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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.
2
Mr Miller I believe hoped for great things on the arrival of the Sartip here.
He had used all the Russian influence at Birjandto predispose the bartip towards
the Russian cause. He counted too on the existing friction between the bartip
and
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, an avowed friend of the British, while he knew that
sooner or later the Sartip would rule here, and on account of his Baluch blood
exercise great control over all the Baluchis through
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.
Syad Khan, his uncle.
The calling episode has, I hope, effectually knocked on the head all chances
of biasing the Sartip in favour of the Russians and makes Mr. Millers position
here more impossible than ever.
There is not the least chance of the Amir inducing the Sartip to make the first
call for independently of other reasons the Amir is said to have remarked that see
ing that Mr. Miller made first calls on every Mustophi in Birjand and Seistan, he
couldn’t understand there being any objection to his making the first call on
the Sartip who was his son and heir.
From my visit I was favourably impressed with the Sartip Mir Mausum
Khan. He is a good looking young man of about 22 years of age, a slim figure, and
with a quiet manner. He showed us nervousness at the official visit. His con
versation was more direct than that of the ordinary Persian, and the Baluch inde
pendence of character and dignity of manhood were clearly observable. I was
sorry to see that he suffered much on account of his eyes.
2:»nd August. —Mr. Miller paid a visit of condolence on account of the death
of the Duke of Coburg.
23rd August .—I received a return visit from the Sartip, he thanked me for
having ordered Hospital Assistant Ghulam Jelani here from Birjand {vide D‘. T/
No. 11, August 6th), and counted the days which must elapse before his arrival.
He said he had been almost blind before Ghulam Jelani attended him. and he
had been very anxious to continue the cure. He attributes the weakness of his eye
sight to the dust and perpetual wind of Seistan.
24th August .—Munshi Ahmed Din visited Mustophi Khalik Khan. The
latter expressed hG willingness to be of any service tome in Meshed or elsewhere,
he a so said that the Russian Vice-Consul had tried to induce him to arrange for
the purchase of some land as an extension to the Russian Consulate here. 'I he
Mustophi declined to help, as he said the Vice-Consul’s proposals were on such
a large scale that it would be impossible to carry them out.
23th August .—I heard as a fact that the Amir .Hashmut-ul-Mufk holds a
letter from Tehran stating that he need not accede to the demands of the Wali
of Meshed for increased revenue if he considers them excessive, that his own
terms will be considered sufficient. The letter has raiher disconcerted the emissaries
from Meshed.
27th August .—Received a visit from the Amir Hashmut-ul-Mulk, who was
very pleased with some photographs of Seistan which I showed him.
28th August .—Received a visit from the Intizam-i-Diwan, one of the Meshed
emissaries.
29th —When paying a visit to Mr. Miller be took me -over the very
extensive addition which he has made to what was already the best house here.
He complained of being very cramped for room, but ht had nevertheless
built two big blocks of buildings besides good stables. He said that they were
intended for the doctor whom he expected later, and who might bring his wife
with him. The remainder of the buildings were quarters for his cossacks, and a
room and office for the establishment of his chancellery.
He remarked that I w’as so much more fortunate than he was in having
unlimited space, and added that his Government were foolish to pay a high rent
for his house which was in a bau position, instead of purchasing out and out a
good site such as the British Government had done. I said nothing, but it is
curious he should have the idea we have bought our site. The Amir told me
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' [102v] (204/782), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/352, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100069721604.0x000007> [accessed 28 June 2026]
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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