might be given to his conquefts in Khieva, and the Tartars checked in their depredations on the province of Afterabad. After Elton; had, with vast labor, completed the building of a veffel, in which he encountered obftinate difficulties, as well from a jealousy of the Persians of his rifing favor with the shah as disgust at an irksome fervice; he was directed to examine the Tartar fhore of the Cafpian, and to make choice of an eligible fituation for a fettlement. But the coaft, according to the report of Elton, being found deftitute of good water, the defign was relinquished.

NADIR SHAH, contrary to the general character of the Perfians, who are impreffed with a more perfecuting spirit than any other Mahometan nation, gave a common toleration to the worship of the inhabitants, whether Chriftians, Hindoos, or Jews, and largely retrenched the power and wealth of the priests, who during the latter period of the Suffuee dynasty, had engroffed the chief direction of government. That Nadir might incapacitate their revenge for the death of the mollah Bashi,* who had been executed for refufing affent to a plan of this prince for introducing the Sooni religion into Perfia, and to accommodate other falutary purposes, he demanded an account of the vast revenues which had been affigned to the church; they informed him, according to the tenor of Frafer's relation of this event, that their property was applied to the uses, for which it had been allotted; in falaries for

* High-prieft.

the

the priests, in the maintenance of numerous colleges and mofques, in which prayers were inceffantly offered up for the fuccefs of the arms of the prince, and of the profperity of the Perfian empire.

NADIR observed to them, that experience had manifefted the inutility of their prayers, fince for the space of fifty years past, the nation had been verging to decay, and ultimately had been reduced by invafions and rebellion to a state of ruin; when God's victorious instruments, pointing to his army, had come to its relief, and were now ready to facrifice their lives to its defence and glory ; that the wants of these poor priests, his foldiers, must be supplied, and he therefore determined that the greatest portion of the church lands should be appropriated to their use. The mandate being immediatly carried into execution, produced a revenue equal to three million of sterling money. The priests, enraged at this afsumption, exerted their utmost abilities in ftirring up the army and the people against the shah; but the former being compofed, in a large proportion, of the Sooni fect, ridiculed their fituation, and the body of the inhabitants, when they confidered that the edict would liberate them from a part of the general taxation, were not diffatisfied.

NADIR SHAH having accomplished this purpose, ordered the attendance of the chiefs of the people, and making a formal declaration of the meafure which had been adopted, told them if they wanted priests, they must provide them at their own charge; that having himself little occafion for their fervices, he would not

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contribute to their maintenance. Such was Nadir Shah before calamity had harraffed his mind, and disease his body. The actions of men, however amply gifted by nature or improved by knowJedge, are strongly shaped by the furrounding events of human life. Let the man whom we have but now viewed with admiration, towering down the tide of fortune with a swelling fail, and marking his progress by confpicuous marks of glory and renown, be thrown on the rough fea of trouble, without a shelter to cover him from its fury; or let him be stretched on the couch of ficknefs, helpless, and racked with pain, we shall speedily cease from wonder and applause, and with difficulty credit the identity of the object.

HAVING in detached pieces, and I fear with a wide deviation from order, described the most important events of the Persian empire, from the Afghan invasion to the death of Nadir Shah, I could have wished briefly to connect that epocha with the present period; but no document has come to my knowledge, sufficiently authentic or clear, for the illuftration of the whole of this interval.

PREVIOUSLY to the adminiftration of Kareem Khan, many competitors for the throne of Perfia came forward, and encountered a various tranfient fortune, until all the race of Nadir, and the Sofis' were extirpated, except Shah Rock, the chief of Muschid, a sketch of whose life, has been already noticed. Ká

reem

reem Khan,* from a marauding horfeman became the fuccessful chieftain, and proclaiming himself the regent of the empire, during the minority of a descendant of the Sofi family, whom he pretended to have difcovered, established his refidence at Shiraz. It appears that Saadut Khan, the brother of the regent, took Basforah + from the Turks after a year's fiege; and during the Perfian government of that place, Kareem Khan gave distinguished indulgencies to the English refidents established there, whofe factory and property, when the city fell into his poffeffion, were fully fecured to them. The administration of Kareem Khan, was involved in a series of hoftilities against the Turks and Arabs, over whom, except the capture of Bafforah, he obtained but trivial advantages.

Ar the period of the regent's death, which happened about the year 1778, Saadut Khan was ftationed with a small force at Bafforah, and folicitous of speedily reaching Shiraz, the theatre of action, he abandoned Bafforah, which again acknowledged the power of the Turks. of the Turks. When Saadut Khan approached Shiraz, he found the gates fhut against him by a Zacchi Khan, a branch of his family, who feizing on the city, and the perfon of Kareem Khan's fon, then a youth, an

* He made no fcruple of avowing, that in his youth he purfued the occupation of a robber, and that his foreteeth had been demolished by the kick of an afs, which he had ftolen and was carrying off.

nounced himself the ruler of fouthern Perfia. The young man having evinced a difpofition to favor the interefts of his uncle ; Zacchi Khan gave orders that he fhould be put to death. The fentence by a reverse in no rare practice at a Mahometan court, was executed on himfelf, and Saadut Khan was admitted into Shiraz, with a participation of the affairs of government. He foon formed a combination against his nephew, whom he ultimately depofed, on a charge of debauchery and a lavish expenditure of the public treasure.

DURING the administration of Kareem Khan, a body of troops had been fent to quell fome infurrection, in a diftant part of the country, under an Ali Morad, who returning fucefsful, with an army difpofed to promote his purposes, prefered a claim to the government; the iffue of a civil war, profecuted through a series of depredation, murder, and treachery, gave Ali Morad the poffeffion of Shiraz, where he put to the sword, the whole family of Kareem Khan, with their adherents.* A Persian of Ispahan, speaking to me of the actions of Ali Morad, and extolling his military genius, faid, that he poffeffed a scimetar of a large fize and fuperior quality, on the blade of which were engraved the names of the twelve imaums, the directors of its edge, and the fecurity of its victories.

He was related to the family of Kareem Khan; it is faid, that on this event, three hundred perfons were maffacred.

THE