KELIGION OF THE SINDHIANS. 169 



weakness, for he always trusts the untrust- 

 worthy, and distrusts his staunchest friends, 

 thus occasioning angry feelings in the breasts 

 of his real well-wishers, for he manages matters 

 so awkwardly that state secrets invariably ooze 

 out, to the disappointment of his plans. I speak 

 advisedly on this point, having been myself 

 sent with his son Meer Fyze Mahomed on a 

 special mission to a nobleman, his friend and 

 well-wisher, which was to be kept profoundly 

 secret from one of His Highness' staff, and to 

 him our business and destination were known 

 before we reached the Paddington Station. 

 Fortunately for the Meer's interests, the gen- 

 tleman referred to knew his weakness, and bore 

 him no ill-will for the distrust, which, how- 

 ever, must have been sufficiently mortifying. 



The Ameers of Sindh, and a portion of the 

 people, are of the Shiah persuasion, but the bulk 

 of the Mahomedan population are Soonees. 

 The Koran is their standard rule of faith, and 

 their sacred book is held by all in such vener- 

 ation, that no one but a Seyud, or Moollah, 

 can venture to touch it, and oaths are sworn 

 by placing it on the head of the party. On 

 the Koran being brought into any assembly, 



