No. 138.
Mr. Bancroft to Mr. Fish.
Berlin, June 2, 1873. (Received June 20.)
Sir: To-day the diplomatic corps at Berlin was presented to the Shah of Persia. The visit of the sovereign of that kingdom in Europe takes place, I believe, for the first time since Xerxes crossed the Bosphorus. But that rich country, with a fertile and unexhausted soil, now becomes of importance, and, whether it will or no, is forced into near relations with the European powers. Bounded by Russia on the one side and by a country under the protection of Great Britain on the other, it has no choice, at a time when Asia is falling under the influence of the dominion of those two European powers, but to become familiar with European politics and European culture.
Soon after 12 the Shah entered the saloon of the Royal Castle, in which the corps was assembled, studded all over with diamonds, rubies, and precious stones, in rows on his breast, as buttons to his epaulettes, ornaments to his sword-belt in front and rear, on the hilt of his sword and all the length of the scabbard, and an aigrette of diamonds on his tiara. I have heard some, who professed to be good judges, estimate the value of the stones at twenty millions of francs. The most moderate say more than ten millions of francs. He had on the one side of him an interpreter, on the other his Persian secretary of state, who spoke French very well. Of Persians there were besides in the room the brother of the Shah and about twenty others of the great dignitaries of his kingdom. In these I thought I could plainly see the distinctive marks of two different races. The features of some of them were of the Aryan type, of others, as it seemed to me, clearly Semitic. The Shah passed rapidly along the diplomatic circle, speaking a few words to each chief. His gait was singular and far from graceful or easy; his speech short and deep in its tones, abrupt, thrown forth rather than uttered, very unlike the manner of speech of the rest of them. Of me he inquired after the health of the President, and after my reply he bade me send to the President a message of the interest he took in his welfare. Two reasons, he said, stood in the way of his visiting the United States: first, he was obliged to make haste and return to his own dominions, and then he could not bear the thought of so long a journey by sea as the passage across the Atlantic.
The whole interview lasted less than an hour. The result of the Shah’s visit to the European powers may be to direct their attention to his dominions more than heretofore, and in this way to add something to his security.
I remain, &c.,