'Russia, India and the Persian Gulf' [‎18v] (36/46)

Proceedings of the East India Association.
Central Asia, measures of exclusion had been specially directed against the
English. At the present time difficulties were thrown in the way of the
British and the Japanese which were not thrown in the way of Americans,
or Germans, or other people. They must, therefore, look upon this
development as likely to be hostile to their trade. Mr. Rees had suggested
that they should try in Persia to counteract the development of Russia
not only by excluding her from the coast, but also by operations in
the interior—for example, in improving the communications. He doubted
whether Parliament would entertain the expenditure of British money
behind the coast of Persia. They had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Lynch
present, who, probably, knew more about the internal communications of
Persia than any other man, and they would hear what he would tell them.
He had now, he thought, dealt with all the larger points, but there were
one or two subsidiary points as to which he would like to say one word.
He wholly went with Mr. Rees in the view that we did not do enough
in the way of informing ourselves nationally as to the movements of
other Powers. There was an article in the Times on the position
of the army, which spoke of how little had been done to promote
intercommunication between the Japanese army and navy and our own.
That was startling, because it was different from what would have been
done by any other Power. A most interesting book had been published
within the last few days called “ Greater Russia,” in which the author had
pointed out with perfect truth that every Power except England was repre
sented in Manchuria by agents, who were able to help forward the
commercial operations of their own people. We were slow to move in
these matters. Our Eoreign Office was, under the dominion of the Treasury,
slow to move, not only in the matter of increased expenditure, but also in
rapid transfer from what had become useless to something more useful.
Again, too often when we had consulates we put into them—or, might he
say, “ jobbed ” into them ?—persons who were not fit for the offices to which
they were sent, and did not know the particular foreign languages that they
ought to know, and were consequently useless. He thought he had now
dealt with the points which seemed most worthy of criticism. He cordially
agreed in the general lines of the rest of the paper, and congratulated
Mr. Rees upon the paper which had been read.
Mr. H. F.B. Lynch thought they had listened to a most interesting speech
giving the substance of a paper, the only fault to be found with which was
that it embraced too wide a field. It was directed to two almost distinct
subjects : the consideration of the new frontier province created by Lord
Curzon, and the more important question of what he might call the outside
frontier policy of the Government of India. He spoke not as one who was
concerned with the internal questions of India, which he was content to leave
to the care of his friend Lord Curzon, but as one interested in the countries
west of India, and who had travelled widely in them. The object of his
travels in those countries had been to ascertain whether they were of great
or of little importance to this country. With regard to the question of the
extraterritorial frontiers of India, Mr. Rees had made a number of proposi
tions, but he thought in the limited time at his disposal he had better con