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'Memorandum on Persian Railways' [‎104r] (19/84)

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The record is made up of 1 file (42 folios). It was created in 20 Jun 1911. 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. .

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15
Mr. Spring-Rice’s Despatch from
St. Petei*sburg, No. 239, 12th May 1904.
(P. 61.)
Reminder to Shah of late Shah’s
promise regarding railways.
Mr Spring-Rice’s Despatch No. 36,
26th April 1900.
(P. 58.)
Views of Lord Curzon on the Quetta-
Seistan Railway project.
| 0 ^
“ so that the estimate for the Persian line, which
“ presents much greater difficulties, is obviously
“ inadequate.
“ 9. Provisions for guarding the line with
“ detachments of Russian troops are also considered
“ in detail. A force of about 4,000 men is
“ considered sufficient.
“ 10. The cost of the line and port, which even
“ according to the estimate is nearly 20 , 000 , 000 ^.,
“ must act as an effectual deterrent for some time
“ to come.
“ The construction of a through railway to the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. was a favourite scheme of M. Witte’s,
“ and the removal of that Minister from ths
Treasury as well as the unfortunate experience
“ gained by Russia in Manchuria, will probably
act as deterrents to the commencement of railway
“ enterprise in Persia.
“ The general ideas underlying the proposed
“ scheme appear to be two:—
“(1.) To facilitate an attack upon India; and
“ (2.) To construct a through route by rail to
“ the Indian Ocean.
“ It is pointed out, however, that in the
“ latter case a line through Persia to the south
“ ‘ will only be profitable on condition that Russia
“ ‘ has the right to impose customs duties, as in
“ ‘ the contrary case this route, while facilitating
“‘access for foreign goods, will injure Russian
“ ‘ trade, not only in Central, but in Northern
“ ‘ Persia.’
“ This, of course, implies the practical annexation
“ of Persia.”
The interest of M. Rittich’s writings for the
purposes of this memorandum consists in their
exemplification of Russian forward policy, as ex
pounded by the extreme military party. It only
remains to add that there were at the beginning
of 1904 rumours of the lease of Charbar to Russia.
The truth of the rumours was doubted, but Colonel
Napier, Military Attache at St. Petersburg, re
ported :—“ f rom conversations that 1 have had
“ with Russian officers, I am convinced that they
“ want a port outside the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and I
“ believe that Charbar is the particular port they
“ have in view.”
16. It had previously been decided—in April
1900 to remind the Shah and the Persian Govern
ment of the late Shah’s autograph promise to the
British Government as to railways in Persia (see
paragraph 5).
17. To return to the project for a Quetta-Seistan
Railway, the discussion of which was brought to an
end, as mentioned in paragraph 11 , by the “steril
ising” Agreement of 1890. The discussion was
resumed some 10 years later, when the whole question
of British policy was under consideration and “ the
strategic importance of Seistan was once more
emphasised, as well as the dangers to be appre-

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Content

The memorandum outlines the development of proposals for railways in Persia between 1872 and 1911. This includes discussion of the potential advantages/disadvantages (both commercial and political) for the British in the construction of railways in Southern Persia, and the potential threat posed by the expansion of Russian railways in Northern Persia towards British India, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Proposals for various schemes are included, from those limited to internal routes within Persia, to schemes designed to link the rail networks of India and Russia via a Trans-Persian link. Consideration is also given to British and Russian efforts to maintain their spheres of influence in Persia, and their joint desire to resist any encroachment by Germany.

The memorandum is signed by John Edward Ferard, 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. .

The appendix (folios 123-132) contains supporting extracts from various papers (aide-mémoires, correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and published writings). This includes the following:

  • an extract from a minute by George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India, dated 4 September 1899, respecting the importance of Seistan [Sīstān] to the maintenance of British influence in Southern Persia (ff 123-124);
  • an extract from a minute by the Viceroy of India, dated 28 October 1901, respecting the potential threat of increasing Russian influence in Persia to Britain's strategic and commercial interests in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (ff 124-125v);
  • an extract from the Anglo-Persian Agreement (31 August 1907) respecting Persia (ff 125v-126);
  • various communications between British, Persian, and Russian authorities on the topic of railway construction in Persia (ff 126-130);
  • extracts from various published sources on the subject of railways in Persia (ff 130-132).

An index to the memorandum can be found on folios 134-136. Some extracts in the main body of the memorandum, and some papers included in the appendix are in French.

Extent and format
1 file (42 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 95, and terminates at f 136, 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. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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'Memorandum on Persian Railways' [‎104r] (19/84), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/C122, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100027916873.0x000014> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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