I gave injunctions to all my servants, that they were never on any account to change or alter the orders that I should issue; and that if any minister or officer should be guilty of deviation from this rule, he should be punished; because one of the rights of Princes is, that their words and orders should be the _law_ of the land. I ordered that a code of regulations should be formed for the payment of the officers and soldiers and their allowance of provisions; also rules for conferring titles and the high offices of generals and ministers, which were to be considered as a standing order and guidance of their conduct. In the same manner I directed that regulations[104] should be written for the holding of public assemblies in peace, and for manœuvering armies in the field during war, and for the conduct of my soldiers towards their fellow subjects. In the first council I fixed the (Syurghelāt) permanent grants of land for charitable purposes, and I appointed Syed Abd Allah to be the (Sudder) superintendant of this institution, and to be chief magistrate of the Syeds, and I nominated Syed Abd al Rehmān to be the (Shykh al Islam) head of religious affairs, and Syed Zya Addeen, to be the chief judge; and I ordered that on all occasions of ceremony, the Syeds and the (Mushykh and Oulemā) prelates and learned body, should be seated on my right hand. But there arose a great controversy between them, the Syeds and learned body for precedency, or which should be the nearest to the throne, as the arguments on both sides were very long and noisy, I was much amused with the disputation; I however took care that the Syeds were never to be treated with contempt or abused, and forbade their ever being bound or put to death, and if any person injured them, he was to be severely punished.[105] One of the holy and learned Syeds named Abū al Muāly, who had frequently opposed my ambition, and had done every thing to injure me, I treated with the greatest respect, which made him ashamed of his past conduct and desirous of my pardon; I therefore for the sake of the Prophet forgave him. While I was seated in the Assembly, an ambassador (from Syed Aly) the (Valy), ruler of Mazinderan was introduced, and delivered a message from his master; after he had been seated some time, Syed Abū al Berkāt asked who his master was, and of what family; the ambassador immediately traced the Valy’s genealogy to Aly the son-in-law of the Prophet, and acknowledged that he had been sent to learn my character and disposition. I said to him, “well, what do you think of me,” he replied, “I find that you prefer justice to violence, truth to falsehood, virtue to vice, and that you honour and respect the descendants of Muhammed, which is a clear proof that victory and fortune will be the constant attendants of your Highness’s Stirrup, as the supporter of the Muselmān religion.”