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The record is made up of 1 file (78 folios). It was created in 1 Dec 1879. 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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* Note .—The accession to power respec
tively in Persia and Afghanistan of Nadir Shah
in 1730-47 and Ahmed Shah in 1747-73 are
worthy of note as forming the bases of
Persian claims eastwards, on the one hand,
and of Afghan independence and aspirations
westwards on the other. Whilst in 1730
Nadir Shah became master of all the Afghan
and Sikh countries, during which time he
transplanted to the Bala Hissar at Cabul the
twelve thousand Persian families now known
by the name of the Kuzzilbashes, or red
caps, and took into Persia a splendid Afghan
contingent of 16,000 men, Ahmed Shah
in 1747 established his rule over the whole
of Afghanistan, including Herat and Seistan,
up to the Oxus, the Punjab, Beluchistan,
and part of Persia.
f Note .—Ispahan was the old capital under
the Suffaveeau kings. Kurreem Khan, the
Zend, transferred the capital (1760) to
Shiraz. Ali Murad again made Ispahan his
capital (1781) in order to overcome the
Kafars in the Caspian provinces. Finally,
Agha Mahomed transferred it to Teheran
(1794), where it has since remained.
X Note .—Agha Mahomed only assumed a
small diadem ornamented with pearls, and
refused to wear the four plumes by which
Nadir Shah denoted his paramount power
over Persia, Afghanistan, India, and Tartary.
This is a significant circumstance of some
political importance as regards the extra
ordinary pretensions which have been put
forward of late years by Persia to territories
conquered by Nadir Shah.—(Malcolm’s
Persia, Vol. ii., p. 287.)
§ Malcolm’s Persia, Yol. ii., p. 295.
Watson’s Persia, pp. 48-49.
cscent; he espoused the Suni religion, much to the
horror of his subjects, with the view of maintaining
his dominion over Turkestan and Afghanistan; he
abandoned the ancient capital of Ispahan in favour
of Meshed, and was finally assassinated at the latter
place in 1747.
Within a few years of his death, the mighty
empire which he had recreated became again dis
membered. Khorassan became the chief theatre of
the wars and intrigues affecting the succession.
Meanwhile* Ahmed Shah Abdali, an Afghan soldier
of fortune in the army of the deceased Nadir Shah,
established himself as an independent sovereign
over the whole of Afghanistan, inclusive of Herat
and Seistan, and seeing the atlvantage of a buffer
between his new possessions and Persia proper, he
induced the people of Khorassan to form that
province into a separate principality, subservient to
Afghan interests, under the blind Shah Rukh.
The death of Nadir Shah was followed by a
deadly struggle between the Zend faction of Ispahan
on the one hand, and the Ka^r faction of Elburz
on the other. The establishment of the Zend
dynasty restored tranquillity to Persia for a while,
although each succession was accompanied by civil
wars which filled the country with bloodshed, and
finally weakened the dynasty to a degree which
eventually enabled the K^fars to acquire the as
cendancy.
In short, in 1794, after a series of desperate
struggles between the two factions, Agha Mahomed
Khan, the founder of the present Ka^r dynasty in
Persia, established himself firmly on the throne, and
transferred the capital from Ispahan! to Teheran, at
which place the seat of Government has ever since
remained.
Reign oe Agha Mahomed Khan, first KaVir
Sovereign. —The chief events which marked the
reign of this kingj were the conquest, in 1796, of
Georgia (which had, in 1783, transferred its alle
giance to Russia), and the tacit relinquishment on
his part of all right to Afghan territory. The
Empress Catherine, in her wrath at the reconquest
of Georgia and the excesses committed by the Per
sians at its capital (Tiflis) declared war against
Persia, and recovered temporary possession of the
province, but in the meantime she died (9th No
vember 1796), and the first act of her son, Paul,
was to recall § the Russian army. Agha Mahomed
was at length murdered in 1797.
Reign of Futteh Mahomed Shah, second
Ka/ar Sovereign. —Agha Mahomed was succeeded
by his nephew, Futteh Ali Shah, whose reign is note-
worthy as the commencement of that closer con
nection between England and Persia which had its
origin in the fear of an Afghan invasion of India,
the designs of the French in the East, and the com-
j)etition of other European Powers for ascendancy j*
at Teheran. Captain (afterwards Sir John) Mai- Ij
colm was sent by the Marquis of Wellesley (1800) j 1
About this item
- Content
The memorandum is divided into the following chapter headings:
- 'General Status of Persia', ff 2r-12;
- 'Persia and Herat', ff 12v-24r;
- 'Persia and Seistan [Sīstān]', ff 24r-31v;
- 'Persia and Kohuk', ff 31v-35;
- 'Persia and the Navigation of the Karun [Kārūn] River', ff 35v-39r;
- 'Persia and her integrity', ff 39r-47;
- 'Persia and Merv', ff 47v-52v;
- 'Continuation of General Status of Persia', ff 52v-61;
- 'Appendices', ff 63-78.
'General Status of Persia' provides a geographic description of the Kingdom including details of its boundaries, rivers, and transportation links. It also includes an outline of its demography, and its revenue by province. Military matters are also covered in this section; this includes an in-depth look at the Persian army — its pay and composition — and a look at the employment of British officers in Persia. This section concludes with a narrative of Persia's modern history from the sixteenth century.
'Persia and Herat' describes the extent to which the province's boundaries can be defined, and provides a brief description of each district within; Ghorian, Sabzawar, Farah, Bakwa, Kurak, and Obeh. It also includes a description of the town of Herat, and information on the province's demography and climate. The section also provides detailed coverage of the tribes in the region. The development of British policy towards Herat is explained through the use of select correspondence. This includes the relative merits for Britain in either maintaining Herat's independence, or supporting Afghan or Persian rule; extensive reference is made to the Treaty of Paris (1857).
'Persia and Seistan' also provides a geographic description of the province, along with information on its administrative divisions, climate, and transportation links. Its main purpose however is to outline the development of British attitudes concerning the governance of this province; should it be overseen by Afghanistan or Persia? To provide context, it covers the historical basis for the two competing claims. It concludes by describing the British arbitration of the matter in 1871-72 by General Frederick John Goldsmid, and its outcome; summaries of the statements provided by the Afghan and Persian sides are included.
'Persia and Kohuk' explains how Persia has disputed the award of this province to Khelat by General Goldsmid in 1871, and British reluctance to amend the award in favour of Persia.
'Persia and the Navigation of the Karun River' outlines British efforts to open up the Karun River for steam navigation. It explains that Russian success in improving transportation infrastructure in the north of Persia — in contrast to British failure in the south — is seen to be putting British trade at a disadvantage; the Karun River is seen as having the best potential for resolving this. The prospects for the construction of a railway in southern Persia are also briefly examined.
'Persia and her integrity' details the development of a diplomatic understanding from 1834 between Britain and Russia, in which both powers established their mutual interest in the maintenance of the territorial integrity of Persia. It chiefly concerns British suspicions that Russian activities in central Asia do not match their professed intentions towards Persia (i.e. British fears that Russia is encroaching on central Asia).
'Persia and Merv', in addition to providing an overview of the region's history and ancient settlements, considers what the British consider to be the encroachment of Russia on Persia's northern borders; the British consider any potential Russian occupation of Merv to be a threat, and it is explained that Persian control is preferred.
'Continuation of General Status of Persia' concentrates on British concerns over increases in Russian influence at the Persian Court in Tehran; the British fear Persia becoming a vassal of Russia and facilitating Russian expansion towards Afghanistan. It therefore discusses the extent to which Britain should take advantage of Persian overtures to establish friendly relations with that power in order to prevent this scenario. It also briefly discusses Persian designs on Bahrain, and the desirability — for Britain — in maintaining its status as an independent state, in addition to emphasizing the need to maintain Britain's protectorate role in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Topics also included in this section, but covered in less detail include: the conference of consular powers on the Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the development of telegraph lines in Persia; and negotiations respecting the demarcation of the Persian-Turkish border.
The memorandum is signed by Owen Tudor Burne of the 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. .
The appendix at the back is divided eight sections as follows:
- I. 'Employment of British Officers with the Persian Army', f 63;
- II. A selection of memoranda (dated 20 July-24 December 1868) concerning the need to strengthen British influence over Persia, and the means available to achieve it, ff 63v-64;
- III. A selection of memoranda (dated 10-30 October 1868) on the possibility of employing British officers with the Persian Army, f 65;
- IV. 'The Policy of Great Britain towards Persia, ff 66-69;
- V. Instructions given to Major-General Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlingson as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary A diplomatic representative who ranks below an ambassador. The term can be shortened to 'envoy'. to the Court of Persia, dated 4 August 1859, ff 68-69;
- VI. 'Outline Sketch by Colonel Burne of the Shah of Persia's Visit to England, 1873, ff 69-72;
- VII. 'Note by Colonel Burne on the Persian Army, 20th December 1871', ff 72-73;
- VIII. 'Abstract of Events in Persia, Afghanistan, &c. from 1722 to the present period', ff 73v-78.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (78 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged into eight chapters — outlined in a table of contents on f 1 — with an appendix at the end.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 1A and terminates at f 78, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/C28
- Title
- 'Persia'
- Pages
- 1r:41r, 43v:78v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence