'Seistan' [‎366r] (733/782)

and either party would have its contribution more directly under its own control
It would no be difficult m our opmion to constitute sucli a partition of interest
which would be determined by a combination of geographical, political and
commercial conditions. The parts of Persia that border upon Afghanistan
Baluchistan and the eastern end of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. would naturally foil within
the Indian sphere. The northern and western portions contiguous to the
Caucasian pioymees of Russia, to Turkey, and to Mesopotamia, would possess a
greater interest for Her Majesty’s Government. To a considerable, though still
only a partial, extent this principle has already been acted upon ; whilst it will
be m the recollection of \ our Lordship that the Government of India have
m one case pressed for a vindication of it, which they have felt to be equallv
demanded by policy and justice. In February and'again in August 1895 our
predecessors expressed a very strong opinion that they should 0 not be called
upon to contribute towards the Karun service, as long as the subsidy for the
mail service on the Tigris was met exclusively from Indian revenues. They
stated their opinion that “ the interests involved in the Karun service are
purely Imperial and not Indian, and, if this service ceases altogether, the
interests of India will not be affected thereby It was only after the receipt
of an urgent appeal from the Foreign Office, and on the explicit understanding
that the whole question of the distribution of the charges on account of
the Tigris and the Karun should he referred to the Royal Commission then
sitting, that the Government of Lord Elgin, not without a vigorous dissent
from the then Finance Member, Sir J. Westland, consented to continue the
payment of a moiety of the Karun subsidy pending the stipulated decision.
We cordially endorse the views which were expressed by our predecessors in
respect of the Imperial and non-Indian character of this charge, and we shall
he glad to learn what are the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the
subject.
70.. The mention of the Karun and Tigris services affords an incidental
illustration of the commercial considerations by which the allocation of respon
sibility that we are discussing might be determined. It is, of course, difficult
to decide in the ease of any particular market or harbour the exact shares of
interest in it that may be claimed by British or by Indian trade. The former
is more likely to be in the ascendant in the north, the latter in the south, of
Persia. Broadly speaking, however, we do not think it will be disputed that
the supervision and promotion of British commerce in foreign countries are a
responsibility properly devolving upon the Imperial Government. The fact
that a considerable proportion of the trade of any foreign town or port passes
to or from India (and even of such trade a large part is apt to he often British
in origin) is not a reason for placing the consular or other charges exclusively
upon the Indian revenues, any more than a corresponding preponderance of
Colonial trade in any particular quarter would he regarded as a reason for
demanding a contribution from the Colonies. We imagine the real line of
distinction to be that, whereas the commercial interests of Her Majesty’s
Indian subjects, outside of India, are in the main the concern of the
Imperial Government, yet in cases where the political importance of a place
or district exceeds the commercial, and where that political importance
is Indian rather than English in character, the Government of India may
legitimately he called upon to defray sometimes a large proportion, some
times the whole of the cost. In this way we may account for the exclusive
financial responsibility of India for Meshed, for Bushire and the other ports
of the Gulf, and for Baghdad (although we regard the latter as an extreme
and questionable extension of tlie principle). On the other hand the charges for
Ispahan, Kermanshah, Tabriz, &c., fall, or ought in our judgment to fall,
upon the Imperial revenues. Tehran, as the capital, is, in a sense, a meeting
ground of the two systems ; and a division of the cost between the two Govern
ments has accordingly been in existence ever since 1835, althougb the passage
of time has witnessed a gradual reduction of the Indian contribution, and
may, we hope, lead to a further reconsideration of the matter, when the
present arrangement expires in 1901.