File 3852/1912 Pt 2 'Persia. Conditions in South Persia. German Documents' [‎264r] (159/280)

railway negotations in his confidential circular. "Trans-
Persian railway scheme is causing difficulties and negotiations
in London and Petersburg do not seem to lead to an agreement.
Russia desires line to run from Kerman to Charhar but H. M. G.
are opposed to terminus being east of Bender Abbas.”
In the notorious Anglo-Russian treaty of 1907 Englands’
fHties towards Russia were sharply defined in the first
paragraph: "Great Britain engages not to seek for herself and
not to support in favour of British subjects or in favour of the
subjects of third powers, any concessions of a political or com
mercial nature, such as concessions for railways, banks, tele
graphs, roads, transport, insurance, &c. — beyond a line starting
from Kasr-i-Shirin, passing through Isfahan, Yezd, Kakhk,
and ending at a point on the Persian frontier at the inter
section of the Russian and Afghan frontiers, and not to oppose,
directly or indirectly, demands for similar concessions in this
region which are supported by the Russian Government. It
is understood that the above mentioned places are included in the
region in which Great Britain engages not to seek the concessions
referred to.”
Isfahan was thus clearly designated as a Russian sphere
of interest. England confirms expressly once more that Isfahan
is in the Russian zone in an “aide-memoire” which the English
Charge d’Affaires O’Brien handed the Persian Government on
October 7 th , 1911 1 ).
The British commercial documents found in the Shiraz
Consulate show how little England cared about the para
graphs of signed treaties — and particularly the treaty of 1907 ! —
and how she took advantage of every opportunity to under
mine the enterprise of the countries in peaceful competition
with herself and specially of Russia.
A question of transport, solved in the interest of England,
the fixing of maximum prices for the forwarding of goods by
means of transport animals on the Bushire—Shiraz road, led
in 1913 and 1914 to a long correspondence between Bushire —
Shiraz—Teheran—Delhi and London. The disagreements
between Bushire and Shiraz are answerable for the long memo-
i) English Blue Books Persia No. 3 ( 1912 ) No. 18 : "in view of the fact
that this last town (Isfahan) is situated in the Russian sphere ’ .