202 
MAHMOUD ALI MIRZA. 
to increase his revenues, and to spread his general influence. 
His treasury has various sources of augmentation ; one instance 
may suffice : nearly 30,000 tomauns arrive annually as a peace¬ 
offering from the Pasha of Bagdad ; so well does Mahmoud Ali 
know how to make himself feared ! so well is he aware of the 
power of gold, to do just what he pleases ; to confirm adherents, 
to make friends of enemies, to raise armies like the dust of the 
ground ; or, in the hour of necessity, to let the lawless tribes 
loose upon the towns and villages of a rival ! 
The fact of the Shah having nominated Abbas Mirza to be 
his successor, rather than Mahmoud Ali Mirza, the elder brother, 
is well known to every country in Europe at all interested in the 
affairs of this kingdom. The reason assigned for the preference, 
is simply the different circumstances of their birth; the mother 
of the declared heir, having been one of the legal queens of the 
king, and also a daughter of the Kadjur or royal tribe; whereas 
the mother of the prince of Kermanshah, was only a concubine 
slave. But from what has already passed, we must see that the 
scymetar is likely to be called upon hereafter, to write in blood 
the will of Futteh Ali Shah. On the day for naming the suc¬ 
cessor, all the royal brothers, with the ministers and great khans, 
were present; and when the king presented Abbas Mirza to 
them as their sovereign, every soul bowed the head of submission, 
excepting Mahmoud Ali Mirza, and he told his royal father, 
that while he lived, he would acknowledge no other sovereign 
than himself; then laying his hand on his sword, he added 
sternly, “ after that, this shall decide who is to be king of 
Persia.” 
The intrepidity of such frankness marks the character of this 
prince. Pie is proud, ambitious, daring, and invincibly brave 
