Sûlimân Khan Kajir, first cousin and son-in-law of the king, and who had at one period aspired to the throne, was the person fixed upon to act this part of the drama. No compliment could be greater to the embassy than its being assigned to him; but there was one drawback--it was urged, that the said Sûlimân Khan was of too high rank to rise from his seat to receive any man upon earth, except the king, or a prince of the blood-royal; he was besides Lord of the Court,[123] an office which gave him the place of majesty itself when the king was absent. Notwithstanding these pretensions, it was agreed that he should make a slight movement, or a half rise, when the Elchee entered the room, and that the latter should seat himself on the carpet on a footing of equality. Everything being arranged, we proceeded towards the "Threshold of the World's Glory," on the morning of the sixteenth of November, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred! We were all dressed in our best attire. A crowd had assembled near the house of Hajee Ibrahim, and the streets were filled with gazers at the strangers. The infantry part of the escort, with their drum and fifes, and all the Hindustânnee public servants in scarlet and gold, preceded the Elchee, who rode a beautiful Arabian horse richly caparisoned, but entirely in the English style; he was followed by the gentlemen of his suite and his escort of cavalry. When we came within half a mile of the palace all was silence and order: it was the state of Asia with the discipline of Europe. We passed through rows of men and horses; and even the latter appeared as if afraid to shake their heads. Many persons whom we saw in the first square of the citadel, before we entered the palace, were richly dressed, and some of the horses were decked out with bridles, saddles, and trappings of great value; but it was not until we passed the last gate of the palace, and came into the garden in front of the king's hall of audience, a highly ornamented and spacious building, that we could form any idea of the splendour of the Persian court. A canal flowed in the centre of a garden, which supplied a number of fountains, to the right and left of which were broad paved walks, and beyond these were rows of trees. Between the trees and the high wall encircling the palace files of matchlock-men were drawn up; and within the avenues, from the gate to the hall of audience, all the princes, nobles, courtiers, and officers of state, were marshalled in separate lines, according to their rank, from the lowest officer of the king's guard, who occupied the place nearest the entrance, to the heir apparent, Abbas Meerzâ, who stood on the right of his brothers, and within a few paces of the throne.