360 
AGA KHAN. 
his religion. At every place where he found a Mollah he held long 
consultations with him upon the nature of his duties. —Whether^ during 
the Ramazan, he really could without sin eat on the days of travel ? 
Whether remaining three days successively at one place he was ob¬ 
liged to enter upon his RouzeJi or fast ? Whenever he came to visit 
us, he was evidently under restraint, being from civility obliged to 
drink our coffee and take our refreshments. Sitting on an English 
sofa, he looked fearful lest he might imbibe some contamination, and 
when he thought nobody saw him, he blew over each of his shoulders, 
as if to keep off the uncleanness of infidels from him. Every good 
mussulman being enjoined to make as many converts as possible, 
Aga Khan never failed to endeavour to prove the excellence of the re¬ 
ligion of Mahomed over every other; but when the arguments that he 
urged were disputed, and the falsity of their foundation pointed out, he 
was silent, and in extreme surprize to find that any thing could be said 
against that which he had ever been accustomed to esteem as the abso- 
lute and exclusive truth. In regard to miracles, he possessed a degree 
of credulity greater than can be conceived. When we talked of the 
proofs which our Saviour gave of his divine mission, and of the miracles 
which he performed, such as causing the blind man to see, the lame to 
walk, the dumb to speak, &c., he exclaimed, What are these miracles 
“ compared to those of our Prophet ? Such as those which you mention 
“ are performed by our holy men at the present day, and there is now a 
Seyid at Meshed, who only a few months ago restored sight to a girl 
“ born blind; but did Jesus ever perform a miracle equal to Mahomed, 
“ who with his finger cut the moon in two ?” 
In company with this person, we departed from Demawend on the 
22d July, and arrived at the Bagh Shah, computed a distance of fifteen 
miles. The high range of Albours, which surrounds the plain of 
Teheran, at Demawend diminishes in size, and is split into smaller 
ranges. One of these stretches to the eastward, and our road led to its 
lowest extremity, winding on the northermost side of a valley about 
twenty miles in length, and four in breadth. On the opposite side, 
