MIZRA ABDUL HASSAN Envoy Extraordinary from the King of PersiaColour printed engraving by Bartolozzi after the Hon. Miss E., 40 x 31cmPublished May 1, 1819 by Colnaghi, LondonMirza Abdul Hassan Khan became the first Persian ambassador to the Court of St. James 1809/10. The English government lavished hospitality on him to forward the security of the route to India and the boundaries of the Indian Empire. A sophisticated and educated man his retinue enlivened the London scene. Charles Lamb said ''The Persian Ambassador is the principal thing talked about now, not least by the ladies.'' Mirza kept a journal which is the best non-European record of Regency London.