horts him to direct in person
the affairs of his people, and not to repose confidence in unworthy
ministers; admonishes him not to rely on his treasures, nor to "overstep
the bounds of moderation" but to deal with his subjects with "undeviating
justice"; and acquaints him with the overwhelming burden of His own
tribulations. In that same Tablet He asserts His innocence and His loyalty
to the Sultan and his ministers; describes the circumstances of His
banishment from the capital; and assures him of His prayers to God on his
behalf.

To this same Sultan He, moreover, as attested by the Suriy-i-Ra'is,
transmitted, while in Gallipoli, a verbal message through a Turkish
officer named Umar, requesting the sovereign to grant Him a ten minute
interview, "so that he may demand whatsoever he would deem to be a
sufficient testimony and would regard as proof of the veracity of Him Who
is the Truth," adding that "should God enable Him to produce it, let him,
then, release these wronged ones and leave them to themselves."

To Napoleon III Baha'u'llah addressed a specific Tablet, which was
forwarded through one of the French ministers to the Emperor, in which He
dwelt on the sufferings endured by Himself and His followers; avowed their
innocence; reminded him of his two pronouncements on behalf of the
oppressed and the helpless; and, desiring to test the sincerity of his
motives, called upon him to "inquire into the condition of such as have
been wronged," and "extend his care to the weak," and look upon Him and
His fellow-exiles "with the eye of loving-kindness."

To Nasiri'd-Din _Sh_ah He revealed a Tablet, the lengthiest epistle to any
single sovereign, in which He testified to the unparalleled severity of
the troubles that had touched Him; recalled the sovereign's recognition of
His innocence on the eve of His departure for 'Iraq; adjured him to rule
with justice; described God's summons to Himself to arise and proclaim His
Message; affirmed the disinterestedness of His counsels; proclaimed His
belief in the unity of God and in His Prophets; uttered several prayers on
the _Sh_ah's behalf; justified His own conduct in 'Iraq; stressed the
beneficent influence of His teachings; and laid special emphasis on His
condemnation of all forms of violence and mischief. He, moreover, in that
same Tablet, demonstrated the validity of His Mission; expressed the wish
to be "brought face to face with the divines of the age, and produce
proofs