File 3047/1909 'Railways: Asiatic Turkey; railway construction in Asia Minor' [‎55r] (114/368)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Government]
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ASTATIC TURKEY AND ARABIA.
[July 25.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 3.
[26770]
No. 1.
Sir G. Lowther to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received July 25.)
(No. 487.)
Sir,
Therapia, July 14, 1910.
I HAVE the honour to report on the Chester Railway scheme, in reference to my
telegram No. 114 of the 18th ultimo, and my despatches No. 164 of the the 21st March
last and No. 357 of the 4th June.
The American Ambassador was, as I have informed you, certain that the convention
ended, and it seems that definite promises to this effect were made to the promoters.
But in one way and another obstacles were interposed, and Parliament rose without
having had the convention under its consideration. My American colleague is greatly
annoyed, his only crumb of comfort being that he sees the other missions no more
successful than himself in obtaining what they desire.
It is, he says, an entirely new departure for the State Department to back up the
efforts of their capitalists, and consequently they have taken special pains to examine
into the whole matter and to satisfy themselves of the genuineness of the enterprise.
The embassy are resolved that the matter shall be pushed through ; they are incensed
with the Germans rather than with the Turks, for they consider the check to the
success of the scheme as entirely due to German machinations, and they intend to
retaliate on them in South American domains. They say that there is no trick to which
the Germans will not descend, and that, though they cloak their bribery adroitly, yet
no more corrupt or corrupting influence could be conceived.
Meanwhile, the promoters will not lose their time, but Messrs. McArthur, who are
one of the principal of the parties interested, are sending an expert of high reputation,
a Mr. Colt, to investigate along the proposed trace, so that they may be better informed
by the time the Chamber reassembles.
I am inclined to think that the very intervention of the American Embassy has
tended to check the progress of the scheme. The Turkish Government seem to be in
a frame of mind such that while they might perchance grant a concession of some sort
—such as the Mahsousseh—to private concession hunters, yet they will give nothing to
anybody, no matter how solid and respectable, who present themselves protected by the
recommendation of their embassy and relying on their support. They seem, in fact, to
haveji general sort of grudge against foreign embassies, all of which, in their view,
used them unkindly under the old regime, and which, under the new, do nothing but
check their activity in every direction, pointing out that such and such action is
contrary to “ ancient treaties ” and “ agreements in force.” By their present attitude,
which is extended in the provinces by the authorities to the foreign consuls, they think
they assert their independence and their sovereign prerogatives.
would be presented to the Chamber and obtain its sanction during the session recently
I have, Ac.
GERARD LOWTHER.
COPY TO INDIA
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