AMBASSADOR RETURNS THE VISIT. 
133 
who sat himself down at a distance, after he had received permission 
from the Ameen-ad-Dowlah. Of this etiquette the great men in 
Persia are very tenacious ; for as it is a principal part of their state to 
have men standing before them, they are slow in granting to their 
dependants the privilege of sitting down. Mahomed Beg was also in 
attendance, but he stood all the time. Mirza Abul Hassan Khan took 
advantage of his knowledge of our language to hint to the Ambassador 
how agreeable it would be to Mahomed Beg, if His Excellency would 
speak in his favour to the Ameen-ad-Dowlah ; which having been done, 
we were pleased to see him appear the next day dressed in a brocade 
suit, which had just been bestowed upon him by Ameen-ad-Dowlah. 
The Mirza then hinted that a few words of praise in his own favour 
would also be useful to him ; when the Ameen-ad-Dowlah, after paying 
some compliments to both parties, said to thq Ambassador, “ I give the 
Mirza’s ear into your hand, [Ego vero oppono auriculam ); and as for 
Mahomed Beg, I give him to you altogether [Peeshkesh shmna est ); he 
is a present to you.” 
The next day the Ambassador returned the visit, but it was at six 
o’clock in the morning, which is the common visiting hour among the 
Persians during the great heats. The Ameen-ad-Dowlah’s house was 
situated at a considerable distance from our’s, in the east quarter of the 
town ; and we were obliged to pass through long suites of bazars, 
which, as is usual on such occasions, were, by order of the government, 
put into their best dresses, by the exhibition of an, abundance of their 
best commodities; for the Persians well know that one of the best 
modes of ascertaining the wealth of a city, is by scrutinising the quan¬ 
tity and quality of the wares in the shops. 
The Ambassador was met at the gate of the Ameen-ad-Dowlah’s 
house by some of his principal officers, and then conducted through 
many dark, narrow, and intricate passages, into a spacious square, sur¬ 
rounded by armed men, more numerous than those whom we had seen 
at the court of the Prince of Shiraz, and generally better dressed. We 
found all the principal men of the city assembled to meet the Ambas¬ 
sador, excepting Abdullah Khan the Governor, the Ameen-ad-Dowlah’s 
