.-Consul Stevens to the Earl of Clarendon.-(Rec. July 22.) MY LORD, Camp near Tehran, June 7, 1856. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that the Persian Government has received news of the destruction by an accidental explosion of all the ammunition of the Persian army before Herat, most of which, amounting to several hundred loads, had only just reached the army: 350 men were killed by the explosion. Much discontent prevailed among the troops, and bread was with difficulty attainable in the camp at the enormously high price of 3 kerrans per maun-38. per 6 lbs.

Two hundred loads of gunpowder have just been dispatched from Tehran, and 400 loads are to follow in a few days.

It is reported in town that, after the ammunition was destroyed, Syed Morteza himself.

the Heratees made a sortie, and committed great havoc among the Persians, who, it is said, lost several superior officers on the occasion. I have, &c.

The Earl of Clarendon.

RICH. W. STEVENS.

No. 112.-Mr. Murray to the Earl of Clarendon.-(Rec. July 22.) (Extract.) Bagdad, June 21, 1856.

I AM well aware that the Sadr Azim has endeavoured throughout to make the world believe that the whole of the difference between the Persian Court and this Mission was owing to the affair of Meerz Hashem Khan's wife. He well knew that such a scandal, however unfounded, would find a certain amount of credence, and provoke a certain amount of ridicule in Europe. He remembered the Eastern proverb, "Throw mud upon the wall, some of it will stick." He cared nothing for the scandal which he brought upon the Royal Harem, so long as he could succeed in his main object that of embroiling Her Majesty's Mission with the Shah. It was for that reason that he seized and imprisoned the Meerza's wife, instead of seizing the Meerza himself, who was daily passing and repassing from his own house to the Mission. Notwithstanding that I

entered on the discharge of my duties with an earnest desire to be upon the best and most friendly terms with the Shah and his Minister, I found my intentions thwarted by the latter at the very threshold, by his forbidding persons of rank and in office from paying me those visits which they had habitually paid to my predecessors. I was to see with his eyes and to hear with his ears, and thus to be precluded from obtaining correct information as to what was going forward in the social and political world of Persia.

Scarcely can it be necessary for me to recal to your Lordship's recollection the repeated slights and affronts, of greater and less importance, which the Sadr offered to the Mission, and which are related in my public correspondence of last year. My servants were maltreated; the rights of British subjects invaded, and reparation was always refused or evaded; the Mission was, for the first time this century, refused admission to the national festival of the Tazich, which, although justly designated in your Lordship's despatch as an "unmeaning ceremony," is, nevertheless, looked upon in quite a different light in Tehran, where there was not a Persian, either of the higher or lower class, who did not view it as a slight offered to, or a triumph gained over, the British Mission.

Another step taken by the Sadr, was to rake up again the old affair of Prince Ferhad Meerza, which had already, once before, interrupted the amicable relations between the Persian Court and the British Mission. The Prince was living in retirement; I had not the slightest wish nor motive to moot the question of His