Page:Historyofpersiaf00watsrich.djvu/299

CHAPTER X.

Three Aspirants to sovereign Power—Mahomed Meerza marches from Tabreez to Tehran—Submission of the Zil-es-Sultan—Mahomed Shah crowned at Tehran—Defeat of Hassan Ali Meerza by Sir Henry Bethune—Capture of the Firman-Firma—Ardabeel—General Revolt in Khorassan—Fall of the Kaim-makam—Haji Meerza Aghassi—Ambitious Designs of the Persian Government—Expedition against Herat—Seistan—Prince Kamran and Yar Mahomed Khan—Reasons of Dost Mahomed Khan for distrusting the Government of India—Cruelty of Mahomed Shah—His Failure before Herat—Rival Influences in his Camp—The Siege of Herat raised

The death of the aged Shah was the signal for which two pretenders to the throne had long waited. These were Hassan Ali Meerza, the Firman-Firma, or governor-general of Fars, and the Zil-es-Sultan,^[1] the governor of Tehran. Both of these princes had to a certain extent the advantage over Mahomed Meerza, the rightful heir to the Persian throne. The Firman-Firma at the time of the death of Fetteh Ali, was sufficiently near to Ispahan to be able to reach that city, and take possession of the jewels and treasure which the late king had brought with him, before the royal stores had been to any considerable degree diminished; while the Zil-es-Sultan, on his part, from his position at the capital, had the opportunity of acquiring even a larger quantity of money and valuables than that which fell to the lot

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1. The Zil-es-Sultan, or Shadow of the Sultan, was so called from his remarkable resemblance to his father, Fetteh Ali Shah.