ABSTRACT
Lord Auckland settles his Policy.— During the siege of Herat, McNeill had sent Major Todd on a mission to induce Auckland to adopt vigorous measures against Persia, since the fall of Herat, in his opinion, was imminent. The Board of Control of the East India Company, realizing the aggressive spirit of Russia, had also urged the Governor-General to take strong action in defence of their eastern possessions, The siege of Herat by Muhammad Shah and his claims to the sovereignty of Kandahar undoubtedly constituted a serious menace to the British in India, and it was clear that a barrier of some sort against invasion from the west was essential. It would have been thought that Dost Muhammad was the best man to support and subsidize, but so influenced was Auckland by Wade’s views of the importance of decrepit Ranjit Singh, and also by his own policy of restraining Sikh designs of aggression on Sind, that, having abandoned all ideas of utilizing the Amir, his thoughts turned to the Maharaja.
