File 3874/1908 'Railways:-Trans-Persian Railway.' [‎94r] (189/536)

hTwn 0 ^ 111 !^ 4 ' Koko y tseff P romised me Aat the question should
oe brought before the conference immediately on the return of M.
fetolypin, who is expected in the middle of August.
Perhaps this delay will not do any particular harm to the business,
if we remember that the chief financiers both of Paris and of London are
a\jay, and being on their holidays, will not much care to take up a bio-
attair, so that discussion would naturally be postponed till autumn.
M A "if! writtefl to E - Nobel, who is abroad, and to
M. A. b. bchlesmger, chairman of directors of the Moscow Commercial
-Dank, and 1 am expecting to hear from them.
rp-i -p,. „ Your obedient servant,
lire Director of p p> ARr
I he Volga-Kama Commercial Bank,
St. Petersburg!!.
* " . -
A List of the Russian Consortium, with M. Homyakoffs Notes.
F M-N. A Homyakoff (notes of B. P.). A wealthy country gentleman
of distinguished family. _ Long record of public service. Was head of a
department in the Ministry of Agriculture. President of the third
Duma, IDO/ 10. Most Russians would name him as the public man
wno enjoys the greatest consideration of the public.
M. P L. Bark, Chairman of Directors of the Volga-Kama Bank-one
o ie biggest banks m Russia, and the most solid, being entirely
Russian as opposed to Jewish. It does not usually take up railways, but
takes up this project with the broadest aims. M. Bark is a statesman
like man of business and was for some time at the head of a very large
Russian business m Tehran. &
M. V. I. Timiriazeff (notes of B. P.) is Chairman of a large bank,
and was recently Minister of Commerce. His explanation of certain
concessions (naphtha) was not considered satisfactory by the Duma. But
e has been a consistent friend of English commerce, and as President
?: P 1 © Anglo-Russian Chamber of Commerce he is more than anyone else
identified with the commercial rapprochement.
, f- ^ 7 - Pechkovshy is a very well-known engineer, and is at the
head of the Vladikavkaz Railway (Rostoff-Baku-Tiflis-Batoum, i.e., all
the railroads of the Caucasus). It is the biggest and richest of Russian
railway companies.
M. <b. 1 alashkovsky is the son of the celebrated engineer often
mentioned in the memorandum.
, r . A- Bunge is nephew of the late very capable and conscientious
Minister of Finance (? 1881-87). He has a very good reputation. He
was partner of the elder Palashkovsky, and is now at the head of a
big firm for building railways and harbours ; it constructed the ports of
Batoum and Novorossik and the railway from Batoum to Baku.
M. Sakhdnsky . An engineer who has done much work in the
Caucasus, and several years back carried out investigations as to a
possible Persian railway on the spot.
All the above have signed articles. Ihere have also been invited :—
M. L. E. Nobel, head of the well-known enormous kerosene business
He is a prominent member of the Anglo-Russian Chamber of Commerce'
M. A. D. Schlesinger is head of the Moscow Commercial (“ Ku-
pechesky ”) Bank, which is the “father ” of all the Moscow banks. His
adhesion would be a clear sign that the merchants and manufacturers of
Moscow will not oppose on the alleged loss of markets in Northern
Persia.
No others are likely to be invited, unless it be—
M. A. I. Zvegintseff, Member of the Third Duma, reporter for the
Committee of National Defence, and secretary of the Russian branch of
the Interparliamentary Union.