'The Middle Eastern question or some political problems of Indian defence' [‎17v] (39/616)

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io THE PERSIAN ASPECT OF THE PROBLEM
professed purpose of rescuing the Moghul dynasty from
the domination of the Mahrattas. It is not surprising
in these circumstances that British statesmen should
have trembled for the safety of our Indian possessions
when it became known in 1800 that a scheme was being"
planned in Europe for a fresh invasion of India from
Central Asia, under the joint auspices of France and
Russia. Not only had the scheme been discussed
between Napoleon and the Tsar Paul, but preparations
were actually made on the Volga for the despatch of a
Russian force, and a secret embassy had been sent
from France to Teheran to arrange for the passage of
a French army, which was to join hands with the
Russians in the plains of Northern India. The whole
scheme was upset by the assassination of the Tsar in
March, 1801, but the British Government had already
taken steps effectually to thwart one of its main features.
Lord Wellesley, then Governor-General of India, had
despatched Captain John Malcolm to Persia, and in
January a treaty of defensive alliance had been success
fully concluded with Fath Ali Shah, under which his
Persian Majesty bound himself, in return for definite
promises of material assistance, to attack the Afghans
in the event of their attempting to invade India, and to
prevent the French from 44 establishing themselves on
any of the islands or shores of Persia." A few years
later, however, in 1805, hostilities broke out, not
between Persia and France, but at the instigation of
the latter, between Persia and Russia, with whom we
were then in alliance against France. Hard pressed
by the Russians in Georgia, the Shah appealed to us
for assistance, pledging himself in return to abandon
the French alliance, under which Napoleon was to
help him to recover the provinces conquered by