‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎298r] (602/722)

tjlimiately, the two rebel princes were taken prisoners, and sent to the state
fortress oi Ardabil. Hasan All Mirza died on the way ; but his brother
Was deprived of eyesight.
The necessary steps were now taken for the restoration of order through
out Persia, lire Khurasan chiefs were ag-ain in rebellion; but were reduced
to submission by prince Faridun. There were also some serious troubles in
Luristan and Arabist an; hut they were suppressed by prince Bahrain,
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 Karmanshah, aided by Lieutenant (now Sir Henry)
llawlinson. Meantime the minister, Mirza Abdul Kasim, persisted in
keeping every branch of the administration in his own hands, and his
proceedings in this respect naturally excited grave discontent. from the
hrst he had been morbidl} T jealous, lest any one besides himself, or his own
crerturns, should have access to the Shah. He had even thrown every
obstacle in the way of the Shal/s return to Tihran ; although it was of the
highest importance that the Shah should reach the capital without delay.
Subsequently his monopoly of the administration aroused an oppositrn,
which soon led to his removal from office. Unfortunately, a minister in
Persia is either in the enjoyment of full power or in abject disgrace.
Hemoval from office is not followed by dignified retirement, hut by utter
destruction. Accordingly, when the Shah found that he could no longer
s ipport his minister without causing disaffection amongst his subjects, he
d d not merely demand the seals of state, but be ordered that Mirza Abdul
Kasim and all his sons should be put under arrest. A host of accusations
then poured in against the fallen minister; and the Shah was at last so
convinced, of his corruption a< d maladministration, that he ordered that
Mirza Abdul Kasim sin uld be strangled. This sentence was carried into
execution on the 26th June 1835, within five months of the coronation of
the Shah.
Meantime the post of minister had long been coveted by Allah Yar
Khan, the governor of Khurasan, who was the maternal uncle of the
Shah. Allah Yar Khan, better known as the Asaf-ud-Daulah, had occu
pied this important position in the reign of Fateh All Shah; but had
subsequently been dismissed from the office, and appointed to the govern
ment of Khurasan. On hearing of the arrest of Mirza Abdul Kasim,
he hastened from Mashhad to Tihran; but Muhammad Shah had already
appointed his old tutor, Haji Mirza Agha.-i, who acquired so much
knowledge during his early travels in Arabia as to attract the notice
of the deceased Abbas Muza. The result was that Haji Mirza AgbaY
was constantly in fear of the intrigues of the governor of Khurasan ;
whilst Allah Yar Khan was on his part constantly striving to^ upset Haji
Mirza Aghasi. It will be. seen hereafter that Haji Mirza Aghasi maintained
his position as prime minister throughout the reign of Muhammad Shah, but
that his administration was as unsuccessful as that of his predecessor. He
was suspicious of foreign governments, and utterly ignorant of^ political
economy; and in the early part of the reign of the present Shah he was
sent into banishment.
During these domestic troubles the designs which the Persian^ govern
ment had entertained during the latter part of the reign of hatch AH Shah,
as regards the extension of the empire to the eastward, appear to lni\e
remained m abeyance. W hen, however, Muhammad Shah found himself
fully established on the throne of Persia, and had effected a change in his
prime minister, he once more turned his attention to the siege of Ileiat,