Russo-Indian Relations in The Nineteenth Century A Selection Of Documents

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Indological Studies in Russia has a long history. The Asian Academy of St. Petersburg was founded in 1810 and in 1818 it was renamed Asian Museum (now known as Institute of Oriental Studies). From 1820 a new dimension of thought and an academic approach were initiated by Russian Scholars in order to make Indological studies more scientific and research oriented. In 1842 the Imperial Academy of Sciences in collaboration with St. Petersburg University set up an "Oriental Translation Fund". The fund was mainly used for translation work in connection with Indological Studies. The translated writings of eminent Russian scholars were published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Brit ain and Ireland. Gradually the academic exchange programme of the Asiatic Soci ety (Asiatic Society of Bengal) brought the scholars of India and Russia closer. In 1843 the Society decided to send a gift of 28 volumes of its publications to the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg and requested for an exchange gift of their publications on oriental studies in Russia. In 1844 under the solicitation of the Ministry of People's Enlightenment, the Russian Government honoured the Asi- atic Society of Bengal now known as Asiatic Society, Calcutta with a gold medal which was presented from the Royal Treasury of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately however, this precious medal is not available in the custody of the Society for a long time. Rev. James Long's article "On Recent Russian Researches" published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1860, mentions the popularity of Russian Indological Studies. Various publications, gifts and complimentary cop- ies from the Academy of Sciences have enriched the Library of the Asiatic Soci- ety, Calcutta.

To continue with this rich tradition of collaboration a protocol was signed in March 1995 between the Asiatic Society, Calcutta and the Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow under the joint auspices of the Government of India and the Government of the Russian Federation. Under this agreement the Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow had undertaken the task of publishing a volume of selected Russian archival documents dealing with Russo-Indian relations in the nineteenth century and the Asiatic Society, Calcutta on its part took up the responsibility to translate the Russian volume into English and to publish the same. The Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow fulfilled its commitment by pub- lishing the said volume in 1997.

I am happy to say that at last we have been able to publish the present trans- lated volume of the nineteenth century selected documents fulfilling the first part of the obligation of the aforesaid protocol. It is also a notable event that the entire typeset of the volume has been done in our computers by the members of the staff of the Publication Department. My thanks are to them. I am indebted to Professor Purabi Roy, Professor T. N. Zagorodnikova and the translators - Mrs. Susmita Bhattacharya, Mrs. Ruma Deb Roy and Miss Aditi Bhaduri who helped us in this difficult task of rendering translation of the documents from Russian to English.

I hope this volume will create interest amongst scholars interested in Indo- Russian Relations but who for one reason or other have no access to the original sources and the language.

The present volume, Russo-Indian Relations in the Nineteenth Century; A Selection of Documents (with their sources) follows on two companion volumes on Russo-Indian Relations in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, published in Russian in 1958 and 1968 respectively, edited by K A Antonova and N M Goldberg.

Russo-Indian relations in the nineteenth century were determined in terms of the general international situation of the time and political and socio-economic factors operative in the Russian Empire, in Great Britain and in colonial India.

The nineteenth century in Europe wasmarked by the emergence of Napo- leon shining like a star over the continent. In 1799, at the height of the Revolu- tion, Napoleon was proclaimed Consul and in August 1802 Consul for life, and in May 1804 the Emperor of the French.

The Napoleonic Wars, stretched over fifteen years, spelt an entire epoch in the history of the continent, causing the map of Europe to be redrawn in Paris, and turning France into a great world power. Britain, whose fleet dominated the seas, and whose colonial empire was virtually endless, proved to be Napoleon's most powerful and least vulnerable enemy. Anglo-French rivalry, in the form of wars, political manoeuvres, economic blockades, and diplomatic struggles, crossed the red line in the elaborate system of international relations at the beginning of the century. Both powers tried to secure a union with Russia, the strongest em- pire in Europe. Any alliance with Russia would ensure the most decisive victory for either of the belligerents.

The British were initially successful with the Russians, under the command of A V Suvorov, in alliance with the Austrians, fighting against the French in Italy. Russian officers served in the ships of the Royal British Navy. The present collec- tion contains the diary of VF Lisyanskii, an officer who sailed up to the shores of India aboard the British frigate "The Sceptre" Without an opportunity to attack his main opponent on the British Isles, Na- poleon, hoping to hit his enemy at his Achilles' heel, conceived a plan of invading India, Britain's richest colony. Following the failure of an attempt to reach India through Egypt, French diplomacy, conducted by the shrewd and experienced Talleyrand, sought closer ties with the Russian Emperor Paul I. Towards the end of 1799, the French Agent Hutten in St Petersburg wrote: From its Asian possesions...... Russia could have given a hand to the French army in Egypt, and acting together with France, could transfer the war to Bengal.