434 A HISTORY OF PERSIA. thence to Khorassan and Herat lie over dreary wastes of desert. Between Yezd and Herat there are thirty stages, and it was therefore not thought that an English army could penetrate to Herat by this route. On a previous occasion, the independence of Herat had been secured by the occupation by a British force of an island in the Persian Gulf, and as the Sedr-Azem thought it likely that the same course would be adopted on this occasion by the Indian Government, he gave orders for strengthening the defences of the southern provinces of Persia. His nephew, 'the Shuja-el-Mulk, who commanded the troops in Fars, was directed to move down to the lower country, so that he might cooperate with the governor of Bushire ; and to the prince of Arabistan, who was considered to be one of the best offi- cers in Persia, was committed the task of providing for the defence of the line of the Karoon river. A jehad, or religious war against infidels, was proclaimed at Tehran ; but this measure altogether failed to create any excite- ment.* There was no enthusiasm whatsoever amongst the Persians on the subject of the war, and the general impression that it would only be productive of disasters
- " Pendant la derniere guerre que le cabinet de Londres fit a la IVrsr,
le gouvemement de Teheran, pour augmenter ses forces, donna 1'ordre de precher la guerre sainte dans toutes les mosquees de I'empire. Cette resolution prescnta cette particularite que 1'idee premiere en vint d'un Arme"nien catholique. II y eut, avant qu'elle fut adoptee, les discussions les plus curieuses. Plusieurs hommes d'etat la repoussaient de toutes leurs forces. . . . Les grands marchands etaient me contents, les chefs militaires trouvaient le moyen meprisable. Quant a la populace, . . . 1'annonce de ce qui allait avoir lieu la laissa completement indifferente. . . A Schyraz, on pent croire un instant que la populace allait sY-niouvoir et se mettre en marche, mais non pas pour attaquer les Anglais, tout au contraire pour les aider." Trois Ana en Asie, par le Comtc A. de Golinm, pp. 291-295.
