THE SHAH AND HIS PEOPLE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 78, 30 March 1892, Page 4

THE SHAH AND HIS PEOPLE

(Pall Mall Gazette.)

Tho Shah of Persia is nearly played out. Ho drinks a bottle of brandy a day. Ho consumes hashish and opium freely. No weight can be attached to any rumours of reform proceeding from His Majesty or his present Ministers. Tho mask is finally off, Europe has been fooled. Tho Shah's butler, the son of his cook, tho grandson of a slavo bought for £10 in the open market, is now solo and irresponsible Grand Vizier. In Persia there is no law and not a singlo court of justice. JSo enterprise is possible. No ono dares own that be is rich. Tho rich bury thoir wealth. They aro seized, tortured, imprisoned ; in many cases thoy die without revealing their treasure. All tbat is respectable in Persia stands aloof, goes into exile, or hides away to escape tho intolerable degradation and misery of the times. A Persian gentleman tho other day, not so much smarting under personal injuries an rendered desperate by tho hopeless misery of the times, forced himself before the Shah and committed suicide in his presence. There is a noble element loft in Persia. Tho people are sound, but up to within the last year or two hopeless and without organisation. Most of thoir princes and nobles — tho men of letters, and abovo all the great Moolahs, including tho most learned of them ail, Sheik Djemal-ed-din, now in England along with tho Shah's own cousin, his Serenity Fakh-01-niolk — are in open opposition. Will it bo believed that this revolt, now beginning to surge up in Toberan, Scbiraz, Khorassan, Tabris, and in every city in Porsia, is what is alluded to in one of its wiros by tho Times of Nov. 4 as a purely religious and looal one — as who should pooh-pooh tho Prouoh Ilovolutjon aa purely ecoular and Parisian P This ifs merely using words to conceal facts. The Times' wiro represents tho views of tho Oriental Bank ab Tehorau. That ia all. It Persia is supposed to bo on tho vergo of a revolution, or oven a change of Government, tho Bank rates go down. The tobacco monopolios aro iv danger. " Le chamcau, le voilal" Thoro 13 nothing for h bub to keop tho grand butler, 1 beg pardon, tho Grand Vizior, in power; aiid.^bove all, to keop tho English publio from knowing tho truth. It is, however, impossible' now that we havo amongst us the greatest Oriental eoholar — the Persian Archbißhop—the head Moolah and "son "of tho Prophet (to whom tho whole of Porsia owns spiritual allegiance)— -now that we also hayo the Shah's first cousin, a Persian of tho most exalted rank, son of the Uomm&ndor-in-Ohief of tho Persian army — it is impossible for any wires from Teheran to prevent tho truth from leaking out indirectly. Aud tbia is tho truth. Tho first nobles iv Porsia arc affronted by tho presonb degrading entourage of tho Bhah; and the masses cry out for tho first timo in Persian history with a clear and articulate voice. Thoy at last know what thoy want and how to get it. Thoy cry aloud lor tho moral aud diplomatic Bupport of Englaud to help them to law —to security of lifo and proporty. If England will uot hear, thou thoy turn to Russia. That is oxactly what thoy aro doing at this momoiit in spite of the Timers reassuring palaver, Tho firman, aupposod to bo half forced by our lato Ambassador ou tho Shah, promising security of lifo aud property to his subjects, aud understood to mean, ' I, the yhah, will not rob uud murder you," ompowored, by '.virtue ol its signatories, tho English Legation to remonstrate, and t even bring pressure to bear ou tho Bhah's Government iv case of auy flagrant act of injustice or crimo. What ia now happening P Tho Shah has seized six men of rauk and loarniug, whoso only crime is that, iv comraou with the masses, tuoy bogged for somo law— any law—- somo shadow of Bocurity for lifo and property, Theso inoii have beeu simply executed by command of tho yhah without trial or explanation of auy kind. Threo hundred poisons, inoluding mon of letters and distinction — holding the sarno views, views formulated by Princo Malcolm jeuis ago, embodying tho most elementary s-pproach to justi'io, views approved of by the Shah himself aud his beat councillors before the reign of Bculliouß began— throo hundred men suspe tea of these views have also been thrown into prison, and aro thoro at this moment, boiug tortured aud bastinadoed, And tho English Legation doeH nothing, aud tho Oriental Bank and tobacco concessianists laugh iv thoir sleeves ; whilst tho speoial Times* wire from Teheran

talks blandly about "local revolt" and Buppreßsion"-~and tho namo of England stinks, and Ruasia makes her game. "You throw us," said a great sheik, "into tho arms of Russia, Protection wo must have — you might givo it vs — your approval or disapproval at this junction may bo allpowerful ; wo Bhould bolievo iv tho diplomatic value of your signature if you over noted upon it. If you won't holp us—if you merely exploit our people to keep up your bank intorost and toady tho Shah's slavo to obtain your tobacco concessions wo cannot trust you, and wo must try Russia. For tho first time — through tho tcaohinga, now amazingly spread abroad, of Prince Malcolm — wo know how to ex. press our wants — wo know what law, justice, govornmont, aud protection moan. Wo are determined to havo them. Tho people aro at their last gasp of patience. Their degradation and misery exceed anything huropeans can conceive of. Will you allow tho inmediate future of Persia, with its boundless wealth, its intelligent and sympathetic masses, its freo aspiration, its commercial resources, to pass out of your control P Wo want you, but if you wou't havo us, wo must take Russia. If Russia is not deaf to our ory, ib Ruasia to bo blamed P" Thiß (or words to thiß ofieot)is what is openly said by thoso illustrious Persians who at this groab crisis (unsuspected by the Times) havo proforred a temporary trip to London aud Paris to probable prison and poison in Persia. Whilst I. write this, nows roaches mo that soverai persons taken at random havo beeu publicly executed simply to toiroriso tho people.

Tho JUstates Gazette of January 30 th coutaiuß _ a roviow of tho land sales eflectod iv 1891, from which it appears in England thoro has beon a groat fallLug oil'iu tho returns, raoro noticeable iv soYoral of tho Homo comities than elsewhero, Tho average price per acre ia, however, only £2 short of that of „1890, Iv cotlaud aud Wales thoro a most decided improvement iv the number of properties sold, although tho average prices aro vory low, in tho former country especially, duo priuoipally to tho salo of two vory largo estates, ono of whioh of some 72,000 acres iv ltosa-shiro only realised about £1 10s per acre, which, ol oourso, had tho oiloct ol materially lowering tho averages. The following is a statement ot acres of land Eold and tho prices roalised per aero : — in England, 49,592 a3r 29p Bold for a total of £2,106,083, an average of £43 per acre : iv Scotland, 98, 457 aOr 14p fetched £435,002, or at the rato of £4 per aero ; in Wales, 8603 a2r 15p realised £103,337, equal to £19 per acre.

Iv tho Old World tho English Bparrow builds in holeß iv old ruius, in wheat or bay stocks, or auywhero but iv trees. When introduced to Amorioa, whoro uo such opportunities aro afforded, it makes its nest in ticca. jNot haviug beeu accustomed to buildiug iv such places, the ucsto aro of tho rudest possiblo character, aud compare as would tho pottery of tbo ancient American ludiau with tho beautiful ware of our Troutou potteries with tho artistic nests of other birds. .No doubt, with oxporionco, those nests will improvo iv character, and possibly the birds themselves will vary from tho origiual typo whou that timo comes.

Tho application of electricity to aotuatiug motors ou tramcars and locomotiveß is becomiug very geueral. Electric motors for propelling ships is also becoming more kuowu, aud tho launch of tho " Elootric," which is tho first electrioially driven vessel built for the British Government, marks au era iv tho application of tho sciouco of olecbricity.

Tho dynograph-car is ouo of tho most wonderful iuveutious iv railway woik. It lias ouly to bo rolled over a truck to indicato ovory imperfection iv tho ratio, whether it bo spread rails, open joiuts, or defective iron. Suitablo markiugo aro loft ou tho track, according to tho fault to bo denoted, bo that tho traokmau who follows iv tho wake of the car has a largo proportion of Lis labour saved, aud can sco at a glance where his repairs or his alterations must begin,

A phonomenal trial crushing of 214& tons of stone {torn tho Brilliant reef, wbioh baa beon interaeoted in the Viotory mine at Charter's Towers, Queensland, has yielded upwards of 14920 aot gold.

" A DBLNK FOE THE GODS," so said tho yreat Prophet— Mahomet, when tahing bis oup of ooflce under the fig tree. If you would enioy such, drink Grease's AI Coffee, Sold only iv 1 and 2 lb lino.

AN EMINENT PHYSICIAN flays il the publio would drink less tea aud more Ooffee thero would bo a great many lees sufforers fYum tbat troublesomo complaint — indiges tioD. Crease's Ai Coffee is the beet. Sold ouly in and 2 lb, tins,

IF YOU WOULD LIVE LONG and prosper drii.k good CoCfee. It maketu ih Q heart glad, kcopeth tbo bruin clear, tmdhelpeth digestion, lio euro and aek for Oiease'B AI Uollee. Sold ouly in 1 aud 2 lb. tina.

THERE IS ONE THING evory housowifo Bhouid know, and that iß— Hebooles Baking Powdek is tbo best. Why ? It is tbo oheapost oeoaueo it is tbo boet lor rnakiDg broad, pastry, oakes, puddings, soones, &o, In 6d and Is lies,