Printed copies of letters from Sir Henry Willock to successive British Foreign Secretaries discussing the situation in Persia. [3v] (6/14)
The record is made up of 1 file (7 folios). It was created in 01 Dec 1838-04 Sep 1841. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
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( 6 )
embarrassment to our finances, which the great addition to onr Army, and the -eneral move
ment of all the forces of India must occasion ; and I cannot but think that there'" is comnara
t.ve safety m adherence to the alliance of Persia, and in a moderate annual outlay in that
country, whereby the ruinous expenditure attendins; occasional panic, as in the recent
instance of the attack of Herat, may be obviated.
I have the honor to be,
M ith, &c. See. &c.,
(Signed) HENRY willock.
Ijittle Campden* House,
Lord Kensington, February 1839.
I fear I may be considered intrusive, but I hope that the renewed expression
of my opinions may bo viewed in the spirit they are offered, for I am deeply impressLl with
he critical state of affairs in Asia, and I have no motive in addressing your L d L b t
the promotion of the public service. P
I have the honor to be,
&c. &c. &c.,
m „ TT , (Signed) HENRY WILLOCK
The Right Hon'ble
VISCOUNT PALMERSTON,
Secretary of State,
Foreign Department.
Memorandum.
Bv newspaper report I learn that the British Mission is about to leave the Court f
crsia. Having no knowledge of the occurrences which have led to this rupture at a m \
when reconciliation was hoped for, I offer no opinions except on the effects whi h Z Z
anticipated by such an event. be
The British Government having already made a demonstration against Persia bv t-K
military possession of Karrack, I conclude that the retreat of the Mission is "
lead to further hostility. Occupied as we arc in the projected invasion of AfghanHa',r'l d"
not see the practicability of such a proceeding; and inaction after the .xecul f i
repeated feint will be ascribed to the inability of acting on the offensive. "
I seek in vain for any one advantage to be derived from the retreat of the Afi • r
Persia, and I think it can only be justified by the prohibition of he S L r"" T
continued residence at his Court. against its
The disadvantages of retreat are manifold
ly.—The field is left open in full and undisturbed occupation to fho P •
when the Shah, galled by the opposition of Great Britain to his favo r" 5 '! ^
mortified by the loss of character which the unsuccessful result of his at! i t 1^' and
entailed, is ready to lend himself to any measure by which he may at once embarL EnW T
and recover his military reputation, and if he is allowed to brood over hi a " ! g d '
grievances, and is not speedily conciliated, 1 shall be very much surnris r' l! SU| ' P0Sed
more before the walls of Herat in the course of the ensuic 'sommer ^ n0t
About this item
- Content
The printed copies of the letters have been brought together as a booklet giving Sir Henry Willock's thoughts on the situation in Persia from December 1838 to September 1841. Sir Henry Willock had spent 23 years in Persia, 11 of which had been spent superintending British relations with the Court of Persia. The letters that comprise the booklet are as follows:
- Letter to The Right Honorable The Lord Viscount Palmerston, 01 December 1838, outlining the background politics in Persia and in particular with regards to the Kings Of Persias ambitions over the last 30 years to conquer Herat, the view the British Government had taken to such attempts and amibitions in the past and the views of the Sovereign who had mostly recently attempted to annex it. The letter goes on to discuss the line of policy which should now be applied to Persia, particularly in light of the British Government's occupation of the island of Karrack, and Sir Henry Willock's belief that the British now needed to regain the confidence of Persia and should unconditionally retreat from the island. The letter also discusses Russia current aims and intentions with regards to Afghanistan, its own empire, trade with India and the need for the British to check its progress. There is also speculation by Sir Henry as to the British Government's intentions of removing Dost Mohammad Khan from power owing to his decision to ally with the Persians in order to remove a rival from power; thoughts on the difficulties of marching Indian troops through Afghanistan and his opinions on the Shah's rival Runjeet Singh and his conclusions that the safest move for Great Britain is to adhere to its alliance with Persia.
- Memorandum to The Right Honourable Viscount Palmerston, Secretary of State, 4 Feburary 1839 offering his opinions on the effects that the British Mission leaving the Court of Persia would have. The memorandum focuses on the disadvantages of this action including leaving Persia open to occupation by Russia; enabling the Shah to occupy Herat; damaging commercial relations between the two countries; the likelihood of Persia discovering Britain does not have the means to cause injury and cautioning that invasion of Persia would be impractical owing to the difficulty in traversing the passes into the country.
- Memorandum to The Right Honourable The Earl of Aberdeen, Secretary of State, 04 September 1841 regarding his recommendations from 1838 to Viscount Palmerston of maintaining the Persian alliance and abandoning the subjection of Aghanistan and his letter of 1839 following the withdrawal of the British Mission from the Court of Persia and other private remarks since which he has made to the Right Honorable Henry Ellis. The memorandum outlines Willock's opposition to the opinions of Lord Auckland and the intention to place Shah Shuja on the throne at Cabul; his dislike of the news that a secret committee Pre-1784, the Committee responsible for protecting East India Company shipping. Post-1784, its main role was to transmit communications between the Board of Control and the Company's Indian governments on matters requiring secrecy. had taken this decision without consulting the East India Company Board of Directors and his belief that the British's best approach in Persia is to avoid collision and to avoid recommendations eminating from the Court of St. Petersburgh. Willock goes on to consider the benefits of a neutral Afghanistan permitted to remain independent which he views as having been the best solution that the British Government threw out; comparing the British position in Afghanistan to the French position in Algeria; considering the potential threats to Punjab of viewing Herat as an enemy; the risk of war with Russia; the need to ensure secession is not regarded as an evil of great magnitude; financial difficulties in India; the cost of war in Afghanistan and the need to retreat from the island of Karrack if friendly relations with Persia are to be restored. Towards the end of the memorandum Willock diverges from Persia to discuss the port of Aden which he believes is only useful as a coal depot and that it should be given up as a way of saving money.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (7 folios)
- Arrangement
The copies of letters have been printed in the booklet in date order.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The file has been foliated in the front top right hand corner of each folio with a pencil number enclosed with a circle.
The file also contains original pagination 2-13 which starts on the verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. of the first folio and concludes on the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of the final folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Printed copies of letters from Sir Henry Willock to successive British Foreign Secretaries discussing the situation in Persia. [3v] (6/14), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F126/18, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023190383.0x000007> [accessed 24 December 2024]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F126/18
- Title
- Printed copies of letters from Sir Henry Willock to successive British Foreign Secretaries discussing the situation in Persia.
- Pages
- 1r:7v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence