C91 
PER 
the event of an objection by the Britilh government, was 
to be applied in defraying the charges of re-condufting 
them to the Perfian ambaflador at St. Peterlburg. 
After the departure of fir Gore Oufeley, our affairs at 
the Perfian court gradually affumed another afpe£l. 
When Mr. Morier and Mr. Ellis quitted Teheran, Lieut. 
Henry Willock, of the Madras cavalry, who had a£led in 
the fubordinate rank of aide-de-camp to fir Harford 
Jones, was left in the important fituation of Britilh 
charge d’affaires : and from that moment our intereft 
feemed to decline before the influence of Ruffia. In 1820, 
a Ruffian million, fplendidly fitted out, and attended with 
a confiderable military guard, proceeded to Hurrat, Bok- 
harrah, and fuch other places as were found moll advifa- 
ble for opening a new trade for Ruffian manufactures, 
and for procuring a direft fupply of Caftimere lhawls for 
the Ruffian market. 
Latterly theBritifh government appears to have confi- 
dered Perfia of little importance to this country ; and the 
Ruffians readily ftepped into our flioes. In 1817, general 
Yermaloff having been appointed governor of Georgia, he 
occupied that territory with 50,000 chofen Ruffian troops, 
perfonally furveyed its military polls, and entered Perfia 
in the character of ambaflador extraordinary from the 
court of St. Peterlburgh, with a fuite compofed of the 
flower of the Ruffian nobility: this embaffy was dignified 
in the eyes of Perfia by extraordinary magnificence and 
fplendour. Yermaloff' concluded a treaty of alliance and 
commerce, and at his departure left colonel Mazzaravich 
as Ruffian charge d’affaires. This officer, with qualifica¬ 
tions fully adequate to fuch an important ftation, takes 
every opportunity of cultivating the good-will and efteem 
of the Perfians, and fpares neither pains nor expenfe to 
conciliate their friendffiip. The 50,000 Ruffian troops in 
Georgia in 1S17 were increafed in 1820 to 100,000, and in 
the year 1822 there were 130,000; although during the 
war between Ruffia and Perfia, the number rarely, if ever, 
exceeded 30,000. Colonel Mazzaravich keeps an open 
table for the Perfian nobility; and his general ftyle of liv¬ 
ing is worthy the reprefentative of a great nation. Eng¬ 
land, to compete with this man, has been reprefented by 
an individual, wbofe fubaltern rank in the army, ren¬ 
dered him, in the firft inftance, of little confequence in 
the eyes of the Perfians; while his inferior ftyle of living, 
liisoppofition to the wilhes of the Prince Royal, and his 
general demeanour, made him perfonally obnoxious, and 
occafioned companions to the difadvantage of himfelf and 
the Britifli interefts. 
At length, ferious differences arofe from the non-pay¬ 
ment of the 100,000 tomans, which was to have been fet¬ 
tled by the Britifli Eaft India Company, for arrears of 
fubfidy due to the (hah. The delay in fulfilling this en¬ 
gagement was attributed by the court of Perfia to Mr. 
Willock. The money had been given up by the (hah to 
the prince royal; and, to appeafe his royal highnefs, Mr. 
Willock had on oneoroifion advanced 10,000 tomans on 
account of it. The } rince iffued a fecond order upon 
Mr. Willock for 2,000 tomans, which he declined paying; 
and the ffiah, in a moment of irritation, prepared to en¬ 
force the payment from Mirza Abul Haffan Khan, by 
whole embaffy to the court of London the arrangement had 
been concluded. Ultimately, cooling upon this refolve, 
he lent Aga Mahomud Kerreem to Mr. Willock to infill: 
on payment of the prince’s order. This meffenger had in¬ 
curred the (hall’s difpleafure in a former tranfadion ; and 
lie determined to redeem his credit by fucceeding, if pof- 
fible, on the prefent occafion. Unluckily, he over-aided 
his part, and told the Britifli charge d’affaires, that, “ if the 
prince’s order was not paid in five days, he had the king’s 
command to return at that period and cut off his head.” 
The idea of this alternative, fo common in defpotic eaftern 
courts, and delivered as a meflage from a gracious king 
who had already murdered his bell friend, the inftrument 
of his elevation, and all his family, was very alarming to 
Mr. Willock, as it probably would have been to the 
Vol. XIX. No. 1336. 
S I A. 
reader. That gentleman immediately demanded his paff- 
ports, and a guard to attend him to the frontiers. Affu- 
rances on the part of the (hah himfelf, under his own 
feal, as well as explanations on the part of his minilters, 
were ineffectual toreftrain Mr. Willock from leaving Per¬ 
fia. The (hah condefcended fo far as to offer marks of his 
particular kindnefs to our charge d’affaires, in atonement 
for the 111 i(lake ; and the minifters Hated the neceffity 
which exifted for his remaining, in confequence of nego¬ 
tiations then pending with the Porte. Mr. Willock, 
however, infilled on taking his departure, though the 
(hah allured him, that if lie left the court unpleafantly, 
or contrary to his willies, Perfia would feel it eflential to 
her dignity to difpatch an envoy to England with a report 
of Mr. Willock’s offenfive condufl, and to require the 
appointment of another perfon in his (lead. The charge 
d’affaires, however, left Teheran; and Mirza Mohammed • 
Saulah,oneof the ftudents formerly in England, was accor¬ 
dingly appointed envoy extraordinary from Perfia to Lon¬ 
don. Mirza arrived here by the way of Ruffia ; and his 
reception in that quarter mult have formed a ltriking con¬ 
trail to the negleCt that he and his companions experi¬ 
enced during their refidence in England. He was provi¬ 
ded with an eftablilhment and equipage by the Ruffian 
government, conduced to fee every thing worthy his at¬ 
tention, and the emperor prefented him with a diamond 
ring of great value. On his departure, a veffel was pro¬ 
vided to convey him and his fuite to England. The cap-' 
tain was commanded to pay them every attention, and 
not to fuller another paffenger on-board, nor to take the 
flighteft prefent from him, or any of his fuite. In com¬ 
pliance with the exprefs dellre of the emperor, a young 
art ill, who accompanied Mirza to England, wasafterwards 
fent flack toSt. Peterlburgh foreducation at the emperor’s 
expenfe. In the event of the Britifli government or the 
Eaft-India Company declining to advance a portion of the 
fubfidy-money, the Mirza received a letter of credit on 
the Ruffian reprefentative at the court of London for 
30,000 ducats, that he might experience no difficulty to 
the making of purchafes in England, Thele are ftrong 
indications of the importance attached by Ruffia to her 
Perfian connexions. 
The envoy’s million embraced feveral objeCts. He was 
the bearer of a firman of congratulation to his majelty on 
his acceffion to the throne: he was inftru&ed to require 
payment in London of 15,000k in part of the fubfidy-ar- 
rear, which the court of directors has complied with : he 
was commiffioned to purchafe arms and clothing for the 
Perfian army : he had orders to lay before the Britifli go¬ 
vernment, the (hah’s difavowal of Aga Mohammed Ker- 
reem’s offenfive .meflage to Mr. Willock, and to fubmit 
the fame explanations upon the fubj.eft, which were of¬ 
fered without effect to that gentleman in Perfia; he was 
further inltrufted to exhibit a lift of fpecific charges 
againft Mr. Willock for improper conduCl to the (hah, 
the prince royal, and their minifters, and even to the 
whole nation, in the violation of a facred religious rite ^ 
and he was efpecially required toproteft againll there-ap- 
pointment of Mr. Willock, and to folicit for his fucceflbr 
a gentleman whofe perfonal demeanour may be the means 
of preferving harmony between the two powers. 
We have reafon to think that the iffue of the Perfian 
envoy’s million will determine whether it will be worth 
while for the Eaft-India Company to continue their de¬ 
pots at Abuftiire, Baffora, and Bagdad, which were efta- 
blilhed principally for the fupply of the Perfian market, 
and where they have refidenls in charge at a confiderable 
expenfe. It is underftood that a propofition has been 
made to Perfia, on the part of Ruffia, which, if acceded to, 
will ultimately fecure the whole of the trade to the Ruf¬ 
fian merchants; a reply has been waved until the fate of 
the prefent million is known. Mr. Canning will doubt- 
lefs inveftigate this fubjeft himfelf, and give it the calm 
confideration of his own mind. It is an affair of too 
much importance for management by others, who may 
8 Q confult 
/ 
