'Persia, Herat, and Seistan' [‎87r] (17/28)

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* Dated 28th October 1879.
f Telegram, 29th October.
X Telegram, 1st November.
§ Telegram, dated 4th November.
Dated 4th November.
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ratified, and the ratifications exchanged at Teheran
witbm five months, or sooner if practicable.”
Meann bile, the question of Herat had been re
ared to India, in the following telegram* from
the Secretary of State
. “In view of difficulty of again uniting Afghan
istan under one head, Thomson has been instructed
to sound Persian Minister very cautiously on basis
ot Malcom Khans overtures of last summer, as to
entrusting Herat to Persia under proper conditions,
such as British right of occupancy in certain
tn entualities, right to employ British Officers for
effective -defence of garrison, and amendment of
commercial relations, including navigation of
Karun. Give me your personal opinion on subject,
m view of your Despatch, 2nd July 1877. Q.ues-
tion perfectly open.”
The Viceroyf inquired whether the proposed en
gagement was to include Seistan as well as Herat,
and having been answeredj in the negative, His
Excellency replied in the following telegram, dated
3rd November :—
“ Secret and personal. Your personal telegram
1st November. Seistan. I deprecate any project
for dealing piecemeal with territorial redistribution
of Afghanistan. My reasons, are, first, all such
questions are necessarily depending on circum
stances, and must be treated collectively. Persian
possession of Seistan may affect Herat question,
and her possession of Herat would certainly affect
Seistan and Afghan Turkestan.
“ Secondly, I consider settlement of our perma
nent position in Eastern Afghanistan and Kandahar
should precede, not follow, arrangements for Western
Afghanistan, and that the former question governs
the latter.
“ Thirdly, whilst recognizing probable advantage
of future arrangements to increase influence in
Persia and strengthen her against Bmssia, about
which I will telegraph fully in a few days, I much
fear strengthening Persia with Afghanistan terri
tory or forts, now virtually at our disposal, without
previous practical guarantees for control over her
policy, or until other possible arrangements from
Afghan side have been examined and rejected,
“ I have telegraphed to Thomson my view of his
draft convention, communicated by Foreign Office
instructions.”
In reference to the above, the Secretary of State
telegraphed§ to His Excellency as follows :
“ Telegraph as soon as possible your views as to
future arrangement to increase influence m Persia
and strengthen her against Bussia.
“ Time is very important.”
Subsequently the Viceroy sent the following tele
gram |j to the Secretary of State, in reference to
his telegram of 28th October : —
“ Herat and Seistan. Assuming Parliament does
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