'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.' [‎106r] (216/386)

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at the request of Persia, with Afghan knowledge, and under the authority of
His Maiesty’s Government, to frontier, as well as water, disputes, and that it
was impossible, and would he most unwise, to confine it to the latter. Sri
A. Hardinge unofficially addressed the Mushir-ed-Dowleh, maintaining that the
scope of the arbitration proceedings should he extended to include the delimi
tation of the Goldsmid line, on the ground that it was not Persian complaints
alone which had to be dealt with, but that the Afghans had made counter
complaints against encroachments by the Persians. Meanwhile Colonel
McMahon formally addressed the Persian Commissioners m writing (Ibth
May) protesting against their claim to limit the arbitration to the question ot
the water dispute, pointing out that boundary disputes had arisen owing to
misunderstandings on both sides regarding the real position on the ground
of the line which General Goldsmid had laid down on the map, and that,
until this boundary had been defined on the' ground, it was impossible to
settle water questions which w r ere inseparable from the boundary ques
tion. In conclusion he told them that, when they received the necessary
authority from their Government to assist him in settling the boundary
question, he would give his arbitral award on t hat point, and would afterwards
demarcate, where necessary, on the ground the line followed by the Goldsmid
boundary and he would then he in a position to give his award in the matter ot
the water disputes.
4‘2. In April, Colonel McMahon informed the Afghan Commissioner of
the boundary line which he was likely to lay down in his award based
on his interpretation of General Goldsmid’s award and map, as substantiated
bv local survey and enquiry. The line would separate lands actually occupied
on both sides, without necessity for surrender on either. It involved leaving
Takht-i-Shah in Persian territory, as a careful survey showed that it was not, and
never had been, in the Naizar. The Akhundzada raised less objection than
might have been expected, hut expressed his grief that the award would not bo
more favourable to Afghanistan*
43 About the 12th June a collision occurred between Afghan and Persian
cultivators over crops on disputed land rear Siksar, and according to a report
by the Afghan Commissioner, three Afghans were wounded an<l a hoi-se killed.
The attack by the Persians was said to have been unprovoked, and the Afghans
obeying orders did not retaliate. In order to prevent further conflict, Colonel
McMahon defined a line through the tract in question, and informed the
Persian and Afghan Commissioners that Persian and Afghan subjectswere not to
interfere in land or water disputes beyond their own side of that line un til a final
decision was promulgated. This line the Yamm-i-Nuam accepted, but more
than once similar acts of aggression on the part of the Persians were saibsequenldy
reported, which were home without retaliation by the Afghans, thanks to t e
excellent relations which throughout subsisted between Colonel McMahon a
the Akhundzada.
41. At an interview on the 18th July with the Yamin-ji-Nizam, Colonel
McMahon explained the boundary line which he proposed to ay doun, <nd
Yamin fully 1 admitted the impartial character of the line proposed which
he communicated to the Persian Government. On G.li September he received
a telegram from Tehran, saying that the Foreign Office Council considered that
the exchange of land involved by the proposed boundary line was more advan
tageous to Afghanistan than to Persia, and the Yamin was directed to examine
the line again and report. He was to obtain a promise from the Afghans not
to damage the Kohak Band, and not to construct bands between lludbai and
the Band-i-Kohak.
45. Colonel McMahon, however, steadily maintained his refusal to take up
any phase of the water question until the boundary was settled, and «t the end
of October the Persian Government at last instructed the *°
accept Colonel McMahon’s boundary line without conditions. On othJNoiem.
her Colonel McMahon formally propounded his award to the Af a Com-
missioner in writing, and the latter despatched 011 ,
recommending that it should be accepted, and asking for His Hig mevs car y
consent to the commencement of demarcation.