I said merely that we were the friends of the Mussulmans, and that I respected Mahomet their prophet, which was true; I respect him now.

I wanted to make the Imaums cause prayers to be offered up in the mosques for me, in order to make the people respect me still more than they actually did, and obey me more readily.

The Imaums replied that there was a great obstacle, because their Prophet in the Koran had inculcated to them that they were not to obey, respect, or hold faith with infidels, and that I came under that denomination.

I then desired them to hold a consultation, and see what was necessary to be done in order to become a Musselman, as some of their tenets could not be practised by us.

That, as to circumcision, God had made us unfit for that.