Rebellion of Mohammad Yaqub Khan [‎202v] (94/174)

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MISSION TO BOKHARA,
[ 1870.
535. On the 11th a letter from Shahgassee Sheredil Khan stated that an
envoy (a) from the Kussians had arrived at Bokhara, but had as yet only waited
once on the Ameer.
536. About the same time an occasional correspondent wrote to Colonel
Pollock that the Shahgassee himself had only seen the Ameer once, and was
not much gratified by his reception ; that nevertheless'^ he had written to. the
Ameer of Bokhara, urging on him joint
* And there is some inconsistency here. The whole operations against the BuSSianS ; that the
account appears ot very doubtful value. Ameer was much pleased, but had as yet
given no reply.
537. On the 18th July intelligence was received from Shahgassee Shere
dil Khan, that the Russian envoy in Bokhara had been dismissed with honour.
He gave the following account of the interchange of letters between the
Russians and the Ameer of Bokhara.
Russian letter—
“ As we and you are great friends, and any good or had occurrences happening to either
concern both parties, why should you have any
Diaiy ending 8t i u y t intercommunication with Afghans, with whom the
British have entered into close friendly relations and agreed to share their good or bad luck.
It is very desirable that you should enter into friendly relations with us, and, after separating
yourself from the Afghans, and putting a stop to future intercourse with them, side with us”
Ameer’s reply—
My intercourse and friendly relations with the Afghans have existed from of old, and
^ not from a recent period that they need be obi'ected
Diary ending 18th July 1870. . tp a <-> i i-r» -a.- i i -i j i
to. It Afghans and British have agreed to become
friends and consented to share good and evil fortunes [i. e., have thrown m their lot with one
another), I have nothing to do with it; but it is not reasonable that I should shake off my
old relations with Afghans without any cause.”
538. On the 4th August 1870 Atta Mahomed Khan wrote to Colonel
Pollock to say that the Ameer of Bokhara had, at a quite private interview with
Shahgassee Sheredil Khan, expressed his intention of becoming an ally of the
British Government through the Ameer of Cabnl, and would send a person to
accompany the Shahgassee on his return with a letter or message to the British
Government.
539. On the 21st August news came that Shahgassee Sheredil Khan had
been dismissed by the Ameer of Bokhara, and Abdool Kureem, Toksaba, sent
back with him, just as when Abdool Kureem left Cabul for Bokhara, the
Shahgassee had been sent hack with him. They arrived in Cabul on the 12th
September, and the Bokhara envoy presented a complimentary letter from his
master.
(a.) According to the account given by Ibrahim, Colonel Pollock’s emissary, already mentioned, there had (on the
2nd February this year) come to Bokhara a Russian mission consisting of one Hoosseiu Beg, Sherwanee, who was to
collect of 30,000 tillas, tribute-money, and Poordil Khan who, Ibrahim said, acted habitually as envoy to Bokhara,
and Sher-i-Subz, under instructions from the Governor of Samarkand. This man brought a request for enquiry into
the murder of a Persian merchant, a Russian subject, by a Noghai, in Bokhara territory. He was so imperious in his
demeanour that the King of Bokhara was displeased and dismissed him summarily in disgrace, and afterwards
Avrote to the Governor of Samarkund that the Noghais were more Russian subjects than his,—(Noghai is, in fact, the
term for the Asiatic and Mahomedan subjects of Russia, whose proper home is the north-west coast of the Caspian.)
This unsuccessful mission was quite different from that mentioned in the text, the object of which was quite
possibly to counteract what mischief Shahgassee Sheredil Khan might do.
In one of F. B.’s letters (that of the 18th July 1870) there is an anecdote about this mission illustrating the
existence of the same feeling in Bokhara which made Stoddard’s act in riding to the palace be considered a cause of
such dire offence. Some of the followers of the Russian envoy rode out in the city and were pelted with stones by some
of the vagabonds of the city. The Russian envoy complained against this to the Ameer, and • asked him to punish
the delinquents. The Ameer replied to him as follows :
“ I bis is a Mahomedan country, and the privilege of riding hoi’ses has never yet been enjoyed in it by any people
not professing the Mahomedan religion. The people of the city foolishly still think that the same age exists now. It
would be best that the attaches of the embassy were warned not to go about in the streets of the city mounted on
horses.”
In that same letter F. B. reported that the Ameer of Bokhara was drowned in sensual pleasures, and committed
all the cares of the State to his Minister, Mahomed Shah Bai.