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File 747/1913 Pt 1 ‘Loans to Persia’ [‎119r] (242/480)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (236 folios). It was created in 14 Apr 1903-5 Feb 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. .

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mm*
CONFIDENTIAL.
Z* 1
Sir W. Townley to Sir Edward Grey .—(Received March 29, 10 p.m.)
(No. 133.)
YOUR telegram No. 153
Tehran, March 29, 1913.
(March 29, 7’45 p.m.)
I see no objection to our supporting the Russian demand. I have already said,
in answer to enquiries of various Ministers, that I believe Russian Government attach
great importance to the granting of this concession, which should present certain
advantages to Persia in that it should serve to develop trade interests of district
concerned. I gather that it will meet with very considerable opposition. Ministers
argue that it cannot have a great value until the railway is made, and that its nego
tiation can very well be postponed until the Medjliss reassembles.
I have no reason to believe that there is any active Russian opposition here to
British schemes beyond that I think it is known that Russia has made friendly
[?] remonstrances in London concerning both Mohammerah Railway and the mining
concession. Such action on their part is calculated to help rather than to hinder us,
because Persian suspicion of Russia is very deep-rooted.
Occasion might be used to make further representations about the needless
hoisting of lights at Russian consulate-general at Bushire, about wdiich 1 am in receipt
of [group undecypherable] telegrams from British consul-general, who considers
moment favourable for reopening question consequent upon change of the Russian
consular authority following the suicide of the author of the idea of hoisting lamps.
Russian charge d’affaires mentioned the other day that his Government thought
granting of the Urmia concession might well synchronise with the granting to us of
the Kerman mining concession.
(Repeated to St. Petersburgh.)

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Content

The volume comprises copies of correspondence, minutes and other papers relating to the advance of loans to Persia. Two different loans are discussed:

  • a loan of £100,000, made by the British Government in May 1913 to the Governor-General of Fars (half of which was to be payable by the Government of India), to be utilised towards the maintenance of law and order in southern Persia (specifically in the form of subsidies to be paid to the Fars gendarmerie), and proposed in response to a number of recent attacks on British forces, including the murder of Captain Eckford of the 39th Central India Horse, near Shiraz in December 1912;
  • a joint Anglo-Russian loan to the Persian Government, to the value of £400,000, divided equally between Britain and Russia, with the Government of India paying £100,000 towards the British Government’s share of £200,000.

The correspondence deals with arrangements for the payment of the loans, conditions attached to them, the agreement of terms between the British and Russian Governments, the date of commencement of interest repayments.

Amongst the conditions discussed are:

The volume’s principal correspondents are: Sir Walter Beaupre Townley, British Minister at Tehran; Sir Arthur Hirtzel of the 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. ; Sir Louis Du Pan Mallet of the Foreign Office; Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The volume’s core correspondence covers the period January 1913 to February 1914. The earlier start date given for the volume is a result of correspondence included in a secret memorandum on Persian Government loans (ff 13-38), itself dated 17 October 1910, which is an historical précis of loans given to Persia by the British Government and Government of India since 1903.

Extent and format
1 volume (236 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 747 (Loans to Persia) consists of 3 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/353-355. The volumes are divided into three parts, with each part comprising one volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 238. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-238; these numbers are also written in pencil and are circled, but have been struck through.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 747/1913 Pt 1 ‘Loans to Persia’ [‎119r] (242/480), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/353, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100029479712.0x00002b> [accessed 4 May 2024]

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