distinguished from the Turks. His religious views, too, are liberal, and his practice tolerant. But with his liberality, he is also immoral, indulging in drinking and other species of dissipation. So long as he had an able prime minister, his defects, as a ruler, were less apparent. But now, not only does he show himself possessed of the most perfect duplicity, but of a weakness which places him under the control of an unprincipled man, who has only to intoxicate him, to carry the most unwelcome point.

With the characteristic avarice of his family, he makes the heaviest exactions from his province that can be borne, and adopts arbitrary and objectionable modes of collecting them. We met at Tebriz Jaafer Kooly khan, a chief of the powerful tribe of Afshárs, and one of the first of the Persian nobility, who had been deposed from the office of governor of Marágha, which he had long held, merely because another had offered a larger tribute than he was paying or would pay. In other instances also has he virtually sold similar stations to the highest bidder. The officers under him are not restrained from flagrant abuses. It was reported, at the time of our visit, that the governor of Tebriz had leagued with the principal thieves in town for a share of their booty. Justice is known to be perfectly venial. A gentleman informed us that he once, for an experiment, brought a cause before the chief judge. For his gratification or to pay him for his trouble, in compliance with the customs of the country, a small present was given; but the opposite party offered higher, and the gentleman's claims were negatived. In a word, moral principle, political uprightness, and the rights of the subject, are subjected to the dictates of sensuality, ambition and avarice. And none, permit me to add, but those whom skepticism leads to forget the benefits that Christianity confers upon man, ought ever to have expected any other result,

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GOVERNMENT OF ABBAS MIRZA.

under the influence of the false and corrupt religion of Месса.

The prince has indeed long succeeded in preserving the public peace in his province. Open robbery, with occasional exceptions on the borders of the Kürdish mountains, is unknown; and the persons and property of foreigners are perfectly safe. But it is an interesting question, whether the death of the Shah may not, any day, break up all the foundations of public order and security. The order of succession has hitherto been so perfectly unsettled in Persia, that at the death of a Shah, whoever is strong enough hesitates not to aspire to the throne; and upon such occasions, rival parties have often imbrued their hands in each other's blood, and brought upon the nation all the evils of complete anarchy. In the present instance, the size of the royal family makes the number of candidates unusually large. Abbas has the advantage of all the others, in having been nominated to the succession by his father, secured in it, as is understood, by a treaty with Russia, and entrusted for a long time with the organization of the whole regular army of the realm. But an army is of little use, when want of punctuality in payment estranges its affections from its leader, as is said to be the case with his. The Russians would perhaps not hinder an insurrection, that might give them occasion to interfere, and pick some of the richest jewels from the crown they disposed of. And as to the father's wishes, few of his sons, probably, will regard them, after death shall have stripped him of his power.

LETTER XVIII.

TEBRIZ.

Number and political condition of the Armenians of Tebriz-Their moral character-Their education-Festival of the Purification-Bishop Israel -His preaching-Conversation with him—Armenian way of salvationMoslems of Aderbaiján not of the Persian race-Persian civility, and falsehood-Slight prejudices against European customs, with high ideas of ceremonial purity-Fondness for religious discussion, with bigotry or skepticism.

DEAR SIR,

I HAVE already informed you, upon the authority of the ex-bishop of Aderbaiján, that, at the close of the late war, 9000 Armenian families emigrated from this province to the Russian territories. He also assured us, that there remained behind 2500 families, and that 50 or 60 families of the emigrants had returned; and I am inclined to credit him, rather than the present bishop at Tebriz, who declared that there are now not a thousand Armenian families in the province. The number of families of that nation in the city itself, is not greater than 60 or 70. They have a church, which is served by four priests.

The political condition of the Armenians of Tebriz is peculiar. When the prince found so many of their nation inclined, at the close of the war, to avail themselves of the protection of Russian laws by emigration, he promised all who would remain, the privilege of an English governor. Maj. Hart, who then commanded the English forces here, was consequently appointed to that office; and was clothed, for their government and protection, with very extensive

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ARMENIANS OF TEBRIZ.

powers, which the prince has always held inviolable. Upon the decease of that gentleman, in 1830, Dr. Cormick was prevailed upon, by the solicitations of the people, I believe, as well as by the request of the prince, to accept the appointment. He held it while we were there, and however much he was troubled by the bad conduct of the Armenians, he never complained of want of countenance from the prince, in protecting them from moslem oppression and abuse. His authority did not extend beyond the city. So well convinced, indeed, is the prince of the value of his Armenian subjects, that, besides this important privilege, he also takes pains to keep their priests in his interest. That he gives them a regular salary, we were assured is not true; but they occasionally receive from him suits of clothing, and other valuable presents.

Of the moral character of the Armenians of Tebriz, we received the worst impression. Their priests are unprincipled hirelings, and besides other irregularities are given to much wine. The people are accused of the basest ingratitude. The English, out of regard to their professing the same religion, have always done much to protect them, but have received no thanks. Particularly did they, when the Russians were marching upon Tebriz, take many into their families as servants, merely to defend their lives from the rage of the moslems, who suspected them of acting as spies. Letters from these same persons were afterward intercepted, declaring to the Russians that they would have helped them to enter the city much sooner, had not the English prevented their giving the proper information. One day, we were informed, the kaim-makám, (lieutenant of the prince) warned the embassador to caution the English to keep all their servants within doors, as every other Armenian was to be slain that night. Not only was the caution given, but English sergeants were stationed as sentinels at all the avenues to the Armenian quarter, to prevent the

THEIR MORAL CHARACTER.

153

massacre, and the next day a promise was obtained from the kaim-makám that they should not be touched. And yet they conducted themselves, after the entrance of the Russians, in such a manner, that to avoid their insolence was one reason why the English left the city. Without having a doubt that the Armenians are capable of all the ingratitude implied in this statement, it is a question whether the fact, that the English could not but be regarded as aiming expressly to uphold the power of their oppressors, which the Russians were endeavoring to humble, might not naturally make them its victims. In dishonesty they are even below the moslems. For want of a better Armenian servant, we were forced to engage one who was known to have stolen his master's carpets when the Russians entered Tebriz, and who, according to his own confession, had regularly overcharged his market bills to the amount of four or five tománs, (about $12 or $15,) a month. His former employer assured us, that he could give no better character to five or six other Armenians who had served him; and the oldest English resident in the place thought that, considering the habits of his countrymen, we ought not for such conduct to reject him.

Faithfulness to the charge imposed upon me demands a word upon another point of moral character, which I would willingly leave concealed in the dark parts of the earth, where it is so grossly developed. Concubinage may be practised in other countries, by such as are cast out of the pale of all decent society, without implicating the moral healthiness of public sentiment. But here it exists under circumstances, which plainly show the mass of the Armenian community to be infected with its corrupting influence. Public opinion does not frown upon it. Parents even sell their daughters into concubinage; and not only, we were assured, are these victims of lust admitted to the communion and the other privileges of the church, as good Christians, but 14*

VOL. II.