The
minister was much annoyed at this mark of respect, and said to him,
"You are king, and your mother must stand before you." And he
ultimately succeeded according to his wish. If, however, the king's
mother comes at a time when the minister is not present, her son
pays her this respect. He then gives strict orders to his people
not to say anything of it to the minister.
I was told these and other things by a very trustworthy person, and
they may serve to give my readers some slight idea of the system of
government in Persia.
I was presented to the viceroy a few days after my arrival. I was
conducted one afternoon by Dr. Cassolani to one of the royal summer-
houses. The house was situated in a small garden, which was
surrounded by another larger one, both enclosed by very high walls.
In the outer garden there were, besides meadows and fruit trees,
nothing deserving of much notice, except a number of tents, in which
the military were encamped. The soldiers wore the usual Persian
dress, with the single exception that the officers on duty had a
sword, and the soldiers a musket. They only appear in uniform on
the most rare occasions, and then they are, in some respects, like
European soldiers.
Several eunuchs received us at the entrance of the small garden.
They conducted us to an unpretending looking house, one story high,
at the end of a field of flowers. I should never have looked for
the country seat of the successor to the Persian throne in this
house; but such it was. At the narrow entrance of the little house
were two small flights of stairs, one of which led to the reception-
room of the viceroy, the other to that of his wife. The doctor
entered the former and several female slaves took me to the
viceroy's wife. When I reached the top of the stairs, I took off my
shoes, and entered a small, comfortable room, the walls of which
consisted almost entirely of windows. The viceroy's wife, who was
only fifteen years of age, sat upon a plain easy chair, not far from
her stood a middle-aged woman, the duenna of the harem, and an easy
chair was placed for me opposite the princess.
I was fortunate enough to be remarkably well received. Dr.
Cassolani had described me as an authoress, adding that I intended
to publish the experiences of my journey. The princess inquired
whether I should mention her also, and when she was answered in the
affirmative, she determined to show herself in full dress, in order
to give me an idea of the gorgeous and costly dress of her country.
The young princess wore trousers of thick silk, which were so full
of plaits that they stood out stiff, like the hooped petticoats of
our good old times.
