File 2908/1907 Pt 3 ‘Persian Gulf:- Quarantine; German complaint’ [‎113r] (225/250)

Basra District and Mesopotamia.—In October 1899 cholera was
epi emie or the Sbatt-Ul-Arab between Basra and Eao, and spread some
way into Mesopotamia.
On 27th May 1899 the steamship Uaidari 5 ’ arrived at Basra, and
two deaths trom plague occurred among its passengers.
On 8 th February 1900 the steamship “ King Arthur ” arrived at
A as ra with a case of plague already convalescent on board. She had
been detained 11 days at Bushire.
In Apiil-May 1901 11 cases of plague with 10 deaths occurred at
Basra.
Small outbreaks of plague occurred in Bagdad in May 1901 and in
.January 1902, several sporadic cases of apparently ambulant plague
occurring in the interval.
^ On 6 th March 1903 the steamship C£ Henry Bolckow ” arrived at
Basra, having lost one of the crew from plague near Bender Abbas on
22 nd February.
On 23rd December 1902 it was announced that cholera had appeared
at Jatdv, near the entrance ot the Gulf. It also appeared at Bender
Abbas and Minab, and many villages in the Jask neighbourhood.
On 25th March 1903 the steamship “ Java ” arrived at Basra from
Bombay, having lost one of the crew the day before from plague.
In April-May 1903 outbreak of plague in Zobeir and Messayda, near
the^ Tur c o - Persia n frontier, with 49 cases and 40 deaths.
1 inally, in July 1903, two deaths from plague in the island of
Bahrein.
From this brief resume the conclusion may justly be drawn that,
though plague and cholera do from time to time gain entrance to the
ports of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman, and to some extent to the
neighbouring countries, there does not seem to be any great danger of
their spreading thence northwards and invading Europe. The first of
the above two questions is therefore answered in the negative.
The second question,—Would the sanitary stations proposed remove
this danger, if danger there be, for the future ?—does not, consequently,
require consideration. It will suffice to say that the incident of the
Adjir lazaret alone seems a sufficient justification for the attitude
hitherto adopted by His Majesty’s Government in rejecting the
establishment of similar stations elsewhere in the Gulf.
The above considerations may help to guide the British Delegation as
to the attitude to adopt, should, as seems likely, the proposals°of 1894,
those of 1897, or other proposals of a similar kind, be brought forward
in the Conference now sitting.
A. —Should the proposals of 1894 be revived it would seem clear that
no lazaret can, under any circumstances, be admitted at Fao; and that
should the other sanitary stations suggested be again proposed, they
should be rejected for the reasons clearly expressed by the British
delegates in that year.
B. —Should, on the other hand, the proposals of 1897 be revived (as
seems more probable) the following seem to be the most important
points to be borne in mind :—
His Majesty’s Government has accepted the proposal for a sanitary
station in the Straits of Ormuz.
The difficulties arise when the mode of establishing this station and
the authority entrusted with its control come to be considered. The
Persian and Turkish Governments are both concerned in this question.
Persia has accepted the proposal for a station at the mouth of the Gulf
under the conditions already stated. His Majesty’s Government agreed
to those conditions, namely that the flag and armed guards were to be
Persian, while suggesting, however, that no armed guards of any kind
were necessary. (Confidential Paper 7,324, No. 131.)
14048. C