Page:Historyofpersiaf00watsrich.djvu/178

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158
A HISTORY OF PERSIA.

alarmed at the encroaching policy of the Britsh Government in the East, and who claimed the Shah's alliance and protection against the English. The other embassy was from the Emperor Napoleon. General Gardanne arrived at Tehran, accompanied by seventy officers. He brought with him the treaty with Persia that had been ratified by the Emperor, and the Shah saw no other means of being able to recover his lost provinces than by entering into an alliance offensive and defensive with France. The officers of General Gardanne were accordingly employed to drill the Persian soldiers upon the model of European infantry and artillerymen. It was the hope of the Shah, in which he was encouraged by the French ambassador, that in any treaty of peace which might be made between Napoleon and the Emperor of Russia, it would be stipulated that the latter should restore to Persia the provinces of Georgia and Karabagh. An envoy from the Governor-General of the Caucasus was sent to Tehran with proposals for peace, and the opinion of General Gardanne was consulted as to the answer that should be sent to the Russian Governor. The Shah would not, by ceding his provinces, forego the hope of recovering them by an European treaty; but General Gardanne used his influence to prevent both sides from engaging in further hostile operations in the meantime. He assured the Russian authorities, that should they abstain from advancing towards the Persian frontier, no move would be made by the Shah; and on the other hand, he engaged to the Persian monarch that he should suffer no loss from his temporary inaction. Such was the state of things when the news reached Tehran that a treaty of