'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.' [‎83r] (170/386)

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CHAPTER VJII.
British Consular Representation in Persia.
When Lord Curzon assumed office, the total number of British officers
holding permanent Consular appointment's in Persia was no more than six.
These were stationed at Tabriz, Resht, Meshed, Ispahan, Bushire, and Moham-
merah. At Kermanshah and Shiraz, there were native agents Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. ; while at
Kerman, Major Sykes held a temporary post as Consul.
2. It will have been observed* from the general statement of policy in
Persia that one of the instruments advo-
• Fide Chapter I, paragraph 25, page 6. by Curz0I1 for tUe ma i n tenanC6
of British interests in that country was the extension of British Consular
representation and this was among the earliest matters to which His Excellency
devoted his attention which was first directed to Seistan.
3. In September 1898 Captain Sykes who held the post of Consul at
Appointment of a Britisti Consular Kerman and was then on deputation to the
Officer in Seistan. Bur country was diverted to Seistan as
Consul in consequence of the nomination of a Russian Consul to Nasratabad
in August of that year. He spent the summer of 1899 at Birjand and returned
to Kerman in the autumn. In his reports ho was opposed to the establishment
of a Consulate in Seistan, but supported the opinion that it was essential that
British interests, commercial and political, should be sustained in that quarter by
an energetic and liberal maintenance of the line of connection with India,
hut that, in Seistan itself, it wou’d be sufficient for the present, unless a
more active course should he rendered necessary by Russian initiative, to rely
upon Indian Native Agents Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. . Eord Curzon accepted these recommendations and
partly with a view to meet the rumours, though unfounded, of plague alarms in
Eastern Persia fomented by Russia for political purposes, decided in July 1899
to send a Hospital Assistant to Soistan as news- writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. and medical reporter for
a period of six months. The Government of India at the same time sug
gested to His Majesty’s Minister at Tehran that he should let the Russians*
know that we should be content with a Native Agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. in Seistan unless they
sent a Consul there in which case we should undoubtedly appoint a perma
nent officer also. But the Russian Government did not waver in their
determination. The long rumoured appointment of a Russian Vice*Consul
was carried into effect when M. Miller arrived atNasratabad on the 11th lehru-
ary 19C0, and Major Chenevix-Trench was consequently at once deputed as His
Majesty’s Vice-Consul, Seistan, and reached Nasratahad on the IGth April
1900.f* The status of the Vice-Consulate was raised to that of a Consulate in
July 1902, in consequence of similar promotion having been given to the
Russian Vice-Consul.
4 On Major Sykes’ departure from Seistan in the autumn of 1899, his trans-
Appointment of a British Consular fer from Kerman to Tehran seemed pro-
Officer at Bunder Abbas. bable and, apart from the proposal made
for the extension of British Consular Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. to Bunder Abbas in pursuance of
the general policy laid down in the despatch of September 1899, the facts
which had recently been brought to light regarding the traffic in arms
between Maskat through Bunder Abbas to the Indian borderland rendered it
additionally important that our interests should he suitably represented at
the latter port. Lieutenant Hunt was consequently deputed for six months,
pending permanent arrangements, as British Vice-Consul to Bunaer Abbas
where he took up his duties on the 5th March 1900. Circumstances necessitated
several changes of incumbents in this unattractive appointment and the question
of including the provinces of Yezd and Laristan within his jurisdiction was
postponed until 1904, when the Government of India decided, that permanent
arrangements must be made to extend the scope of this official s usefulness. Ih©
status of this appointment was then raised to that of a Consul and his jurisdiction
was extended to the Shamilat, Lingah and the Shib Kuh ports, Minab and
f For details of this appointment vid# under British activity in Seistan, Chapter XV, paragraphs 1(3 18, pages 98 99.