The fact that it was landlocked alone was enough to negate its value. Transportation costs in this era were far too high, and every nation had extremely limited ability to develop and control inland colonies.
Moreover, since Prince Schwarzenberg had pointed this out, it proved that he had already seen through Palmerston's ploy. In other words, all of Palmerston's previous schemes had been in vain.
Perhaps because he had suffered too many setbacks in recent years, Palmerston did not appear overly angry or flustered.
"What if Sindh Princely State is added as well?"
Sindh Princely State was likewise land Britain had only recently conquered. Its rule was equally unstable, and it too lay on the northwestern frontier, effectively standing in the British way.
It was also coastal and connected to Punjab, which was enormously advantageous for the Austrian Empire.
There was one problem, however. Although the Indus River flowed through the region, years of indiscriminate deforestation, combined with its proximity to the Thar Desert, had left vast areas of Sindh severely desertified.
Most infuriatingly, British scholars had continued to belittle the value of Sindh Princely State, claiming that its conquest had been a foolish crime—and their influence was considerable.
Palmerston was certain that Austria would seize this chance to slash the price mercilessly. But Punjab and Sindh, two newly conquered princely states, were already the greatest concession Britain could possibly make.
Even if Britain could not yet be certain whether it could hold on to its Indian colonies, it could not promise the Austrian Empire any more land. After all, if Austria truly gained control of the situation in India, would Britain not be taking a crushing loss?
If the Austrians demanded anything more, he could only seek London's approval.
Yet Palmerston would wager that the Austrians would never give