‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎297v] (601/722)

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lono- sewed as wazir Minister. to the deceased Ahbas Mfrza. This individual was
destined to a still higher destiny in the future, as grand wazir Minister. of Persia.
He is said to have been a statesman of the highest ability. He was an able
financier, well acquainted with the condition of every province in the
kingdom', a id well versed in the foreign relations of the government
of the Shah. He possessed a great power of deceiving others; and this
seems to have led him to trust no one. The consequence was that he
endeavoured to perform himself the whole work of the administration of
the province, which consequently fell greatly into arrears, and excited
much discontent amongst the people of Azarbarjan.
£C Fateh All Shah was now fast sinking into the grave ; but avarice .still
continued to be his ruling passion. His son, Hasan All Mirza, prince-
u-overnor of Pars, saw that his father was dying, and withheld the arrears
of his province, which amounted to three hundred thousand tumans.
Meantime the-Shah was journeying towards the south, with the view of
putting a stop to the rumours of his death, which were constantly circu-
latino-r At Isfahan he halted for a while; and Hasan All Mirza arrived
there 0 "shortly afterwards from Shiraz. But instead of bringing the six
hundred thousand tumans, the prince only brought thirteen thousand.
Fateh All Shah boiled with rage; and not only abused his son, but ordered
him to be put into confinement until certain commissioners whom he
appointed had collected the arrears. This was done soon afterwards, and
Hasan All Mirza was released. The end of Fateh Ali Shah was now fast
approaching. He was compelled by fever to remain in his harem, where
he was nursed by his favourite wife, whom he had raised from the condition
of a dancing-girl to that of ruling sultana. He died on the 23rd of
October 1S34, at the age of sixty-eight, after a reign of thirty-seven years.
Notwithstanding the nomination of Muhammad Mirza as heir-apparent
to the crown, no sooner was it known that batch Ali Shah was dead than
two of his other sons appeared as competitors for the throne, namely,
Hasan All Mirza, 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 Fars, and the Zil-us-Sultan, 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 Tihran. Both these princes held favourable positions
for the support of their respective pretensions. Hasan Ali Mirza had left
Shiraz and reached Isfahan in time to seize all the royal treasures and
jewels, which had been left in that city by the deceased Shah; whilst the
Zil-us-Sultan was in actual possession of the capital of Tihran. Each of
these two princes lost no time in proclaiming himself Shah of Persia, and
in preparing a military force to maintain himself in his assumed sovereignty.
Meantime Muhammad Shah was delaying at Tabriz, the capital of his
province of Azarbaijan. The Russian representative offered to place him
on the throne by a Russian military force; but Sir John Campbell, the
British envoy, who was at that time at Tabriz, had already taken such
measures as to render this movement unnecessary. The Shah was con
ducted from Tabriz to Tihran by a Persian force, under English officers,
which was commanded by Sir Henry Bethune ; and on approaching the
capital it was found that the rebel troops under the Zil-us-Sultan were
rapidly deserting their leader and joining the army of the Shah. The
result was that the Zil-us-Sultan made his submission ; and his offence
appears to have been condoned. Muhammad Shah was crowned at Tihran
in January 1835, and the Zil-us-Sultan assisted at the ceremony.
After the coronation of Muhammad Shah, Sir Henry Bethune marched
against Hasan Ali Mirza and his brother, and obtained an easy victory.
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