PEESIA. 



623 



at least two months, and paid at least one 

 month, before the election. The general elec- 

 tion is held annually on the Tuesday next fol- 

 lowing the first Monday of November. Prop- 

 erty owned at the time of marriage, or there- 

 after acquired, may be held by a married woman 

 as her separate estate, and is not liable for the 

 husband's debts. Her property is liable for 

 debts contracted by her, and for necessaries for 

 the support of the family of her husband and 

 herself. She may dispose of her property by 

 will without the signature of her husband. By 

 petitioning the Court of Common Pleas she 

 may hold her separate earnings and income for 

 her sole benefit. The grounds of divorce are 

 impotence, adultery, desertion for two years, 

 cruel treatment or indignities that render the 

 condition intolerable and life burdensome, 

 fraud, force, or coercion, in procuring the mar- 

 riage, sentence to two years' imprisonment for 

 felony, and becoming a lunatic or non compos 

 mentis. The legal rate of interest is 6 per cent. 

 Pennsylvania is represented in Congress by 2 

 Senators and 27 Representatives, and has, 

 therefore, 29 votes in the electoral college. 

 The National Guard of the State is divided into 

 ten divisions. In 1874 there were 19 regiments, 

 169 companies, 738 officers, and 8,261 enlisted 

 men. 



PERSIA,* a country of Asia. Reigning sov- 

 ereign, Nassr-ed-Din, Shah of Persia, born 

 1829, succeeded his father, Shah Mohammed, 

 in 1848. Heir-apparent, Muzaffer-ed-Din, born 

 in 1850. The area of Persia is estimated at 

 636,000 square miles. The population, which 

 for some time had been on the decline, is now 

 reliably reported as being again increasing, and 

 amounting to from 6,000,000 to 7,000,000. 



The Persian army, according to official re- 

 turns of the Minister of War, numbers 105,000, 

 of whom about one-third, or 30,000 men, con- 

 stitute the standing army. According to a new 

 law issued in 1875, the soldiers will no longer 

 serve as heretofore for lifetime, but only for 

 twelve years, and the right of providing sub- 

 stitutes is granted. 



The electric telegraph had, in 1875, an ag- 

 gregate length of about 1,800 miles. 



Since the visit of the Shah, the European 

 papers report more frequently than formerly 

 of the condition of Persia, but their accounts 

 widely differ. Some- correspondents represent 

 the country as still being in the most deplora- 

 ble condition; according to others, the Shah's 

 visit begins to bear fruit. According to one 

 correspondent, the Shah has recently caused 

 what are called " boxes of justice " to be sent 

 to every town in his dominions. Placed under 

 a military guard, this novelty serves as a re- 

 ceptacle for petitions; every one, however 

 humble, possessing the right of placing in it 

 written memorials and statements of griev- 

 ances. At stated intervals the box of justice 



* For an account of the religious statistics, the political 

 divisions, and the imports and exports, see ANNUAL CYCLO- 

 PEDIA for 1874. 



is forwarded to Teheran under escort, when 

 its contents are laid before the Shah, who, it 

 is said, reads every petition himselt One of 

 the greatest abuses still existing in Persia is 

 the bad system of credit. There are no courts 

 of justice in which to sue debtors. If a cred- 

 itor is strong enough, he may lay hold of a 

 debtor by the collar in the middle of the road 

 and give him in charge of two ferashes, who 

 will summarily recover double the amount of 

 the debt from him, the excess of course going 

 into their own pockets. If the debtor be a great 

 man, his creditor has little chance of ever re- 

 covering the debt. The Europeans are more 

 fortunate in the collection of their debts. As 

 a last resource, they give the names of their 

 debtors to the legation to which they belong, 

 and the legation has only to send the names to 

 the Sadr Azim to recover the debts, and this he 

 does immediately. The Russian Foreign Min- 

 ister takes under his mighty wings all those 

 Europeans who have no legation here. He 

 also protects the Armenians, and sees that no 

 injustice is done to them; and therefore they 

 enjoy greater freedom and liberty than they 

 have ever done. The name of Russia inspires 

 the Persian fanatics with awe, while that of 

 England inspires them with respect and admi- 

 ration for her skill. The British Foreign Min- 

 ister protects the Parsees, who are represented 

 by Mr. Manakji Limiji, a well-educated and 

 highly-respected gentleman from Bombay. He 

 is supported by the Bombay Parsee Panchayat, 

 and he rendered valuable service to his country- 

 men during the great famine. The Jews alone 

 are left to themselves, and this accounts for 

 their being still in the lowest scale of society. 

 The spirit of toleration is daily gaining ground 

 in Persia, and the Jews have nothing to com- 

 plain of, especially when their present condition 

 is compared with that of ten years ago. But, 

 while the Parsees, the Armenians, and the Jews, 

 enjoy religious toleration in Teheran, they are 

 deprived of this privilege in other cities and 

 towns, where they are still subjected to much 

 annoyance and tyranny by the followers of 

 the Prophet, though in a less degree than in 

 former years. 



The present relations between Persia and 

 Russia are thus referred to in the new work 

 by Sir H. Rawlinson, on " The British in Asia " 

 (London, 1875) : 



In Persia, quite recently, there has been unwonted 

 activity. The plan of a railway from the frontier to 

 Tabreez, originated by a private company, has been 

 pressed on the acceptance of the Shah's Govern- 

 ment by the full weight of Eussian official influence, 

 against his Majesty's wishes, and in flagrant disre- 

 gard of the rights of Baron Eeuter, the annulment 

 of whose concession, although formally ratified by 

 Persia, has never been accepted either by the indi- 

 vidual or by his protecting Government. There 

 can be no question that the interference of the Kus- 

 sian Government in this matter has far transcended 

 the limits of advice or even of solicitation tendered 

 by a friendlv power, and has given a rude shock to 

 the Shah's independent authority ; but the incident 

 is not likely to lead to serious misunderstanding, 



