524 
DEATH OF MIRZA SHEFFY. 
at his court, with their various suites, and I know not what 
supernumeraries besides, who all take up their abode in the vast 
encampment established by his majesty at one of those places ; 
where he remains till his company have eaten all the neighbour¬ 
ing provisions, and their cattle “ licked the plains bare.” Not 
to make one in this mighty host, nor to fall in with it after it 
had set forth on its palmer-worm-like expedition, I took my leave 
of the royal presence some days previous to the general march; 
and arrived at the capital of Azerbijan much about the same 
time the Shah was taking up his ground at Sultania. But in 
that short interval, a great change had taken place. Mirza 
ShefFy, the venerable Saddar, whom I had left at Teheran in 
such rosy health, both in cheek and beard, (the latter being 
always dyed a bright red,) fell ill at Casvin during the progress 
of his majesty; and remaining awhile for temporary rest, soon 
found his lasting one ; having there the rare lot for a prime- 
minister in Asia, of closing his eyes in peace after a life of 
eighty years ; the greatest part of which was passed in business, 
in trouble, in honours, and in danger. He had the good fortune 
to weather the storm under the turbulent reign of Aga Mahmoud 
Khan ; and after that monarch died, his last twenty years de¬ 
clined so imperceptibly under the mild sceptre of Futteh Ali 
Shah, that the venerable minister’s green old age felt no touch 
of a searing leaf till he thus dropped into the grave. 
I cannot refrain giving a little anecdote related of this extraor¬ 
dinary old man, who so wonderfully maintained his life and his 
place in the service of a tyrant, the memory of whose acts, 
even at this moment, makes his former subjects tremble. 
Amongst the varieties of cruel punishments with which he 
chastised those unhappy wretches who offended him; cutting 
out their tongues, their ears, and digging out their eyes, were 
