hore, despatched an envoy to India for
the purpose of expressing his desire for the establishment of friendly
relations with the British Government, for the development of trade
between the countries, and for the visit of a British officer to his
capital. He had fully realized by this time what Mr. Shaw meant by
saying that he came in no official capacity. If he intended, therefore,
to reap any reward for the manifestation of his friendship towards
England, or to be able to play England's alliance off against Russia's
hostility, he discovered that he must take the initiative. In
consequence of that discovery, Ihrar Khan came to India, and was
entertained by our Government in a very friendly manner. It was in
response to Ihrar Khan's visit that Mr. Forsyth was sent as our first
envoy to Kashgar, in the following year.

Mr. Forsyth was accompanied by Mr. Shaw, who had volunteered for the
service, and by Dr. Henderson. He reached Yarkand, by the same route as
that followed by Mr. Shaw, in safety, and without suffering any great
amount of inconvenience. But the mission had reached the scene of its
labours at a very inopportune moment. The Athalik Ghazi had just been
summoned away to the far eastern frontier to repress hostile movements
on the part of the Tungan cities of Turfan and Urumtsi, and it was very
uncertain for how long a time he might be detained there. Mr. Forsyth
accordingly left Yarkand in the month of September on his return
journey, without having had an opportunity of settling the future of the
relations between India and Kashgar. Dr. Henderson, in his "Lahore to
Yarkand," chronicled the events of this journey to the region north of
the Himalaya.

The very next year, 1871, Yakoob Beg sent Ihrar Khan once more to India
to renew his protestations of friendship, entrusting him with letters,
not only for the Viceroy but also for Her Majesty the Queen. But there
was no immediate result from this later overture.

In the meanwhile Russia had broken ground more firmly in Eastern
Turkestan. The treaty of commerce between Russia and her neighbour,
which had been for several years on the carpet, had at last been signed
at Kashgar on the 8th of June, 1872. That treaty conceded no
inconsiderable trade privileges to Russia, for, as will be seen from a
perusal of its clauses, Russian goods entering the country could not be
subjected to a higher tax than 2-1/2 per cent. _ad valorem_. In fact,
but for Yakoob Beg's prudenc