DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.15174#0097
CHAP. XIV.
PRINCE ABBAS MEERZA.
81
smiled at their abomination of tobacco ; since they
sold it publicly, and mentioned that the servants of
an envoy, whom he had lately received from Or-
gunje, caught the smoke as it came out of their
master's mouth. I had not seen such barbarism in
Bokhara. When I related to the Prince the spiri-
tual notions of the Uzbeks, and some instances of
their bearing witness against themselves, he related
to us a similar occurrence in the life of Ali: —A
female, who was enceinte, called for death, as an
atonement for her sins. The Caliph desired her to
appear when her offspring was born. She did so,
and again accused herself; and he gave the com-
mand for her being stoned to death, but prohibited
every one from lifting a stone who was in the least
impure. The Caliph put the woman to death him-
self. I told his Royal Highness that I regretted
I had not heard the tale, that I might have replied
to the Uzbeks. The Prince then requested me to
give him some notes on the resources of the country
about Shurukhs, which he shortly intended to visit.
I gave them without hesitation. Abbas Meerza,
during this interview, spoke of geography and mathe-
matics by these names, and evinced a tolerable
proficiency in the first of these sciences. He spoke
of New Holland; but he did not enlighten me on
one of his favourite plans, by which he purposes to
consign all his brothers and nephews to that coun-
try on his accession to the crown.* Never was
* As this work is passing through the press, intelligence has
been received of Abbas Meerza's death.
VOL. III. G
PRINCE ABBAS MEERZA.
81
smiled at their abomination of tobacco ; since they
sold it publicly, and mentioned that the servants of
an envoy, whom he had lately received from Or-
gunje, caught the smoke as it came out of their
master's mouth. I had not seen such barbarism in
Bokhara. When I related to the Prince the spiri-
tual notions of the Uzbeks, and some instances of
their bearing witness against themselves, he related
to us a similar occurrence in the life of Ali: —A
female, who was enceinte, called for death, as an
atonement for her sins. The Caliph desired her to
appear when her offspring was born. She did so,
and again accused herself; and he gave the com-
mand for her being stoned to death, but prohibited
every one from lifting a stone who was in the least
impure. The Caliph put the woman to death him-
self. I told his Royal Highness that I regretted
I had not heard the tale, that I might have replied
to the Uzbeks. The Prince then requested me to
give him some notes on the resources of the country
about Shurukhs, which he shortly intended to visit.
I gave them without hesitation. Abbas Meerza,
during this interview, spoke of geography and mathe-
matics by these names, and evinced a tolerable
proficiency in the first of these sciences. He spoke
of New Holland; but he did not enlighten me on
one of his favourite plans, by which he purposes to
consign all his brothers and nephews to that coun-
try on his accession to the crown.* Never was
* As this work is passing through the press, intelligence has
been received of Abbas Meerza's death.
VOL. III. G