ملف ٣٩٣٩/١٩٢٦ الجزء ٤ "المنشورات: تنقيح معاهدات أيتشيسون: القسم المتعلق بأفغانستان." [و‎‎٢‎٥‎٩] (٣٧٠/١٠١)

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AFGHANISTAN. ^
When the Persian army appeared before Herat, Dost Muhammad
Khan was not disinclined to welcome a power from which he expected
support in his designs against the Sikhs and in his attempts to recover
Peshawar.
Meanwhile Lord Auckland had sent a mission to Kabul under Captain
Burnes. The mission was professedly a commercial one, but had also in
view the checking of the advance of Persia and the establishment of peace
between the Amir and Ranjit Singh. Dost Muhammad, however, was
unable to obtain from the envoy the assurance, which he hoped for, of the
good offices of the British Government in procuring the restoration of
Peshawar; and he therefore turned to the Russians, from whom he hoped
to obtain greater advantages than from an English alliance.
To check these aggressive measures on the part of Persia and Russia,
the British Government of India determined to interpose a friendlv power
in Afghanistan between their frontier and Persia, by re-establishing the
Sadozai dynasty at Kabul and maintaining the independence of Herat as a
separate State. It was believed that Shah Shuja would be welcomed
by a powerful party in Kabul, to whom the Barakzai rule was odious.
The restoration of the exiled monarch was resolved on, and with this
object the tripartite treaty of June 1838 {see Punjab, Volume I) between
the British Government, Ranjit Singhi and Shah ShujaTWas executed.
In May 1839 Shah Shuja was crowned at Kandahar, and shortly afterwards
Dost Muhammad surrendered and was carried a prisoner into India.
The welcome, however, which was expected for Shah Shuja from the
people was not given. He was supported entirely by British bayonets.
Insurrections soon broke out, which ended in the destruction of the small
British force at Kabul and the murder of Shah Shuja. These disasters
were retrieved by Generals Pollock and Kott who, with avenging armies,
forced their way, the one by the Khyber pass, and the other from
Kandahar by Ghazni, to Kabul. Having vindicated the honour of the
British arms, the British army evacuated Afghanistan. Dost Muham
mad was released and permitted to return to Kabul, and the Afghans
were left to form any government they might choose.
The tripartite treaty between the British Government, Ranjit Singh/
and Shah Shuja contained a clause guaranteeing the integrity of Herat;
and, on the entry of the British troops into Afghanistan, Eldred Pottin-
ger, through whose military talents and energy the efforts of the Shah
of Persia to take Herat had been dfefeated, was appointed Political
Agent, Yar Muhammad, however, chafed under the restrictions which
the British mission placed on his tyranny, more particularly on his
traffic iu slaves. He made secret overtures to Persia and to the Kanda
har Sardars, who had taken refuge in Persia, for a league to expel Shah
Shuja and the British from Kabul. Another Agent. Major D’Arcy
Todd, was sent to Herat in 1839 under instructions from the envoy at
Kabul to negotiate an alliance with Shah Kamran. In June 1839
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