Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-01-05
THE ATTITUDE OF PERSIA.


The complexion oi Eastern afils already too ominous
oil embodiment aud trouble appears likely 10 he still fur
'her Affected by the dispositions of Power hitherto un
concerned III the s'ie, and which, though insignificant ia
to"n resources operate indirectly with some effect
upon Tia" present relations hsisoGn T,rkev and her f,.
II is said that the Persian government has pronounced in
as"r OF Russia aims; the Porte aud though the report
Is stl without absolute confirmation there il nothing In liz
character which should induce us TO ,isb.ieye II For
many generations that country, which once so famous
Tor TIE proves OF its population and which even isl;e
last century carried it' arms the Indus has been
sunk INTO total helpccless and has received from the
caJoery and mcnaces Of others all The mpuc which ts
politics cT:ced The privilege Of influencing the Court
oil Ieer1n has been contested succeSsvey by the French
the British and the Russian governments Il now as is
sufficiently obvious pertains the latter and must have
exercised il the present reports are true with character
t.c nnscrupu.Uusncss
The position of the Persian territories conternnous
with the Asiac provinces Of Turkey the
provinces oil Russia, and the wild regions of Arhanis,n
gives IT. government unusual facilities for ecr,ing d
versions in one other Of these directions aud if It's mil
taTy strength small itI advantages of u,tion nre snT
hcent 10 countefbaice the deficiency. BY operations
easily within its power il draw Turkish army across
the TgrS or attract sn Afghan force IRON Clbu 10 lie.
rat IL IL IN this capacity that is services have een gen
orally employed When the invasion of Eo,nt Inv ,h,
French Directory rendered il desirable 10 provide
lion Tor the Turks the frontiers of their Asia
hominons tho good Offices Of the Persian Court were 40
ced Tor THIS purpose but the negotiations oil the Repub
cah hhVoJs were eifectualy cOunteracted by Canain
Malcolm aud from that time British influence acquire. a
predomnancc at Teheran, which main tanned though
not without interruption, till the year 1928 Before tho
campaigns OF Jena and Fedand the Emperor NAPOLEON
bespoke the cooperation Of Persia against her Russian
neghb0r but the peace Of Tlsit terminated these views
ana year or tWoatcr species Of formal treaty was
raced between the British and Persian governments by
WHEN .o became pound TO the terms OF defensive alliance
directed against Russia. This engagement
IA with The obligation Of sending assistance to Persia
commutable, however for honey payment wencyerand
rs often as that Power should be Involved in war with any
European lao Iy -
oNn. case Tor the application Of this contract was
created III 1916, by renewal of hosllities with Russia
upon the subject Of the territorial boundaries which the
last war lad LEFT impeTecty determined On this occa
sion inerfeed in our character of protecting allies
ana tue anaoges presented by these transactions 70 those
now pendng are remarkable in the extreme When our
envoy ahVed al the court or rather the camp Of tho
Shah his attempts we're first directed ascertain which
party was really chargeabe with the aggression and
to put stop by all available cHpedients 70 so trouble
some quarrel The Russian government made plausible
representations ots claims but obsnaeIy eluded all
offers oEpraniica adjustment by arbitration inquiry and
while the British envoy negotiating and pursijog
the Persana. against his wishes but relying on his aj
commenced the war AT first they obtained successes az
least AZ considerable those Of Omar Pasa on the Dan
ube, an entire Russian division being routed aner des
perate coDic with the loss of all is artillery and 600
prisoners Tue fortune Of the eampaigo, however, vas
promptly reversed by the discontinue OF the Pesians In
every direction and in the end Court OF Teheran was
lam 10 make peace by pecunary decentralization and nv
cesson OF territory which carried the Russian frontier To
oI tue -AItS. AZ tue Shah III provided
WIN money or reluctan TO part with H. tho British or al
least me Indian government, to his aid and adj.
yance1 sum which was accepted IN full discharge of the
iao.he, we adincuned by the treaty Of 1909 when,
at tue time Of the Afghan expedition information was
required by Parliament on the somewhat obscure subject
ofour relations with Per4s the substance OF these facts
was laid before w. and tho conclusion was easy 10 be do
duced Persia has fallen entirely under Russian control
and when, therefore, Persian expedition had advanced
against lIeat, II attributed TO Russian Influences and
invested in the eyes Of Indian statesmen with a i'm
poIiancn which II assuredy never deserved
The movement nov sserhed 10 the Court Of Teheran IL
an exact counterpart Of IL ordinary performances in the
Transactions deliHsated above In obedience no doubt
to suggestions received from ~ Petersburg has declared
war against the antagonist Of Russia and though tho facts
are not yet satisfactorily ascertainabe we arc quito pre-
pared To hear that combined Russian aud Persan force
5 marching upon some Turkish position Nothing IL IL
clear, could be more suicidal than such a policy on the
part OF the Persian goyerBmon for Russia us invariably
proved its deadfsi enemy That Of variance should
eIt between OoHnirieI situated Fersl and Turkey
is than natural but whereas the former has no
serious injury TO apprehend from the Porte, the expert
Of almost every year in the present century should
have thought 70 look with on the approaches Of
the C2aT II il literally true that tho years $780, 1902
1905 1900. ISGs 1879. 1884, 1925 1929 and 1888 each
Witnessed teTroFai le5iQn from the Court Of Tehe
ran toihe Court Of st. PeterNbrg, aud u ~ 10 fact from
these exactions Chat the Russian province 81 oeofga has
been constituted We cahbot however atfibnte any do.
berste policy To government at ignorant and 20
mpot, pt The mandate hs. doubtless como down ffom
e North, and reports true, has beeu Obeyed pro.
baby, sth equil absence OF reflection or choice That
HE addoa Of the Persian 20 the Russian armies on the