136

reduced in proportion ; it was, therefore, very pru-dent in them to despatch it altogether.

I must also give the mother country of theseclever men from Russia, great credit (since againstmy will 1 am become a politician) for another veryprudent measure she has lately resorted to; forthough this old servant of ours was laid in his tomb,yet there is a sort of inherent genius in oar merchantsand seamen, that if our country produces any articlefor which there is a demand in any part of the globe,we have only to consign it to their care , and it is sureto find its way to the mart where it is wanted, throughevery difficulty that sea or land may present- There-fore, though this old servant was defunct, yet thesegeniuses, with these goods consigned to their care,,found their wav through the north of Persia to thatfavourite mart before mentioned ; and to put a stopto such intrusions from John Bull in future, I giveRussia great credit for the wisdom of her policy intaking the western part of the north of Persia underher own maternal care! And such is my respect forthe Emperor of Persia, that if by any means I couldsend a whisper of advice, so as to reach his ear, itwould be to caution him, on no account , to sufferany of our traders to pass through the remainingpart of his dominions to that forbidden mart; and, atthe same time, to give every assurance to the greatAutocrat that he is doing so; or the southern partsof that ancient empire, will very soon fall under thesame maternal care ! ! !

We had another old staunch friend, that forages, may truly be said to have been the most faith-ful of our commercial allies , viz.; the Grand Sultan,lie, as well as the Shah of Persia, has frequentlybeen caught in the very fact , not only of permittingour fabrics into his extensive dominions for the useof his own subjects, but also of wilfully allowinga transit through his dominions to the same forbid-