Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/219

199 RUSSIA AND PERSIA. 199 of Persia, advanced into the Russian territory. At the same time Persia appealed to us for aid on the strength of a treaty we had concluded with her in 1814. That aid was refused. Persia had been the assailant, and her just cause of grievance in the forcible occupation of Gokcha was overlooked, or treated as of little consequence. Of the war which then broke out, it need only be said that it was an unvaried Eussian triumph — thanks to the ability of Paskevitch — and that when a peace was patched up again under the auspices of this country Persia came out of the struggle minus the provinces of Erivan and Nakhitchevan. This treaty, the text of which will be found in the Appendix to the next volume, was called that of Turkomanchai, and it indubitably marks a turning point in the modern history of Persia. Up to that point the Shah had not failed to assert his claims to equality with the Czar of Russia, and certainly the fortune of war had not been so cru shingly against his side as to render it probable that he would willingly cede his position as a great independent prince. The missions of Sir John Malcolm and other English officers to his Court had inspired Futteh Ali with a belief that England would be willing to support him against any undue pretensions on the part of Russia. His expectations were not, however, realized, and after the signature of the Treaty of Turkomanchai we find that Russia and Persia became more intimate, while the friendly feeling between England and Persia waned more and more. A most significant piece of evidence