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'Territorial re-adjustments. Extract from Secret Letter from the Government of India, No 85, dated 29 September 1916' [‎95v] (2/4)

The record is made up of 1 file (2 folios). It was created in 29 Sep 1916. It was written in English. 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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2
Turning to the second point, viz., the question of obsolete Treaty
rights and territorial readjustments vis-a-vis our Allies, we think that it
will be most convenient to consider our desiderata vis-a-vis each in turn as
follows.
4. France. —The matters in which we are mainly interested, so far as
France is concerned, may be summarised as follows :—
(а) The French possessions in India and the Treaties of extradition
connected therewith.
(б) The Treaties connected with Maskat.
(cj The French claim to Sheikh Said and Southern Arabia generally.
(d) The arms traffic at Jibouti.
As regards (a), llis Majesty’s Government are aware that we have for
many years past desired the extinction of French territorial rights in India.
French territory, particularly Chandernagore, has been for many years past
a base for revolutionary propaganda and revolutionary conspiracies. It is
unnecessary for us here to elaborate this point, which has formed the subject
of considerable separate correspondence. We fully realize, however, that
it may be very difficult to secure the complete extinction of the French
Empire in India, but we trust that, should complete extinction be
impossible, as suggested in paragraph 7 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. memorandum,
dated 20th April 1015, every endeavour may be made to induce the French
Government to accept in exchange for Chandernagore and the other Settle
ments and luges, with the exception of Pondicherry, territorial compensation
adjoining Pondicherry. If the French possessions in India could be
reduced to an enlarged but compact Pondicherry with a reasonably rectified
frontier, we should, we think, have much less trouble in the future. With
the centre of anarchism and revolutionary crime in Bengal and with no
likelihood, so far as we can see, of its being transferred to Madras, it seems
obvious that if there must be an Alsatia for political criminals and
fraudulent debtors in India it is much better that it should be in
Pondicherry than anywhere in Bengal. It is more remote and the
surrounding country is less sympathetic. Its approaches could be more
easily watched and guarded and the interests of a larger, more important
and doubtless better governed French dependency would discourage
the influx of bad characters. It is not improbable that the French
Government may, however, demand more than mere territorial com
pensation lor the proposed arrangement and they may conceivably hark
back to die question of our extradition rights based on the Treaties of 1815
and I^7b. In this connection we would invite attention to our despatch
No. 107 (Secret—General) of the 4th August 1910. We think that as
suggested there we might well agree to the modification, at any rate so
far as political offences are concerned, of Article 10 of the Treaty of 1876
as pait consideration for the concessions made by France in a general
scheme of ireadjustment. At the same time if we are to agree to exclude
political offences from the operation of the Treaties of 1815 and 1876, w'e
are strongly of opinion that more serious crimes, such as would affect the
sa ety of oui common interests in India, should be exempted from the
eategoiy of political offences, these should include, if possible, waging
wai, se< ucing troops, murder of officials or instigation thereto and offences
aganist t ie explosives Act. It would no doubt bS desirable also to include
ic - j ms - - t, mt if the Trench have no corresponding prohibition of their
own icie vi piobabK be little chance of their agreeing to this.
^ 8 iega!(. s (o), the Maskat 1 reaties. Article 11 of the French Oom-
^ ^ ° ^ *^ as ^ at was the funs et origo of all the arms
•-i/.u aS / a n las 1 ) ovv been laid to rest by the Agreement made
t p r ; 0 m ' 1 p enC T P veinn jent in 1914, whereby that Government renounced
bv tfip TV A* f 111 ^ ro?i° 11 French citizens, the privileges conferred
wa .. 0 i- a " °i 80 x \ ar as 8uc k privileges were opposed to the Sultan’s
18lfr^!f! lat, °r- W V na > 7 ’ therefore, we think, regard the Treaty of
revision of it « laim eS n ar as ^ n( ^hin interests are concerned, and no
revioion ot it seems called for.
and GretT^BrdV 16 ren eh Treaty of 1862, however, whereby France
lono- f e it thut Bi’^T ^ & uaiail tee the independence of Maskat, we have
long felt that this treaty is open to grave objection in that it gives the

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Content

This letter relates to the post-war disposal of captured territories such as Iraq and German East Africa. The Government of India presents its opinions regarding three main areas:

  • the surrender or retention of captured territories relating to Indian interests;
  • obsolete treaty rights and territorial readjustments vis-à-vis the Government of India’s allies;
  • the proposed readjustment of the boundary of the Aden Protectorate and future policy generally in that area.
Extent and format
1 file (2 folios)
Arrangement

This file consists of a single letter.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 95, and terminates at f 96, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

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'Territorial re-adjustments. Extract from Secret Letter from the Government of India, No 85, dated 29 September 1916' [‎95v] (2/4), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B242, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100032846109.0x000003> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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