Journal of the Royal United
Service Institution
VOL. XIX. 1875. No. LXXX.
LECTURE.
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Lord
LAWRENCE said: I think I may take it that it is the
feeling of the assembly that we have had from the
lecturer a most interesting and valuable paper on the
routes from Heratthrough the desert to the oasis of
Khiva. My friend Sir Frederic Goldsmid is well known for
the zeal and the skill with which he has transacted
matters of the greatest importance in Persiaand Seistan.
He has now, with much research and care, brought together
a great deal of information which has been collected by
Officers in the East Indian service. Much of this might
have been lost; much when read, would have been
interesting in itself; but when a man like Sir Frederic
Goldsmid brings to bear the knowledge and information
which he possesses so eminently, to illustrate such a
subject, he is able to bring together much we should all
wish to know, and to present it to us in a style
eminently calculated to afford us interest and
information in its most acceptable form. Independent of
the information which we have obtained this afternoon,
and which will I hope be printed for our benefit, we have
also had the pleasure, though mingled with mournful
feelings no doubt, of hearing the names again sounded of
men celebrated in our armies for their enterprise and
special abilities. A few of these men have survived to
this day, and among them one I am happy to say who is
still left to serve his country is Major-General James
Abbott. In those days also I may mention the name of
Moorcroft, and I must allude to the gallant and excellent
soldiers and noble men, Stoddart and Conolly, who met
with such a sad and wretched fate in the dungeons of Bokhara.
No man will read the history of these times without
dropping a tear over their sad fate or without honoring
them as true patriots and as heroes. They felt that they
were doing a great duty and serving their country, and
they laid down their lives as martyrs for the cause which
they had undertaken. The subject of Herat and the
countries adjacent, is one of considerable importance to India,
as is well known to most people in England, and
especially to those whom I have now the pleasure of
addressing. With regard to the best political
arrangements to be effected under the special
circumstances of this part of the world, it is not for me
now to speak, but on your behalf I tender to Sir Frederic
Goldsmid your hearty and grateful thanks for his
admirable lecture. opportunity of recording, as a result
of personal experience in many countries of the East, an
earnest hope that the attention of our rulers and
politicians may not be drawn off from a subject, the
thorough comprehension of which is so manifestly
important as scarcely to brook an hour's delay. — F.
J. GK
| JBOC Note: |
Lord Lawrence makes the astounding claim:
"I must allude to the gallant and excellent
soldiers and noble men, Stoddart and Conolly, who
met with such a sad and wretched fate in the
dungeons of Bokhara. No man will read the history
of these times without dropping a tear over their
sad fate or without honoring them as true
patriots and as heroes. They felt that they were
doing a great duty and serving their country, and
they laid down their lives as martyrs for the
cause which they had undertaken." Conolly
by all reports was a decent sort but Stoddart is
a horse of a different color. By law and custom
only the Emir of Bukhara could enter the main
gate of Bukhara on horseback. So in trots
Stoddart on horseback. Then to top it off when
his credentials were requested all he could
produce was dodgy paperwork from the viceroy
rather than the correct documentation from Queen
Victoria. After a stay in the bug pit he
renounces his faith and turns Moslem to get out.
After two years Conolly shows up to rescue him
and they both get thrown in the pit and then are
executed. In my opinion Stoddart represented the
very worst of British Empire and his death was
completely understandable and in many ways
warranted. After all he was a spy and he was
actively engaged in seizing Bukhara for the
empire.
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