'The Middle Eastern question or some political problems of Indian defence' [‎110r] (224/616)

PERSIAN OBSTRUCTION
gives foreign merchants the right to purchase property
sufficient for a dwelling-house, with warehouses and
business premises. The Persian Government, on the
other hand, declared that it would itself undertake the
construction of such buildings, and lease them to
foreigners trading on the Karun. It was further
enacted that the banks and course of the river were
not to be interfered with in anyway. These regulations
were blandly accepted by the British Minister. The
result was that when Messrs. Lynch Brothers, who had
already placed their steamers on the river at the
invitation of the British Government and on the faith
of the Shah's Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). , claimed their right under the
Turkman Chai Treaty to purchase land at Ahwaz for
the erection of the necessary business premises, they
were met with a categorical refusal on the part of the
Persian authorities, who took their stand on the
u Karun regulations"; and their refusal was upheld
by the British Legation. At the same time, having
learnt from Messrs. Lynch's agent, under cover of a
friendly consultation, what that firm proposed to do
in order to promote navigation on the river, the Persian
Governor-General of Arabistan hastened to secure from
Teheran an exclusive concession in favour of one of his
creatures, the Moyun-i-Tujar of Bushire, for the whole of
the scheme, which embraced the construction of a wharf
and business premises at Ahwaz, the establishment of a
portage tramway round the rapids above Ahwaz, and
the placing of a special steamer on the upper reach of
the river between Ahwaz and Shuster. Thus when
Messrs. Lynch, finding themselves deprived of their
treaty rights to buy land at Ahwaz, fell back upon
the Persian Government's own undertaking to provide
the necessary premises, the latter entrenched themselves