no more to-day, but go and make up parties to hunt, and shoot, and ride, and revel in all the delights of idleness.' There were a number of active, high-spirited youths with him, who rejoiced to serve under a master as fond of sport as themselves. It was his pleasure, as he felt it was his duty, to train them for Oriental travel; and when any of them made an excursion into the interior for purposes either of business or pleasure, he sent them forth slenderly equipped, and especially exhorted them against the use of knives and forks. All such emblems of Western civilisation were to be denied to men who were in training for Eastern heroes. There were some noble specimens of manhood among them. Among others was an artillery officer, little more than eighteen years of age, whose gigantic stature was the wonder and the admiration of the Persians.* The fame of young Lindsay's proportions reached far into the interior. When the bearer of Malcolm's letters to the King and the Prince-Regent reached Shiraz, the latter was eager in his inquiries about the tall man.' The messenger, after satisfying the Prince's inquiries, told his Royal Highness, that the greatest wonder of all was, that although seven feet high, he was only a lad of eighteen, and might grow another cubit. One morning, as Malcolm was sitting in his tent, he was delighted by hearing a Persian call out to one of Lindsay's servants' Is your date-tree asleep or awake?' We may be sure that there was no want of laughter in camp at this figure of speech, and need not question that the Envoy laughed the loudest of the party."

On the 27th of April, Malcolm reached Shiraz, where he was received by the Prince-Regent with great courtesy and kindness. This prince seemed really desirous to wipe out from Malcolm's mind all memory of his former incivility; and we see no reason to doubt his sincerity. "When ten years before they had met at Shiraz, the prince was a mere boy, and therefore only an 'instrument in the hands of the chief officers of his court. He had now grown into a man of a lovely person and engaging manners, polished and yet frank, and altogether of a bearing ' and demeanour, such as inspire confidence and affection." We confess that, in the general, we have not very much faith in the frankness of oriental princes; but we suppose that this description is true comparatively. While at Shiraz, Malcolm received the sad intelligence that two officers of his suite had been barbarously murdered on the Turkish frontier. While at Bushire, he had sent Captain Grant and Lieutenant Fotheringham to Bagdad, with a view to the acquisition of geographical information. Animated by an indiscreet zeal, they had resolved to return by a

* "Lindsay-afterwards Sir Henry Lindsay Bethune-with better fortune than some of his comrades, lived to a ripe old age. The greater part of his life was spent with the Persian army. He distinguished himself by many acts of heroic gallantry, which caused him to be regarded by the Persians as a veritable Roostum-not in stature alone."

different route from that which had been marked out for them, and held out a bait to the cupidity of the robber bands, through whose haunts they were to pass, by travelling in state, with a showy tent and a large quantity of baggage. They were met in a defile by a robber-chief and a party of horsemen. "Grant was shot dead as he attempted to regain his horse. The rest were seized and carried about prisoners for four days, at the end of which, Kelb Ali, the robber-chief, separated the Christians from the Mussulmans, and suffered the latter to depart. Then the Christians were brought forth to the sacrifice. Mr. Fotheringham and three Armenian servants were placed in a row, and asked whether they would become Mussulmans or die. They preferred death to apostasy; and one after another, they were shot dead on the spot." We need not tell how deeply this intelligence affected Malcolm. He lamented their death as if he had himself been accessory to it; whereas it appears clearly that it had been brought about by disobedience to his positive orders.

On the 16th of May, the embassy left Shiraz, and proceeded to Teheran, by way of Ispahan. The embarrassment occasioned by the presence of Sir Harford Jones at the Persian court, now began to weigh heavily on Malcolm's mind. We cannot enter into any detail as to the squabbles that ensued on the arrival of the latter at Teheran. The position of the two ambassadors was an anomalous one. Undoubtedly, as the representative of the Crown, Sir Harford Jones was entitled to a certain degree of precedence over Malcolm, who was but the representative of a representative of the Crown. But then it was an understanding, one of those recognized leges non scripta, which, like the loi salique in France, have all the authority of prescription, though no one can quote chapter and verse for them, that the administration of British affairs to the eastward of the Cape, should be in the hands of the Governor-General of India. are not aware that this was ever ruled in so many words, and we presume that it never was, for another principle has been adopted in our dealings both with Persia and with China. Still, until it was ruled otherwise, the understanding was that the Indian authorities were paramount in the east; and with all deference we submit that this is what ought to be. It is only in her capacity of sovereign of India that England has, or can have, aught to do with Asiatic countries. Through the same instrumentality, therefore, by which she exercises the sovereignty of India, ought she to regulate her relations with the other Asiatic powers. If it be said that this was putting too much power into the hands of the Governor-General, we have only to say, let the Governor-General be a man fit to be

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trusted with such responsibility. If the Governor-General is not fit to be trusted with the support of British interests, when these may be affected by the proceedings of Asiatic sovereigns, how is he fit to be entrusted with the Government of India itself? Or, to take another view of the matter if the Governor-General cannot be entrusted with such responsibility, what security have we that the Secretary of State for the Foreign Department. shall be more trustworthy? This is, in reality, the state of the question. We cannot be surprised that Lord Minto should have been disposed to join issue upon it. And this was really the question on which Sir Harford Jones and General Malcolm had to do battle at Teheran. Jones did undoubtedly assume a very haughty bearing; but there are many excuses for him. He must have felt that personally Malcolm had a great advantage over him. When he had been simply Resident at Baghdad, Malcolm had been the undisputed representative of the British nation and the British monarch at the Persian court, and had then won for himself golden opinions from all sorts of meu. It was not very easy to bear that after having insisted that he should introduce Malcolm to the king as his own subordinate, the king should say to him, "Introduce Malcolm! Why introduce him? Malcolm is my friend; no body needs introduce my friend Malcolm to me." It was not easy to bear, that whereas he had himself always stood in the presence of the king, Malcolm should have been requested to sit down at his first audience :—

'

"The ceremony of reception was an imposing one. Attended by eleven gentlemen of his suite, all in full-dress uniform, Malcolm entered the hall of audience. 'Welcome again, Malcolm,' cried the King, with much cordiality, and welcome all you young gentlemen. Mashallah! you have brought a fine set of young men- -all fine young men—to pay their respects to the Shah. Sit down, Malcolm.' Now Malcolm, on his former mission, always had sate down. He had contended for and established the custom. But Sir Harford Jones had consented to stand in the royal presence. How then could the representative of the Governor-General accept a concession which had not been accorded to the delegate of the Crown ? Malcolm felt the embarrassment of his position, and asked permission to stand. Again the King desired him to be seated. But still the Envoy hesitated to comply with the request. Why, Malcolm,' said the King, half in jest and half in earnest, what new thing is this-what has come over you? You used not to hesitate in conforming to the King's command.' On this Malcolm sate down. The embarrassment passed over, and Futteh Ali Shah and Malcolm were soon in earnest discourse.*

"It was the only time," says the narrator of this incident, from whom I de rived it, "that I ever knew Malcolm to lose his self-possession for a moment."

"Malcolm had prepared a set speech; but when the time came 'Come,' for its delivery, he made no great progress with the oration. said the King, smiling, 'you are an old friend; I do not put you on a footing with other men. Compose yourself; I know what you would say'—and he commenced a speech of fulsome panegyric. Then, breaking into laughter, he said, 'Now your speech is made, let me know about yourself. How have you been these many years ?' Except for the wish to revisit your Majesty, I have been well and happy,' said Malcolm. 'But what,' asked the King, ' made you go back in dudgeon last year, without seeing my son at Shiraz ?' 'How could he,' said Malcolm, 'who had been warmed by the sunshine of his Majesty's favor, be satisfied with the mere reflexion of that 'Mashallah! refulgence through the person of his Majesty's son ?' Mashallah!' cried the King, 'Malcolm is himself again!'

If we consider, what we think is very probable, that this very matter of standing in the royal presence was a stroke of deep policy on the part of Sir Harford Jones, we shall see at once how the king's reception of Malcolm must have galled him. He could not be ignorant that Malcolm, on his previous mission, had insisted on the right to sit in the presence, as due to the power whom he had the honor to represent. Now Jones was naturally a far greater stickler for forms than Malcolm was. How then had he not claimed for himself this distinction, which had been contended for by Malcolm and conceded to him? We do not think there is aught uncharitable in the supposition that he intended and hoped thereby to supplant Malcolm in the good graces of the king and courtiers. "You see what an amiable man this Sir Harford is. He, though a real baronet, and sent by the king of England, does not even ask what Malcolm, who was no baronet at all, and sent only by one of the king's servants, insisted on. A fine unassuming gentleman is Sir Harford." Or read it thus : "See this Jones. He does not know what is due to a gentleman and an ambassador. Jan Malcolm Sahib knew what is right. He was no newly made baronet, but a soldier and a gentleman, and the friend of the great Lord Wellesley. But this Jones has been taken from a Clerk's desk, and had Sir put before his name merely to impose upon The former must have been the design, the latter the execution. Taking all this into the account, and remembering moreover that Sir Harford was a Welshman, we cannot wonder that the two ambassadors did not pull together. But we cannot dwell on the matter. The Governor-General had sent Malcolm in order to establish the principle that our intercourse with Persia should be conducted through the intervention of the Indian Government. This matter had been referred to England, and the answer came in due time, to the effect "that the Home DEC., 1857.

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• Government had determined still to regulate our diplomatic ' relations with Persia, and had, in prosecution of this intention to repudiate the power and authority of the Governor-General in that direction, appointed Sir Gore Ouseley ambassador to the court of Teheran." This intelligence left Malcolm no alternative. He was now no more than a private gentleman, on a visit to his friend Futteh Ali, king of Persia. The host was anxious that the visit should be prolonged, and that Malcolm should remain and render him assistance in the war that he was about to wage with Russia, and Sir Harford Jones strongly advised him to accept the invitation; but he did not consider that it would be right for him to consent:

"Two days afterwards Malcolm was summoned to the presence of the King. Futteh Ali was seated in a small tent, to which no one was admitted but the Prime Minister and the English Envoy. In conformity with the custom introduced by Sir Harford Jones, Malcolm stood in the audience-chamber, but the King resolutely declared that his old friend should never stand in his presence, and a further order obtained compliance. Futteh Ali then commenced the conference by saying how greatly he had been disappointed by the out-turn of events at home, and the consequent determination of Malcolm to return to India; and then begged that he would stay and accompany Abbas Meerza and his army into Georgia. 'You will then,' he added, 'return and receive your leave as you ought, and be conducted through my country with the attention and distinction due to so favorite a servant.' To this Malcolm could only reply that, whatever his inclinations might be, his duty, after the decision of the Crown Government, which had deprived him of all authority in Persia, compelled him to withdraw from all further interference in his Majesty's affairs. I am constrained,' he said, ' to obey orders. That discipline which your Majesty is introducing into your army with us pervades all ranks. When the word March is given, we move forward, and at the word Halt we stand fast.' At this illustration the King laughed, and several times repeated in English the words " Halt-March!"-" Halt-March!" as though greatly pleased with the idea. 'Would to God,' he said, 'I could bring my Wuzeers and great public servants into such order.' 'I know what are the rules of your service,' continued the King; 'I know, however greatly I may regret it, that an officer is bound, in all

cases, to obey the Government under which he serves; but you will, I hope,' continued the King,' stay as many days as you can at Tabreez. And at all events' (he added, turning to the Prime Minister), 'as General Malcolm must go, take good care that every arrangement for his departure is made in a manner which will give him satisfaction. He always has been, and always shall be my first favorite among Europeans, and he shall receive his leave with every honor it is possible to confer upon him. Everything must be done that can give him gratification. With the sounds of this gracious