"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٢‎٧] (٥٦٦/٥٩)

26
OPERATIONS IN PERSIA
aKaoNEP
Persian intervene in a Perso-Afghan conflict did what they could
design? on to 0 pp 0 se it. In 1833, Muhammad Mirza the commander of
Afghanistan. ^ p ers i an force before Herat, hearing of the death of his brother
the heir-apparent, raised the siege hurriedly and concluded
a treaty by which the ruler of Herat agreed to pay tribute
to the Shah. Muhammad then returned to Tehran and
secured his proclamation as heir-apparent a year before his
father's death, when he was able, thanks to the assistance
given him by the British and Russian representatives backed
by a Persian force under the command of British officers, to
overcome the opposition of two other brothers and gain the
throne.
Muhammad Shah soon began to display pro-Russian and
anti-British tendencies. He started to organise a large force
for an Afghan campaign. This the British opposed, but
the Shah had the justification that the ruler of Herat had not
only failed to pay tribute but had annexed Seistan, which
was regarded as a Persian province. In spite of the efforts
of Mr. McNeill, the British envoy, to bring about the suspension
of the operations, the Persian army arrived before Herat in
Attack on November, 1837. The Persian attacks, however, met with
Herat, success, largely owing to the great assistance rendered
1 37 3 * to the defence by the young English artillery officer, Eldred
Pottinger. In the spring of 1838 Mr. McNeill arrived at
Herat and, at the disheartened Shah's request, entered the
city and on his behalf drew up an agreement with its ruler.
Meanwhile the Russians had offered the Shah military assist
ance and he refused to ratify the agreement, though he soon
entered into further negotiations which had to be broken off
by Mr. McNeill owing to the Shah's extortionate demands.
The Shah's consequent hostility led to Mr. McNeill's departure
in June, just before a great final Persian assault, planned by
the Russian General Simonich, met with decisive defeat.
British Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India, had in the
action, meantime been negotiating with the Amir of Kabul, but-
disregarding the advice of the British envoy—had only
succeeded in causing Dost Muhammad to side with Persia.
Then ensued a period of great anxiety for the British, owing
to the constant reports of the imminent fall of Herat and of
a coming Moslem invasion of India. These led Lord Auckland
to organise British forces to relieve Herat, to occupy the
island of Kharij in the Persian Gulf and to drive Dost Muham-
mad from Kabul. The reports of these military movements
so influenced the dejected Shah that at Herat in August 1838