'Précis of correspondence regarding the affairs of the Persian Gulf, 1801-1853' [‎13r] (25/344)

Part I—Chap. I. 5
called for the papers that had been received from Bombay and Bushire in the
presence of the. Viziers and principal officers of State. They were accordingly
produced and read. His Majesty expressed himself in terms of the deepest
concern and surprise at the extraordinary event which they related : never, he
said such an occurrence was heard as that of an ambassador and his suite beinsj
attacked by the armed men of the country receiving him : to impute it all to
accident as Mehdi Ali Khan would have him was impossible.
14 Mirza Mahomed Khan Kajar next spoke: "What Mehdi Ali Khan
had written was, he said, evidently framed to prevent the disagreeable impres-
sions which such intelligence might produce in His Majesty s mind, lor his
part he did not conceive it possible that a trifling disagreement or altercation
amongst servants should produce the necessity of a recourse to firearins on the
part of an honorary guard, and with this remark the sitting closed. Shah
Kvsur eldest son of the Shah, was present at the next discussion of this
subiect * he said he understood that His Majesty had it in contemplation to
send another ambassador to India, The King said this was not the case . that
he had himself no object in view from the connection, but, as two embassies
had been sent him from that quarter, he thought it but proper to send one m
return. As it had come to such a termination, he was not immediately occu
pied with the thoughts of renewing it. The prince said he had in that case
a favour to ask of His Majesty, which was, that he would put under his orders
a body of 10,000 men, merely for the sake of the name; that he would
himself add to these an army of 60,000 Abdally and Yusufzy horse; and
that he engaged in four months not to leave a trace of English name in India.
Mirza Reza Kooly smiled, and the King said nothing, until after the prince
was gone, when turning to the Vizier he asked him ^vhat he thought of
Shah Kysur's proposal. " The fate of battle8, , ' replied the Vizier, " rests with
Him who knows all things; to speak from my own imperfect judgment of
the probable chances on either side, I confess, I think the Prince s proposal
partakes much of the sanguine character of his age. Not that I deem the
number of men which he * has specified inadequate to the magnitude of the
undertaking, but I think his imagination has carried him on rather too
quickly in forming an estimate of the requisite time. From what I have
heard, if Prince Kysur was to set off full speed and travel four months
without interruption, he would not in that space of time encompass the British
Dominions in India, much less subdue them."
15. He then produced a paper which he said had been privately sent him
by Mehdi Ali Khan, expatiating on the advantages to be derived from the
most intimate friendship with the English nation, as instanced in the late ex
pedition to Egypt, noticing the entire dependence of Persia upon England and
India in a commercial point of view, and stating the comparative unimport
ance of such an accident as Haji Khalil's death. Mahomed Khan Kajar
said he entirely agreed with the Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. in the sentiments expressed in his
letter, which had been communicated in like manner to him. He enlarged
upon the signal vigor and liberality that had been displayed in the Egyptian
expedition; where four hundred ships of war conveyed the united forces of
England and India for the recovery of that invaluable province. He extolled
their noble and unrequited generosity on this occasion and^ said that the
death of one hundred Haji Khalils was not to be put in competition
with such friendship. Solyman Khan acknowledged the justice of his
remarks, but said he did not see how anything they had now heard was to
alleviate the disgrace of a Persian Ambassador being killed in India.
16. The King after commending the good sense which had been shown
by all parties in the debate, now proceeded to declare his determination, which
was, that all thoughts of appointing another ambassador should be laid aside
and no notice for the present taken of the letters which had been received
from Bushire and India. A few days subsequently it was decided to reply to
the communications. It was at first proposed that the young Prince should
write them: but this task, from some consideration of etiquette, was after
wards transferred to Cheragh Aly Khan, Governor-General of Ears, who
accordingly despatched Mirza Naum in charge of them. The substance of 20th Jany. 1803.
this communication was, that another Embassy was expected from the English
Government before His Majesty would appoint a successor to Haji Khalil.