'Seistan' [‎359v] (720/782)

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■Russian News-agent at Birjaml; amt an emissary of bad cliaracter, named
Muhammad Rahim Khan, who had already aZit^t^' W
service, was asain taken into employ, and was posted as beus-agent at JSasira
bad in Seistan. In the succeeding years Russian Armenians, trained ,.t
Tiflis werebusilvat work surveying the country in a southerly direction, as
far as the borders of Persia and Baluchistan. In 1>95 a more direct blow at
the large Anglo-Indian trade which at that time still made us way through
Khorasan into the Russian possessions in Central Asia, was struck by the
introduction of a Customs Tariff in Trans-Onspia, absolutely prohibiting the
entry into the Russian territories of all British or Indian products excep
indigo, tea and muslin, and these only under a heavy duty. In the same
year M. Zaroudnv, a Russian politico-geologist, Anghce surveyor, paid Ins
first visit to Kain and Seistan. Russian News-agents were also placed at 1 abbas
and Neh, as well as at Birjand and Nasirabad.
30. In the meantime, in the latter part of 1896, the Government of India
had decided upon taking active measures to open the long closed trading route
from Quetta to Seistan. These intentions, and the prospective British interest
in Seistan to which they testified, excited much concern in Russia; and in the
following year the outbreak of plague in India off ered to the Russian authorities
a welcome opportunity of, at the same time, endeavouring to strangle the new
enterprise at its birth, and increasing their own influence in Seistan. Under
the pretext of establishing a protective cordon to safeguard the 1 tmso-Atghan
frontier in Persian interests from a disease which existed neither m Baluchistan
nor in Afghanistan, Russian Cossacks under Russian officers were planted at
a numbe? of places in Persian territory, where they turned back every
caravan (ignoring an agreement that had been arrived at between Great Britain
and rersia° for a 10 davs quarantine upon caravans arriving from infected
countries), declined to accept any orders except those which came directly from
the Russian Legation, and for a time absolutely closed the Herat-Meshed, road,
in spite of orders to the contrary from the Persian Government—the object ot
this measure being to divert Afghan trade from Meshed to Panjdeh. and Merv
in Russian territorv. It was significant that upon crossing the Russian frontier
the caravans, which had been refused passage through Persia under any condi
tions, were only detained for three days in quarantine. The Persian Govern
ment, after a feeble protest, acquiesced in these proceedings; and it may almost
be said that Southern Khorasan passed for a time under Russian control.
31. It was with the object of anticipating a similar Russian intervention
in Seistan that, in the spring of 3 897, the Government of India despatched
Surgeon-Major Brazier-Creagh to superintend, any preventive measures that
might be required in that district. Already Lieutenant Webb Ware, who had
visited Seistan in March, in connection with the trade route, had reported : “ I
was disagreeably astonished to find what ascendency Russia had gained through
out Seistan Major Brazier-Creagh, a few months later, wrote : “ I was by
no means surprised to find what ascendency the Russians had gained in the
country. In the past four years Russian activity has been very manifest.
It is not limited to Seistan, but extends all along the Perso-Afghan frontier up
to Meshed, News-writers and agents being established at all the important trade
centres, viz., Neh, Birjand, Tabbas, Khaf, and Turbat-i-Haidari
32. The recommendations made by the British officer were ignored by
the Persian authorities; and he had not been long in Seistan when the expected
Russian doctor (Miladchevsky by name), witu an escort of eight Cossacks,
appeared upon the scene, a detachment of ten Cossacks under a Russian
officer being also posted at Turbat-i-IIaidari, 80 miles south of Meshed, a
point of junction of several caravan roads, so as effectually to stop any traffic
to or from Seistan. An incidental result of Dr. Miladchevsky’s visit to Seistan
was the dismissal, in consequence of a report from him, of the two native
Russian agents to whom reference has been made, and their replacement by
the Persian sub-contractors for customs for Kain and Seistan. These indivi
duals proved to be equally faithless to the interests of their employers, and were