‏"ملخص الأحداث والتدابير الرئيسية التي اتخذها سمو نائب الملك اللورد كرزون من كيدليستون، نائب الملك والحاكم العام للهند في إدارة الخارجية. ‏I‏. يناير ١٨٩٩-أبريل ١٩٠٤. ‏II‏. ديسمبر ١٩٠٤-نوفمبر ١٩٠٥. المجلد IV. بلاد فارس والخليج الفارسي." [ظ‎‎٧‎٧] (٣٨٦/١٥٩)

parcels be accompanied by customs declarations, which with
the invoice of the parcels prepared by the Indian Office of
Exchange should be enclosed in a separate envelope addressed
to the Persian Customs House and delivered to the Customs
House immediately on landing of the parcel bags. A similar
arrangement had been long in force at Constantinople and had
in 1891 been adopted at Baghdad and Basrah;
(b) strongly objected to examination by the Customs House in the
case of the letter mail. No such examination occurred at
Baghdad or Basrah and there seemed no reason to suspect
evasion of customs dues by means of the letter post;
(c*) stated that they were prepared to repress rigorously unauthorized
immunity from customs dues. The Government of India .
telegraphed to Captain Trevor to report on the allegation
that unauthorised persons had been enjoying immunity from
customs;
(d) stated, as their opinion, that the high-handed action regarding
the seizure of the mails reported in Captain Trevor’s telegram
dated 2nd December; furnished ground for a demand for prompt
recognition of our special position in postal matters, if under
articles 27 and 51 of the Rcglement further attempt was
likely to be made to undermine it.
0. The claim of the Customs Department, as a permanent arrangement, was
resisted by the British Minister, who informed the Government of India, on the
loth February, 1905, that he had officially addressed the Minister of Customs
pointing out that the British Post Offices in the Gulf were entirely outside the
scope of the “ B^glement,” as their existence did not depend on any Com
mercial Treaty but on a separate agreement with the Persian Government,
and that any modification ol the actual procedure in regard to them must
he made the subject of another special Agreement with the Persian Government.
This the Persian Government were willing to do and on the 21th February 1905
Sir A. liardinge telegraphed to say that they pmt forward the following propo
sals:—(1) to separate letter bags from parcel bags, the latter being liable to be
examined by the Customs authorities in accordance with Article 27 of the
Beglement; (2) to conclude a special agreement regulating the exchange of
postal correspondence between India and Persia. The Persian (a oveminent point
ed out that they had now a parcel postal service of their own, and that it could
never have been intended that parcels containing dutiable articles should, without
payment of duty, enter the country through the British post offices. The Gov
ernment of India telegraphed in reply on 16th March 1905 that apparently the
Persian Government were not prepared to accept the arrangement sketched in
the telegram of the 14th December 1904 but claimed that, for the purpose of
direct delivery at Customs Houses at the ports, parcels should be separately
bagged. No opinion could be offered regarding the proposed agreement, it was
added, without fuller information as to the complete meaning of the Persian
Government and further before accepting the principle of a formal agreement,
the basis of it required to be more clearly explained.
7. On 8th June 1905, the Secretary of State telegraphed that Sir A. Hardinge
was being authorized to conclude, in consultation with the Government of India,
an arrangement with the Persian Government on the lines of the procedure which
is observed at Constantinople in regard to parcel mails from the United Kingdom.
Put in his despatch of 19th May 1905 8ir A. Hardinge stated that M. Naus
desired to conclude a Postal Convention with the Government of India and would
like a representative of the Indian Post Office to be sent to negotiate or assist
in the negotiation of it.
8. The Government of India in their reply to Sir A. Hardinge, dated
19th September 1905, laid stress upon the privileged position which the British
Post Offices in the Persian Gulf occupied and the desirability of not abandoning
it by recourse to a Postal Convention. It would, in the circumstances, be
more consistent w r ith Indian interests to limit the negotiation to the conclusion