Alexandria Gazette & Advertiser

THE KING OF PERSIA.

Sir R. K. Porter, in his travels, gives an interesting account of the celebration of the Nowroose, the most joyous festival in Persia. It continues 6 days, commencing on the 21st of March, when the solar year begins. On the first day of this fete, the King holds a grand assembly to receive the congratulations of the most distinguished of his subjects. It was at this assembly that our author had first the honor of being introduced to his Majesty, with the dignity of whose deportment, and affable condescension to himself, he seems to have been very deeply impressed. After a minute description of the court arrangement, and the dazzling splendor of the royal attire, Sir R. K. Porter thus proceeds:

"While the Great King was approaching his throne, the whole assembly with one accord, continued bowing their heads to the ground till he had taken his place. A dead silence then ensued, the whole presenting a most magnificent, and indeed awful appearance; the stillness being so profound, amongst so vast a concourse, that the slightest rustling of the trees was heard, and the softest trickling of the water from the fountains into the canals. As the motionless state of every thing lasted for more than a minute, it allowed me time to observe particularly the figure of the Shah. His face seemed exceedingly pale, of a polished marble hue; with the finest cast of features; and eyes dark, brilliant, and piercing; a beard as black as jet, and of a length which fell below his chest, over a large portion of the resplendent belt when held his diamond hilted dagger. This extraordinary amplitude of beard appears to have been a badge of Persian royalty from the earliest times, for we find it attached to the heads of the sovereigns in all the ancient sculptured remains throughout the empire. In the midst of this solemn stillness, while all eyes were fixed on the bright object before them, which sat indeed as radiant and immovable as the image of Mithras itself, a sort of volley of words, bursting at one impulse from the mouths of the mullah and astrologers, made me start, and interrupted my gaze. This strange outcry was a kind of heraldic enumeration of the Great King's titles, dominions, and glorious acts; with an appropriate panegyric on his courage, liberality, and extended power. When this was ended, with all the heads bowing to the ground and the air ceased to vibrate with the sounds, there was a pause for a minute, and then his Majesty spoke. The effect was even more starting than the sudden bursting forth of the mullahs: for this was like a voice from the tomb, so deep, so hollow, and at the same time so penetratingly loud. Having thus addressed his people, he looked towards Captain Willock, the British Charge d'Affairs, with whom I stood; and then we moved forward to the front of the throne. The same awful voice, though in a lowered tone, spoke to him, and honored me with a gracious welcome to his dominions. After his Majesty had put a few questions to me, and received my answers, we fell back into our places; and were instantly served with bowls of a most delicious sherbet, which grateful refreshment was followed by an attendant presenting to us a large silver tray, on which lay a heap of small coin called a shahy of the same metal, mixed with a few pieces of gold. I imitated my friend in all these ceremonies, and held out both my hands to be filled with this royal largess: which, with no little difficulty, we passed through our festal trappings into our pockets. The mornings of this festive period are devoted to the reception of presents to the King, from his sons the Prince Governors of the Provinces, from his Ministers, Khans, &c. These presents generally consist of mule and camel loads of gold stuffs, shawls, or any rare and valuable commodity: the amount thus brought into the royal treasury is enormous, and is said to be annually increasing."