382 A HISTORY OF PERSIA. though it had been sanctioned to a certain extent by the consent of the Persian government, was contrary to the principles of international law.* But when the Ameer-i- Nizam showed symptoms of an intention to put a stop to the abuse which had arisen in this respect, the foreign ministers at the Persian court would by no means consent to relinquish a custom, the observance of which gave them so much influence over the Vizeers and subjects of the Shah. The foreign ministers then resident at Tehran were too intent on establishing the influence of their respective governments in Persia, to be able to sympathize fully with the Ameer-i-Nizam hi his endea- vours to erect his country into a powerful and firmly- established monarchy upon the basis of law and justice. It was proposed to employ the good offices of the Russian and English representatives at Tehran for the purpose of bringing about a satisfactory compromise between the government and the rebels of Khorassan. But the
- " The house of an ambassador ought to be safe from all outrage, being
under the particular protection of the law of nations. . . . But the immunity and freedom of the ambassador's house is established only in favour of the minister and his household, as is evident from the very reasons upon which it is grounded. Can he take advantage of the privilege in order to convert his house into an asylum to afford shelter and protection to the enemies of the prince? . . . Such proceedings would be contrary to all the duties of an ambassador, to the spirit by which he ought to be animated, and to the lawful purposes for which he has been admitted into the country. This is what nobody will presume to deny. But I will proceed farther, and lay it down as a certain truth, that a sovereign is not obliged to tolerate an abuse so pernicious to his state and so detrimental to society. . . . Thus, it belongs to the sovereign to decide, on occasion, how far the right of asylum, which an ambassador claims as belonging to his house, is to be respected ; and if the question relates to an offender whose arrest or punishment is of great importance to the State, the prince is not to be withheld by the con- sideration of a privilege which was never granted for the detriment or ruin of States. The Law of Nations, by M. de VATTEL. Edition of 1834, pp. 494-5.
