“_Oct. 7th._—I was surprised by a visit from the great Soofie doctor, who, while most of the people were asleep, came to me for some wine. I plied him with questions innumerable; but he returned nothing but incoherent answers, and sometimes no answer at all. Having laid aside his turban, he put on his night-cap, and soon fell asleep upon the carpet. Whilst he lay there, his disciples came, but would not believe, when I told them who was there, till they came and saw the sage asleep. When he awoke, they came in and seated themselves at the greatest possible distance, and were all as still as if in a church. “The real state of this man seems to be despair, and it is well if it do not end in madness. I preached to him the kingdom of God: mentioning particularly how I had found peace from the Son of God and the Spirit of God: through the first, forgiveness; through the second, sanctification. He said it was good, but said it with the same unconcern with which he admits all manner of things, however contradictory. Poor soul! he is sadly bewildered. “At a garden called Shah Chiragh, in which is the tomb of the brother of one of the Imans, who was killed on the spot, a miracle is wrought every Ramazan. The proprietor of the garden, in whose family it has been for ages, finds its supposed sanctity abundantly profitable, as he is said to make $9,000 a year of it. To keep alive the zeal of the people, who make their offerings there every day, he procures a villager, who pretends to be sick, and crying to Ali[12] for help; and then, on the appointed day, recovers. Though this farce is played off every year, the simpletons are never undeceived. Presents of sheep, fowls, sweetmeats, money, flowed in upon the proprietor, who skilfully turned all to the best advantage. Those who wished to see the man’s face, were to pay so much, those who were anxious to touch him, were to pay so much more; and so on. “On two days in the Ramazan, tragedies were acted at our house, in the women’s court. Two or three men, dressed in the Khan’s court-robes, spouted and sung for an hour, before an immense concourse of women, all veiled. The subject on the first day was the death of Mohammed; on the second, that of Iman Hosyn.” “_Oct. 18th._—“The Ramazan ended, or ought to have ended, but the moon disappointed them. The Moollahs not having seen the new moon, would not allow the fast to be over, and the people were, in consequence, all in confusion; for not having eaten in the night, they were not at all disposed to go through the day fasting. At last some witnesses appeared, who vowed that they had seen the silver bow. These were from the prince; but the Moollahs refused to admit them till seventy-two of the same kind bore the same testimony. This was no great number for a prince to produce; so the seventy-two appeared, and the feast was proclaimed.” FOOTNOTES: [9] Another name for Mohammedism, signifying _the state of salvation_. [10] The place of Mohammedan worship.