'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.' [‎76r] (156/386)

Government was that the Resident at Bnshire claimed, as coming within the
scope of the British doctors the quarantine on the land side of Bushire between
that port and the road leading to Bars. In regard to this matter the Govern
ment of India were of opinion that the quarantine arrangements on the isthmus
at Bushire must remain with the authority in charge of sea quarantine and Sir
A. Hardinge was so instructed on the 12th September 1901.
11. At a meeting on August 21st between Sir A, Hardingc, the Grand
Vizier, the Mushir-ed-Dowleh, and M. Nans, His Majesty’s Minister asked for the
issue of immediate orders to the customs authorities at Bushire, and elsewhere
in the Gulf, to abstain from interference in the administration of the quarantine
by the British doctors, but the Persian Government claimed that the existing
understanding with His Majesty’s Government was a purely provisional one
which they were free to terminate at their convenience. Sir A. Hardinge
added that if the Persian Government were dissatisfied with the working of
existing arrangements, if they thought, for example, that the expenditure was
unequally divided between themselves and the Government of India, they should
make representations to that elfect. But pending a settlement between the two
Governments, he insisted that the existing arrangements should be allowed to
continue without interference on the part of the officials of the Persian Govern
ment. The Mushir-ed-Dowleh and the Grand Vizier suggested that Sir
A. Hardinge should produce documentary evidence that the existing system had
been formally accepted by the Persian Government. Sir A. Hardinge pointed
out that the papers in the possession of His Majesty’s Legation were very
meagre ; and the only one available was the report of the Board of Health to the
Shah, dated February 24th, 1897, which referred to the channel for the com
munication of orders issued by the Persian Government to the British quaran
tine doctor at Bushire. The papers referred to in the Legation registers regard
ing an application by the then Grand Vizier for the services of Indian doctors
and of the acquiescence by Sir M. Durand, could not be found.
M. Nans contended that the report of the Board of Health only gave
His Majesty’s Legation the right to demand that crpies of the orders sent by
the Shah on quarantine matters to the Governor of Bushire should be com
municated through the Legation to the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Surgeon at that port. He
also argued that the British control was really merely over maritime quarantine,
but did not extend to the control of the quarantine on the land side of Bushire.
Sir A. Hardinge observed that the latter was a subsidiary question ; the point
of principle in our objection to the Customs Department being the olfidal
channel of communication between the Persian Government and the British
doctors, and the claim of the Director-General of Customs to issue orders to
them on matters affecting quarantine. His Majesty’s Minister, although he had
received no instructions from His Majesty’s Government on that point, was
personally of opinion that protection of Bushire against cholera or plague
involved the exercise of control by the officer in charge of the maritime quaran
tine over the land approaches to the peninsula on which Bushire was situated.
Sir Arthur Hardinge later in the interview explained to the Grand Vizier
that the Belgian Customs officials were certainly regarded in Southern Persia
and bv many persons in other parts of the country as inimical to British
interests; and that it was on that account that the Government of India
resented the idea of the placing of our quarantine officers under their control.
Subsequently, at the request of Sir A. Hardinge, and after the departure
of M. Nans for Europe, the Grand Vizier instructed the Belgian Customs
authorities at Bushire to desist for the present from all further interference
with existing quarantine arrangements in the ports of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
hut His Highness said that on M. Naus’ return, he would wish to rediscuss
the question with Sir A. Hardinge. The matter did not come up again during
Lord Curzon’s Viceroyalty.
12. The attitude of the Persian Government in this question was so obsti
nate that on the 10th August 1904 the Government of India suggested to the
Minister that a satisfactory solution might possibly be obtained by the presence
of a ship of war at Bushire in support of the British Minister’s protest. At the
meeting -of the 21st—so unyielding did the Grand Vizier appear that the