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The record is made up of 1 file (388 folios). It was created in 17 Jan 1899-4 Apr 1904. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
4
Seth Sulaiman presented a petition for an advance of Rs. 20,000 to start an
extension of his business in Meshed. I hope his request will be agreed to. He
has done good work here, and an experiment of carrying trade in the form of
retail trade at Meshed would be very interesting, I believe also profitable. I
have written a separate letter forwarding his petition.
Munshi
A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf.
Ahmad Din with the Native officer rode to Eskel to pay a visit to
Mir Abbas as we heard he had fallen from his horse, and also because I have
been told he had been giving the Russian Vice-Consul some information.
Munshi
A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf.
Ahmad Din found that there was no truth in his having fallen from his
horse and heard from him that he had]refesed to have any dealings with the
Russians, though he had been frequently asked to go and see Mr. Miller and had
had a present given him.
July 8th. —Sunday. In my last Diary I reported that Abbas Ali, Hospital
Assistant, had left for a tour in the Mian Kangi District. He returned on the
8th July after having attended to large numbers of patients and having travelled
along the Afghan frontier, reported on with map by me in my Diary No. 6 for
period 15th May to 25th May 1900.
In the evening I received a visit from Akram Khan trader and Warka,
the two traders in Seistan who have always been supporters of the Russians
and their news-writers. 1 cannot quite account for their visit except that
they see there is now nothing to be gained from the Russians. They both
offered me their services, while Akram Khan said he always had camels at my
disposal. I said I had no service to ask of them, that every one was very
friendly, and that we wanted for nothing. I hoped that if they traded to India
they would be successful.
Later the newly-appointed Customs Collector called on me. He said that
the new Customs regulations under the Belgian concession had not yet been pro
mulgated, and that he was awaiting the arrival of Mirza Hosain from Meshed, who
was to regulate the levying of the dues. He said in the meanwhile he collected
5 per cent ad valorem from Indian traders, wdiich they paid here or else at
Meshed, provided they gave security here. I asked him how he proposed valu
ing the various articles which would come from India I showed him that to
take the articles at any other value than that given in the invoice would be im
possible, for he could not open every box, nor could he value each article at a
local price if he did. He quite agreed and said he would do anything I suggest
ed. So we agreed to refer the matter to his chief, and in the meanwhile he said
he would arrange matters smoothly. When his chief comes I shall be able to
come to some terms with him, and I hope the Customs duties will in no way
obstruct trade.
July gth. —In the evening the Sarhang with
Sardar
Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division.
Purdil Khan paid me a
visit.
July' /oM.—Received a visit from Mustophi Khalik Khan, who was very
open in his assurances of friendship. He afterwards had breakfast with
Munshi
A term used in the Middle East, Persia and South Asia to refer to a secretary, assistant or amanuensis. Munshis were employed in the British administration in the Gulf.
Ahmad Din.
General Remarks.
Spread of British influence in Seistan.
I think that from a persual of this diary there will be no doubt as to the
genuine friendliness of every one towards the British representative in Seistan.
The people, like the ruler of Seistan, see how closely their interests lie with those
of India, and by scrupulous care in the conduct of every one in the camp, it has
been quite impossible for any party to bring up anything against us. All supplies
have been paid for at once by every one. Every one who comes to the camp has
been treated with respect.
Coolies
A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory.
working have been paid daily and aften be
fore me. As the site of my camp or rather my buildings is the high road to
everywhere, many people ride across our maidan and I have opportunities of talk
ing to them, or of inviting them into my house. We have avoided ever paying more
than what is fair and customary here, and our presents have been few. I have
About this item
- Content
The file contains papers relating to Seistan [Sistan] and Persia [Iran].
The file includes printed copies of despatches from the Agent to the Governor-General of India and HM Consul-General for Khorasan and Seistan (Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Martindale Temple), to the Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, with enclosed despatches from Captain Percy Molesworth Sykes to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (the Marquis of Salisbury). Skyes’s despatches regard matters including: Seistan; trade routes into South-East Persia; the boundary between Persia and Afghanistan, in relation to the River Helmund [Helmand] changing its course (in despatch No. 5, which includes four sketch maps, folios 12, 13, 14 and 15); Sykes’s journey to Birjand (in despatch No. 7, which includes a sketch map on folio 20); the ruling family of Kain, which also governed Seistan, Tabbas and Tun; Sykes’s journey from Seistan to Kerman [Kirman] (in despatch No. 11, which includes a sketch map); and the direct Kerman-Quetta caravan trade that Sykes was trying to establish.
The file also includes copies of the following papers:
- A despatch from Temple to the Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, enclosing a letter from Temple to Sir Henry Mortimer Durand (HM Minister, Tehran), with copies of enclosures, regarding the establishment of a Seistan and Kain consulate
- A letter from Charles Edward Pitman, Director General of Telegraphs, to the Secretary to the Government of India Public Works Department, enclosing a copy of a ‘Report on the Preliminary Survey of the Route for a Telegraph Line from Quetta to the Persian Frontier’ by H A Armstrong, Assistant Superintendent, Indian Telegraph Department, which includes six photographs of views along the route [Mss Eur F111/352, f 52; Mss Eur F111/352, f 53; Mss Eur F111/352, f 54; Mss Eur F111/352, f 55; Mss Eur F111/352, f 56; and Mss Eur F111/352, f 57], and a map showing the proposed route of the telegraph line [Mss Eur F111/352, f 59]
- Letters from Hugh Shakespear Barnes, Agent to the Governor-General in Baluchistan, to the Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, enclosing copies of the diary of the Political Assistant, Chagai, for the weeks ending 16 February, 28 February, and 8 March 1900
- Diary No. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 of Major-General George Frederick Chenevix-Trench, HM Consul for Seistan (Diary No. 6 includes a sketch map, folio 86)
- A copy of a ‘Report on Reconnaissances Made while Attached to the Seistan Arbitration Commission’ by W A Johns, Deputy Consulting Engineer for Railways, Bombay
- A copy of the report ‘Notes on Persian Seistan’, compiled by Captain Edward Abadie Plunkett, and issued by the Government of India Intelligence Branch, Quarter-Master General’s Department
- Two copies of map signed by Plunkett titled ‘Persian Seistan-Cultivated Area’ [Mss Eur F111/352, f 270]
- A booklet entitled ‘Notes on the Leading Notables, Officials, Merchants, and Clergy of Khorasan, Seistan, Kain, and Kerman.’
- Printed copies of letters from the Government of India Foreign Department to the Secretary of State for India (Lord George Francis Hamilton), relating to the maintenance of British interests in Persia, dated 4 September 1899 and 7 November 1901 (the former with an enclosure of a minute by the Viceroy on Seistan).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (388 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 390; 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. The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 301A
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Seistan' [95v] (190/782), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/352, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069721602.0x0000c1> [accessed 30 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/352
- Title
- 'Seistan'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:51v, 58r:58v, 60r:112r, 113r:125v, 147r:218r, 218r, 219r:269v, 271r:301v, 301Ar, 301Av, 302r:388v, 389v:390r, 389r, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence