1Ve have made some comments elsewhere on the way to
receive the Shah, and it appears that he has hitherto seen little except armies, which do not interest him much ; great receptions, at which he must be horribly bored, for he does not speak with any fluency any European tongue ; and ballets, which interest him mightily. His harem has been sent home, and he himself is de- scribed as looking unhappy, though distingue, dressed in black velvet, wearing emerald epaulets, and so powdered with diamonds that he suggests a dark shrub under the early morning dew. He is said to be extremely anxious to see English factories, and in that case Birmingham will interest him more than London, the method of making good breechloaders quickly being near the heart of all Sovereigns. If he talks politics it must be with Lord Granville. Yet his real relations are with the Duke of Argyle, who now occupies the throne of his predecessor, Nadir Shah. Let us hope the Duke will remember that Nusr-ed-din is a Mussulman Dissenter, and not forget that his hereditary enemy is our friend the Sultan.
