"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٧‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٣١٨)

({sh
175
consequence was the simultaneous organisation of two separate British ^epSan
missions to the Persian Gulf and Persia, which came into virtual Gulf, 1808 5
competition with one another. The preparations for the mission British
despatched from England under Sir H. Jones were the earlier begun ; «S^P ation
v j. 4.1 t i* • • b ' Jvliarag; and
but the Indian mission under General Malcolm, starting from a point raissiou of
nearer to the scene of action, was the first in the field. General Malcolm, toP^u!""
after touching at Masqat, reached Bushehr in May 1808 ; but he had not l808,1809 -
the patience to overcome gradually the adverse influence that a new
French mission under General Gardanne had by this time established at
Tehran; and, being required to open his negotiations with the Prince-
Governor oi Shiraz, he refused to do so and left again for India in July,
The instructions given to General Malcolm by Lord Minto seem to have
been of a somewhat indefinite character, but it was intended that he
should study the political situation in Persia, arrange for the expulsion
of the French from the country, should that be possible, and devise
military measures for frustrating any attempt that might be made by
them to form a settlement in the Persian Gulf, He was invested, for
the period of his employment in the Gulf, with full control over all the
office * and establishments of the Government of India in that region ;
and he was also accredited to the Pasha of Baghdad.
When the news of General Malcolm^s failure reached India,
Sir H. Jones, who had been waiting at Bombay, was authorised by the
Governor-General to leave for Persia, which he did without delay. New
orders to remain at Bombay, which were sent him instantly on General
Malcolm's arrival at Calcutta, did not reach Bombay until after he had
sailed. The Government of India then turned their attention to a
scheme, which had already been considered, for the acquisition of an
island in the Persian Gulf; but, whereas it had formerly been discussed
with a view to commercial advantage and to an agreement with the
Persian Government on the subject, it was now treated rather as a
military question and dispositions were made for carrying it out with a
high hand. Already in 1799 the Government of Bombay had suggested
the establishment of a British station on Kharag or Hormuz, and in
1800-1801 Captain Malcolm had endeavoured, in adjusting the Com
mercial Treaty with Persia, to obtain a cession of the islands of Qishm,
Han jam and Kharag ; but he had been defeated by the obstinacy of Fat-h
'Ali Shah, who regarded the proposal with intense suspicion. It was
* The egregious Mr. Manesty, British Eesident at Basrah, protested a|<»inst his
svibjection to General Malcolm in inflated teyms.