owing to the
appearance of the cholera by the 3rd of November, 1836, he had only
reached Asterabad. His army was in fact reduced to such a deplorable
condition, from the scarcity of provisions and the predatory incursions
of the Turcomans, that all hopes of undertaking a winter campaign
against Herat were given up, and, despite the remonstrances of the
Russian plenipotentiary, the shah led back his forces into Persia. In
the meantime Mr. M'Neill had succeeded Mr. Ellis, and he did not fail to
make known the advice which had been tendered by the Russian ambassador
in the late expedition; and Lord Palmerston directed the Earl of Durham,
our envoy at Russia, to inquire of Count Nesselrode whether the Russian
envoy was acting in accordance with the instructions of his government.
It was stated in reply that if Count Simonich had acted in the manner
mentioned, it was done in direct opposition to his instructions: he had
been ordered to dissuade the shah from prosecuting the war at any time
and in any circumstances. It was added, that our minister in Persia must
have been misinformed; but in a subsequent despatch, Mr. M'Neill stated
that tire information he had given had been confirmed by the concurrent
testimony of all the Persians with whom he had conversed on the subject,
including the prime-minister. The allegations against Count Simonich
were, in fact, indisputable; and the prospect of a combination of
Russian and Persian influence could not fail to alarm the government of
India; and as the shah's designs against Herat were not given up, Mr.
M'Neill was instructed to inform him that any attempt to prosecute
schemes of aggrandizement in Affghanistan would diminish the cordiality
existing between England and Persia. Mohammed Shah, however, was so far
from giving up his designs upon Herat, that he sought to obtain a more
intimate alliance with Russia; and he was so far successful, that an
envoy was dispatched by him with presents from himself and the Russian
envoy resident at his court, to Candahar and Cabool. His preparations
for war were still continued; and in the midst of them a messenger
arrived from Herat to negotiate an arrangement. Mr. M'Neil was invited
to take part in the conference. The terms brought by the envoy from
Herat were so advantageous that the British envoy recommended the
Persian government to accept them, lest the British government should
suspect that Persia, in persisting to prosecute the war, had oth