696 



PERSIA. 



PERU. 



aro in a good condition." Stories of miraculous 

 cures, etc., fill the remainder of the space. In 

 case of scarcity of material, one page is left 

 blank, or European news is taken from the 

 Turkish journal in Constantinople. At the 

 time when England and Persia had fallen out, 

 the Teheran Gazette had frequently polemical 

 articles and manifestoes against England. Tho 

 Persian Government at the same time used the 

 "Journal de Smyrne" in the Persian interest. 



The majority of the Persians, about 7,500,000, 

 are Mohammedans of the sect of the Sheah. 

 The Sunnites live especially in Koordistan near 

 the Persian Gulf, in Talish near the Caspian Sea, 

 and number altogether about 1,500,000 souls. 

 The sect of the Sheikhi does not differ much 

 from the Sheah. Their system treats especially 

 of subtle details concerning the form of exist- 

 ence of the Imam Meihdi, who, they believe, 

 will make his appearance on the day of resur- 

 rection. Under the name of Ali Allah all 

 those sects are comprised who believe in the 

 incarnation of Ali, regarding him either as a 

 direct incarnation of God, or as an indirect 

 one through Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus 

 Christ. They deny the validity of the Koran, do 

 not perform the "prayer," and do not observe the 

 laws of purification and of food. Their chief 

 seat is at and near Kermanshah, where their 

 ecclesiastical chief resides. Scattered, they 

 live in all parts of the country. One branch, 

 Davoodi, occupies the region around Kasooin, 

 and the villages which lie near Resht. 



Of more recent origin is the sect of the Babis,* 

 whose history forms one of the most interest- 

 ing episodes both of the modern history of 

 Persia and the recent history of Mohammedan- 

 ism. The sect is named after their founder, 

 who called himself " Bab-eddin" (" the Gate 

 of Faith "). His first public appearance was in 

 the year 1843. He was at that time a young 

 man, bearing the name Mirza Ali Mohammed. 

 Earnestly inquiring after truth and religious 

 progress, the young man made a pilgrimage 

 from Shiraz, his native town, to Mecca, which 

 led him to renounce the prevailing form of Is- 

 lamism. Soon he felt a vocation to bring about 

 a thorough reform of Mohammedanism, or 

 rather td establish a new religion out of a mix- 

 ture of Mohammedan, Christian, Jewish, and 

 Parsee views. The rare gifts, and especially 

 the great eloquence of the pious enthusiast, 

 soon attracted disciples from all sides. Among 



* The first thorough -work on the history and the 

 origin of the Babis has just been published by Count de 

 Gobineau, under the title Let Religions et Philosophies 

 dans rAsie Centrale (Paris 1866). The author was formerly 

 French minister in Teheran. Before him but little had 

 been published In Europe concerning the Babis. (See Zeit- 

 schri/t der DeutacJien Morgenlana. Gesellschaft, vol. v. ; 

 Petcnnann, Reisen im Orient, vol. 11. ; Polak, Ptrsien, vol. 

 I., pp. 850-854.) Count Gobineau, In an introduction to his 

 work, treats at length of the religious and moral character 

 of the Asiatics, of Persian Mohammedanism, on the origin 

 and the substance of the Sheah, on Suflsm, on the infliicncu 

 of European ideas in Persia, etc. The history of the Babis is 

 followed by treatises on their doctrines (a kind of Unitarian- 

 i-ni), on the theatre in Persia, and, as u concluding appen- 

 dix, he gives the sacred book of the Bitbls, ' The Book of 

 Precepts." 



them was the most learned woman of Persia, 

 to whom the name Gurrat-el-Ain (" Delight of 

 the Eye") was given, and who subsequently 

 with numerous other followers suffered death 

 for her faith. Some of the most zealous disci- 

 ples of the Bab, or, as his followers called him, 

 the "Hezret-e-Ala" ("Elevated Highness"), 

 were sent out as Dai (apostles) to different 

 parts of Persia, and even to the capital, Tehe- 

 ran. The leader of these apostles applied the 

 work of the ingenious mystic to the danger- 

 ous field of politics. The Bab did not oppose 

 these schemes of the apostles (eighteen in 

 number), although it was not in accordance 

 with his own character and original designs. 

 He thus became involved in the sad fate which 

 his followers brought upon themselves by a ris- 

 ing against the lawful authorities of the country. 

 After a two years' imprisonment, during which 

 he composed numerous writings, he was put to 

 death in a horrible manner. His death, how- 

 ever, did not put an end to the sect, which, on 

 the contrary, continued to gain numerous ad- 

 herents in all parts of the country, until a plot 

 against the life of the Shah called forth a war 

 of extermination against them. But the gen- 

 eral opinion of those best acquainted with Per- 

 sian affairs is, that Babism is not yet extinct, 

 but still has large numbers of followers. 



PERU, a republic in South America. Provi-. 

 sional President (Dictator) since November 

 1865, Gen. Prado. Congress is composed of 

 a Senate (two members for every department), 

 and Chamber of Deputies (one Deputy for 

 every 20,000 inhabitants). In 1864 the Senate 

 was composed of 36, and the Chamber of Depu- 

 ties of 86 members. Area 508,986 square miles; 

 and the population in 1860, 2,865,000. 



The Government having hypothecated the re- 

 ceipts from the sale of guano for the years 1865 

 and 1866, the revenue for these years consisted 

 exclusively of the receipts from duties. The 

 latter amounted, in 1863, to $3,511,669; and in 

 1864, to $2,835,981. The public debt amounted 

 on December 31, 1864, to $32,399,939. 



The fleet which Peru, at the beginning of the 

 year 1865, opposed to that of Spain, was com- 

 posed of the following steamers : Callao, 30 

 cannon (68-pounders) ; Amazonas, 36 can- 

 non (68 and 32-pounders) ; Chalaco, four can- 

 non (68-pounders) ; Lersundi, two cannon (68- 

 pounders); Tumbes, four cannon (32-pound- 

 ei's) ; Chancamaya, 2 cannon (32-pounders) ; 

 two iron-clads, Loa, with two cannon (100- 

 pounders), and the monitor Victoria, with two 

 cannon (68-pounders) ; finally one brig carry- 

 ing 12 rifled guns (1 6-pounders) ; together nine 

 vessels, carrying 94 cannon. The army, in 1864, 

 was composed as follows : 



Infantry 8,400 



Cavalry 1,200 



Artillery 1,000 



Total 10,600 



Gensdanucs 5,403 



The imports were estimated, in the year 

 1861, at $32,000,000, and the exports at 



