The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-15 00:00:00

soldiers ; and by his countenance., support, and advice,
confirmed the Shah in his resolution to persevere in his

hostilities.
But in about ten days after this time, the progress
mace by the Persians in the siege not correspondieg with
the expectations which they had been led to form, the
Persian Minister sent to Mr. NPNeill, requesting him
again to take up the negociation, and to arrange matters
between Persia and Herat in any manner he might think
proper. An interview took place thereupon between Mr.
M`Nrill and the Persian Minister, at which the latter ac-
cepted, with some trifling modifications, the treaty to which
Mr. M'Neill had obtained the consent of the Government
of Herat during his visit to the town.
The British Minister now a second time flattered him-
self that he had succeeded in his endeavours to restore
peace, and nothing remained to be done for the full ac-
complishment of that object but that ho should carry back
the treaty into the town, and get it signed by the Shah of
Herat; but again some unknown and secret cause inter-
fered to disappoint his well-founded hopes. The Persian
Government again suddenly changed its purpose, end,
after having agreed to accept the treaty, refused, upon
:various pretences, to permit Mr. M'Neill to carry it into
the town, in order to 'communicate to Kamran Shah its
acceptance by the Persian Government ; and afterwards
the Persian Miniater declared his acceptance of the treaty
as no longer binding, because the Affghans still continued
to carry on their defensive hostilities, notwithstanding a
treaty, the acceptance of which' by the Persian Govern-
ment had been studiously concealed from their knowledge.
Her Majesty's Government, have, moreover, been in-
formed, in a manner which seems to entitle the report to
some credit, that Count Simonich announced to the Shah
that a Russian army waa about to march on Khiva,
Bokhara ; and it is said that he also held out to the Shah
the prospect, that an eventual adjustment of the fron-
tiers between Persia and Russia in the direction of Khiva
and Bokhara would be the consequence of a successful
issue of the operations of the two Governments against

Herat.
Later accounts which have reached her Majesty's Go•
vernmcat, represent Count Simonich as having counselled,
planned, and personally superintended, an assault which
was made upon the town by the Shah's forces, on or about
the 23d of June, and which ended in the defeat of the
Persians, with considerable loss : and it is said that,
among those who fell on the Persian side upon that occa-
sion, there were efficers belonging to the Russian service.
The undersigned is further instructed to state, that the
British Government possess a copy of a treaty which has
been concluded between Persia and the Affghan Ruler of
Kandahar; the exercise of which has been guaranteed by
Count Simonich, and the stipulations of which are injuri-
ous and offensive to Great Britain. The guarantee which
Count
.Simenich has given to this Treaty, tends to afford
Russia, if she adopt the guarantee, a pretence to com-
el the Shah of Persia, not only to make himself master of
Herat, but to deliver over that city afterwards to the
rulers of Kandahar, to be held by them together with their
other possessions, in the capacity, ti hick those rules engage
by the treaty to acknowledge, of tributaries to Persia.
The guarantee, moreover, contains a promise to com-
pel Persia to defend the- Rulers- of Kandahar against attack
from any quarter whatever. It is true, that in this stipula-
tion no specific allusion is made to England ; .but the inten-
tion of the parties may bo inferred from the original draft of
this treaty, of which, also, her Majesty's Government have
a copy, and which was less cautiously worded, and in which
specific allusion was made to England, es one of the Powers
arainst whom a-sistance was to be given by Russia to the
Rulers of Kandahar.
Tho undersigned is further instructed to state, that a
Russian agent of the name of Vicovicb, but sometimes
calling himself Omar Beg, and said to be attached to the
Staff of the General commanding at Orenberg, was the
bearer of letters from the Emperor and Count Simonich to
.the Ruler of Cabool, copies of which are in the possession
of the British Government ; and that Count Simonich ob-
served the most perfect silence towards the British Minister
at Tehran with re..,i)cet to the minion of this agent; a re-
serve which might seem unnecessary, if this agent were
merely to deliver the letters of which he sa-as the bearer, and if
1 his mission wire to have no tendency prejudicial to British

interests.
But the British Government hare learned that
Count , Simonich announced to the Shah of Per-
sia, that this Russian agent would counsel the
Ruler of Cabool to seek assistance of the Persian Go-
vernment to sup pert him in his hostilities with the Ruler
of the Puejaub ; and the further reports which the British
Government have received of the language held by this
Russian egent at Kandahar and Cahoot can lead to no ether
conclusion than that he strenuously exerted himself to de-
tach the Rulers of those Afghan States from all connection
with England, and to induce them to place their reliance
upon Persia in the first instance, and ultimately upon
Russia.
If the British Government could entertain a doubt of
the correctness of the foregoing infermation, that doubt
wculd in a great measure be removed by the 'unfriendly
language with respect to the British Government which
Count Simonich held sonE., time ago to the agent of Cabool
at !he Caert of Persia, and of which the British Govern-
ment possess proof in the Report made by that agent, to the
Ruler of Cabool.
• It appears, then), from the foregoing statement, that en
the last occasion when a communication took place between
ihe Governments of Great Britain and of Russia, upon the
taiirs of Persia, the Cabinet of St. Petcrsliurgh ourquivo-
cally disavowed having a_lviaed the Shah to make war ?and
asrertcd, on the contrary, that its instructions to the nos-
shin Ambassador at Tehran were, to dissuade that Sove-
reign from attacking El-rat at any time. and under soy
ciieumstances; but th4t, nevertheless, the Itussiln Arntr,s-
saclor in Persia has, airing the whole period which has
since the above-mentioned communication,
strenuously exerted himself to encourage the Shah
in his rggressiva• undertaking; end has contributed' his
own LsEistance, and that of other ellieers under his orders,
to promote the success of the enterprise; and it ap-
pears, moreover, that although her illejesty'e Government
was led to think, from what fell from Cored Nvs,'•Arode in
a conversation w hich he Lad on this tubjeet with the Earl
of Derham on the Ist Mar, 183.,, that Count Simonich
would not long remain ha Persia,' that Ambassador, never-
theless, has continued to remain in Persia, pursuing, with
increased activity, and in the most epee manner, the con-
duct of which his Government had expressed such decided,
disspprehation.
Is further appears, from the foregoing staternente, that
ttlicreas Rur,sia has of late years invariably professed a de-
sire to concert with Great Britain the course of policy which
the two'Governments shoole pursue wi.h regard to Persia,
so that the identity of their measures in that quarter might
be a manifest preen of their friendship and union, Russian
agents in Persia and Afghanistan have lately been engaged
in measures studieusly.concealed from the British Govern-
met, and planned in a spirit unfriendly to Great Britain,
and-for objects hostile-to her interests.
Thu British Government readily admits that Russia is
free to pursue, with respect to the matters in question,
whatever course may appear to the Cabinet of St. Peters-
burgh most conducive to the interests of Russia ; and
Great Britain is too censcieus of her own strength, rind too
sensible of the c‘tent and st.injency of the means which
she possesses to clr.f...nd her o-,vn interests in every quarter
the,globe, to regard wits any serious uneasiness the
trans serior...s to which this note relates. But the British
Government considers itself entitled to ask of the C..lave:
of St. P,teishurg, whether the intentions and the pol'ey of
Re;ssia, towards Persia LA towards Great Britain, are to
be deduced from the declarations of Count Neseel: ode and
11. Rodoilnikin to the Eat! of Durham, or from the acts of
Count Simonich and M. Vieeeich ; and the British Govern-
, meet thinks itself also justified in observing, that, if from
airy ;settee whatever, the lieee.ien Govermeent has, F übsc -
q nly to the months of F..l' reary and Msy, len', altered
the opinions whirls were then expressed to the Earl of
Dornem ; and if that Geveremtnt has in consequence
thought fit to give to its Ambassador in Persia instructions
dir.metriculiy opnesito t) those which were then dei,eribf d
I.y. Count Nesselrede and M. Rodofinikto, and which M.
Redefinikin offered to exhibit to the Earl of Durham—
' then, arid in such case, the s} stem of unreserved reciprocal
communicatien •upon Persian affairs, which of lete years
has been eqabl6bed between the two Governments, gate
to the British Cabinet a good iight to expect that so entire
a change of policy on the part of Russia, together with
the reasons en which it was thunied, would have been
made known to her Majesty's Government by the Cabinet
of St. Petersburg h, issteed of being left to be inferred
from the acts of Russian agents in Persia and Airghanistan.
The undersigned, in conclusion, is instructed to say, that
her Majssty's Government is persuaded that the Cabinet
of St. Petersburgh will see in this communication a fresh
proof of the anxious desire of the British Government to
maintain unimpaired the friendly relations which so happily
subsist between the two countries; and to which the Bris
tish Government justly attaches so great a value, because
exidanations sought for with frankness and in a friendly
spirit, tend to censure misunderstandings, and to preserve
harmony between nations.