File 1377/1905 Pt 1 'Perso-Baluch Frontier: Frontier Demarcation' [‎185v] (142/188)

The second course would be fraught with less danger to our interests, but would
hardly help us to realise the objects desired. For disguise it as we might, we should be
in fact, asking Persia to cede to us a portion of territory which, however worthless and
insignificant in itself, and whatever the original intentions of the two Governments as
distinct from the text of the Agreement, can be proved to be, de jure, a part of the Shah’s
dominions. u If this rectification is of no importance,” I should be asked, <£ whv do you
wash for it ? There is surely in that case no real need to revise the Holdich line or to
bring the text of the Agreement into harmony with the assumed but unproved intentions of
its authors.” I should be told that it was out of the question for the Shah to alienate in
the phrase with which he has already familiarised us, “ one span of his territory,” and
that even if he were willing to do this, the certainty ot a counter-claim by Russia for an
equivalent would make it impossible. It might, of course, be feasible to obtain what we
want by a corresponding transfer of territory to Persia further south, but I do not think it
would be an easy matter to arrange.
On the other hand, the Persian Government is not keenly desirous of reopening the
Kuh Malik Siah-Mirjawa boundary question. To do so will mean expense to itself
vexatious inquiries and threats of counter-claims by Russia, and the maintenance of the
MacMahon Commission with what the Shah regards as the sinister possibilities attaching
to the presence of its armed escort for some months longer in Persian territory. It is
questionable whether the Persian Ministers know or suspect that a more careful
demarcation would give them any territory over which they do not now exercise authority
The Russians, 1 believe, told M. Naus at the time of the Mirjawa incident that not only
. Mirjawr but probably also Robat belonged by rights to Persia, but I doubt if the Persian Gov
ernment would spontaneously have ever raised or would now raise the question of a demar
cation of the entire line from Pillar II to Kuh Malik Siah. They have acquiesced for
years past in an indefinite frontier with Turkey from Mount Ararat to the Shat-el-Arab
and they would be quite content with an approximate boundary on the side of India so
long as it was not proposed that they should make a formal cession of land which is' bv
the letter of past agreements their own. It is therefore possible, and I think probable
that if we were to say to them that in view of the length of time for which the MacMahon
Mission has been in Persia, owing to causes beyond its own control, we were willing to
drop the reopening of the question of the ‘ownership of Mirjawa, and to regard
the so-called Mirjawa River as the boundary intended by the Holdich Agreement
which would give the leisians, if I am not mistaken, the land now occupied by their
Mirjawa Customs Station, and leave us the post on the other side of the brook or nulla at
present known as Padaha, they would be content to regard the latter ps settled. 1 have
^qt been able to identify Padaha, to which, 1 understand^ Captain Webb-Ware shifted his
camp by direction of the Government of India in the spring of 1902 , on anv of our mans
loi whilst a confidential transfrontier map (Sheet No. 14 ) shows a place called k * Pad ha ” to
the west of Mirjawa and therefore further than the latter on the Persian side of the frontier
it can hardly be identical with an outpost on the east side of the Mirjawa stream or nulla.
Nor have I a sufficient knowledge of local conditions to say whether the places marked in
Colonel MacMahon s map as Bug Thana, Bedl Spring and Piran Ziarat, and shown to be
on the Persian side of the blue line are, de facto, held or claimed bv us If they are
however their occupation by us will probably he left unchallenged bv the Persians unless
the whole question is reopened. As regards Robat, it can, perhaps, be arranged locally,
! at i50me , r date ’ when the talk about the revision and the real meaning of the Holdich
agreement has subsided, to erect a boundary pillar at some point on the road from
Hurmak, not too close to our Thana, say a mile or half a mile from it, in order to
n \i he beneflt . of tra y ellers and the settlement of any uncertainties as to
J s. iction, the exact point on the trade route at which the two territories meet. This
n JC uf d r2f matter of mutual convenience, and without reference to
a line only verifiable with difficulty from the Kacha Kup to Kuh Malik Siah.
aRndnnm?^’ bowever k state . the Persian Government that in return for a formal
abandonment of our claim to Mirjawa, i.e., the point occupied by the custom-house and
d1Lutes W w h e d Ih Wa id 0f ?i Gn fl M i a< f lah0n without the ^opening of any further boundary
tha P t of ?ho f " ' f ° r h6 i d ? dnlte settlement of certain questions in Seistan, such as
from t0f § Tain a ^ d also for the permanent right to draw supplies and water
A^empni nn tl° r T out P ost at Padaba. 1 could probably effect an
the intervltron PS ’ 3 SUPP ‘ y fl '° m Uuad ' Ab with ° Ut
M-cMalm^ e i’n^bnli?^ aS, +| W * tk i Wd0r u / j iave (dsc ussed the subject, agrees with Colonel
subordinate ^ Mi H a wa-Robat boundary is mainly important in
iclation to Seistan, and that the acquisition of the red line would be valuable