'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.' [‎124v] (253/386)

Confirmation of tins report was obtained in October when the Hashmat-ut.
Lomu md, i i „„ i ie tlie Government s share of the
Mulk was told ' G t t it had been hitherto accepted, the whole
prodaceata rate higher^han tliat at whiclt it Kharwar=630lbs ); ld , ld to
Banlc No ime wa l lost in intervening and, on S5th October 1903,
Mr Grant Duff acting on instr.ictions from Lord Lansdowne, addressed the
Pe^sfan Government a note saving that tile threatened sa e of the revenue
grain* ofSeistan to the Russian Bank was a proeeeding whiodr would m he
opinion of His Mniesty’s Government, give the Russian Bank a sliaie. t e
administration of the Jevenue of Seistan and would disturb -.he^c—cial and
political status quo prevailing m that province wine h ^
interest of the British and Persian Governments to mamtam. ine musnir
ed Dowleh was therefore urged to send stringent or. ers to the Governor-
General of Khorasan prolubiting the sale, and Mi. Giant Butt d d 10
placed in a position to reassure Lord Lansdowne with regard o . ie m
The Mushir-ed-Dowleh denied the truth of the report. What, however,
was really taking place it.was not easy to ascertain. _
On the one hand, the Persian Government asserted positively that there
never had been any question of the sale to the Bank, and issued stringent
orders that the grain was not to be disposed of, directly or indirectly ; while
the Governor-General of Khorasan denied e nphatical y that any commumca-
tfon had taken plane with the Hashmat-ul-Mulk on the subject. On. the other
hand private letters sent to the HasWt-ul-Mulk from Meshed camera to the
possession of Colonel McMahon, proving that the sale was being negotiated
on behalf of the Russian Bank by the Governor-Generals Vizier tniougli le
Reis-ut-Tujjar, and in January 1904 an agent of the Muavimut-Iujjar passed
throagh Tu bat on his way to Seistan to take over the grain, ihe 1 ersian Fume
Minister, however, persisted in his assertion that no wheat had been sold to the
Bank although he admitted that they had been given permission the previous
summer to ex port some 150 or 200 kharwars ot barley-—an explanation which,
though quite inadequate to account for what was going on, was of interest
in view of the rigid prohibition of exports in the case of travellers for India
by the Nushki trade route. ■,
Meanwhile evidence continued to accumulate that the sale had actually
been carried out, and that delivery would he taken unless peremptory or ers
were received from Tehran prohibiting it, and on 21st March one. Abdul
Karim who was said to be the agent of the Muavin-ut-Tujjar, arrived at
Nasratabad, where he was met by the Manager of the Seistan Branch of the
Russian Bank, and was housed in the residence of a Peshkhidmat of the Russian
Consul. On 25th March 1904 Sir A. Hardinge telegraphed that peremptory
orders had been sent to the Acting Governor of Seistan prohibiting , the sale
of the grain to Abdul Karim, or any other representative of the Russian Bank.
It was fortunate that the prohibition was made general, as it was subsequently
stated that the “ farah ” or receiving order had been issued to one Ah Asghar
as agent of the Muavin-ut-Tujjar.
58. The prohibition was obeyed. The Local Government refused to deliver
the revenue grain to Abdul Karim and he left Seistan in August 1904, haying
been dismissed by the Russian Bank for his failure to obtain it. Nothing further
was heard regarding this mysterious matter until the 22nd May 1905, the very
week when Colonel McMahon’s Mission left Seistan when His Majesty s Consul
General Meshed, reported tc on good authority ” that the Seistan crown lands had
been sold to the Amin-i-Zarb and the Reis-ut-Tujjar, two wealthy Meshed mer
chants; and that the purchase money was being obtained by them from the
Russian Bank. The Government of India immediately reported the matter to
the Secretary of State and the Minister, pointing out that the transaction would
be practically tantamount to the Seistau lands passing into Russian hands it t e
purchase money were borrowed from the Russian Bank and suggesting that
the strongest protest should be made against such a violation of the spirit ot
assurances given by the Persian Government.
The Mushir-ed-Howleh, on the 30th May 1905, denied all knowledge, of
the transaction and said that it was impossible, as the consent of the Persian