'SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND MEASURES OF THE VICEROYALTY OF HIS EXCELLENCY LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA IN THE FOREIGN DEPARTMENT. I. JANUARY 1899-APRIL 1904. II. DECEMBER 1904-NOVEMBER 1905. VOLUME IV. PERSIA AND THE PERSIAN GULF.' [‎53v] (111/386)

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Opinion of Her Majesty’s Government. effect an immediate partition of his
. . i tt p1 . iVTqiestv’s Government were not disposed foi the time
dominions ; and that liei x c .v y b * t They preferred rather to rest
iKun- to make any propwals on the subjea. ^ to the Forsian Gov .
content w^ threympo. ant an ^ t i, e intetTal consequent on the
eminent, two of whicl Curzon’s views as to these pronouncements
«* Tn!’™‘. 1 “
His J^rJshlp's reply of 6 Ui aeptember 1900 , wbicV was m tollci.s-—■
“The first four paragraphs of Y our Loraship^^y^rekte Jo ^aUers, n’^hing
appointments in Persia (concerning w^uc i^e^y ^ qapstl0n 0 f a Quetta-Nushki-Seistan
more of the revised proposals o x . , ,.‘ , .’1 ^ p Your Lordship independ-
’inr f few Ynur Lordship for this communication of the views of Her Majesty s
‘ M e are grateful to Your n l . occurring in Persia which, ever since
Government. We accept t,ie Q Q tatPmen ., ■ p ve mo dified the situation, not to the advantage
our despatch of September 1899 was wntten have modihed the > change, of
there'^IX^n to ft^g al^htdr^nfuirg bXce mtby others
to our disadvantage—’
, • xu*-Rn^o. Persian loan a few months later more than justified these
‘pEr-i r=;ss sa xsz&tjrssss
vigiiance. ^ ug to oonln , 8n fc at any length upon the several propositions
W hieh have heon laid down^hy^YourLordship.
whole'o! Persia’ '' think that the extent to which she is permitted to do so still ^P™ ls
even more upon' tho action of Her Majesty’s Government than it does "F" »;™- “r
do we recognise any reflection of our own views or utterances in the remark that it can baldly
h« maintained that in view of foreign co.npetilion, civilised powers can be permanently denied
the benefit of access to tho ports of Persia, because their admission will infringe upon a mono-
poly which we have hitherto enjoyed.’
“ If the reference is to access by sea, clearly such approach never has been or would ever
be likely to be denied by Great Britain. If the reference is to access by land wo have never
said anything to deprecate the connection of the Persian ports by railway with the interior and
the free use of such ports by the subjects orlmerchandise of Foreign Powers. \\ hat we have all
alontr deprecated and must continue to dep-ecate is that any such railways,-leading to ports
within a sphere in which British interests are unquestionably predominant, and in which it
cannot be alleged that any other Foreign Power possesses any interest comparable with out
own -—should be constructed as the instruments of political or military ambition, and should
terminate in maritime exits, which might before long be converted into the coaling stations or
the naval bases of foreign fleets. We have no objection whatever to the construction of
railways in the south or in any other part of Persia, though we enterta.n the liveliest doubt as
To whether in a country as backward and so mountainous they would ever repay the expense of
construction. All that we maintain is that, if Persia decides to construct railways in the south
she should not do so except with our consent, and, if possible, with our co-operation; and that
the so-called development of the country should not be made an excuse lor open and flagrant
detriment to British interest.
“ We reioice to think that on this point we share the views that are apparently held by
Her Maiestv’s Government. At least this is the inference that we draw from the intimation
that was authorised by the Marquis of Salisbury to the Persian Government on the 4th April
last in which the present Shah was reminded of the promise of Ins father, the late Shah, that
no southern railway concession shall be granted to any foreign company without consultation
with Her Majesty's Government' We confess, however, to a doubt whether the general
character or the particular terms of this pledge are such as altogether to preclude the fcisian
Government from entering into engagements, even with regard to railway matters m South ra
Persia, with a Foreign Power or Powers, which might violate the spirit, eveu while observin 0