'Seistan and Mekran arbitration' [‎103r] (9/10)

9
Decision in
Seistan
Arbitration.
Letter from
Foreign Office,
28th Feb. 1873.
Letter to Foreign
Office, 22nd June
1874.
Note.—A reminder
was sent to the
Foreign Office on
7th Oct. 1874.
Letter from India
Office, 10th Nov.
1874.
4 lively will state and substantiate their claims. If
' local inquiry be necessary, the Commissioners
4 will proceed to any point for that purpose, and
4 make a map of any district without let or hin-
e drance. When the British Commissioner con-
4 siders that there is nothing further to be done on
4 the spot, the Commissioners will then return to
4 Teheran, where the question will be fully discussed
4 with a view to its settlement, and the British
^ Commissioner will also state his arbitral opinion.
Should the Persian or Affghan Government not
agree to the arbitral opinion of the British Com-
4 missioner, reference will then be made to Her
4 Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
4 who, taking into due consideration the arguments
‘put forth by Persia, will issue a final decision,
4 both the Persian and Affghan Governments bind
ing themselves beforehand to abide by the same,
‘ &c., &c., &c. ”
Colonel Goldsmid, finding that the continued dis
turbance in Affghanistan, as well as the hot season
of the year, would not admit of his proceeding for
a while with the arbitration in Seistan, came to
England with his Staff, starting thence in November
of the same year (1871) to commence the duties
assigned to him.
The history of the Seistan arbitration need not
here be recapitulated. It is sufficient to state that,
as in the Mekran, so in the Seistan arbitration, the
final decision was given by Lord Granville, Secre
tary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile Sir F. Goldsmid finished his labours
and presented his accounts. These were duly ex
amined by the Auditor, after which the following
letter was addressed to the Foreign Office, asking
them to pay half the expenses of Sir F. Goldsmid’s
mission
44 With reference to the recent mission in charge
of Sir F. Goldsmid, under the orders of the Foreign
and India Offices, for the settlement of the Perso-
Seistan and Mekran boundaries, I am directed by
the Marquis of Salisbury to state that the accounts,
so far as at present adjusted, show an expenditure
on the above behalf of 39,880/. 17.?. 2d. I have
accordingly to request that you will cause the half
of that sum to be paid into the Treasury of this
Office.
I am to add, that there will probably be a fur
ther sum of about 10,000/. to be paid by the Impe
rial Treasury, being half the amount advanced in
India on the same account. As, however, full par
ticulars of the expenditure have not yet reached
this Office, the adjustment of this latter sum must,
for the present, be deferrred.”
The reply from the Foreign Office is quoted in
full as follows:—
44 Lord Derby has been in communication with
the Lords of the Treasury with regard to the claim
put forward in your letter of 22nd June, to be
repaid from the Imperial Exchequer, a moiety of