Correspondence and Newspaper Cuttings about Persia and the Persian Gulf

Content

This file consists mainly of correspondence received by George Nathaniel Curzon, mostly on matters relating to Persia.

The letters are mainly from friends, acquaintances and other correspondents known to Curzon, including a number of army officers, diplomats, writers and travellers with an interest in Persia. Notable correspondents include Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm John Meade, Captain Percy Molesworth Sykes, Albert Houtum-Schindler, Henry Mortimer Durand (British Minister at Tehran), John Richard Preece (British Consul at Ispahan), Thomas Henry Sanderson (Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), and Robert Theodore Gunther.

Many of the letters discuss the internal affairs of Persia and British policy regarding that country, mostly from the perspective of British officers and diplomats who are residing or have visited there. Some of the correspondents congratulate Curzon on his recent appointment as Viceroy of India, a post which he took up in January 1899.

Of particular note is an account by Horace Montagu Rumbold of his travels through Persia during October 1897, which records his observations and opinions of the country's government, its local rulers, and whether British rule of southern Persia would be welcomed by its inhabitants (ff 17-35).

The file also includes copies of printed correspondence received by the Prime Minister, the Marquess of Salisbury (Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil), from British representatives in Constantinople (ff 50-52), which discuss a petition submitted by Count Kapnist, nephew of the Russian Ambassador at Vienna, to the Ottoman Minister for Public Works, in a bid for a concession for the construction of a railway line from the Mediterranean coast to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (the correspondence includes a translation of the petition).

The file concludes with newspaper cuttings from the Times of India , the Daily Mail and the Morning Post , which contain articles reporting on Persia and on Curzon's selection as Viceroy.

Extent and format

1 file (94 folios)

Arrangement

The papers proceed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 1, and terminates at f 93, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front back cover, nor does it include the leading flyleaves.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Mss Eur F111/65

History of this record

Date(s)

14 Jan 1898-10 Sep 1898 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

LoansRailway lines

People & organisations

Prime MinisterHM Ambassador to the Ottoman EmpireHenry Mortimer DurandAlbert SchindlerHorace George Montagu RumboldSir Knight Percy Molesworth Sykes

Share this record

• Share on twitter
• Share on facebook

Cite this record in your research

Correspondence and Newspaper Cuttings about Persia and the Persian Gulf, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/65, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000001452.0x0002b0> [accessed 6 May 2024]

Link to this record

https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000001452.0x0002b0

IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000001452.0x0002b0/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Copyright: How to use this content