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'Selection from Correspondence Relative to the Traffic in Arms in the Persian Gulf, 1897-98. Part I' [17v] (34/54)
The record is made up of 1 file (27 folios). It was created in 28 Apr 1898. It was written in English and French. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
No. 32.
Foreign Office to
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.
.
Q . Foreign Office,
Trr .„ 21st February 1898.
1 !“' , , With reference to the letter from this Office of the 23rd of December
i 7 o 7 /¥b. last and previous correspondence, I am directed by the Marquess of Salisbury
to transmit to you a copy of a Despatch from Her Majesty’s Chargd d’Affaires
at Tehran, reporting the steps taken by him in connection with the seizure
of arms at Bushire.
Lord Salisbury proposes, with Lord George Hamilton’s concurrence, to
approve Mr. Hardinge’s action in this matter.
mi tt I am ’ & c ->
The Under Secretary of State T. H. Sanderson.
for India.
Enclosure in No. 32.
Mr. Hardinge to the Marquess of Salisbury.
No. 172. Tehran
My Lord, ^ 3 ^ D ece mber 1897.
Although the importation of arms into Persia has nominally been
prohibited for several years past there is no doubt that the traffic in arms
and ammunition has recently been very considerable and has been rapidly
increasing. The principal port of importation is naturally Bushire, and the
Governor has hitherto derived a large revenue by imposing a duty of from
8 to 10 per cent, ad valorem on imported arms or by levying a tax of
3
tomans
10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
(12 shillings) upon each rifle. It is computed that last year
30,000 rifles were^ imported into Bushire and distributed throughout" the
country, Shiraz being the general centre of distribution. In this way the
Bakntiaris, Kashgais, Tangastanis, and other tribes are now in possession of
excellent arms of precision, and, if united, would be more than a match for
any expedition of Persian troops sent against them.
The Persian Government being alive to the danger of allowing this state
of things to continue, and finding encouragement in the-proposed action of
Her Majesty’s Government in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, lost no time in issuing a
circular note to the Foreign Legations, copy of which I have the honour 3 to
enclose in translation, reminding them of the prohibition against the im
portation of arms and asking them to warn the subjects of their respective
Governments. At the* same time they proceed to seize and confiscate all
the arms and ammunition which they were able to discover in Bushire. The
Governor of Bushire having shown unwillingness to co-operate in a measure
which would inevitably entail a considerable pecuniary loss to himself, the
Persian Government deputed one of their officials, the MalekTujar, to undertake
the task of seizing and confiscating the arms, and asked me to allow Her
Majesty’s Consulate General to co-operate with him. I at once instructed
Her Majesty s Consul General to direct JMr. Vice-Consul Gaskin to be present
at all the seizures made, and to take a list of the arms seized, so that there
might be no doubt as to the complete amount of confiscated arms seized
being forwarded to Tehran. The only difficulty experienced in carrying out
these operations was the refusal of the Governor to allow the Malek Tuiar
and Her Majesty s \ice-Consul to search the Custom House where it was
known that a considerable amount of arms were stored. After consultation
with the Sadr Azam it was decided by His Highness that the Malek Tuiar
accompanied by Mr. Gaskin and a strong guard of
sepoys
Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank.
from the British
Presidency
The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent.
should proceed to the Custom House and take possession of all
the aims that could be found there, and most stringent orders were sent to
the Governor to offer no obstruction. I accordingly sent instructions in that
sense to Her Majesty’s Consul-General and told him to inform the Governor
About this item
- Content
This file contains a selection of correspondence and enclosures compiled by 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. Political and Secret Department relating to arms traffic in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. from 1897-98.
Correspondents include: 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. , the Foreign Office, the Marquess of Salisbury, the Secretary of State for India, the Chargé d'Affaires in Tehran, the Admiralty, the Viceroy of India, the Government of India, the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the Sultan of Muscat, and various British merchant companies.
The following topics are discussed:
- measures for the control of trade in arms and ammunition with Muscat;
- the power of the Crown to prohibit the export of arms and to stop the importation by British subjects or in British vessels;
- the Customs Consolidation Act and other treaties with Muscat;
- treaty engagements of Bahrein;
- the search and seizure of shipments at Muscat and Bushire including the SS Tripoli , and SS Baluchistan ;
- the registration of arms;
- grievances of British merchants over loss of trade.
It contains three short treaty extracts in French.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (27 folios)
- Arrangement
This file consists of a single document with re-printed correspondence arranged in chronological order.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 1, and terminates at f 27, it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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.
Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/C87/1
- Title
- 'Selection from Correspondence Relative to the Traffic in Arms in the Persian Gulf, 1897-98. Part I'
- Pages
- 1r:10r, 13r:13v, 17v:18r, 19r:19v, 23r:23v, 25v:26r, 27v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence