The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-04 00:00:00

was for the interest of the Powers assembled at, Paris that
a protest should be made against the system which pre-
vailed. The Government of the Emperor and the Govern-
ment of this country acted in concert together, and deter-
mined to present a note to the King of Naples, stating that
acts of grace and amnesties should be made, which would
betoken a change of Government. The answer to this
note was to the effect that we were to mind our own busi-
nese. But still we hoped that, upon reflection, the King
might be induced to alter his decision, and that he would
adopt another system of policy, and more in accordance
-with his own interests. After the despatch was received
in answer to the protest against the system which pre-
veiled, the two missions were desired to withdraw. I
think no one can say the two Governments of France and
England were not acting within the limits of their legiti-
mate rights. No one can say that England and France
could not protest against a system of Government so
fraught with evil. In the change which we desired we
bad no wish for a change of Ministers. (Hear, hear.)
There is an act of amnesty which has been communicated
to all the Governments of Europe. This amnesty is in-
tended for all who wish to avail themselves of it, and who
have promised submission to the Government of the coun-
try. Moreover, a convention has been signed by the Irsintr,
of Naples for the removal of all political prisoners, of their
own freewill, who" may desire to emigrate, to New South
America. Ido not attach much importance to these acts :
they may, or they may not, be symptoms of a better sys-
tem ; but what I do attach importance to is this, that I
believe every one of the great Powers of Europe has ap-
proved of the course pursued by tho Governmento s of her
er
Majesty and of the Emperor, and hair thought it tbe
best and the most likely to be effectual. I trust the King
of Naples will not continue to believe that he is not amen-
able to any human tribunal, and persevere in standing
alone, thinking himself right, and that all the rest of the
world are Tyrone. With respect tot e negotiations be-
tween the Unitede States and England, the noble earl was
perfectly right in the observations he made. There is, I
hope, no reason to doubt that the treaty will be realised,
and think your lordships will see that it entirely fulfils all
those points to which your attention has been particularly
directed by the noble earl, The two treaties are in no way
connected with each other. The United States treaty merely
refers to the Mosquito territory. With respect to the dispute
about Ihuatan, which was supposed to belong to Honduras,
we have male that island over to Honduras, admitting her
sovereignty in connection with the railway which is about
to be made, and which, I believe, will turn out to be the
really right and practical mode of connecting the two
oceans. On both sides of the isthmus there aro magnifi-
cent harbours, and all the maritime Powers of the world
who avail themselves of this communication might take a
fair exception to an island, almost at the entrance of it,
being in the hands of any other Power. It was therefore
placed under the suzerainty of Honduras, who is bound to
give it up to no other Power. I believe, when these trea-
ties are laid before your lordships, they will fully answer
the objects which both 'Governments have in view, and 'I
think, from the manner in which it has been received
by the Mated States, that it will be the means of prevent-
ing any future niisunderstanding between the two na-
tions respecting that country. I agree with the noble
earl opposite, that we have no interest whatever in
Central America beyond what he mentioned—that is to
say, for free traasit across the isthmus, and I can in the
future contemplate no possible reason why there should be
nay difference of opinion between us and the United States.
With regard to Persia, before I make any observations as
to the state of our relations with that country, I must beg
to express my satisfaction at what fell from the noble earl
in respect to the rupture of our diplomatic relations. I
wish to say a very few words about what led tothie rupture,
and I would particularly ask your lordships, until the two
or three days elapse before which the papers will not be in
your hands, to dismiss from your minds much that has been
said and written upon the subject, and more especially as
to the supposed connection of a lady with the breaking off
of our diplomatic relations—a lady who was the wife of an
individual who was, and had long been, under the protec-
tion of the British mission, and as such was acknowledged
by the Persian Government. The design of the Persian
Government was to coerce the British Government into
giving up their protection of this individual, and to place
him in the power of his unrelenting enemies, and with that
view the wife was taken away and imprisoned. Mr. Mur-
ray naturally protested against so very unjust and arbi-
trary an act ; but while the Persian Government admitted
the right of the man to our protection, they at the same
time claimed a right to prosecute and imprison the wife.
When Mr. Murray remonstrate i against such conduct he
was exposed to fresh insults ; but when I tell your lord-
ships
that I have received from Mr. Murray the most
solemn- assurance, given on his honour as a gentleman, that
in the steps he took he was not actuated by any improper
motive, I am sure your lordships will believe that there is
not a shadow of a foundation for the accusations against
him. (Loud cheers.) I felt it due to an absent servant
of the Crown, who has been unjustly maligned, to take
this the earliest opportunity of vindicating his character.
Having waited in vain for the explanation he was led
to expect, he was compelled to suspend his relations
and leave Teheran. (Hear.) For this lie was much
blamed ; but he did perfectly right ; for if he had remained
he would have been in the position of an unprotected tra-
veller, and might have had to rehoist his flag in order
to demand reparation for fresh insults; and this step
again would perhaps have led to an accumulation of
other affronts. He therefore properly determined that the
Queen's representative should not be exposed to this igno-
miny, -and exercised a wise discretion in leaving Tehel an ;
but I beg your lordships to bear in mind that this rupture
of our relations was not the CAIIB9 of the war. We cer-
tainly effected that in the course of time, and upon reflec-
tion Persia would see that it was to her interest to remain
on good terms with this country. She has been greatly
indebted to England, arid, above all, she knew we were no
longer at war with Ilessia. We had no doubt, therefore,
that there would be an honourable settlement of these dif-
ferences. and that we should be able to resume our friendly
relations ; but the case assumed a very different apoct
when we found Persia adopting acts of hostility towai us us
for the purpose of carrying out her never relinquished de-
termination to possess herself of Herat. Wo made repre-
sentations to the Persian Government on the subject. I
will read to your lordships the letter which I wrote to the
suzerain on receiving inforaia'-ion of the movement which
Persia was making towards Herat

"Foreign-office, Jely 11, ISSG.
"The undersigns 1, &c., has the honour to recall to the re-
collection of Scdr Azau the articles of agreea.
Herat, which were concluded in the month of January, 1653,
between his Excellency and Lenteuant-Colonel Sinel, then
her Majesty'., Envoy Extraordinaryand Minister Plenipoten-
tiary at the Court of the Shah.
"By those articles the Persian Government engaged not
to send on any account troops to Herat, unless when forc:gn
troops invaded Herat, th it is, troops from the direction of
Cabool or Candahar, or other foreign country. In the event,
too, of troops being sent in that case, the Persian Guv

Tspec t

limit engaged that the said troops were not to cuter the
city of ilerat ; and whenever the foreign troops returned to-
wards-their own territory, the Prussian troops were Mime
diately and without delay to return LO the Persian soil.
The Persian Government also engaged not to interfere in
any way whatsoever in the internal affairs of Herat, such as
in taking possession, or occupying, or assuming the sove-
reignty, or in governing, unless in so far as it interfered
during the lifetime of far Mahoutmed Khan. The Persian
Government also engaged to abandon the pretensions and
demand for the coinage and the Khtbck, or any other mark
whatsoever of the people of Herat, being subjects or milder
the Government of Persia.
" The British G-overnment have been informed that since
the beginning of the present year Persian troops have not only
invaded the territory of Herat, but have laid siege to the city
of Herat, awl have interfered in the internal affairs of Herat,
and that the movements of trool,s in different parts of Persia
indicate a determination on the part of the Persian Govern-
ment to persist iu its aggression o tiller-at, and in its disregard
of solemn engagements contracted with the British Govern-
ment. • _ _ _ _

Such conduct on the part of Persia is considered by the
British Government to constitute an act of open hostility
against Great Britain ; and the object of the undersigned in
now addressing the Sedr Aziru is to make known to the

lad:. by
, • ty,

sian Government that, unless reparation is prompt:
it for this breaen of er4ageinent and this act of hos

and unless the Persian troops are forthwith withdrawn n•oln
the city and territory of Herat the British Government will
adopt such rocatures as a regard for its own honour, and its
own interests may prescribe, and will hold itself absolved from
any responsibility for the consequences of those measures,
however disastrous to Persia they may prove.

" The uadesigued, ac. CLARENDON,"
To this letter I received an unsatisfactory answer. It did
not even allude to Herat, but treated the matter as a per-
sonal dispute between the Persian Government and Mr.
Murray, and said it would be all settlecLby the Persj.act
Ambassador, who was on his way to Paris. Her Majesty's
Government then thought that I should write more in
detail upon the
,grievances we complained of, and I thou
addressed a letter to the Persian Minister of Foreign
Affairs [A noble lord here made a remark which
VAS not hoard in the gallery.] The answer I received to
my first communication was extremely vague—l am sorry
I have not got it with me—saying the disagreement was a
personal one between the Persian Government and Mr.
Murray, making no allusion whatever to Herat, but sat-
ing any matter of difference would be settled by the am-
bassador, who was going to Paris; and on October 10 I
addressed this letter to the :Minister of Foreign Affairs
The untlersignqd, ex., had the honour to receive on the
25th of Sept. the letter which the Seth. Azim, Prime Minister
of his Majesty the Shah of Persia, addressed to him on the
17th of Aug., having reference to the letter which the under-
signed addressed to the SedrAzine on the 11th of July on the
subject of the proceedings of the Persian Government in regard
to Herat, but containing no answer to that letter.
" Her Majesty's Government bad hoped that the letter of
the undersigned would have elicited from the Persian Govern-
ment a distinct assurance that the Government would at once
desist from the enterprise which it bad undertaken against
Herat, in violation of solemn engagements entered hate with
the British Government in former times, and in defiance of the
often expressed determination of the British Government not
totelerate any interference on the part of Persia with the
`hates
of Affghauistan and not allow the extension of the au-
thority or the territory
of Persia in that quarter. Her Majesty's
I;overnment had hoped that such assurance weuld have been
given, and would have been followed up by the immediate
withdrawal of the Persian armiesfrom the Affghan territory,
and by complete reparation for the insults which had been
offered to the British Government in the person of the Queen's
Envoy, and which have led to the withdrawal of the British
Mission from Persia.
Ifall this had been done, tier MkgeSt,Y Gove!nment would
have been enabled to replace, on a friendly
footing, its rela-
tions with .the Court ofthe Shah.
tier Majesty's Government have been disappointed in
these hopes and expectations. The redress demanded in the
communication made by the British Ambassador at Constan-
tinople, to the Persian Charge d'Affaires in that city in the
month of June last, for the insult offered to the British 111 i-
s has not been afforded, the reparation required in the
note of the undersigned of July 11, for the disregard shown
by Persia of her engagement as to Herat has not been given ;
but instead of this, vain excuses and pretexts of delay have
been put forward, and her Maje.st„v's Government have bees
told to expect satisfaction from the result of a negotiation, the
conduct of which the Persian Government pretends to have
confided to an ambassador some time since appointed by the
Shah to the Court of France. •
" But, in the meanwhile, the Persian Government has not
been content to let the questions in dispute remain without
further aggravation. The insults which occasioned the with-
drawal of the British mission from Teheran have, since that
period, have been followed up by other insults to the British
Government, which of themselves call for ample reparation.
" The insults to which the undersigned hero more particu-
larly refers arc the prohibition of intercourse by subjects of
the Shah with her Majesty's consul at Teheran ; the violation
of the engagement to pay Seyd Abdoolah,, a British subject,
an allowance which he was to receive as a commutation for a
portion of his claims on the Government of Persia; the attempt
on the part of the Sedr Azim to possess himself of the water
long since assigned to the British Mission for its use as its
summer encampment; the interception of the supplies of
water ordinarily assigned to the British Mission in Teheran ;
the refusal to enforce the punishment of parties who commit-
tea a violent assault on one of the servants of the British Consul;