412 A HISTORY OF PERSIA. ness and his powers of intriguing and dissimulating, the Persian Minister did not find himself placed on a bed of roses. At one time he even spoke of resigning the high office which he held ; but if he ever seriously entertained the intention of doing so, he probably feared that it was not open to him to resign office only, but that he must make up his mind to part at the same time with office and with life. Under these circumstances his tortuous mind suggested to him the singular idea of doing something which would induce either the Russian or the English Minister to demand his dismissal from office ; hoping that thus he might be allowed to retire into private life without being exposed to any further danger. But the possession of office, if he ever was seriously indif- ferent to it, reacquired in his eyes a charm which he could not resolve to dispel, and he accordingly talked no more of resigning his post. That post now derived 1 additional importance, from the fact that the alliance of Persia was courted by one of the powers whose quarrel engrossed the attention of the civilized world. Late in the autumn of the year 1853, General Bebitoff arrived at Nakhtchivan to take command of the Eussian army destined to act against the Turkish forces in the Pashalic of Erzeroum ; and a , messenger was des- patched by him to Tehran, who was to communicate, through the Eussian Minister, certain propositions from the Eussian government to the Shah. A private inter- view with his Majesty was demanded by Prince Dol- gorouky on the occasion of the arrival of the messenger at Tehran. To this interview none of the Shah's subjects were admitted, lest the purport of the propositions should transpire : no Vizeer was there to echo the statements
