'Seistan' [‎4r] (7/782)

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7. With regard to the Quetta-Seistan route Captain Svkes writes
I am ready to state in mV humble opinion the Quetta route is hopeless y
handicapped by its natural disadvantages. Caravans require large quan i ies
of supplies which can be procured at short intervals on the route an ar
Abbas where the camel-grazing is as a rule rich and abundant. Tv 1 ,5 °,
hand, Khan Bahadur Maula Bakhsh in his report of his]ourney on the Meshed-
Quetta route between 7th April and 28th July 1898, paragraph 48, says, a
Native trader of this place (Sarbisha), who returned from Bandar Abbas wi i
his caravan about a fortnight ago, states that all Seistan caravans w r en to
Quetta instead of Bandar Abbas last winter, and that some of the kain caravans £
were also thinking of following their example.” The same writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. in paiagrap
166 of his report says “ that the Indian traders have not formed an unfavour
able view of the new trade route, and they intend to advise their firms to sen
their ?oods by it in future.” With the aid of certain ameliorations, such as the
proyision of barley and fodder stores and the sinking of wells, “ to enable mule
caravans to traverse the road with ease, the Nushki-beistan route would become
the best and most popular road between India and Persia, and would attrac a
traffic of pilgrims, travellers, traders and merchandise, going from India to the
Provinces of Seistan, Khorassan, Herat, Bokhara, and lurkistan, andz;iC£
Prom figures supplied by Mr. Webb-Ware it appears that between Apul 18 7
and April 1898 the imports into Baluchistan through Nushki amounted to
Rs. 3,05,608 while the exports reached Rs. 2,84,321-8, total Rs. 5,89,929 o.
The report does not show how much of this trade passed acioss the Peiso-Ba u
chistan border, but the results quoted are encouraging. There are also certain
disadvantages in the Bandar Abbas route. The Quetta route is a little longer
than that via Bandar Abbas, but the latter route is aH through Persian terri
tory, while the former lies for about half its length in Baluchistan, and is
under British protection. The Bandar Abbas route takes longer to traverse than
the Seistan-Quetta route, and goods on the former change hands m transit.
Much of the success of the Quetta-Seistan route will depend on the Consul in
Seistan being able to arrange for the protection of caravans from the rapacity
of Customs Collectors, after they cross the frontier, as well as from the loss
caused by obstructive measures on the part of Russia, such as the imposition o
a nlao'ue cordon, which, on the plea of guarding against the w r holly imaginary
approach of that disease, was in fact a blow aimed at the opening of the nevv
trade route. It has also to be borne in mind that the Hashmat-ul-Mulk and
the Shaukat-ul-Mulk are at feud and it would probably not be very difficult to
fan the flame and produce disturbances which would be inimical to trade by
both routes.^r ^ w ith commercial considerations. The Political
and Military aspects of the case appear to be of far greater importance, but
since they have not been controverted in the letter under consideration, and
as they are well known, I need not enlarge on them. In view of these
considerations, the Quetta-Seistan route is of the greatest importance, and it
appears to me that the interests of this route will not be furthered by pressing
the rival claims of the Bandar Abbas route. Prom Captain Sykes’ despatches
it appears that he intends to press the claims of the rival route.
No. 1 Political, dated Seistan, the 11th January 1899.
From—C aptain P. Moleswoeth Sykes,
To— The Marquis of Salisbury, K.G., Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
With reference to my journey from Kirman to Seistan, which was under
taken with the object of establishing a Consulate in the latter district, I have
the honour to make the following report
In selecting a route my object was partly to show Mr. W. K. Wood, of
the Indo-European Telegraph Department, what was, in my opinion, the best
direction for the Central Persia Telegraph line to follow while, at the same
t time as x received instructions to meet the Political Officer in charge of the
Ouetta-Seistan trade route at some point near the frontier, a direction was
taken, by following which I was enabled to strike the above-mentioned artery
of commerce, about which I was anxious to gain information.