'Persia, Herat, and Seistan' [‎91v] (26/28)

* - P", f
26
when British prestige high and Russian low, more
favourable than later. ”
• c Supremacy at Candahar taken for gianted.
To which the Viceroy replied as follows, on the
27tli November :—*
“ Personal and secret. Yours 25th. Assuming
proposal is to give Persia in Herat similar provi
sional position to that we now occupy m Gandatiar,
and that we do not permanently yield treaty right,
see no objection, from Indian point of view, to pro
posed arrangement, provided we occupy Canda ai
so long as Persia occupies Herat, ami that mntis i
Officers accompany Persian force to Herat. I thin
that in any future permanent cession ol territory
boundary should be demarcated by India, ant
Persia required to guarantee interest on capital cost
of that portion of railway passing through tei i itoi \
ceded to her.”
The Marquis of Salisbury had at the same time
telegraphed! to Mr. Thomson to inquire whether
he had <( any grounds for thinking Russians aie
<e working at Teheran against our Herat proposals, J
to which he received the following reply: §
“ From a long conversation with the Minister for
Foreign Affairs this morning, I am of opinion that
the Russians have as yet taken no steps to thwart
the Herat proposals. He assured me earnestly that
no communications of any sort had passed between
Persia and Russia on the subject of Herat. He
said that, in explanation of my frequent interviews
with him, he had told the Russian Minister that he
had been in communication with me, and in
London, as to the future of Afghanistan, the only
result of which had been a declaration from both
quarters that nothing had yet been decided by Her
Majesty’s Government as to what should be done
with that country. He further said that, in view
of the possible conclusion of the arrangement, he
had already, by order of the Shah, stated to the
Russian Minister that His Majesty considered Merv
as his territory, and that he therefore now declared
that, if Russia made any movement upon that place,
Persia would not only protest, but do all in her
power to prevent it.
“ The Russian Minister had disclaimed any
intention on the part of the Government to go to
Merv, but, that being a personal opinion, he said he
would telegraph the Shah’s communication to his
Government, and communicate the reply. His
Excellency seemed surprised when I told him that
the proposal had been divulged. He said there
were only three Persians here who knew about
them,—the Shah, himself, and his confidential
secretary.”
On 3rd December, the Marquis of Salisbury ad
dressed the following telegram, |j No. 27, to Mr.
Thomson:—
“ The Cabinet are favourable to the principle of
permitting Shah to occupy city of Herat, but a
* Telegram from Viceroy, 27tli November.
f Telegram to
vember.
Mr. Thomson, 25th No-
J From Foreign Office, 27th November.
§ Telegram from Mr. Thomson, 26th No
vember 1879.
1879.
From Foreign Office, 2nd December