'Report on the Development of the Baluch-Persian Caravan Route and on the Nushki, Chagai and Western Sinjerani Districts, for the year 1899-1900' [‎14v] (28/64)

n TTJK ITCH-PERSIAN CARAVAN ROUTE AND
REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT ON THE BAL UCH PER*
u- \ v, o aifpndpd tbe first effort which has been made to
he congratulated on tbe success which has attendedt^nr
open commercial connection between ue ^ hig rt on the tra( j e 0 f Khorassan for
78. Captain White, Vice-Consul m M ^ d & firm footin ^ in Meshed,
the year 1898-99, shows clearly that . d ^ ^ country ^ thus a line drawn
In both Seistan and Kirman our trade st ^ , t Y ezd roughly marks the boundary line
trough Birjand, or even a l.ttle north of tTt hrwn.toYez . J _
0 "" 1 1 L Innreinacv' i'd Khorassan and Kirman. If Muham-
n^AU B™fh“s’%entTffirP“s to be relied ^^XthinortZ"A tenfeoc^of thrl
sstjcs ,r2rs u
regard to our trade with Seistan and Khorassan this support
can best take the
form of
caravan
regard to our trade with Seistan and i m eme „ts to the caravai
extending the Qnetta-Nushki telegrap sy ,. ’ y j ij avPe dealt with in detail else
route, firstly between Quetta “ d N^'^.a persTa^rontier Br.tish trade w.th Kirman
where* and secondly, between Nushki and the ^ PersiauGulf, yet I would venture to
can no doubt be most effectively supper e interests jn South-Kastern Persia render it
submit that both our commercial } Halnohistan on a thoroughly sound basis,
essential for ns to establish ouruiduencein e s Q ue tta by opeuinsr commereial
To do this Kirman should be brought into close touch wnn^^ ^ ^ im ^ ovcment of the
connection between Q oetta andKmiian, native agcnts at selecte d places in Persian
existing track beyond Kl. ,,,1 A J n Kir man by dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. . I would solicit permission to march
.....e — »■ a* —- ■
just enumerated.
79 From Robat I proceeded to Nasratabad, the capita! of Seistan, inspecting the Gird,
Tahb nost Tronfe The Deputy Governor of Seistan, h.s sardars, and motbirs accorded me
a welcome at Wasaratabad P ve,y different from that I met w.th on the occasion of my fi„t
visit to Seistan in 1897. My welcome shows how progressive has been the ^ ^
influence in Seistan during the last three years. My halt in Se - pu
4th March is a most pleasant recollection. The people were pleased to see me, ‘he sardars
were most friendly, and ihe Deputy Governor and his officials Y'^iBa Kanibefore
forestalling my every wish. It had been my intention to pay a visit to Killa kai g iefo e
leaving Seistan, but this part of my programme could not he carried out as the country was
under water for miles on either side of the Helmand.
80. My arrival in Seistan was well timed. Mr. Miller, the Russian Consular Agent
marched into Nasratabad four days after I did, meeting with a reception which contrasted
unfavourably with that accorded me a few days before. The Deputy Goveinor ot
Seistan and his officials did not scruple to say openly that as the Russians have no commercial
interests of any sort to safeguard in Seistan, they resented the presence oi a Russian official in
their country. It did not take Mr. Miller long to grasp the fact that his presence in Seistan
was distasteful to the local officials, so to acquire a standing of some kind in the country he
has had recourse to intrigue. Before I left Seistan the Russian Consul .was m active nego-
ciation with Sardars Saved Khan, Narui, and Khan Jan Khan, Sinjeram, the two Seistan
Savdars, who had been compelled the previous year to take refuge in Afghanistan.
81. The Perso-Afghan Frontier between Hashtadan and Chah-i-Sagak and again north
of Bandan between Siah Koh and Chah-i-Sagok has never been demarcated. Now that the
Russians are slowly making their way down the Perso-Afghan frontier towards Seistan, I am
of opinion that it would be a wise move on our part to depute a surveyor to Seistan for a
year, instructing him to make a careful survey of the Perso-Afghan Frontier and also to
survey as much of Southern Khorassan as time admits of his doing. I am informed that the
maps we possess of Khorassan are so unreliable that in many of them plains are shown where
there are ranges of high mountains and vice versa. In the event of my suggestion being
favourably considered, I would propose that the surveyor deputed to Khorassan be attached
either to the Seistan Consulate or Meshed Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , whichever is considered most convenient.
82. I desire to draw attention here to the excellent services which Hospital Assistant
Abbas Ali has rendered Government in Seistan. Hospital Assistant Abbas Ali accompanied
Surgeon-Major Brazier Creagh to Seistan in April 1897, at a time when our influence in that
country was non-existent. Returning to Quetta in November 1897, with Surgeon-Major
Braz’er Creagh’s party, he was again deputed to Seistan where he remained until June 1898.
Between 1st January 1899 and 20th July 1899 Hospital Assistant Abbas Ali was employed
on special service in China, and on his return to India in August he was once more ordered
to Seistau, where he has remained ever since.
The success of my tour to Seistan, the welcome accorded Major Chenevix-Trench there,
and the steady growth of our influence in that country are due, in no small measure, to
Hospital Assistant Abbas Alps tact and discretion and to the conscientious discharge of the
duties with which he has been entrusted. I consider that the bestowal of an honourary dis
tinction would be a fitting reward for the services which Hospital Assistant Abbas Ali has
rendered Government.
* Vide paragraphs 12 and 13 of this Appendix.
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