MR. M'NEILL DEMANDS REDRESS. 323 Mr. McNeill demanded apology and reparation for the treatment received by his messenger, the Shah and his Minister, as has been already stated, had endeavoured to excuse themselves from affording it by denying the accuracy of Mr. McNeill's statements, and calling upon him to prove them. They finally sought to compromise matters by dismissing Haji Khan for other conduct, while denying that the British Government had any just cause of complaint against him. The written apology which Mr. McNeill demanded from the prime minister for his share in the transaction was categorically refused. Under these circumstances it was clearly impossible for Mr. McNeill to resume diplomatic relations with the Persian court until such time as the promise made by the Shah to Colonel Stoddart at Herat, of granting all the demands of the British Government, should be carried into execution. Mr. McNeill did nofc return to Tehran, but he awaited in the direction of the frontier the result of a remonstrance which he directed his Secre- tary of Legation to make to the Shah's Ministers against the non-fulfilment of the royal promise. Colonel Sheil joined the Shah's camp on the way from Meshed to Tehran, and he continued with it until its arrival at the capital, on the 9th of November. He, however, found the Shah in no humour to make further concessions to the British Government. His Majesty indulged ill-will against that Government for having thwarted his scheme of adding Herat to his dominions, and he determined to withhold the satisfaction demanded by Mr. McNeill, and yet not wholly to break with that Minister until he should have learnt the result of a complaint against the conduct of the British Government, which he had caused to be 212
