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'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.' [‎107r] (218/386)

The record is made up of 1 volume (189 folios). It was created in 1907. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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settled the claims of both sides in the way shown in his map, and though
Colonel McMahon had given certain frontier districts to the Persians contrary
to the former settlement, he attributed the concession to the neglect of the
Afghan Government, and praised Colonel McMahon’s opinion and action. His
Highness, however, expressed a hope that the Viceroy would instruct Colonel
McMahon not to trouble himself to stay further in that part ot the country
but to return to his own duties. The Amir deprecated erection of any boundary
pillars because General Goldsmid erected none, and because of his experience of
.Russian trickery on the Herat border where Afghans had been persuaded to
mortgage lands to Russians This the Amir thought would end in hostilities with
Russia before two years and if Afghanistan is destroyed what good would pillars be?
If Afghanistan wins they will resume lands forfeited by the award. He, therefore,
bored that Colonel McMahon might be ordered not to use such expressions in
his award as may leave the impression that the award is final and perpetual.
49 To this kharita An important letter usually sent in an elaborate textile pouch, dispatched as part of the royal or diplomatic correspondence of rulers and elites. Lord Curzon replied on 13th April 1904, expressing his
pleasure that His Highness accepted the award of Colonel McMahon, since he
was convinced that it. would be beneficial to the interests of the Amii s Go\em
inent and people. His Excellency continued :—
"It will now be necessary for Colonel McMahon to proceed to erect the boundary pillars.
I observe that Your Hiohness does not think that they will be required. But I would point
out that for the British Government to lay down a boundary t etween the territories ot Afghan
istan and Persia, and then to ] lace no pillars upon it, would be to throw away the entire
benefits of their action, and to provoke a renewal of disputes at a later date. Moreover, the
Persian Government will, with reason, expect the pillars to be erected. I, therefore, trust that
Your Hio-hcess will issue immediate orders to your officials in this sense. 1 am confident that
Your Highness will agree with these proposals, because m the same letter you have s m t ia
the Afghans ought to have erected boundary pillars at the time of General Goldsmid s awaid,
and that the recent difficulties have arisen because they failed to do so.
"Colonel McMahon will also require to pronounce upon the irrigation questions in dispute
between the subjects of Your Highness and those of the Persian Government. These ue.e
one of the chief causes of the mission, and it is necessary, in the interests of future peace a d
tranquillity on the border, that they should be authoritatively arranged. In my letter to
you of 22nd November last, I reminded Your Highness that this was a part of Colonel
McMahon’s duty.
"When he has successfully carried out his instructions in both these respects I will order
Colonel McMahon to return to India ”
E0. No reply having been received to the above, the Amir was reminded on
22nd June 1904 and the''necessity for marking the line by pillars which would
leave no room for doubt in the minds of the local people as to what tracts be
longed to His Highness and what to Persia, w^as further urged His Highness w as
alsomformed that the Persian Commissioner had protested to Colonel McMahon
against the Afghan officials taking revenue, until demarcation was finished, on
lands cultivated by Persians near Alijangi which was included m Afghan erri-
tory by Colonel McMahon’s award, but a reply to tbe eilect that the 1 eisian
attitude was hardly warrantable bad been returned by Colonel McMahon.
The incident afforded an additional argument in favour of the early construction ot
boundary pillars. On tbe 14th August 1904, the Amir replied unreservedly
accepting, in deference to tbe wishes of the Government of India, Colonel
Me Mahon’s boundary award, and agreeing to the demarcation though wnh much
reluctance. He also asked for details regarding disputed irrigation questions and
was informed on the 20th September 1904 that without a definite decision regard
ing the water-rights w hich were the primary cause of the dispute which led to the
appointment of a commission, the mere settlement of the land frontier w( uld
avail little in preventing friction and trouble and that it was very necessary
in the interest of both Afghanistan and Persia to decide how a requisite supply
of water from the Helmand could be assured to both parties as contemplated by
General Goldsmid’s arbitral opinion which however did not enter into detail but
merely laid down in general terms “ that no works are to be carried out on
either side calculated to interfere with the requisite supply of water for irriga
tion on both banks of the Helmand.” A clearer definition it w as pointed out
was especially necessary in the case of Afghanistan, owing to t le possi n ity of
the river changing its course and being diverted entirely into 1 er>iun Seistan.

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Content

Printed at the GC [Government Central] Press, Simla.

The volume is divided into three parts: Part I (folios 5-47) containing an introduction; Part II (folios 48-125) containing a detailed account; and Part III (folios 126-188) containing despatches and correspondence connected with Part I Chapter IV ('The Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ', folios 28-47).

Part I gives an overview of policy and events in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. region during Curzon's period as Viceroy [1899-1905], with sections on British policy in Persia; the maintenance and extension of British interests; Seistan [Sīstān]; and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Part II contains more detailed accounts of selected topics, including sections on British policy in Persia, customs and finance, quarantine, administration, communications, and British and Russian activity in Seistan. The despatches and correspondence in Part III include correspondence from the Government of India in the Foreign Department, the Secretary of State for India, and the Viceroy; addresses and speeches by Curzon; and notes of interviews between Curzon and local rulers.

Mss Eur F111/531-534 consist of four identical printed and bound volumes. However, the four volumes each show a small number of different manuscript annotations and corrections.

This volume contains manuscript additions on folios 8, 11-12, 14, 42 (a sixteen word note concerning the use by the Shaikh of Koweit [Kuwait] of a distinctive colour [flag] for Kuwait shipping), and 62-66.

Extent and format
1 volume (189 folios)
Arrangement

The volume contains a list of Parts I-III on folio 4; a table of contents of Part I on folio 6; a table of contents of Part II on folio 49; and a table of contents of Part III on folios 127-129, which gives a reference to the paragraph of Part I Chapter IV that the despatch or correspondence is intended to illustrate.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 191; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

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'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.' [‎107r] (218/386), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/534, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100070118030.0x000013> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100070118030.0x000013">'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.' [&lrm;107r] (218/386)</a>
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