‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎293r] (592/722)

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in active hostility to each other, naturally led to an attempt on the part
of the British ambassador to reconcile the differences between the courts
of St. Petersburg and Tihran. The result was that, in 1813, the treaty of
Gulistan was concluded, by which Persia ceded to Russia all the provinces
which the latter had acquired, and engaged to maintain no navy on the
Caspian. This ceded territory included Georgia, Immeretia, Mingrelia,
Darband, Baku, and all Persian Daghistan, Sharwan, Shaki, Ganja, Kara-
bagh, and parts of Moghan and Talish.
Fateh All Shah had four grown-up and warlike sons, to whom he had
entrusted the government of important provinces; and it will be convenient
for the sake of reference to bring them together here. It should, however,
be premised that in Persia the succession does not go with the eldest male,
as in Turkey and Egypt, but that the sovereign exercises the prerogative of
nominating the heir-apparent, as in Afghanistan. Accordingly, it will be
seen that the second son, and not the first, was the crown prince of Persia.
The four sons and their respective governments were as follow:
(1) Muhammad AH Mirza, governor of Karmanshah.—This prince was
entrusted with the defence of the southern portion of the Turko-
Persian frontier.
(2) Abbas Mirza, heir-apparent and governor of Azerbaijan, the richest
and most important province in Persia.
(31 Hasan AH Mirza, governor of Shiraz.
(4) Muhammad Vali Mirza, governor of Khurasan.
It will be wholly unnecessary to attempt a sketch of the rebellions, which
occasionally broke out in different districts throughout the reign of . Fateh
Ali Shah, although those in the province of Khurasan will be occasionally
noticed hereafter, in consequence of the light which they throw upon the
political condition of the countries beyond the eastern border. It will suffice
to say that these outbreaks were not regarded as unmitigated calamities by
the government of the Shah. If the people of a district were driven to dis
affection, they were, as a general rule, soon dragooned into obedience; and
the plunder of the disaffected district often restored the mutinous troops to
their allegiance at critical times, when the military chest was empty and
they were clamorous for arrears of pay.
The progress of affairs in Khurasan during tire years immediately sue-
feeding the destruction of Nadir Mirza is somewhat obscure.^ About 1808,
or 1809, Muhammad Vali Mirza, the prince-governor A Prince of the Royal line who also acted as Governor of a large Iranian province during the Qājār period (1794-1925). of Khurasan, put for
ward certain pretensions of the Persian government to the exercise of suzer
ainty over Herat ; and the fact is of some importance as a landmark in the
history of Persia, inasmuch as no previous claim to Herat had been made by
Persia since the death of Nadir Shah. The attempt failed Muhammad
Yali Mirza sent an army against Herat, which was successfully repelled by
prince Firuz-ud-din, and was compelled to return to Mashhad with such
cattle as the Persians could plunder from the intervening tribes.
At a subsequent period troubles again broke out m Khurasan, it, indeed,
they had ever been allayed. The defeat of Abbas Mirza on the Araxes m
1812-, whilst tending to bring about the treaty of Gulistan, seems to have
encouraged the chiefs of Khurasan to rebel against Muhammad Yak Mirza,
the prince-governor A Prince of the Royal line who also acted as Governor of a large Iranian province during the Qājār period (1794-1925). . Accordingly, they took possession of Mashhad , and ^o
long as they acted in concert, Muhammad Yah Mirza was powerless to
oppose them. But mutual jealousies broke up the confederacy, and the chiefs
then returned to their respective strongholds; whilst the piinee-^ovei o