Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

FATII AI.I SHAH.
CHAPTER LXXV
BRITISH AND FRENCH MISSIONS AT THE COURT OF
FATH ALI SHAH
Buonaparte saisit adroitement 1'occasion de la paix de Tilsit pour engager
Alexandre d'envoyer une armee le printemps prochain en Perse, qui s'unirait
avec une armee fran9aise qui devait passer par Constantinople et 1'Asie Mineure,
et de la traversant la Perse, organiser les troupes que la Cour d'Isfahan devait
donner pour sa part,
et commencer quelque acte hostile centre les possessions
des Indes. from an Official Document of the period.
de la
Compagnie
The Afghan Question. It is
interesting
to trace the
beginning of the permanent British connexion T with
Persia rather more than a century ago, but it is difficult
to-day to realize that the cause of the despatch of the first
mission to the Court at Teheran was the hope that Persian
military action would restrain Zaman Shah, Amir of Kabul,
who after establishing
his position
at home was aspiring
to continue the aggressive r61e originated by Ahmad
Shah. In 1798 Lord Wellesley, the Governor-General
of Bengal, received a letter from the Afghan prince giving
notice of his proposed expedition into India, and requesting
that the English army should co-operate in
driving back the Marathas from the north into the Deccan.
The Governor-General at this period was at war with
Tippu Sultan, who with French assistance was making
great efforts to drive the British out of India and in
;
1
Malcolm's history ends at this point. Among the many works consulted by me
are England and Russia in the East, by Sir H. Rawlinson ; Histcry of Pertia, by K. G.
Watson j
The War in Afghanistan, and Life of Sir John Malcolm, by J.
W. Kayc, and
Mission to the Court of Persia, by Sir Harford Jones Brydges.
395