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‘Seistan’ [‎27v] (54/98)

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The record is made up of 1 file (49 folios). It was created in 25 Oct 1900-Dec 1901. 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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4
Turning to the south the scene changes at once, and with it the chief
economic features of life. Loess is replaced by soft, red sandstone, interspersed
with limestone rocks a less fertile soil, for which constant irrigation and,
therefore, constant labour are necessary. Navigable waterways are abundant
for, besides the great river itself, which for 2,000 miles is the main artery of
commerce, there are its major affluents, the Kan, the Han, and the Siang
(which can all be ascended to their head-waters), and a number of minor
tributaries. Further south the Canton system drains the two Kwang Provinces
and extends beyond their borders, and the rest of the seaboard is no less
adequately served.. Deforestation, while not so general as in the north, does
not exercise much influence on a well-watered country dependent on irrigation ;
coal or rice, in times of famine, can he easily and inexpensively conveyed from
long distances by means of water transit; floods are infrequent, and opium-
smoking is, to some extent, counteracted by employment and education, its two
most able foes. Emigrants reduce the surplus population, and where a living is
not obtainable on land it can usually be gained on the rivers; indeed, to the
inhabitants of some provinces the rival claims of the “ boats” and the “fields”
appear as nicely balanced as they do to the budding Etonian. Finally, Non-
Loess China—-its great cities in contact with foreign trade for over a century
has, by its tea and silk and by its purchase of goods from abroad, at once
acquired wealth and knowledge and developed intelligence and energy. With
the exception of the three south-western provinces (Kwangsi, Kui-'chow, and
Yunnan), which are still under-populated and little known, there is a far hioffler
average of comfort and enlightenment diffused here than in the north. Li?in"
is.relatively cheaper ; the people are, as a rule, quieter and more settled and^
with a single reservation, thq evils of misgovernment and rebellion have been
less acutely felt.
In brief, we see. to the north a grain-eating, cotton-producing region
immensely rich m minerals, but without proper communications, in an isolated
and decadent state; to the south, a rice-eating, tea and silk-producing countrv
d'Fo°^ r ^ VerSj ^ ouc ^ exterior, and generally in a'prosperous
These being the essential differences between Loess and Non-Loess China
the importance of the Valley of the Yang-tase Kiang is at once apparent’
Embracing portions of both divisions, with an area of 650,000 square miles
and a population of at least 180,000,000, it mediates most of the traffic
contains the majority of the buying-and-selling elements, and has become the
repository of wealth of the Empire. Its magnificent waterway, crossing the
entire country, from west to east and draining parts of twelve provinces
controls, the avenues as it connects the emporia of commerce, and the power
predominant on it, established at the centre of resistance and secure from
external attack, may direct the destinies of the Chinese people.
. The lower basin of the river, which has been frequently and comprehen
sively reported on by Her Majesty’s Consuls, is now comparatively well known
to commercial enterprise, especially since, under the new Regulations, steam
navigation has commenced on the inland waters. West of Hankow
however, Her Majesty’s Government is only represented on the Yan^-tsze
Kiang by two officials m esse and two in posse, whose multifarious duties'"con
fining them to their ports preclude any very extended travel in the interior •
hut the magnitude of British interests in the upper valley is, perhaps greater
than m any other part of China, and a particular consideration of the individual
provinces may accordingly be of some use.
Hupeh (population 22,000,000) consists of portions both of loess and of
non-loess country. The former leads to the Great Plain, and closely resembles
Honan; the latter, with the exception of the Han Valley, is made up of lakes
marshes, and mountains, and is sparsely inhabited. The Han, which is navi
gable for steamers to Laohokou (460 miles) and for small junks to Hanchun^
(1,200 miles), waters a populous agricultural region, and affords (1) the only

About this item

Content

The file contains papers mainly concerning Persia [Iran], largely relating to the province of Seistan [Sistan].

The file includes:

  • Printed copies of diaries of HM Consul for Seistan (Major George Chenevix-Trench) from 16 September 1900 to 8 February 1901 (not complete)
  • Printed copies of the Camp Diary of the Agent to the Governor-General of India and HM Consul-General for Khorassan and Seistan (Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Martindale Temple), for the periods 1 to 6 November 1900, and 6 November to 5 December 1900
  • A printed copy of the Camp Diary of Captain Robert Arthur Edward Benn, HM Vice-Consul for Seistan and Kain, for the period 17 January 1901 to 5 February 1901, forwarded through the Agent to the Governor General in Baluchistan (Charles Edward Yate)
  • A printed copy of a letter from Chenevix-Trench to the Deputy Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department (Captain Hugh Daly), enclosing copies of letters addressed to various trading centres and manufacturers in India, relating to the new trade route via Quetta to Persia through Nushki and Seistan
  • A letter to George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India, from the Earl of Ronaldshay (Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, later the second Marquess of Zetland), regarding Ronaldshay’s journey from Quetta to Nasratabad in Seistan
  • A newspaper cutting entitled ‘The Province of Seistan’ from the Times of India , dated 7 February 1901.

The file also includes a printed copy of a memorandum by Clive Bigham on the Upper Valley of the Yang-tsze Kiang [Yangtze] and the provinces immediately beyond its northern watershed, in China.

Extent and format
1 file (49 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 49; 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
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‘Seistan’ [‎27v] (54/98), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/355, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100059457879.0x000037> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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