344 A HISTORY OF PERSIA. was accordingly made custodian of the mosque, and his son, the celebrated Salar, was appointed to be the gover- nor of Khorassan. But the Asef-ed-Dowleh had no sooner got rid of a troublesome spy in the person of the former custodian than another thorn in his flesh appeared to vex him. This was one Mahomed Hassan Khan, a chief of Nardeen, who by means of making pre- sents at Tehran contrived, without the Asef-ed-Dowleh's knowledge, to be named governor of his native district. Nardeen lies between Meshed and Astrabad, and is sub- ject to the government of Khorassan. It lies along the Turkoman frontier, and its new ruler showed his gra- titude to his patrons at Tehran by making himself a scourge to the hereditary enemies of the Persians. This was too much for the patience of the Asef-ed-Dowleh, and a body of horsemen was, by his instigation, sent against the chief of Nardeen with orders to put him to death. These orders were faithfully executed ; but Allah- yar Khan was called upon to account for the deed that had been done. As a matter of course he protested that he had not been accessary to the death of Mahomed Hassan Khan ; but he was nevertheless ordered to repair to Tehran. This he declined to do, on the ground that he could not leave the shrine of Imam Keza without a custodian : a pretext of which he was deprived by the immediate appointment of another person to fill that holy office. He then slowly and reluctantly approached the capital of the Shah, having previously written to his Majesty to point out how utterly unfitted the prime minister had shown himself for the task of ruling Persia. At Tehran the sentence of exile awaited him. He was ordered to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, and to reside
