‘Seistan Persia & Seistan’ [‎120v] (245/617)

t 22 ]
the Ao’ent to the Govern or-General which says— All Mai ran reports agree that Mehrap,
® ^ , Gitohki is with the Askams at rishm* meditating
* A trifle north of latitude 26° and just outside our cmcnki ia vviun tuc ^ a a. _ &
border. an attack on Kej. Please move Persian Govern-
ment'to turn him out ” Captain Sykes has drawn attention to the importance of Bampur, and
the place is one which should, apparently, be borne in mind, if any general scheme of new
consular appointments in Southern Persia is to be considered.
16. I suppose we may set aside the scheme of 1887 for reviving the military organisation
of the Persian Telegraph Department. Apparently the only military officer now employed in
the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Persian Sections of the
India List for January 1897, page 31. Indo-European .Telegraph Department is Lieu
tenant-Colonel Wells, R.E., the Director of the Persian Section. I believe that, since 1887,
a great deal of information has been collected in respect to the military resources of Persia.
(The Intelligence Branch could, of course, speak about this.) The employment of military
men on political or consular duties in Persia is, perhaps, therefore not so important a consider
ation as it was ten years ago. What we do seem to need in political and commercial interests
is a more extended consular system. The details of any reorganisation and expansion of the
existing staff would, of course, be primarily a matter for the Tehran Legation; but, as far as
I am able to judge from the papers I have examined, we ought to have a British officer perma
nently at Kerman, and, if the position is to be made really satisfactory, at least three others, in
addition to the existingf scale, who might
f Given at the end of paragraph 10 above. perhaps be posted at Birjand, Nasirabad and
Bampur.
If these officers were all of the rank of Vice-Consul, the additional expenditure (including
Kerman) could apparently not be less than £1,960 a year, taking the charges for each Vice-
Consul at pay £350 and office allowance £140. On many grounds, however, it might be
best to fill such appointments with selected officers of the Staff Corps. They could hardly be
given less than £500 a year on appointment, rising to £600, and with office allowances and
incidental expenses, the total cost might be set down at about £3,000 a year. On the other
hand it seems possible that savings might be secured by reducing the status of some of the
existing Consular appointments.
With a re-arrangement such as above suggested, one or two Native Consular Agents for
Bunder Abbas and similar points would probably be desirable, at any rate as a temporary
measure, in order to secure necessary information as to trade : while the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at
Maskat might, as suggested by Colonel Meade, have general charge of the Persian Makran
coast.
Supposing that the whole scheme cost even as much as £5,000 a year, it seems to me
that it would be well worth trying, at any rate as an experiment for, say, five years. Her
Majesty's Government would presumably bear some share, if not half.
There is, however, the further consideration that in the south, at any rate, it might
be vexy desirable, if not essential, to give the Consular officers reliable escorts. Assuming, as I
suppose we may safely do, that escorts of Indian troops could not or would not be given the
scheme sketched by Sir Mortimer Durand (paragraph 11 above) to provide escorts, locally raised
at Persian expense but under British officers, seems a very attractive one. It ought not to cost
the British Government much. As far as I am aware, Persia at present has no troops who
could be described as “thoroughly trustworthy." It has to be remembered that Sir Mortimer was
writing at a time when the position in and recent occurrences in the Shuster neio-hbourhood
would have justified “resolute pressure" being brought to bear on the Persian Government.
Whether such pressure could now be brought is, perhaps, an open question; but the disorder in
Persian Baluchistan and the riots at Bushire give us just ground for complaint.
17. I have noted the opinions recorded in regard to railway extension. The considera-
J See paragraph 7(i) above. tions involved are so largely military that I hesi-
T 10 0 « • i . , tate to venture any opinion. The despatcht
of the 24th June 1887 said, m regard to the Ahwaz-Tehran railway, “ we observe that Her
Majesty s Government are already committed to a decided line of policy It appears
that if capital were to be raised by public subscription for the construction of the proiected
railway and for the navigation of the Karun, a guarantee of not less than 3 per cent given bv
the Imperial Government, or given by the Government of India and endorsed by the Imperial
Government, would be indispensable." J F
18 I have placed in the file External B., October 1897, Nos. 93-98, which contains
demi-official correspondence regarding a suggestion to dispense with the coast line of teleo-raph
from Karachi to Jask, and to replace it by an inland line from Kalat to Kashan by PanVur
Bampur, Kerman and Yezd. The matter was shelved and need not be discussed ho™ W
Mr. Barnes's demi-official letter of the 2nd August 1897 may be read I also
Secret E., March 1896 Nos 79-95, regarding the Karun River subsidy. The notes beginning
Tsof u + Westland ^ at P a g e 3 ^ K. W. may be read. The case may perhaps bf
usefully referred tom any despatch v. hich may now go home on the general question. P The