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

LXXVII AGGRESSION ON AFGHANISTAN 437
to power by Great Britain. At the same time it is easy to
exaggerate the military importance of the destruction of a
brigade.
The loss was avenged, and would in consequence
soon be forgotten. Upon the whole, when we consider
the enormous distances, the lack of supplies and water,
and the bad communications, Great Britain would appear
to have been fortunate in suffering only one disaster.
The British Mission to
Herat, 1839-1841. V ar
Mohamed Khan l was the first to congratulate Shah Shuja
upon his restoration to the throne, and it was decided to send
a mission from India to Herat and to make a treaty with its
ruler.
Major D'Arcy Todd, who had been with M'Neill
at the siege,
was selected for the task, and the mission was
" received with every mark of respect by the Monarch and
his Minister." A treaty was concluded, by the terms of
which the Government of India paid a monthly subsidy of
twenty-five thousand rupees,
in return for which it was
stipulated
that all intercourse with Persia should be carried
on through the British. As might have been expected,
however, the Vizier was unable to refrain from intriguing,
and before very long Todd received from the Legation at
Teheran the copy of a letter Yar Mohamed had addressed
to Mohamed Shah, in which he stated that his hopes
rested on the " Asylum of the Universe " and that the
English were tolerated merely
from motives of expediency.
This was condoned, but after a residence of eighteen
months Todd discovered that a mission had been sent by
Yar Mohamed to Meshed. He thereupon stopped payment
of the subsidy and, a breach ensuing, the British
representative, realizing that the Vizier was bitterly hostile,
withdrew from Herat.
The Settlement with Persia. We must now return to
Persia. Mohamed Shah, as we have seen, when forced to
to fulfil all
abandon the siege of Herat, had hastily agreed
the demands of the British Government, but he was most
unwilling to evacuate Ghorian, Farrah, and Afghan
Sabzawar. He was likewise unwilling to to the
apologize
1 In Caravan Journeys, by P. J. Ferrier, a good account is given of thil coniummtte
scoundrel.