'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part II. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎2654] (1171/1262)

2654
Eeasons for
the decision.
Other diffi
culties.
Dauleh from accompanying the Viceroy to the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. and
from visiting him there. Mr. Grant-Duff then went in search of the
^Ain-ud-Dauleh^ but that official also succeeded in eluding his visit,
although Mr. Grant-Duff remained in attendance at his house until
10 p.m . The same day, in compliance with telegraphic orders from
Sir A. Hardinge, Mr. Grant-Duff addressed a note to the Mushir-ud-
Dauleh, informing him that the Viceroy had explained to the Governor-
General of Fars through the British Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. that the positive
refusal of the Persian Government to authorise the ordinary courtesy of
a first visit at the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. made the question one of principle,
involving the dignity of His Majesty's Government, on which His
Excellency could not compromise; that the Viceroy was accordingly
compelled to abandon the idea of landing at Bushehr ; and that he would
sail for India on the evening of the next day. This note remained
unanswered until the 5th of December, and the squadron left Bushehr
on the evening of the 3rd.
The reasons for declining the offer of the Amiriyeh " were that
it was a hurried makeshift, acceptance of which would compromise the
dignity of the Viceroy in the eyes of the Persian people, and that,
after the stratagem used by the Persians to inveigle the Viceroy into
paying an apparent first visit to the A^la-ud-Dauleh at the Ghaharburj,
it was necessary to make that dignity apparent by insisting on the
Persian official visit being paid at the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. * ; nevertheless
the refusal was tempered by an offer on the part of Lord Curzon to
make use of either the " Amiriyeh ^ or the Chaharburj after the official
visits had been exchanged.
Two other questions which entered into discussion had assisted to
aggravate the controversy. The first was that of salutes. At Bandar
^Abbas no difficulty arose in connection with salutes; the port was
saluted by the British flagship with 21 guns, which the Persian gunboat
" Persepolis " returned ; 31 guns were fired also by the Persians in the
Viceroy's honour; and the Salar-i-Mu-'azzam on boarding the a Hardinge "
was received with a salute of 17 guns. On behalf of the Viceroy a salute
of 31 guns was at first claimed at Bushehr, this being the number ordinarily
fired in his honour by the Governors of the French and Portuguese
possessions in India; but the Persian Government, in promising to
allow the Viceroy 31 guns at Bushehr, stipulated that the Governor-
General of Fars should receive an equal number in case he visited any
of the British ships. Lord Curzon had no objection to this arrange
ment ; but, as under the British Admiralty Regulations not more than
19 guns could be fired in honour of the Persian Governor-General, it
had to be renounced; and Lord Curzon consented to be received with
21 guns, the number originally proposed by the Persian Government.
The second point occasioning friction was a suggestion which had been made
to the A'la-ud-Dauleh, that, instead of paying the first visit to the Viceroy
at the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , he should pay it on board the " Hardinge. 33 This
suggestion was not strongly pressed, nevertheless it was misrepresented
* In 1906 it was ascertained that it had always been the custom for the Governor
of the Gulf Ports to pay the first visit to a British Admiral arriving at Bushehr, and
that at the British Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in the town. In April 1906 the Governor went eyen
further and paid the first visit to Vice-Admiral Sir E. Poe on board the British flagship.