'Despatch from Sir M. Durand respecting appointment of Additional Consular Officers in Persia' [‎105v] (14/18)

railway; and that we should organize the Telegraph Department for political
purposes.
But, as I said before, this despatch should be regnrded as supplementary to my
Memorandum of 1895. which went fully into the question of our position in Persia.
I would again request that reference may be made to that Memorandum, and that the
proposals therein put forward may he considered. There are one or two to which I
should like to refer again. In the penultimate paragraph I wrote:—
“ The Persian Government should be made to understand that they must not trifle
with us in the future as they have occasionally done in the past, but we should try to
gain their goodwill, and help them in any way we can.”
In a former paragraph I had explained how the Persians, relying on our
forbearance, were inclined at times to treat us with disregard, and I suggested that we
should take certain measures to correct their attitude in this respect. I recommended
that, on the other hand, a loan should be granted to Persia upon easy terms. I think
we should adhere to the principle of these recommendations. At present the Persians
think we have lost interest in things Persian; that we will do nothing for them ; and
that we will not take the trouble to resent anything they do against us. I should like
to disabuse their minds of both of these ideas.
I may perhaps with advantage give one or two instances of what I mean, f
noticed in my Memorandum of 1895 the case of the Island of Siri, which the Persians
occupied some years ago, and have since retained in spite of our protest. I noticed also
the case of the Perso- Beluchistan border, where the Persians were constantly encroaching,
and I explained the necessity for exercising some check upon the selection of Governors
in the south of Persia. In these two latter cases we have succeeded in changing the
attitude of the Persian Government. The border has been delimited, and in a recent
instance an obnoxious Governor was recalled from Bushire on our demand. This has
done much good. But cases still occur in which our interests and our representations
are treated with small respect. Por example, the Persian Government, during my
absence on leave, asked the Military Attache in this Legation to arbitrate in an
important dispute between our native Agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. in Kermanshab and some Persian subjects.
The Persian Foreign Minister undertook in writing to execute the Award, whatever it
might be. The Award was given in December 1897, and, in spite of continuous
pressure from the Legation, execution has been evaded up till now r , every sort of
frivolous pretext being advanced to put us off. In another arbitration case which
occurred during my absence on leave, Mr. Hardinge agreed to abide by the Award of
the Prime Minister. The Award provided for the transfer of certain mines from the
possession of a British-protected subject, and the payment to him of certain sums of
money which he had given as presents to the Foreign Minister and other high officials.
The mines were at once transferred, but the money has never been paid. Again, the
Imperial Bank of Persia has, by its Concession, the exclusive right of issuing bank
notes, yet bank notes have for years been issued in large numbers by certain Persian
Associations, and though many representations have been made on the subject, the
practice continues unchecked. I have just heard that several thousand notes have
been printed in England on behalf of one of these Associations, and that they are now
on their way to Bushire. I shall submit these cases separately for orders, and in the
meantime I do not ask for any general ruling or assurance on the part of Her
Majesty’s Government with regard to our future treatment of such matters, but I have
thought it desirable to bring the point to notice, in order that the attitude of the
Persian Government towards us may be clearly understood.
On the other hand, if the Persians are again anxious for a loan, and if they can
satisfy us that the money will be properly spent, and not “ eaten ” by the chief
officials, I would secure them a loan on easy conditions, relying for the payment of
instalments not on material guarantees of the usual type, such as would satisf} 7 the
Stock Exchange, but on the great power we have of putting pressure upon the Persian
Government.
To insist upon material guarantees of the usual type is, I fear, to defeat our
object. In the despatch from the Government of India of the 11th August, 1898, the
following passages occur :—
“ The recent arrangement whereby receivers of the Imperial Bank of Persia were
to encash all customs duties at Bushire and Kermanshah, and to have also the right to
see that the duties are duly levied, appears likely, if established, to prove an
important step towards developing the natural resources of Persia and increasing
British influence.”