that Government would at once desist from the enterprise which it had undertaken against Herat, in violation of solemn engagements entered into with the British Government in former times, and in defiance of the often-expressed determination of the British Government not to tolerate any interference on the part of Persia with the States of Affghanistan, and not to allow the extension of the authority or the territory of Persia in that quarter. Her Majesty's Government had hoped that such assurance would have been given, and would have been followed up by the immediate withdrawal of the Persian armies from Affghan territory, and by complete reparation for the insults which had been offered to the British Government in the person of the Queen's Envoy, and which had led to the withdrawal of the British Mission from Persia.

If all this had been done, Her Majesty's Government would have been enabled to replace, on a friendly footing, its relations with the Court of the Shah.

Her Majesty's Government have been disappointed in these hopes and expectations. The redress demanded in the communication made by the British Ambassador at Constantinople to the Persian Chargé d'Affaires in that city, in the month of June last, for the insult offered to the British Mission, has not been afforded; the reparation required in the note of the Undersigned of July 11, for the disregard shown by Persia of her engagement as to Herat, has not been given: but instead of this, vain excuses and pretexts of delay have been put forward, and Her Majesty's Government have been told to expect satisfaction from the result of a negotiation, the conduct of which the Persian Government pretends to have confided to an Ambassador some time since appointed by the Shah to the Court of France.

But, in the meanwhile, the Persian Government has not been content even to let the questions in dispute remain without further aggravation. The insults which occasioned the withdrawal of the British Mission from Tehran have, since that period, been followed up by other insults to the British Government, which of themselves call for ample reparation.

The insults to which the Undersigned here more particularly refers, are, the prohibition of intercourse by subjects of the Shah with Her Majesty's Consul at Tehran; the violation of the engagement to pay to Syed Abdoollah, a British subject, an allowance which he was to receive as a commutation for a portion of his claims on the Government of Persia; the attempt on the part of the Sadr Azim to possess himself of the water long since assigned to the British Mission for its use at its summer encampment; the interception of the supplies of water ordinarily assigned to the British Mission in Tehran; the refusal to enforce the punishment of parties who committed a violent assault on one of the servants of the British Consul; the refusal to recognise the right of property of Her Majesty's Government in the British Consular residence; the expulsion from Asterabad of a person in the employment of the British Mission; the publication, in the public paper under the control of the Government of Persia, of injurious statements as regards the British Government; and lastly, the direct incentive held out to fanaticism to imitate against British subjects the conduct pursued at a former time, when the city of Tehran witnessed the massacre of the Representative of a foreign State by an infuriated mob.

All these transactions are publicly known throughout the Persian capital, and until the redress demanded for them shall have been given, and shall have been made as publicly known, it will be impossible for a British Mission to reside with security, still less with honour, at the Court of the Shah.

But even these transactions are of less account than the wanton disregard by the Persian Government of its engagement to abstain from any interference in the internal affairs of Herat, and from any attempt to occupy, or take possession, or assume the sovereignty or government, of that province.

There are indications, indeed, that before the British Mission retired from Tehran, intrigues were on foot to promote the views of aggrandizement which Persia has continually entertained in the direction of Herat. Persian forces were collected on the frontier of that State; and, as if more distinctly to evince the hostility of Persia towards Great Britain, even at this early stage of these transactions, the Persian Government selected for the command of those forces an officer, high in rank and nearly connected with the Royal Family, who had then lately rendered himself notorious by grossly indecent language applied by

him to the Sovereign of England at a public entertainment given to members of the Royal Family by the Vizier of Tehran.

From that period, the operations of the Persian forces have been pushed forward with unabated perseverance against the city, and in various quarters of the territory, of Herat; language of defiance against Great Britain has been openly held by the Persian Government, and demonstrations have been made of the intention of the Persian Government rather to engage in conflict with Great Britain, than to concede the just demands of the British Government; the Persian Government appearing to wish to display to the Persian people its indifference for the friendship of England, and its conviction that Persia has nothing to fear from the just resentment of Great Britain.

But the British Government can no longer passively submit to the insults and wrongs which it has received from the Government of Persia. An expedition, destined for Persia, is now about to leave the British territories, and whatever may result to Persia from this measure, which her Government has wantonly provoked, the responsibility thereof will rest on the evil counsellors of the Shah, who have led His Majesty to countenance insult and injury towards Great Britain, and to violate the solemn engagements of an international compact.

The Undersigned, &c.

(Signed)

CLARENDON.

No. 139.

Consul Abbott to the Earl of Clarendon.—(Received October 16.)

My Lord,

Tabreez, September 10, 1856.

I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship of a circumstance which, if anything further were required to exhibit the Sadr Azim's unfriendly feelings towards Englishmen, would suffice for this purpose.

The Sadr Azim has written to the Kaimakam that, a Russian subject having a small claim on a person named Koochook Khan, and the latter being supposed to be particularly well disposed towards the English and their Government, the Kaimakam is to seize upon, chain, imprison, and put him to the torture until he pays; adding that, "we shall then see who of the English will deliver him from our hands."

The Kaimakam, to his credit be it said, does not intend, I believe, to carry this order into effect, and Koochook Khan proposes to obtain permission to depart on a pilgrimage to Kerbella, to be out of the way of further molestation.

Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to the Earl of Clarendon.-(Received October 19.)

Therapia, October 18, 1856.

A PERSIAN officer has just called on me with compliments from Ferokh Khan, the long-expected Persian Ambassador, who appears to have arrived here yesterday on his way to Paris.

No. 141.

(Extract.)

The Earl of Clarendon to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

Foreign Office, October 28, 1856. YOUR Excellency may inform the Persian Ambassador that you are prepared to receive, in writing, any communication he may have to make respecting reparation to England.

If he makes such communication, you may then, in the manner you think most expedient, inform him that we require, as a conditio sine qua non, the immediate withdrawal of the Persian troops from Herat and its territory, and the payment by Persia of compensation for all damages done by them therein;

2. That we further require that Persia shall enter into a Treaty with England, by which Persia will renounce all attempts of any kind to interfere with Herat, or with any portion of Affghanistan; will engage not to receive at any time overtures from any party to interfere in their internal affairs; will recognize their absolute and entire independence, and will agree to refer to British mediation any differences which she may hereafter have with them;

3. That Persia shall agree to negotiate and conclude with England a new Treaty of Commerce, by which all questions which have hitherto given occasion for discussion between the two Governments shall be settled, and the conceded to Great Britain of appointing Consuls in any part of Persia;

right be

4. That all debts due to British subjects shall forthwith be paid, and an understanding come to on disputed claims;

5. That Persia shall make an arrangement respecting Bender Abbas satisfactory to the Imaum of Muscat, the friend of England;

6. That, in consideration of the part taken by the Sadr Azim in the late differences between the two countries, the Shah shall replace that Minister by some other person likely to promote a good understanding between England and Persia.

Upon the conclusion and ratification by the Shah of these engagements as regards Herat and Affghanistan, and the withdrawal of the whole of the Persian troops within the frontier of Khorassan, and upon the solemn engagement, under the seal of His Majesty, that, the sixth condition having been complied with, the remainder of the conditions shall be carried into effect within six months after the return of the British Mission to Tehran, and that the return of the Mission shall be attended with all the apologies and ceremonies already specified, except in so far as the removal of the Sadr Azim render them impracticable, the British Mission will return to Tehran; and within six months after the return of the Mission the British force will be withdrawn from the Persian territory.

The British Government reserves to itself the right to vary these conditions if not at once accepted, and especially to make the re-establishment of friendly relations with Persia dependent on the payment by Persia of the expenses of the measures of coercion now in progress.

(Extract.)

No. 142.

Mr. Murray to the Earl of Clarendon.-(Received October 30.)

Bagdad, September 29, 1856.

I HAVE the honour to report, for your Lordship's information, that intelligence has reached me, from an unofficial quarter, that the Bender Abbas question, which has for so long been matter of dispute between the Imaum of Muscat and the Persian Government, has been settled, although on terms much more disadvantageous to the Imaum than those which were formerly under consideration. I have not yet learned the exact conditions of this arrangement.

No. 143.

Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to the Earl of Clarendon.—(Received November 13.)

(Extract.)

Therapia, November 3, 1856.

I HAVE done myself the honour of acting on your Lordship's instructions directing the mode and conditions of my intercourse with Ferokh Khan, the Persian Ambassador.

I began by sending a message to the Persian Chargé d'Affaires respecting what he had stated to me, through Mr. Alison, as to the Ambassador's powers.

He admitted the correctness of the statement, and accompanied the bearers of my message to Ferokh Khan. Their report is inclosed in copy herewith. It is signed by Mr. Churchill as well as by Mr. Moore; the former having assisted at my request in virtue of his acquaintance with the Persian language.

Your Lordship will observe that the Ambassador has confirmed the Chargé d'Affaires' assertion, namely, that his Excellency has full powers to settle all the questions in dispute, with the view of giving complete satisfaction without delay. I have not, however, obtained as yet a declaration to that effect in writing. He wanted to see me in private, and I insist upon having his declaration fully expressed, signed, and sealed, before I give him a decided answer on that point.

Inclosed herewith is the substance of my instructions to Mr. Moore and Mr. Churchill.

Inclosure 1 in No. 143.
Memorandum.

Therapia, October 30, 1856.

IN consequence of the assurances given to me, through Mr. Alison, by the Persian Chargé d'Affaires, when he called at Therapia, and I was obliged to decline seeing him, to the effect that Ferokh Khan, the Persian Ambassador now at Constantinople on his way to Paris, has full powers to settle all questions in dispute between England and Persia, and give full satisfaction to the former without delay or reservation, I have obtained permission from my Government to receive any communication, of that purport, which his Excellency may have to make on the subject of such reparation.

Whatever communication his Excellency Ferokh Khan may think proper to make, it is requested that it be made to me in writing.

Inclosure 2 in No. 143.

(Signed)

S. DE R.

My Lord,

Messrs. Moore and Churchill to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

Constantinople, October 31, 1856. IN obedience to your Excellency's instructions, Mr. Churchill and myself called upon the Persian Chargé d'Affaires, and read to him, in translation, your Excellency's Memorandum of the 30th instant.

Hadgi Meerza Ahmed Khan having assented to the truth of your Excellency's statement as to the purport of his assurances, he accompanied us to his Excellency Ferokh Khan, to whom, in accordance with your Lordship's instruction, the same translation of the Memorandum was read, and a copy was left with him at his request.

The Persian Ambassador desired me to convey to your Excellency the following answer in reply :

"There are two questions in the Memorandum which you have read to me: in the first place, Lord Stratford wishes to know whether I have full powers to settle all questions in dispute between England and Persia? to which I reply: I have full powers to settle all questions in dispute between the two Governments, according to my own judgment, and without reference to my Court. In the second place, his Lordship asks, if I am ready to give 'full satisfaction' to the British Government, without delay or reservation? my answer is: that not knowing what the 'full satisfaction' in question is, I am not prepared to answer that point."

Ferokh Khan then requested us to communicate to your Excellency his wish to have a private interview with your Lordship, as he had reasons to hope that an interview of that nature would considerably facilitate an eventual settlement of the difficulties between the two Governments.

(Signed) L. MOORE.

HENRY A. CHURCHILL.

Inclosure 3 in No. 143.

Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Mr. Churchill.

Therapia, November 3, 1856. GO back immediately to Ferokh Khan, and get the written declaration he has stated himself to be ready to give. When I receive that paper, signed and sealed by him, I shall be free to consider favourably his application for an interview.

My Lord,

No. 144.

The Earl of Clarendon to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

Foreign Office, November 14, 1856.

I HAVE received your Excellency's despatch of the 3rd instant, in which you report the steps taken by you on the receipt of my despatch of the 28th ultimo, setting forth the nature of the satisfaction which Her Majesty's Government 'demand from the Government of Persia; and I have to state to your Excellency that Her Majesty's Government approve your proceedings as reported in your despatch.

No. 145.

I am, &c.

Consul Stevens to the Earl of Clarendon.-(Received November 20.)

(Extract.)

Camp near Tehran, October 2, 1856. THE Persian Government has just received the report of a sanguinary affair which occurred at Herat on or about the 30th August.

It appears that a number of Farsees, or residents of the Sheeah persuasion, having conspired with the Turkish Commanders, agreed to throw open one of the town-gates, and admit the soldiers. At a preconcerted signal, two battalions of Regular Infantry left their entrenchment, and approached the gate previously agreed upon. This was opened, and the soldiers effected an entrance, but they had scarcely done so before Essan Khan appeared with his Affghan forces. A hand-to-hand fight ensued, and resulted in the total defeat of the Persians, who fled back to the entrenchment in the greatest disorder, after suffering a considerable loss in killed and wounded. What these amounted to is not yet accurately known, but 240 heads were taken off inside the walls of the town; and during the retreat, the soldiers were shot down by the Affghans stationed on the ramparts.

The next day, the report continues, Essan Khan ordered the indiscriminate massacre of the Sheeah residents known or suspected of having shared in the conspiracy, a large number of whom were destroyed, while others were expelled from the place.

No. 146.

Consul Stevens to the Earl of Clarendon.-(Received November 20.)

My Lord,

Camp near Tehran, October 2, 1856.

I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that Shahzadeh Mahomed Youssuf, the Prince who succeeded to the Chieftainship of Herat after the murder of Syed Mahomed Khan, was brought prisoner to Tehran three days ago.