although it may be in entire opposition to the spirit of Article VI of the Convention, signed by him and the Sadr Azim a fortnight or so before. If these letters are authentic, copies of them will, I presume, exist at the Foreign Office.

The Earl of Clarendon.

RICH. W. STEVENS.

No. 157.-The Earl of Clarendon to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. MY LORD, Foreign Office, December 11, 1856. HER Majesty's Government entirely approve of your Excellency's proceedings in the matter of Persian affairs as reported in your despatch of the 23rd ultimo.

H.E. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

I am,

&c.

CLARENDON.

No. 158.-Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to the Earl of Clarendon. (Received December 11.)

(Extract.)

Therapia, November 30, 1856. INCLOSED herewith, for the information of Her Majesty's Government, are copies of such further correspondence as I have had with or concerning the Persian Ambassador since I had last the honour of addressing your Lordship on that subject. The Earl of Clarendon.

STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE.

(Inclosure 1.)—Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Mr. Moore. (Extract.) Therapia, November 25, 1856. I HAVE to request that you will call this morning on Ferokh Khan. The translation of his second declaration will be the motive of your visit, joined with his delivery of the further declaration promised yesterday respecting satisfaction to Mr. Murray and his Mission. I expect it to be a full, unqualified engagement that his Government will execute all the conditions prescribed by the ultimatum forwarded from me to the Sadr Azim through the Persian Chargé d'Affaires early in the last summer. With the two declarations in hand to my satisfaction, I will not refuse to submit his proposal of referring to his Court by a special messenger, to return with a definitive answer in 40 days, he, Ferokh Khan, remaining here till then.

L. Moore, Esq.

STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE.

(Inclosure 2.)—Mr. Moore to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. (Extract.) Pera, November 26, 1856. ON the receipt of your Excellency's instruction of the 25th instant, Mr. Churchill and myself called on the Persian Ambassador

We informed Ferokh Khan that with the two satisfactory declarations in your Excellency's hands, that is to say, the declaration promised by him respecting Mr. Murray and his Mission, and the declaration already in your Excellency's possession, concerning

the evacuation of Herat and the payment of indemnity to its inhabitants, you would not refuse to submit to Her Majesty's Government his proposal of referring to his Court by a special messenger, to return with a definitive answer in 40 days, he, Ferokh Khan, remaining here till then.

Ferokh Khan observed to us that he did not perceive any serious impediment to his acceptance of the ultimatum sent to his Court through the Persian Chargé d'Affaires here in the early part of last summer; but that he would return an answer in writing to your Excellency to-morrow, regarding it. He promised, at the same time, to inform you whether he could dispatch a special messenger with the further conditions to Tehran, and wait here for his Government's instructions.

I have the honour to inclose, herewith, Ferokh Khan's second declaration, accompanied by a French translation furnished by the Persian Embassy, respecting the evacuation of Herat by the Shah's forces since its surrender to the Persian troops.

Ferokh Khan is anxious to have a copy of the ultimatum sent to Tehran last summer regarding Mr. Murray and the Mission. H.E Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. LIONEL MOORE.

(Inclosure 3.)-Ferokh Khan to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. EXCELLENCE,

Le 26 Novembre, 1856.

J'ai eu l'honneur de vous déclarer par écrit que j'étais prêt à engager officiellement le Gouvernement Persan à la retraite immédiate de ses troupes de Hérat et de son territoire, et qu'en outre j'étais prêt à faire avec votre Excellence un arrangement satisfaisant concernant le payement des dommages des Hératiens. Depuis lors j'ai appris par une dépêche officielle que les troupes de Sa Majesté le Schah avaient pris possession de Hérat, sans effusion de sang, et à la demande de la population de la ville. Malgré cet événement je me fais un devoir de maintenir dans son entier ma déclaration précédente et que j'ai répété ci-dessus.

S.E. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

FEROKH KHAN.

(Inclosure 4.)—Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Mr. Moore. (Extract.) Therapia, November 27, 1856. I HAVE to request that, immediately on the receipt of this instruction, you will again wait, as before, on Ferokh Khan.

I must beg to decline as useless the proposed honour of another interview, unless the Ambassador will consent to come here tomorrow, between 12 and 2 o'clock, prepared to sign the ultimatum of which he is already in possession.

The terms of that part of the ultimatum which were sent to the Sadr Azim early in the summer are inclosed herewith, agreeably to the

Ambassador's wish, in the words employed by Her Majesty's Secretary of State.

L. Moore, Esq.

STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE

(Inclosure 5.)—Articles of Reparation required from Persia. THE Sadr Azim to write a letter to Mr. Murray, expressing lis regret at having uttered and given currency to the offensive imp tations upon the honour of Her Majesty's Ministers, and requesting to withdraw his own letter of the 19th of November, and the two letters of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the 26th of November, one of which contains a rescript from the Shah, repeating the impu tation upon Mr. Murray. The Sadr Azim to declare, in the same letter, that no such further rescript from the Shah as that inclosed in copy was communicated, directly or indirectly, to any of the other foreign Missions at Tehran; and a copy of the Sadr Azim's letter, containing this apology and declaration, to be officially com municated by the Sadr Azim to each of the foreign Missions at Tehran. The original letter to be transmitted to Mr. Murray at Bagdad by the hand of some high Persian officer, and accompanied by an invitation to Mr. Murray, in the name of the Shah, to return with the Mission to Tehran, another person of suitable rank being appointed to conduct him as Mehmandar on his journey through Persia. Mr. Murray, on approaching the Persian capital, to be received by persons of high rank deputed to escort him into the town and to his residence; or, at all events, at noon on the following day, the Sadr Azim to go in state to the residence of the British Mission, and personally renew friendly relations, and then accompany to the presence of the Shah.

Meerza Hashem to proceed to Shiraz as agent of the British Mission, his wife being at once returned to him.

When the British flag is again hoisted over the residence of the British Mission, the reconciliation which will have been effected between the two Governments to be made known to the inhabitants of Tehran by a salute of 21 guns in honour of the British flag. The Sadr Azim immediately afterwards to pay a visit of ceremony to Her Majesty's Minister, who would return it next day.

Her Majesty's Government will consent that the whole of the correspondence between Her Majesty's Mission and the Persian Government in regard to the appointment of Meerza Hashem shali be mutually withdrawn and cancelled.

(Inclosure 6.)—Mr. Moore to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. (Extract.) Pera, November 28, 1856. MR. CHURCHILL and myself called at an early hour this morning upon the Persian Ambassador.

As regards the paragraph of your Excellency's instruction in which you state that you beg to decline another interview unless Ferokh Khan is prepared to sign the ultimatum-that is to say, the six conditions-his Excellency desired us to inform you that he had not the power to do so, and, therefore, could not comply with the request. Such, he added, was my answer to Lord Stratford at our interview.

The terms of that part of the ultimatum which were sent to the Sadr Azim early last summer, he promised to accede to, but requested the honour of another meeting with your Excellency, to examine and discuss more fully one or two of the Articles, which, he said, were susceptible of slight modifications.

Ferskh Khan did not make the request for another interview a sine quá non, but thought it would be advantageous to both Governments; and he desired us to inform you that he would not refuse to give a satisfactory declaration in acceptance of that ultimatum, even were your Excellency to decline seeing him a second time. Ferokh Khan requested the favour of an answer without delay. H.E. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. LIONEL MOORE.

(Inclosure 7.)-Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Mr. Moore. (Extract.) Therapia, November 28, 1856. I HAVE nothing to discuss with Ferokh Khan. He has to send me a written declaration pledging his Government to the execution of all that concerns the return of Mr. Murray and his Mission to Tehran. The terms of that engagement were placed in his hands by you two days ago. The new Articles, five in number, he professes his readiness to send by express to his Government, and to wait here for instructions, he being unable without them to pledge kis Court to the acceptance of those Articles. Let him act on this understanding at once. If the written declaration I now expect from him be complete and satisfactory, I will receive him again with pleasure, and if I receive the declaration to-day or early tomorrow morning, I will receive him, if he likes it, between 1 and 2 o'clock to-morrow afternoon.

L. Moore, Esq.

STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE.

(Inclosure 8.)-Mr. Moore to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

Mr LORD,

Pera, November 29, 1856. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's instructions of the 28th instant.

Ferokh Khan desired Mr. Churchill and myself to inform you that he would send this afternoon a written declaration pledging his Government to the execution of that part of the ultimatum concerning the return of Mr. Murray and his Mission to Tehran. [1856-57. XLVII.]

T

His Excellency also promised to send a special messenger to Tehran by the earliest opportunity with the five new Articles, and wait here for his Government's instructions respecting them.

Ferokh Khan further desired me to inform your Excellency that he would do himself the honour of calling upon you to-morrow between the hours of one and two in the afternoon.

I have the honour to inclose herewith the Persian Ambassador's declaration, accompanied by a translation made by Mr. Churchill.

H.E. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

I have, &c.

LIONEL MOORE.

(Inclosure 9.)-Ferokh Khan to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

EXCELLENCY,

(Translation.)

30 Rebiul-evvel, 1273. (November 29, 1856.)

has

I HAVE accepted the terms of an ultimatum sent by your Excellency to the Persian Ministers, through the medium of Meerza Ahmed Khan, previous to my arrival at Constantinople; but as the firing of guns at the capital of Persia has always been the special right and privilege of royalty, so much so that this ceremony never been performed even for the heir to the Crown, a decision on this point is consequently submitted to the liberality of the English Government. A royal salute of 21 guns might be fired at any other place on the Persian frontier that the British Mission might designate.

As the question of Herat has been settled to the satisfaction of the British Government, the question relating to Meerza Hashem must also be settled in conformity with the wishes of His Majesty the Shah, as stated in the conditions made and communicated by the Persian Government; and it is also self-evident that His Majesty the Shah will receive Mr. Murray in the manner that the Sovereigns of Europe receive Ambassadors of foreign Courts. H.E. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe.

FEROKH KHAN.

(Inclosure 10.)-Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Mr. Moore. (Extract.) Therapia, November 29, 1856. I HAVE received your report, dated to-day, with the Persian Ambassador's additional declaration. The declaration is not suffi cient, and I return it herewith. In giving it back without loss of time to his Excellency, you will tell him that I require a simple acceptance in writing of the terms which you delivered to him from me two or three days ago, pledging his Government to their execu tion. I must decline receiving him again until such a declaration is delivered to me in place of the one now returned. L. Moore, Esq.

STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE.