BEGGEE JAN BELFRAGE. 



actual ruler of the Usbecks, although he never 

 bore any other title than that of Regent, and con- 

 tinued to pay a nominal obedience to Abdool 

 Ghftzee Khan, the nominal king. 



It may seem strange that Beggee Jan should 

 have chosen this process of acquiring the power 

 which he might probably have taken, without much 

 difficulty, as the heir of his father. But he knew 

 that merely as the head of a tribe he should, in a 

 station to which he could have no distinct claim, 

 be exposed to the jealousy and opposition of other 

 chiefs ; whilst, as a religious mendicant, compelled 

 by his countrymen to assume regal power, he should 

 have no rival to fear, and would be able to esta- 

 blish his authority on a permanent basis. There- 

 fore in his subsequent life he never lost sight of 

 that character in which he had won " golden 

 opinions" from his countrymen. In his regulations 

 for the management of public affairs, he gave to 

 each institution a shape consonant to his apparent 

 situation ; and in his private character the tempta- 

 tions which surround a throne had no power to 

 divert him from the practice of that austerity and 

 self-denial which had sanctified his cell. His per- 

 severance in this conduct disarmed his enemies and 

 attached his friends ; and ultimately he came to be 

 regarded with such reverence, bordering on ador- 

 ation, that he found little difficulty in establishing 

 a fabric of power by the consolidation of the Us- 

 beck tribes, and by victories and successful negocia- 

 tions which even Persia contemplated with great 

 and just apprehension. 



Beggee Jan abolished the splendid court at which 

 the nobles of Bucharia had been accustomed to 

 attend, and in its place established what may be 

 called a hall of justice, in which he sat as presi- 

 dent, assisted by forty roollahs, or learned men. 

 All who had complaints to make came to this hall ; 

 but the prosecutor was never allowed to speak un- 

 less the accused were present. No person, what- 

 ever might be his rank, dared neglect a summons to 

 attend this court, before which even a slave might 

 cite his master. Beggee Jan was accustomed to 

 listen very patiently to the statements of both 

 parties, and in all cases not criminal he sent them 

 away with the advice to endeavour to settle the 

 matter amicably between themselves. If they did 

 so, the cause terminated ; but if not, he took notes, 

 at their re-appearance, of the evidence produced ; 

 and these were given, together with his opinion on 

 the case, to the mollahs, who were directed to pre- 

 pare a decision according to the holy law. The 

 parties, even after this, had a week allowed them 

 to accommodate their difference ; but if they failed 

 to do so, sentence was then passed, and became 

 irrevocable. Criminal justice was administered 

 according to the Koran. Daring robbers were 

 punished with death ; petty thieves by the loss of 

 their right hands; drunkards were publicly whipped. 

 Tobacco having come into use since the time of 

 Mahomet, the Koran says nothing about it; but 

 smoking is rather discountenanced by severe reli- 

 gionists, and Beggee Jan forbade it under severe 

 penalties. From all classes in the city of Bucbaria 

 the strictest attention to the forms of religion was 

 required : police officers were continually employed 

 in driving the inhabitants to the mosques to hear 

 the stated prayers; and they were authorized to 

 use their whips to awaken the devotion of the negli- 

 gent. These officers had also authority to inter- 

 rogate the persons they met as to their knowledge 

 of the proper prayers, and to inflict summary pun- 



ishment on such as were found wanting. Of these 

 proceedings we cannot form a proper estimate with- 

 out recollecting that an attention to the stated 

 prayers is an essential duty of daily life, the obser- 

 vance of which is made imperative upon a Moslem 

 by the Koran, the directions of which have the 

 force of public laws in every Mohammedan country. 



The nominal monarch, Abdool Ghazee Khan, 

 and his family, were supported from the produce of 

 the royal estates. But Beggee Jan drew daily from 

 the same fund from which he paid his soldiers, for 

 the support of himself, his cook, his servant, and 

 his tutor, the sum of one tuny&h (about iive pence) 

 for each, being the amount of the stipend allowed 

 to the poorest student. The wife of Beggee Jan, 

 who was one of the royal family, was allowed only 

 three tung&hs. This princess had a fortune of her 

 own, which placed her above the necessity of re- 

 ceiving this pittance; but she took it nevertheles-s, 

 in order to please her husband, who often told IHT 

 that it was too much. " That which is actually 

 necessary," he used to say to her, "is alone lawful ;" 

 and when she remonstrated, he was wont to add, 

 "Learn, lady, to be content with little, that thy 

 God may be content with thee." Nevertheless the 

 joy which he felt at the birth of a son induced him 

 to abate the rigour of his domestic regulations. A 

 sum of not less than 5 was allotted for the sup- 

 port of the mother and infant ; and an equal amount 

 was given for the support of two other sons the 

 moment they were born. Gradually Beggee Jan 

 showed his intention to educate his children in the 

 enjoyment of the luxuries which, as for himself, he 

 appeared to despise. He allowed his family to re- 

 side in a palace ; while he himself occupied an un- 

 furnished room, or rather cell, into which persons 

 of all classes were admitted. He wore a coarse and 

 filthy dress, while he was surrounded with splen- 

 dour. On his death, his eldest son, Hyder Turrah, 

 ascended the throne of Bucharia, and assumed the 

 dignity as well as the name of a sovereign. See 

 Sir John Malcom's History of Persia. 



BEGHERME ; a considerable country of Central 

 Africa, to the south-east of the lake Tchad. The 

 people wage almost perpetual war with Boniou, 

 which boasts of having subjected them ; but they 

 always find a retreat beyond a considerable river, 

 which flows through their country, whence they 

 return, and regain possession of their territory. 

 Their chief force consists in mounted lancers, who, 

 with their horses, are cased in iron mail. 



BELFRAGE, HENRY, D. D., a much esteemed 

 clergyman among the Scottish dissenters, was born 

 on the 24th of March, 1774, at Falkirk, where his 

 father was a minister of the Secession church. He 

 was educated first at the grammar-school of his 

 native town, and afterwards at the university of 

 Edinburgh, to which he was removed in the thir- 

 teenth year of his age. His theological course 

 commenced in 1789, and was pursued under the 

 tuition of the Rev. John Brown of Haddington. 

 Among those who attended the classes with him 

 he formed many valuable friendships, which sub- 

 sisted during life, and though in worldly circum- 

 stances, talents, and fame, he maintained a superi- 

 ority over the most of those with whom he was 

 thus connected, yet perhaps no friendships were 

 ever more uninterrupted or more intimate. Soon 

 after he was licensed to preach, he received calls 

 from three congregations, and in the case of one of 

 these, the proverb did not hold good that a pro- 

 phet has no honour in his own country. His 



