File 1912/897 Pt 1 ‘Persian Gulf. British post offices [also in Turkish Arabia]’ [197v] (399/462)
The record is made up of 1 volume (227 folios). It was created in 1911-1914. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the 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. .
Transcription
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Telegram (P.)» No. 232, dated the 9th (received 10th) October 1912.
From—His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran,
To—The
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.
in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, Bushire.
My telegram 225. Treasurer-General tells me in reference to your tele
gram No. 234-1090 that in concert with Molitor it is intended by the Minister
of Posts to appoint the Belgian Postal official recently engaged for Southern
Persia, a Director of Posts for the Bushire district; the extent of the district
may be increased. Is any objection seen by you to the arrangement ?
Telegram (P.), No. 240-1138, dated 13th October 1912.
From—The
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.
in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
,
To—His Majesty’s Minister, Tehran.
(Repeated Foreign, Simla, by post.)
I have the honour to reply to your telegram No. 232, dated 9th October
1/1912.
In my judgment, as I have urged in a despatch dated 15th September, our
interests generally are opposed to this multiplication of Belgians in the South,
and there are specific grounds for holding this view in the present instance.
In any case, I submit, the parlous state of the finances of Southern Persia
gives us ample reason to object to the entertainment of another expensive
Belgian functionary as being unjustifiable financially and from a practical point
of view unnecessary.
The Belgian Administration, whenever they have been identified with the
Persian Post Office in the past, has sought (at first doubtless under Russian
influence! to whittle away our prescriptive postal privileges in the Gulf Ports by
means of the Postal Union Rules, and generally has been prone to ignore our
position.
One of the first steps they took was to press for the abandonment in our
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
post offices of Indian inland rates, a privilege which we had for 40
years enjoyed. For later examples of this, see Legation despatch No. 223, to
His Majesty’s Foreign Office, dated 9th December 1904, and the enclosures to
Legation despatch No. 1 of 1905 to Bushire.
Again, one of the first acts of the Belgians when, in 1905, they took over
charge of the Posts in Arabistan, was to make an attempt to stop the use of
private couriers by British firms, whilst making no effort to provide better postal
facilities. In order to secure equitable treatment of that question, His Majesty’s
Minister found it necessary to make a vigorous protest in Tehran.
Copies of correspondence received only last mail from India show that the
Director-General of Posts in Tehran has recently tried without success to enter
into direct negotiations, in regard to an important matter affecting the Bushire
Post Office, with the Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs in India, and it
was necessary to remind him of our special position, and inform him that the
question could be properly dealt with only through the usual diplomatic channels.
The recent intervention of the Belgians in local postal administration has in
no way improved matters, but the contrary,—see Shiraz telegrams Nos. 132,
143 and 167.
A further instance of activity, which, if persevered with, will have to form
the subject of a reference to Your Excellency, is the expressed intention of
placing a Persian Post Office within the Concession of the Anglo-Persian Oil
Company at Abadan, which His Majesty’s Consul, Mohammerah, recently
reported.
In reality there is no raison d'etre for a Belgian Postal Director in a Gulf
Port. As regards Bushire, the present Persian Director has been here many
years; he gives satisfaction and is conciliatory, and in conjunction with the
British Post Office and the Customs, can do all that is needed; difficulties con
nected with Shiraz post occur on Shiraz side of Kazeroon.
About this item
- Content
The volume comprises copies of printed correspondence, typewritten correspondence, handwritten notes and other papers. These papers relate to the operation of British and Turkish post offices in Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. (Iraq), and British and Persian post offices in Persia and the ports and towns of the wider Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . The principal correspondents in the file are: the 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox); Foreign Office officials (Secretary, Sir Edward Grey; Assistant Under-Secretary, Sir Louis du Pan Mallet); 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. officials (including Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India, Thomas William Holderness).
The volume covers the following subjects:
- communications between British and Turkish Government officials over a Turkish Government proposal to abolish foreign (including British) post offices in Ottoman territory, including: British acceptance of the proposal, with caveats, Turkish demands for the closure of foreign post offices on 1 October 1914 (f 5, f 8), arrangements for the closure of British post offices, including those at Basra and Baghdad, discussion between British Government and Government of India officials over proposed future arrangements for the transmission of mail from between India and Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. ;
- British Government correspondence relating to the Turkish Government’s plans to introduce its own mail system between Baghdad/Basra and India;
- the 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. in the Persian Gulf’s outline of the history of the British postal system in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and his proposals for improvements, which include the opening of new branches at Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām], Charbar [Chābahār] and Ahwaz [Ahvāz], a change of hours to the post office at Bushire, and changes to the service at Fao [Al-Fāw]) as a means of countering the Persian Government expansion of postal operations in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (ff 187-190, ff 178-179), and the Persian Government’s subsequent protestations at the opening of British post office concessions at Henjam and Charbar;
- attempts by the Persian Government, under the direction of its Belgian Director-General of Post (Camille Molitor), to open post offices within the concessionary areas operated by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) at Abadan, and within Britain’s own post office concession at Henjam.
Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (227 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 897 ( Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. : British Post Offices) consists of 4 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/242-245. The volumes are divided into 4 parts with each part comprising one volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 229; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, 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.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/242
- Title
- File 1912/897 Pt 1 ‘Persian Gulf. British post offices [also in Turkish Arabia]’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:4v, 6r:7v, 9r:74v, 77r:84v, 87r:127v, 130r:148v, 149v:162v, 163v:170v, 173r:173v, 177r:205v, 210r:210v, 213r:214v, 216r:226v, 228r:228v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence